Chapter 109 The Day of War!
Time passed quickly.
While Bane was immersed in his studies, the Navy's war preparations had swiftly reached completion.
A towering execution platform was erected in Justice Plaza, positioned to overlook the entire operational battlefield of Marine Headquarters.
On October 10th, 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar, as dawn was just breaking, one hundred thousand elite Marines had already assembled in Justice Plaza. These elite officers and soldiers from around the world formed military formations that emanated an aura of deadly intent, pervading the entire sky above Marineford.
Four Den Den Mushi broadcasting stations were set up around the battlefield, projecting the entire scene onto massive screens. These images would soon be transmitted live across the world.
Dozens of warships patrolled the waters surrounding Marine Headquarters, all having entered full combat readiness.
Several giant Marine Vice Admirals stood guard before the execution platform, their presence radiating overwhelming authority.
At the very front of the battlefield, closest to the harbor, the first line of defense was formed by the five Warlords of the Sea.
Donquixote Doflamingo, Gecko Moria, Bartholomew Kuma, Dracule Mihawk, and Boa Hancock.
Their positioning revealed that while the Navy considered them high-level combat assets, they didn't fully trust them. By placing them on the front lines, the Navy likely had contingency plans to eliminate the Warlords entirely if anything went wrong.
The Navy's final line of defense consisted of the three Admirals. Though they weren't currently present like the other Marine officers standing ready in the plaza, three chairs had been placed on an elevated platform below the execution stage. Nobody needed to ask—everyone knew those seats belonged to the Admirals.
On either side of the execution platform, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru held a Den Den Mushi, coordinating various arrangements. Garp, along with Issho, Zoro, Wiper, and Fubuki, stood nearby as the mobile unit. If the battle proceeded smoothly, they might not even need to participate. However, if problems arose anywhere, Garp and Chief Staff Officer Tsuru would lead reinforcements to address the situation.
"Still no sign of the Whitebeard Pirates?" Chief Staff Officer Tsuru asked into the Den Den Mushi.
The Marine from intelligence responded anxiously: "Nothing yet. They've been missing for three days now. Three days ago, in the New World gateway waters, Whitebeard destroyed our surveillance ships with a tsunami. Since then, their entire fleet has vanished from our monitoring, and we haven't found any trace of them."
"What about surveillance around Fish-Man Island? No matter what, they have to come through Fish-Man Island!" Chief Staff Officer Tsuru pressed.
"Anti-war sentiment on Fish-Man Island is extremely strong. As you know, that place flies under Whitebeard's flag. All our intelligence posts there were completely eliminated half a month ago," the intelligence officer quickly replied.
That had coincided with Marine Headquarters summoning the Warlords of the Sea. Jinbei, the Sea Knight and one of the Warlords, had adamantly refused the Navy's mandatory conscription and even violently resisted, destroying all World Government intelligence posts on Fish-Man Island. Jinbei was subsequently captured and imprisoned in the underwater maximum-security prison, Impel Down, where he was currently being held as Ace's neighbor.
Despite these frustrating reports, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru's emotions remained steady. After a moment of silence, she ordered: "Then stop looking. There's no time now anyway. Regardless, as long as Newgate still has his pride, he'll definitely come. We just need to maintain combat readiness on our end. Report on the status of the others."
"Yes!" The intelligence officer sighed in relief, then quickly continued: "Also three days ago, we last observed the Beast Pirates and Red Hair Pirates engaged in intense conflict near the Elbaf Island waters. Both Kaido of the Beasts and Red-Haired Shanks appeared in this confrontation. Subsequently, an extremely powerful Conqueror's Haki clash erupted in that area, preventing our surveillance ships from determining the specific situation.
Charlotte Katakuri, the top Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates, has appeared near Beehive Island in the New World with a large fleet, currently in a standoff with Ochoku. No conflict has occurred yet, but we also haven't observed any trace of Charlotte Linlin herself.
Within the territories controlled by the Whitebeard Pirates, unrest has already begun. Pirates with considerable strength like White Horse Cavendish seem to be preparing to seize this opportunity for their own gain."
As she listened to these reports, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru's eyes flickered constantly, her mind apparently racing through various considerations.
From the current situation, the Beast Pirates and Red Hair Pirates probably wouldn't interfere. While the Big Mom Pirates appeared to be confronting Ochoku, they would very likely declare war on the Whitebeard Pirates first thing, seeking to claim their territories and interests. Obviously, the various second-tier players of the New World had already predicted the Whitebeard Pirates' fate and begun stirring up trouble in their domain.
Before the war had even truly begun, that hellish place called the New World was already descending into chaos.
"Have Gion and Tokikake secure the G-1 Naval Base and New World gateway waters. No matter how chaotic the depths of the New World become, at least until we deal with the Whitebeard Pirates, the gateway waters must remain stable. We absolutely cannot allow Mary Geoise to fall into danger!" Chief Staff Officer Tsuru ordered again.
Marine Headquarters had two other fighters with Admiral-level strength: the current Admiral candidates Momousagi Gion and Chaton Tokikake.
Although this war was extremely important, the Navy couldn't completely neglect other areas. On the other side of the Red Line, the waters near Mary Geoise were called the "New World Gateway Waters" by the Navy. This region was currently under Navy control, with Marine branch bases like G-1 and G-5. During the war, Gion and Tokikake, the two Admiral candidates, were responsible for maintaining the New World's defenses!
As Chief Staff Officer Tsuru was coordinating these arrangements, a Marine Rear Admiral approached and said quietly: "Chief Staff Officer, the Five Elders from Mary Geoise are requesting that the broadcast begin."
Indeed, while the Navy had already set up broadcasting equipment, the signal restrictions hadn't been lifted yet.
"Is that so?" Chief Staff Officer Tsuru nodded. "Then lift the signal restrictions. Not just the broadcast signal—lift all communication restrictions. Let the world see how we Marines crush the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Yes!" The Marine Rear Admiral immediately responded and turned to arrange these matters.
Soon after the signal restrictions were lifted, locations around the world capable of receiving the broadcast signal began showing the current state of Marine Headquarters.
Seeing the Navy's massive force of one hundred thousand elite troops, many ambitious individuals who had been harboring restless thoughts quickly suppressed their schemes.
This murderous aura emanating from Marineford seemed to sweep across the entire world through the broadcast screens.
Everyone knew that a war destined to determine the world's future structure and direction was about to begin. One protagonist—the Navy—had made their preparations. The other side—the Whitebeard Pirates—remained nowhere to be found.
Inside the Fortress of Justice, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood before the dressing mirror in his office, adjusting the medals on his chest.
"How do I look?" Sengoku examined himself from different angles in the mirror, asking casually.
Behind him, Bane—wearing a black suit that made his imposing frame look like a suited thug—chuckled and said: "Absolutely magnificent, Fleet Admiral."
Sengoku couldn't help but laugh at this response. "I meant for you to check if there's anything untidy about my appearance. I'll be representing the Navy in a public appearance shortly. My current appearance reflects the dignity of our entire organization."
Only then did Bane carefully examine Sengoku, stepping forward to adjust the tassels on his shoulders before saying again: "Absolutely magnificent, Fleet Admiral."
"Hahahaha!" Sengoku laughed heartily, then said: "Then let's go. The broadcast signal has been activated—it's time for us to take the stage."
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