The Navy moved with terrifying efficiency. It was glaringly obvious that they possessed highly accurate, up-to-date intelligence on Bardock's exact coordinates, as their massive battleships had sailed directly toward the target without a single detour.
Soon, the towering Marine vessels officially breached the perimeter of the White City, entering the sovereign waters of Flevance.
Because they were the absolute authority of the sea, the Marine fleet sailed openly and brazenly through the heavily armed blockade established by the neighboring nations. The local border guards didn't dare utter a single word of protest, fearfully parting the way for the World Government's warships.
Stepping onto the ruined, ash-covered docks, Vice Admiral Gion looked around at the desolate landscape. "Big Sister Tsuru," she asked, her voice tight with suppressed emotion. "Is this... the rumored place?"
Tsuru understood exactly what Gion was referring to. Her sharp eyes swept over the pristine white, hauntingly empty ruins, and she let out a heavy sigh. "Yes. This is the country that was sacrificed."
Hearing the confirmation, Gion's knuckles turned white as she fiercely gripped the hilt of her Meito, Konpira. "Those absolute bastards!"
Although Gion was fully aware that a deep, suffocating darkness often lurked beneath the World Government's rule, intentionally sacrificing millions of innocent citizens and erasing an entire nation purely for industrial profit violently challenged her moral compass.
Fortunately for the World Government, young, idealistic Marines like Gion were still completely ignorant of the Celestial Dragons' horrific triennial 'Native Hunting Games'. If she ever discovered that the world's absolute rulers routinely slaughtered non-affiliated islands purely for sport, whether she could physically stomach continuing to bear the mantle of 'Marine Justice' would be entirely unknown.
At that moment, Vice Admiral Tokikake adjusted his fedora, his potent Observation Haki sweeping across the ruins. "I've located them," he muttered, a hint of confusion in his voice. "But Flevance has been completely stripped bare for years. There's absolutely nothing left here. What could a pirate crew possibly want with an empty graveyard?"
"Whatever their objective is, we need to apprehend them first," Tsuru stated, her expression hardening. She turned to the massive legion of troops filing off the ships. "Stay sharp, men! Do not let your guard down for a single second. This is going to be an incredibly brutal fight!"
"YES, MA'AM!"
The deafening roar of over a thousand elite Marine soldiers echoed through the ruins. In perfect unison, the infantry raised their rifles, and the swordsmen drew their gleaming blades.
Before the Marines could even begin to advance into the city, Bardock and his crew casually strolled out of the white mist, stepping into the open plaza to meet them.
The visual contrast was completely absurd. On one side stood a massive, highly disciplined military armada of over a thousand Headquarters elites. On the other side stood a small, ragtag pirate crew of barely a dozen people. Yet, as the two forces stared each other down, the sheer, suffocating pressure radiating from both sides felt perfectly, terrifyingly equal.
"Bardock," Tsuru spoke first, her calm, authoritative voice carrying effortlessly across the plaza. "You and your crew have illegally set sail and blatantly violated the laws of the World Government. We have been officially ordered to arrest you. However... if you are willing to lay down your arms and surrender peacefully right now, I am personally willing to vouch for you and offer you all a chance to join the Navy."
In her heart, Tsuru knew exactly what kind of crew this was. Sure, they were technically criminals. They had sailed illegally, blatantly harbored the Demon Child Nico Robin, aggressively interfered with Marine operations, and completely humiliated several World Government Affiliated Nations...
Alright, fine. They had objectively committed a massive list of highly illegal, bounty-raising offenses. But Tsuru's keen instincts told her they weren't truly evil. They didn't slaughter civilians or pillage towns like traditional pirates.
Bardock chuckled softly, the sound cutting through the tense silence. "Vice Admiral Tsuru. With a brilliant, strategic mind like yours, you should already know exactly what my answer is going to be. So... let's let our fists do the talking."
"A pity. Then we have no choice," Tsuru's eyes narrowed. "Given your crew's terrifying rate of growth, we simply cannot allow you to continue roaming the seas unchecked. FIRE!"
With a sharp wave of her hand, the Marine forces instantly unleashed absolute hell.
Thousands of rifles fired simultaneously. The firearms utilized by Marine Headquarters were leaps and bounds more advanced than the standard muskets used by the local Branch bases or regular pirates. In a fraction of a second, a literal wall of lead—a suffocating, inescapable barrage of bullets—tore across the plaza directly toward the White Dragon crew.
It wouldn't be until years later, when Doflamingo's Underworld arms syndicate truly boomed, that the rest of the world's factions would finally catch up to this level of firepower.
"Tsk. Annoying," Kid scoffed, stepping forward with a feral grin. "Attract!"
A massive magnetic field instantly erupted from Kid's body. The terrifying barrage of thousands of bullets completely froze in mid-air, violently altering their trajectories before rapidly clumping together into a massive, swirling sphere of lead directly in front of Kid.
If it hadn't been for the sheer, overwhelming volume of incoming fire pinning him down, Kid would have loved to violently repel the massive sphere right back at the Marines.
Suddenly, several distinct, pitch-black bullets tore through the air, completely ignoring Kid's magnetic field. They had been heavily coated in Armament Haki by the elite Marine snipers.
Realizing his Devil Fruit couldn't grab the Haki-infused rounds, Kid's eyes widened. Before he could attempt to violently dodge, Bardock casually stepped in front of him.
Without drawing his sword, Bardock simply raised his hand and flicked his fingers.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
The lethal, Haki-coated sniper rounds were effortlessly swatted away like harmless pebbles, ricocheting harmlessly into the rubble.
"Alright. Our turn," Bardock's voice dropped an octave.
His golden eyes narrowed, and he unleashed the absolute, terrifying full power of his Conqueror's Haki.
BOOOOOOM!
A devastating, invisible shockwave violently erupted from Bardock's body, slamming into the Marine army like a physical tidal wave. Although this task force was composed of Headquarters elites, it still included a large number of fresh recruits and lower-ranking officers. Instantly, over half of the massive Marine army's eyes rolled back into their heads. They collapsed to the ground simultaneously, completely foaming at the mouth, knocked unconscious before the battle even truly began.
Seizing the opening, Enel laughed maniacally. Transforming into a blinding bolt of lightning, he instantly shot across the battlefield, aiming a lethal strike directly at Tsuru.
"I'm not going to let you do that, pal!"
With a burst of astonishing speed, Vice Admiral Tokikake intercepted the lightning bolt, his Haki-coated fist violently clashing against Enel's electricity.
Simultaneously, Gion unsheathed her legendary sword. With a sharp, piercing cry, she launched herself toward Bardock, instantly unleashing several massive, razor-sharp flying slashes that carved deep trenches into the white earth.
Without saying a single word, Daz Bonez stepped forward. His arms shifted into thick, Haki-coated steel blades, and he aggressively intercepted Gion's slashes, shattering them before launching a brutal counter-offensive, successfully locking the female Vice Admiral into a deadly duel.
Recognizing that the sheer, destructive shockwaves of their top-tier clashes would instantly vaporize their respective subordinates, the commanders instinctively began breaking away from the main group. Tokikake dragged Enel toward the ruined residential district, while Daz Bonez and Gion's flashing blades moved toward the collapsed industrial sector.
Tsuru and Bardock locked eyes amidst the chaos. With a mutual, silent understanding, the Great Staff Officer and the Pirate Captain completely vanished from the plaza, rapidly relocating to a secluded battlefield to settle their score.
This was the absolute, unwritten rule of warfare on the Grand Line: The grunts fought the grunts, the commanders fought the commanders, and the Kings fought the Kings.
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