"Quick, quick, quick, load everything up!"
"We're about to fight the White Wolf Pirates. Don't drop the ball!"
"Hey, you over there, stop dawdling!"
Marine Headquarters hummed with frantic activity as a Marine Vice Admiral barked orders at subordinate soldiers moving supplies. All of Marineford was packed with Marine elites temporarily conscripted from bases worldwide.
However, many Marines clearly had low morale. After all, they were fighting the White Wolf Pirates!
The Battle of Sphinx. The Battle of Elbaf. The Battle of Sabaody Archipelago. Many Marines who'd faced the White Wolf Pirates had lost their initial confidence. Their first reaction upon hearing the news was simple: we're doomed!
After three major battles with the White Wolf Pirates, the Marines had suffered countless deaths and injuries. An Admiral had even defected. And the White Wolf Pirates? Their forces not only grew increasingly powerful but even dared to actively declare war on them.
Yes, what was coming was a war! Compared to the upcoming conflict at Acropolis Port, the previous battles at Sphinx, Elbaf, and Sabaody were mere skirmishes.
How many years had it been since the Marines launched warfare on such a scale? When besieging the White Wolf Pirates at Sphinx, the assembled forces were already the largest in nearly a century. And this time, the war's scale was several times larger.
So many Marines held pessimistic attitudes. Only a few exceptions existed.
"Haha, in this battle, I'll definitely take top honors and surpass you!"
"Hmph, just you?"
One with a crew cut, one with an afro. Compared to when they first joined the Marines years ago, they'd grown much taller. Garp and Sengoku carried boxes several times their size, moving briskly at the port.
Without realizing it, they'd been Marines for three years. If they were ordinary recruits, they'd probably be swabbing ship decks now, at most private third class or second class.
But they'd joined at the right time. In the past, even Marine Admirals couldn't promote newcomers exceptionally. They had to build seniority and accumulate merits. But now the Marines had generational gaps and mid-level discontinuity, desperately needing fresh recruits. So talented individuals were being groomed for leadership positions.
Just look at their progress. A year ago they were still private second class. Now Garp was already a Marine Warrant Officer, while Sengoku was just one step from Lieutenant, having crossed three ranks: Corporal, Sergeant, and Master Sergeant. Both had lived up to expectations, successfully beginning Marine Rokushiki training.
"Still too slow!" However, unlike their optimism, Kong couldn't help but sigh.
Whether Garp or Sengoku, they were the most outstanding Marine recruits Kong had seen in years—even more outstanding than Kong himself had been at their age. What did this mean? As long as they grew systematically, they'd very likely become Admiral-level fighters, possibly even surpassing ordinary Admirals!
But the White Wolf Pirates weren't giving them time to grow. Kong even felt regret. If he'd taught them Rokushiki earlier, they might have completely mastered this human potential development technique by now and begun Haki training.
Just learning Haki would give them better chances of survival in the coming battle. Kong's expression was grave.
Since Rona defected from the Marines, the entire Marine burden had pressed on his shoulders. Though Ortega had seniority and superior strength, Ortega mostly stayed in Mary Geoise. Ultimately, only Kong appeared publicly.
Especially with Fleet Admiral Elephant Yama's recent obvious mental decline, the Marines couldn't rely on the semi-retired Chief of Staff Portman Nissen or the exceptionally promoted Admiral Haines Oran, could they?
Acropolis Port.
The usually bustling, prosperous harbor had become cold and deserted. Everyone knew this would soon become a battlefield. No matter how fearless someone might be, no one would stay now. Those who could leave had already left.
So when Lucas Saint arrived, Acropolis Port was filled only with Marine soldiers constructing fortifications and CP intelligence agents rushing about constantly.
"That pirate certainly picks his locations well." Though the Marines hastily built fortifications, everyone knew these temporary constructions were useless. However, even if they only slightly increased enemy casualties while reducing their own losses, the effort wasn't wasted.
"That bastard pirate. This time I'll make him pay!" Holy Knights Vice Commander Granreid Saint said through gritted teeth. He'd never forget the humiliation Silas had brought him. After having his head dunked in water, he'd experienced the sensation of near-drowning every moment until the Marines fished him out.
"I only want that woman!" Claude Saint's expression was equally grim. At least Granreid Saint had fought Silas directly before losing and being frozen. He'd been purely ambushed. Who could have imagined that an Admiral they treated as no better than a dog would one day turn and bite them?
"Don't let anger cloud your judgment." Lucas Saint looked at his two sons and snorted coldly. "Our target is White Wolf Silas. This war will be watched worldwide, so neither the Five Elders nor Lord Imu can act. But even without them, we should still win this war! In the name of the Holy Knights!"
Imu's existence was this world's greatest taboo. When Silas previously attacked the Holy Land, if not for the excessive damage, Imu wouldn't have wanted to act. Even when acting, he first knocked unconscious all the kings in Pangaea Castle.
And this time, the White Wolf Pirates would broadcast the entire war through news channels. Not only couldn't Imu act, but the Five Elders were also unwilling to display their transformed forms before the world.
So Silas hadn't guessed wrong. This war's ultimate participants would only be the Marines, CP organizations, and Holy Knights. Even the Holy Knights were reluctantly dispatched by the Five Elders. They had no choice!
The Marines currently had at most three Admiral-level fighters. Even adding Fleet Admiral Elephant Yama and Chief of Staff Portman Nissen, only four and a half. Yama and Nissen together counted as one and a half.
Given the White Wolf Pirates' current strength, even without Silas acting, the Marine top-tier forces would be spread thin. Though the CP organizations also had two Admiral-level fighters, after the Mary Geoise precedent, two ordinary Admiral-level fighters simply weren't enough against Silas! They could restrain him but couldn't deliver decisive blows.
And they had to guard against Silas using Pure Gold to recruit more top-tier fighters from somewhere, potentially causing immediate collapse.
"This world doesn't have that many unknown top-tier fighters. Those old folks waiting to die—even if they regain their youth, how much of their former spirit remains?"
In this world, Haki determined a person's upper limit, and Haki's strength depended on one's spirit. The stronger one's spirit, the more powerful their Haki. Conversely, without determination, their Haki would weaken to unimaginable levels.
Current Fleet Admiral Elephant Yama was exactly like this. He was holding on through sheer willpower. Having never truly fought Silas, as a top-tier fighter, how could he admit defeat?
So this battle would be crucial for Fleet Admiral Elephant Yama. If he won, his resolve would be restored, allowing him to continue leading the Marines for over a decade. If he lost, once his determination broke, he would likely have to retire.
So he needed not just victory—he needed overwhelming victory!
Sea Circle Calendar 1465, September.
One hundred thousand Marine elites split into two parts. One would block the White Wolf Pirates' landing at Acropolis Port, while the other stood ready at G-1 Marine Base to form a pincer formation.
Honestly, when G-1 Marine Base was initially established, they'd never imagined anyone would attack the nearby harbor. It existed more as a checkpoint for monitoring rookie pirate movements. This also meant Acropolis Port lacked proper defensive facilities. Once captured, it could become a springboard for attacking G-1 Marine Base.
So if someone actively attacked, the Marines guarding G-1 Base would be almost helpless. Just capturing Acropolis Port would let the enemy easily cut off outside supplies to G-1. The soldiers at G-1 Base could only await their fate!
But they couldn't completely abandon G-1's defense. After all, who knew whether Silas would attack G-1 first or Acropolis Port?
One hundred thousand Marine elites, plus five thousand CP organization intelligence agents operating as the Marines' special forces. Holy Knights members were also mixed in among them.
"We must be careful this time. Reportedly White Wolf Silas has found methods to kill us."
"Is that true or false?"
"It doesn't matter if it's true. The Commander and the others are handling White Wolf Silas."
Though at Sabaody Archipelago the Holy Knights' Commander and Vice Commanders had suffered at Silas and Rona's hands, the Holy Knights members still trusted their Commander. The Commander plus two Vice Commanders—the three strongest members of the Figarland family—were stepping forward.
Lose? Impossible!
"Hey, Gunko, you think we'll win too, right?" A Holy Knights member looked toward someone at his side—a young-looking girl in a cloak, her face covered by a veil. She was a new member, so the others weren't familiar with her.
"Mm." The girl nodded.
She actually had a different mission from the other members. But Lord Imu had said White Wolf Silas knew of her existence. Someone must have leaked information. Among the Five Elders or Holy Knights, there might be a spy!
So she had to hide, letting no one discover her true purpose.
A battle involving over one hundred thousand combatants. In any world, this was enough to determine the direction of an entire era. White Wolf Silas was a genuine threat!
If he were an ordinary pirate, even if his strength truly reached levels capable of breaking immortality, Imu wouldn't care. Because that would be just one person. As long as they were human, they were fragile and unable to resist the ravages of time. However mighty a fighter might be, before time measured in centuries, they were merely fleeting.
Nothing to worry about. But Silas was different. He'd not only reached this world's peak but also possessed Pure Gold, gaining the ability to resist time's erosion.
In just a few years, his reorganized forces were already shaking the World Government's foundation. So even Imu couldn't ignore him anymore.
"In eight hundred years, you're the first person I must kill myself!"
From the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, Imu watched the approaching war through someone else's eyes.
Journalists had prepared for coverage. Though the Marines had cleared the area, many fearless news reporters still wanted firsthand intelligence. Some journalists were even displeased. Why would the White Wolf Pirates willingly bring reporters to livestream their assault, while the Marines kept pushing them away? Were the Marines afraid?
Truth cuts deeper than lies. Though the CP organizations and Holy Knights were cooperating with them, many Marine soldiers didn't understand these groups at all. In their view, it was just the Marines standing against the entire White Wolf Pirates force.
Would they win? Many Marines swallowed nervously.
They didn't know when Silas would invade. Logically, such a massive fleet sailing at sea couldn't leave no trace. But the fact was, since discovering Silas mobilizing his forces two months ago, they'd received no news about the White Wolf Pirates for two months, forcing the patrolling Marines to maintain extreme alertness.
This was war. And in war, winning required any means necessary.
Take the World Government's strategy. Whether the White Wolf Pirates appeared or not, the Seven Warlords had already begun their mission. They would attack the Eleven Nations Alliance led by Steel Nation while the White Wolf Pirates came to attack Acropolis Port.
The World Government had sufficient strength to divide their forces. Did Silas? He did.
Already knowing the World Government wouldn't spare those eleven nations, Silas had left Rona at Steel Nation. Defecting from the Marines didn't mean Rona wanted to fight against them, so Silas didn't force her into that position. He entrusted the eleven nations' safety to Rona and her New Marines.
Then he appeared at Acropolis Port.
"Ripley, ready?"
"Mm!"
"Then let's begin!"
Before the eyes of every Marine, a lanternfish as massive as a small island suddenly burst from the sea and opened its enormous mouth. Ripley stood inside the lanternfish's mouth. She lifted a huge boulder and hurled it with all her strength toward Acropolis Port!
As it flew through the air, the ten-meter boulder kept expanding. By the time the Marine soldiers reacted, they realized it wasn't a boulder at all—it was a small island!
Ripley had just thrown an entire thousand-meter island! Like a meteor striking the earth, tens of thousands of soldiers and pirates surged down from the island at that very moment.
The battle had begun!