One might say Shiki's ability was simply too useful, effortlessly carrying several pirate crews as they moved from the North Blue towards the first half of the Grand Line. At this moment, this giant island, carrying everyone, was flying directly above the Red Line.
From this vantage point, looking down at the Red Line below, the sight was magnificent. The red continent stretched endlessly, like solidified magma. In a world dominated by the sea, this was truly a unique spectacle. However, at this moment, practically no one cared about the breathtaking scenery. That's because once they crossed the Red Line, Marineford would no longer be far.
Meanwhile, Roa was fiddling with a Transponder Snail, specifically a visual one. Beside it lay another communication Transponder Snail, already connected.
"So, I just open the visual Transponder Snail, point it at myself, and the broadcast begins, right?"
"Yes, Lord Roa!" A dramatically flattering voice came from the other end of the line. "We've already set up broadcast equipment in many countries. Once your broadcast begins, we'll immediately start retransmitting."
"Excellent!" Roa snapped his fingers happily. "You guys really lucked out this time. Originally, considering the influence, I should've gone to the World Economic Journal, but then I thought, we've collaborated so many times, so I decisively chose you."
The man on the other end of the line was the president of the New World Times. Upon hearing Roa's words, he couldn't help but want to roll his eyes. Isn't it because the World Economic Journal is ultimately too constrained by the World Government, unlike our small newspaper circulating freely only in the New World?
But after considering Roa's personality, the president continued, his voice filled with feigned emotion, "We are truly honored, Lord Roa, for your regard!"
"Don't just be honored, don't forget the retransmission fee." Roa reminded him.
The newspaper president on the other end choked. We provide free broadcast facilities, provide channels for live streaming, and now we still have to pay you? Roa! Don't be too excessive! Do you really think we're easy to bully?
But while he thought so, what came out of his mouth was, "Of course, of course, Lord Roa!" Their newspaper was certainly not easy to bully, but Roa was no longer someone who could be simply judged by whether he was easy to bully or not. In the future, anyone who wanted to thrive in the New World would probably have to depend on this lord's mood.
Thus, Roa ended the communication with satisfaction.
"Gahahahaha! You brat certainly have many tricks!" Shiki, sitting cross-legged to the side, looked at Roa with interest and said, "What are you planning to do with this broadcast?"
Roa's face was serious. "I can't help it, capital—er, no, I mean the World Government controls the world's narrative!"
"To break this situation, we must rely on self-media!"
"Huh?" Shiki looked bewildered, having no idea what on earth Roa was talking about. However, after a brief moment of thought, he probably understood. What they were about to do could be described as stomping on the Marines' face. What if the World Government fabricated fake news as before, denying the truth of the matter? So, he wanted to broadcast this event, right? That's what Roa was thinking.
"Of course," Roa scratched his face somewhat awkwardly, "I also want the people of the world to properly witness my heroic姿態."
Shiki was speechless. Now he understood. In the end, it was still for the "delicious food."
"Roa!" Suddenly, Shiki spoke.
"Hmm?" Roa, who was fiddling with the visual Transponder Snail, looked up in surprise.
"Let's have a contest!" Shiki's eyes shimmered with a strange light. "Let's see who the winner is in the end!"
"Huh?" Roa looked bewildered. "Uncle Shiki, what are you talking about?"
"Gahahahaha! After this battle, the World Government will have to compromise whether they like it or not!" Shiki burst into loud laughter. "The New World is about to enter a new era!"
"You said we would reign over that sea like emperors, but I think there's no need for too many emperors!"
"The alliance you've formed is indeed good, but who will be the leader is still unknown!"
Looking at Shiki's excited smile, Roa instantly knew that he had gone from being someone Shiki wanted to recruit to someone he considered a rival! Even Roa frowned at this. He said with a serious expression, "Uncle Shiki, strictly speaking, you're not a member of our alliance."
"Huh?" Roa reminded him, "You were just briefly allied with us for the duration of this plan, that's all."
Don't think you can just sneak in by putting on an act. Do you think you're Lu Xiaobu?
Shiki then remembered that when Roa had invited him before, he had indeed refused. This...
"Or would you like to officially join now?"
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
This was the great fortress of justice, a bastion that had never fallen in eight hundred years. Although a large portion of their forces had been sent to the New World to pursue those monsters, this fortress still housed a vast number of soldiers. After all, it also bore the crucial responsibility of guarding Marijoa.
"Damn scum!" On the top floor of the imposing Headquarters building, in the Fleet Admiral's office, Kong, the man who commanded the entire Marine force, leaned wearily back in his office chair, rubbing his temples as he grumbled, "Where have they all hidden themselves, they're truly cunning!"
The current situation was not good. The Government and Marines had been forced to fabricate lies to deceive the world, but this purely propaganda-based offensive's only effect was to stabilize the rear. It offered virtually no help to the war itself; the enemy wouldn't be fooled. Instead, there was a high probability it would infuriate those crazy guys.
Frankly, although he was the Fleet Admiral, ever since he realized the pirates' tactics, Kong had found it difficult to hold out much hope for victory in this war. Because it was an entirely unequal battle. Facing the enemy's tactics, the Marines and Government were completely helpless.
However, this belief only lasted until yesterday. One might say that Roa fellow was also somewhat angered by the Government's fabricated news, to the point of losing some rationality?
"Fleet Admiral Kong! Roa's broadcast is about to begin!" At this moment, a communications officer hastily knocked on the office door.
Kong instantly perked up. "Has the Science Unit prepared?"
"Yes, Dr. Vegapunk is already on standby!"
"Good, connect me to their phone. I want to get the news immediately! Also, transfer Roa's broadcast feed to me. I want to see what that crazy brat is up to now!"
Yesterday, the New World Times suddenly announced another shocking piece of news in its newspaper. Calamity Roa would hold a live broadcast regarding the news from a few days ago. In the broadcast, he would respond to the Marines' "great victory."
While deeply astonished by that brat's madness, both the Marines and the Government were quite pleased about it. A live broadcast required a Transponder Snail, and using a Transponder Snail meant an opportunity to track them by decrypting the radio waves. Perhaps they could determine Roa and his group's whereabouts! Who would have thought that when they were at their wits' end, the enemy would actually expose their own weakness!
And so, soon, a Transponder Snail connected to the Marine Science Unit was placed on Kong's desk. Beside it, a visual Transponder Snail lay quietly, also activated, but since no signal had come from the broadcast channel yet, the Transponder Snail's eyes remained closed.
Kong rested his elbows on the desk, fingers interlocked, back ramrod straight. Come on! Roa, show your weakness! Don't you dare be just a bluff, like the Gorosei's decision!
He wasn't the only one waiting. In many countries across the New World, countless people flocked before the live broadcast equipment set up by the New World Times. And outside the New World, in places where the New World Times couldn't set up broadcast equipment, some well-connected individuals had started retransmitting, but more people were simply waiting for newspaper reports. Who wouldn't be curious? What exactly would Roa say, what would he do, in this broadcast?
Then, under the watchful eyes of all.
Click!
The visual Transponder Snail suddenly opened its eyes and lifted its head. Two beams of light projected from its round eyeballs, falling onto a white screen opposite, and an image quickly appeared.
"It's finally started!" Kong's expression was invigorated.
"Yo! Hello, world!" In the image projected by the Transponder Snail, the black-haired young man greeted them with a wide smile. At the same moment, the world erupted.
Marine Science Unit.
"Begin! Confirm his location in the shortest time possible!"
"Yes, Dr. Vegapunk!"
Paradise.
"It's started! It's really Roa!"
"He's so young, really, just a boy!!"
New World.
"He's so handsome! Even more handsome than on his wanted poster! So handsome and strong, I really want to have a sweet romance with him!"
"Don't be silly, do we even need to say how crazy this guy is? Everyone says he's the one who stirred up this whole incident!"
"Roa was just led astray by Rocks! Don't advise others to be good if you haven't suffered their hardships! What could Roa do, born a pirate! He must also be waiting for someone to redeem him!"
"Redeem your ass! Is there something wrong with your brain?!"
Regardless, the world stirred for a moment, then collectively quieted down. Everyone was waiting; the whole world was waiting for Roa's response!
In the image, Roa's smile was as gentle as a spring breeze, his fair face with eyes curved in a smile. Where was the slightest hint of the brutality and savagery that a great pirate with a bounty of three billion should possess?
He's really good-looking, countless people across the world simultaneously thought with emotion. Only, what he said made everyone shudder.
"The Marines said they won, so let's see how exactly they won." Roa said with a smile, "No need to doubt, this is retaliation. Everyone is very angry about being fooled by foolish lies."
Saying this, he probably turned the Transponder Snail in his hand. The Transponder Snail's view rotated, bringing Shiki, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Laffitte, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, Captain John, and others into the screen.
Just seeing this scene, the whole world fell silent. Only by seeing these monsters gathered together could one more truly feel their terror! Also, according to Roa, there was something wrong with the Marines' victory a few days ago?
The world then erupted in another clamor.
"Still talking tough! The photos have been released! Still trying to bluff?"
"Retaliation? I'd like to see how he retaliates!"
"How else can he retaliate! Unable to deal with the Marine fleet, he can only take it out on an affiliated country!"
"No! I'm in the North Blue, please don't let it be our country!"
Meanwhile, in the Fleet Admiral's office, Kong stared intently at the screen while picking up the communication Transponder Snail, repeatedly asking, "Has it not been confirmed yet?"
"Almost! Fleet Admiral Kong, Dr. Vegapunk says, one minute at most!" The person on the other end said.
"Good! Hurry up!" Kong hadn't been this nervous in a long time. Frankly, even if they confirmed Roa's location, it didn't necessarily mean they could do anything about them. If the distance was too great, they wouldn't have time to rush there. But this was indeed their only chance!
In the image, Roa stepped forward. "Next, let us tell the world what a true victory looks like." He turned around, looking at the monsters walking behind him. "Everyone, are you ready? Let's go."
"Gahahahaha! Don't act like you're the leader!" Shiki laughed loudly.
"Then, let's begin!" Charlotte Linlin's eyes burned. "This old hag can't wait any longer!"
"Then, let the retaliation begin!" Roa leaped forward.
The image suddenly plunged rapidly! It was only then that people, through the Transponder Snail's perspective, clearly saw that Roa had jumped down from an island floating in the sky! The Transponder Snail was clearly filming the bottom of that island!
As Roa jumped, Shiki and the others quickly followed, also leaping from the high altitude.
Meanwhile, at the Marine Science Unit.
Dr. Vegapunk, the man with the large head, beamed with a delighted smile. "Alright! Decryption complete! Coordinates confirmed!"
Instantly, the faces of everyone around him lit up with extreme excitement. Had they finally succeeded? Then, all they needed to do was cross-reference the coordinates with the sea chart to confirm their exact location! So, the location of these coordinates was—
The Paramecia-type Brain-Brain Fruit granted Vegapunk an unparalleled brain capacity. His brain held countless pieces of knowledge, so a mere sea chart was naturally no challenge. Thus, Vegapunk confirmed Roa and his group's whereabouts almost the next second. And so, his expression instantly changed dramatically. "How could it be there!!"
Marine Headquarters. Kong stared unblinkingly at the image projected by the Transponder Snail. Which country was about to suffer misfortune? His fists clenched. Damn it, you won't be arrogant for long!
"Oh! You can already see it clearly. Now, let everyone see the place we are about to destroy." In the whooshing wind, Roa smiled and flipped the Transponder Snail. After a dizzying spin, the image projected was of an ocean, with an island in its center.
Looking at that island, the Marine Fleet Admiral was stunned, then subconsciously rubbed his eyes. Had he seen things?
"Fleet Admiral Kong!!" At this moment, from the Transponder Snail he held in his hand, a desperate voice came, "Marineford! Their target is Marineford!!"
Kong suddenly looked up. He had been so focused on the broadcast that he hadn't noticed the terrifying auras plummeting from the sky! Above Marineford, several figures were free-falling, striking down like meteorites.
Roa chuckled, "If you're someone familiar with this island, you should have recognized where this is, right?"
"Look at this iconic Crescent Harbor," he said, then moved the Transponder Snail to point at the massive, sky-obscuring gate on the distant sea. "And look at the Gates of Justice in the distance. Haha, was that the one the Captain broke back then?"
The whole world instantly erupted in an uproar.
"Is it, is it, is it Marineford?"
"Crescent Harbor plus the Gates of Justice, and the Headquarters building already visible! It's definitely Marine Headquarters!"
"Lunatics! They're all lunatics! Are they actually going to attack Marine Headquarters?"
At the same moment, in the New World, aboard the Marine Headquarters Grand Fleet.
"Damn it!" Sengoku, who was watching the broadcast with the Gorosei, turned pale. Headquarters! Only Fleet Admiral Kong and a few Vice Admirals were left guarding it!
"Saint mars! No more hesitation, quickly send out the God's Knights!" It was absolutely too late to rush back now! They could only hope for the God's Knights!
Gorosei mars's face was ashen. Although Marineford was very close to Marijoa, it still took time to get there! For security reasons, Marine Headquarters didn't have teleportation magic circles! After all, for eight hundred years, it had never been attacked! Now, they were in huge trouble!
Just as they were about to hit the ground, a fierce wind suddenly rose, cradling Roa and abruptly slowing his descent as he gently landed. He lightly touched down on the plaza of Marine Headquarters' Crescent Harbor. The others behind him also showcased their abilities; Shiki, who could fly, was naturally calm and collected. Charlotte Linlin, sitting on her clouds, was unconcerned. Kaido was the most direct, smashing straight into the ground nearby, making the entire plaza tremble. Wang Zhi and Laffitte were more practical, using Moonwalk to land safely.
Their arrival instantly sent the entire plaza into a frenzy, and the unprepared Marines were almost scared senseless.
"E-enemy! Enemy attack! It's the Pirate Alliance!!" Along with the terrified screams, piercing alarms instantly spread throughout the island, then transmitted through the Transponder Snail in Roa's hand to many parts of the world.
"Roa!!" Amidst angry roars, from the top floor of that giant Headquarters building, a figure suddenly burst through the window, hurtling towards them like a cannonball.
"Oh! So impatient?" Roa smiled, pointing the Transponder Snail at the enraged man. "Then come on, Fleet Admiral Kong, on behalf of Marineford, on behalf of all the Marines here, and finally,"
"Let's bid this world farewell."