The air in the room was suffocating, so taut that a single spark felt enough to blow it apart.
With deep-blue hair tied in a high ponytail and the sharp poise of a seasoned commander, Tsuru spoke first. "Fleet Admiral Kong, what matters now is how we handle this."
Steel Bone Kong's eyes bulged with fury. His voice came out like a growl. "And what good options do we have? Rocks is gathering a mass of New World pirates. Even if Marine HQ deploys its entire main force, we still cannot raze Hachinosu."
"Does anyone know how many pirates will converge on that island?"
"Three hundred thousand?"
"Five hundred thousand?"
His glare could have devoured a man whole.
The Rocks Pirates were already terrifying. This time he had called countless pirates to witness the execution of Celestial Dragons with their own eyes.
Even the Navy could not tally the numbers on Hachinosu now.
Intelligence from branches worldwide reported a figure that chilled the blood.
Hundreds, even thousands of pirate crews were swarming toward Hachinosu.
The sea lanes were thick with ships, all bound for the Hive.
Unprecedented.
Marine bases across the map had pulled tight like clams, battened down and on high alert, fearful that passing pirates might raid them en route.
This formation of pirates
Dwarfed the numbers when Rocks first rallied them to forge the Rocks Pirates. Several times over.
Kong's words plunged the room back into silence.
Only after a long moment did Admiral Sengoku speak, face heavy. "We cannot do nothing. They are Celestial Dragons, the World Nobles. If pirates execute them in public,
What does that make the Navy..."
It would be a blow to the prestige of both the World Government and the Navy. If Rocks pulled it off,
Their standing would collapse.
The seas would turn into a carnival for pirates.
Zephyr added, voice low, "I am worried Rocks is using this to recruit in bulk.
Our mobilization will not be hidden from him. This abduction by the Golden Lion and the plan to execute Celestial Dragons in public may be tailored to counter us."
If the Rocks Pirates expanded again,
Even fodder would bleed the Marines of men and strength.
Kong's head throbbed. Of course he knew Rocks was forcing the Government and the Navy to move, scrambling their original plan.
But if they moved on those terms,
They would be stepping into Rocks's rhythm, fighting reactively instead of holding initiative.
Right now the weight on his shoulders felt like a mountain.
This job was not one anyone should envy.
After thinking a moment, Kong pinched the bridge of his nose. "The Marines cannot deploy en masse. Even with one hundred thousand elite, the odds are not good.
There are simply too many pirates on Hachinosu.
And it is the enemy's home ground. They hold every advantage."
A flawless solution did not exist.
With that many pirate crews flowing in, slipping Marine units into those waters without drawing notice was nearly impossible.
Kong felt his hands tied.
"At most we send special forces," he went on, "to try and extract the Celestial Dragons.
A frontal attack would have too little chance of success and a cost the Marines cannot bear."
"No." Garp stood so fast his chair scraped the floor. "Hachinosu is too dangerous. Absolutely not."
His son future Revolutionary Army leader Monkey D. Dragon was a member of the special forces.
He was only seventeen,
Yet already among the stronger hands in the unit.
Dragon's talent rivaled, if not surpassed, Garp's own.
Kong knew exactly what Garp feared. "Nothing is decided. We will discuss other options first."
Garp sank back down.
He had no interest in rescuing Celestial Dragons.
Light flickered in Tsuru's gem-bright eyes. "What if we find a way to make the pirates on the island turn on each other, throw the place into chaos?"
"Not easy," Kong said, frowning. Tsuru's suggestion opened a path, but it was not simple to walk.
"The Rocks officers are strong enough to suppress disorder quickly. We might spark a momentary riot, but to make them fight to the death and spiral into civil war is unlikely."
They began to debate in earnest. At the very least, they needed a plan.
Success or failure,
They would need an answer to give.
…
Holy Land Marie Geoise.
In the Room of Authority.
"The situation is slipping out of control. That man Rocks has effectively declared war on the World Government. He intends to stake everything," said Saint Marcus Mars, the bearded Elder clad in dark blue, guardian of the environment.
It was a signal.
The signal before a final battle.
Everyone could feel it in their bones.
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn sat upright, both hands resting on his cane. His fingers tapped the back of his other hand as he spoke in a gravelly voice. "The other Celestial Dragon families have sent demands. The World Government must eliminate Rocks.
Otherwise we cannot guarantee their safety."
The Government exists to safeguard the Celestial Dragons' divine status and rights. Now Rocks had kidnapped them.
He had summoned a mass of pirates to Hachinosu and announced a public execution.
The Nineteen Families would not tolerate such a thing. They demanded the immediate eradication of the Rocks Pirates
To guarantee absolute safety.
Saint Topman Warcury's moustache bristled. "If we do not provide an answer to the other families,
The fallout will be severe.
They will question whether we are capable of safeguarding Celestial Dragon authority."
He rose and looked at the other Elders, face set. "Rocks will execute them in ten days. We must have a solution within five.
If we cannot resolve it, we must at least stop the execution."
Saint Marcus Mars hesitated. "Should we deploy the Holy Knights? With their strength, they might pull the Celestial Dragons out..."
"The Holy Knights are encircling God Valley to protect the Celestial Dragons there. To shift them and lose everything would be our disgrace," Saturn said flatly,
Snuffing that thought.
The Elders turned to other countermeasures.
…
Out on the endless sea,
Sky and water were one.
Rayleigh finished the newspaper, stunned by the scale of Rocks's move. He folded it and wandered over to Roger. "Roger, I have good news."
"What news?" Roger asked, seated on the gunwale with a fishing line in the water.
"Rocks plans to publicly execute Celestial Dragons on Hachinosu. The World Government must be in a fury," Rayleigh said with a grin.
"This is our chance to slip into God Valley."
With the Government's eyes on the Rocks Pirates, the window had opened for them.
"What do you make of Rocks's move?" Roger asked.
"His ambition is common knowledge," Rayleigh said. "War between him and the Government will come soon, and it may even help our plan.
When that happens, the Government's strength will be tied up with the Rocks Pirates. They will have little attention left for the Roger Pirates."
Roger laughed loud and free. "Exactly. Rocks has already turned the world upside down."
Expectation shone on his face. "One day, we will do the same."
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