The battle ended here. Roa slowly landed, still holding the Fleet Admiral by one hand. Redfield, ever diligent, had been filming his actions with an image Den Den Mushi and now stepped forward for a close-up. When the Den Den Mushi broadcasted the image of Roa and Kong held in his hand to the entire world, all who watched the live broadcast were speechless.
The Fleet Admiral's Demise
However, Kong was not yet dead. Already gravely wounded and on the verge of death, his heart had been directly pierced by Roa's beam. It was an injury that would kill an ordinary person ten times over, but the Fleet Admiral still retained a flicker of consciousness. Blood spurted from his mouth as he struggled to speak. Roa's senses were keen, so he barely made out the murmur.
He said it wouldn't end like this.
"Oh! You won't beg even at the very end?" Roa curved his lips. "I was going to say, if you begged us, we'd spare this island. After all, for revenge alone, killing you is enough."
At these words, a faint glimmer appeared in the Fleet Admiral's increasingly weak eyes. His lips even moved with a little more force. Roa didn't even need to listen closely to hear his voice.
"Please... please you..." There were not only Marines on this island, but also many Marine families.
"Oh? You actually begged?" Roa burst into laughter. "I was just teasing you!"
"Since it's revenge, of course we'll see it through to the end."
"Do you know how much trouble your fabricated fake news caused me? Do you know how much psychological trauma Kong's big slap in that fake news would cause a young man like me?"
"No, you don't know, you only think about yourselves!"
Kong could no longer speak. His eyes bulged, almost as if they were about to burst. Roa! Roa!! Then, in an instant, the Fleet Admiral's furious expression froze on his face, and his eyes lost their light.
He was dead. Died of anger.
"Is that all it took to die? You really can't take a joke." Roa sighed helplessly, casually throwing the Fleet Admiral, like a broken ragdoll, onto the ground. It had to be said that Kong was indeed quite old; his body no longer possessed the vitality of his youth. When he hit the ground, he didn't even bounce, just lay there silently.
Redfield's Den Den Mushi continued to faithfully broadcast everything to the world.
"Is it over? Was the Fleet Admiral killed so easily?" Countless people felt they might be seeing a hallucination. That was the Fleet Admiral! The true ruler of the seas, the supreme commander of the Marines! Someone who truly stood at the pinnacle of the world! Yet, he was killed so helplessly, even humiliated by Roa before his death!
"Isn't that obvious! No matter how strong Kong is, he's just one man! How could he win against the combined forces of those monsters!"
"He's already old. Either Golden Lion or Roa alone would have been capable of defeating him, let alone with other monsters interfering!"
"It's over! Marine Headquarters is going to be destroyed by these madmen! Can the Marines still protect this world anymore!"
Of course, there were also many who cheered for Roa and the others' actions. Most of these were residents of non-affiliated countries. They didn't receive Marine protection and had always envied the treatment of affiliated countries. Now was their chance to vent their anger at this inequality.
However, the most discussed topic was another question.
"With the power of these monsters, how did the Marine fleet defeat them?"
"Yeah, and the grand fleet only had Admiral Kong, Hero Garp, and Black Leg Zephyr! Now it seems their power is far weaker compared to these monsters!"
"Didn't Roa say it? It was fake news they fabricated!"
"I think it's fake too! It's only been a few days, and these guys have no injuries at all! Do they recover that quickly!"
The whole world was abuzz with discussion.
A Call to the Five Elders
At this moment, Roa had already taken the Den Den Mushi from Redfield. He aimed the Den Den Mushi at himself and said with a smile, "Five Elders, you're watching, aren't you? This is a warning. Next time, it'll be Mary Geoise !"
As he spoke, he looked up and shouted loudly to the distance, "Uncle Shiki, how about throwing a few islands from above Mary Geoise ? What do you think of that idea?"
"Zehahaha! Excellent! I can't wait to do it!"
The viewers of the live broadcast were once again speechless. After killing the Fleet Admiral, he was now threatening the Five Elders! When had the world ever seen such a madman?
"Alright, this live broadcast ends here. Thank you all for your attention, goodbye, world." Roa thanked them with a grin, then hung up the phone. This earth-shattering, shocking, and thrilling live broadcast finally drew to a close.
But the shock the monsters brought to the world had only just begun to spread like waves.
The Aftermath
New World, Marine Grand Fleet.
The image Den Den Mushi, which had been projecting the images, had long since closed its eyes. But the two people watching the broadcast remained silent for a long time. Garp clenched his fists, tears streaming down his face, his shoulders trembling slightly. Silent pain and anger surged within him. Brother Kong! The man who had truly cared for and guided them like an older brother since they joined the Marines, had he died at the hands of pirates just like that?
...
The Five Elders' Mars also stared blankly at the now blank screen, which no longer showed any image. At this moment, he had already started a remote meeting with the other four in Mary Geoise .
"The situation has escalated to the worst possible point. Kong is dead, Marineford will likely be destroyed, the world has begun to question our previous victory, and we are helpless against those pirates."
"Damn scum, they've pushed the government to such an extent!"
"Cursing is meaningless now. We need to figure out how to handle this! Under the premise that we are helpless against them."
"Didn't Roa say he was coming to Mary Geoise ? Then let him come!"
"Don't be foolish. Do you want to see Imu-sama offended? Like Rocks back then?"
"Besides, knowing about the Holy Knights, would they really come to Mary Geoise ? They only need to keep destroying, and the losses will become unbearable for us!"
"So, compromise is the only option?"
"Ultimately, the New World is tasteless anyway. It was always meant to be a battlefield for pirates to kill each other."
"Perhaps, it's just a temporary compromise. Without us as a common enemy, the pirates will probably start fighting among themselves. I don't believe Roa can achieve what even Rocks couldn't. I don't believe he can truly unite those unruly pirates!"
"In that case, let's go ask Imu-sama for instructions first."
Marineford's Fate
Marineford.
"Hahaha! Is it over so soon?" Silver Axe walked over, carrying his large axe, and kicked Kong's now lifeless body. "Fleet Admiral, I thought he'd be more formidable! Turns out he was utterly helpless, wasn't he?"
"No matter how strong he was, he couldn't be a match for so many of us," Wang Zhi said with a smile. "The government is probably terrified enough, aren't they?"
"They should already be discussing compromising with us. They're helpless." Roa said with a grin. "Alright, now it's free time, but make it quick."
"Hahahaha! Then I won't hold back!" Silver Axe laughed loudly, dashing towards the residential area.
"Wait for us!" Wang Zhi and Captain John also chased after him.
"Boring!" Looking at their backs, Kaido pouted. "Roa, when are we destroying this island?"
"Don't rush." Roa turned and looked at the Marine Headquarters building, which was still largely intact even after the intense clash. "Uncle Wang Zhi and the others actually think the residential area is more valuable, what poor taste. This place, clearly, should have a lot more valuable things."
He casually grabbed a few surviving Marines to lead the way. Although most of the Marines who hadn't yet turned into despair-ghosts still had some backbone, just a simple "You don't want to see Marineford destroyed by us, do you?" was enough to make them obedient. Led by these Marines, the group entered the Headquarters building.
Charlotte Linlin went to the treasury.
Golden Lion went to the treasure room.
Kaido went to the weapons warehouse.
And Roa went to the Marine's archives.
"Wow, how magnificent!" Casually twisting the neck of a Marine who had been hiding in a corner and attacked him, Roa walked into the Marine archives. Row upon row of tall shelves were densely packed with various documents. How many unknown secrets were hidden within them?
"These are the most valuable things, right?" Roa tilted his head, speaking to Redfield, who, as a mercenary and having contributed no effort, was not qualified for spoils of war.
"Indeed," Redfield looked at the dense collection of documents before him, the usually aloof man couldn't help but marvel, "All the documents collected by the Marines over eight hundred years must be here, right?"
However, there was simply too much data, and Roa couldn't take it all. But he had already made arrangements; Dylan had already brought Capone Bege to meet him. A group of diligent clone soldiers emerged from Bege's stomach and and began carefully transporting the data.
Meanwhile, Roa twitched his nose. The concentration of dark energy on the island was rapidly rising. What good deeds were Uncle Wang Zhi and the others doing in the residential area?
The data was quickly transferred into Bege's stomach. Roa, satisfied, took Dylan and Bege to meet up with Golden Lion and the others. Everyone was grinning; they all seemed to have reaped considerable rewards. Charlotte Linlin was followed by two small mountains of Homies, made of gold and Berry respectively. Kaido was using flame clouds to carry a batch of experimental Marine Headquarters weapons that hadn't yet been mass-produced, and even a few famous swords. Golden Lion also had treasure chests floating around him, containing who knew what.
"Zehahaha! In that case, let's begin!" Golden Lion casually waved his right hand.
Rumble!
The entire island suddenly began to shake violently, and the surrounding seawater churned. The rock layers beneath the island instantly shattered, and then, this massive island slowly rose into the air against gravity. And so, during this misty time, the dark energy on the island grew even denser.
The Deal
It was at this moment that a Marine suddenly rushed towards the group who were heading out of the Headquarters building.
"Oh?" Charlotte Linlin showed some interest. "Seeing us, not only does he not run away, but he even dares to charge at us?"
"I think he's not here to fight us," Roa said with interest, looking at the Den Den Mushi that the Marine soldier was cradling.
"Calamity Roa!!" The Marine soldier rushed all the way to Roa, veins bulging on his forehead, his voice filled with resentment. But he merely handed the Den Den Mushi to Roa, "The Government wants to talk to you!"
"See, here comes the compromise, doesn't it?" Roa had an "as expected" expression. "Closing the live broadcast was for this!"
"Zehahaha!" Golden Lion laughed loudly. "How lowly. Wouldn't it have been easier to just hand over the New World? They just had to make things difficult for themselves!"
"Golden Lion! Don't be so presumptuous!" A furious reprimand suddenly came from the Den Den Mushi. "Who do you think you're talking to right now?"
"Oh?" Roa took the Den Den Mushi with interest. "So arrogant, could it be the Five Elders? Is that strange bird also there? He certainly took care of me at God Valley. What a shame, if he had pushed a little harder, maybe he could have kept me there."
"Roa!" The Five Elders on the other end of the line were even more exasperated. "Don't think you can keep being arrogant! You have no idea what the Government truly means!"
"Means what?" Roa feigned fear. "How scary. I'm too afraid to talk to you. How about this, Uncle Shiki, let's go about destroying Marine bases one by one, and first destroy all the G-series bases in the Paradise section, how about that?"
"Anyway, their mobility can't compare to ours. By the time the Marine fleet returns from the New World, we should already be able to go to the Four Seas and destroy other Marine branch bases."
"Zehahaha! I have no objections!" Golden Lion laughed loudly.
"You scoundrels!!" The Five Elders on the other end of the line seemed to be incandescent with rage, gritting their teeth. Then, another person took over.
"We all know our respective goals, there's no need for idle talk." The new Five Elder said, "Roa, this matter ends here. The New World can be yours, and your wanton behavior ends here too."
"Mamamama! So, the highest authority in the world has compromised with us?" Charlotte Linlin laughed loudly. "Have the so-called gods bowed their heads to us mortals?"
"...Say whatever you want. If merely avoiding us makes you feel like you've defeated gods," the Five Elder paused, "Our demands are only two: first, do not destroy Marineford. Second, there will be a ceasefire, you will no longer act recklessly, and we will not trouble you either."
"The second point is irrelevant," Roa looked up. "As for the first point, while I'd love to agree, it seems it can't be fulfilled."
Ahead, the massive Gate of Justice was drawing closer. Marineford was heading straight for that enormous gate. The two symbols of justice were about to embrace tightly. Uncle Shiki truly held a grudge. In the original story, he destroyed half of Marineford; now, he was going to destroy the whole thing. Sigh, it's a bit of a shame, actually. People are the most important resource in this world.
The other side of the phone was silent for a moment.
"In that case, so be it. Anyway, this matter ends here." At these words, the Marine who had brought the Den Den Mushi was completely bewildered. Marineford, just abandoned like that? The Government, made a pact with these pirates?
"Hahahaha! Then it's a deal!" Roa's smile instantly brightened, his voice full of sincere laughter. "You say, what a fuss, it didn't have to be this complicated, did it? But it's alright, the outcome is good!"
"Then thank you for the New World."
The other side immediately hung up the phone, likely seething with anger. Roa smiled, then shrugged.
"A complete victory."
"Zehahaha!"
"Mamamama!"
"Ugororororo!"
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