"Enemies?" Bardock raised an eyebrow, a serious glint appearing in his eyes. "If you're actually taking the time to report it instead of just frying them from the sky, they must be heavy hitters. Who is it?"
Normally, if standard Marine patrols or bounty hunters entered their perimeter, Enel wouldn't even bother interrupting Bardock's thoughts; he would just casually drop a lightning bolt on them and call it a day. The fact that the Lightning God had personally come to deliver the warning meant the incoming threat was substantial.
"It's Marine Vice Admiral Tsuru, accompanied by two other Vice Admirals," Enel replied, his lips curling into a sharp, battle-hungry smirk. "I remember you specifically mentioning Tsuru's terrifying strategic strength before, so I held back and didn't act recklessly. What's the call, Captain? Do we avoid them?"
Personally, Enel desperately wanted to clash with these so-called Marine elites to test his lightning against the pinnacle of the sea. However, he respected Bardock's authority implicitly, and the final decision belonged entirely to the Captain.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, huh? Her Devil Fruit abilities are incredibly troublesome," Bardock muttered, his expression darkening slightly. "What are the identities of the other two?"
Because Enel had already swept the incoming fleet with his omniscient Mantra, eavesdropping on the Marines' communications, he answered instantly. "One is a guy named Tokikake. The other is a woman named Gion. Judging by their bio-signatures, neither of them are weak."
"It's them!"
Bardock let out a profound, heavy sigh, genuinely impressed by the sheer weight of the threat. The Navy's Great Staff Officer, accompanied by the two absolute monsters who were destined to become the Navy's future 'Admiral Candidates' (Chaton and Momousagi). This specific, incredibly overpowered lineup was so devastating that even the highest-tier Yonko Commanders in the New World would actively detour to avoid crossing paths with them.
"Enel, notify Robin first," Bardock commanded, slipping instantly into his tactical mindset. "Have her broadcast a message to the rest of the crew to group up immediately. I need to calculate our odds. We'll finalize our strategy once everyone is gathered."
"Understood."
With a flash of static, Enel vanished. He quickly located Robin in the ruins and relayed the situation.
While Enel technically had the speed to run around the entire city and personally tap every crew member on the shoulder, utilizing Robin was infinitely more efficient. Crossing her arms over her chest, Robin rapidly bloomed ethereal ears and mouths on the crumbling walls near the scattered crew members, seamlessly broadcasting Bardock's recall order across the entire White City.
Within minutes, the entire White Dragon crew had rapidly reconvened at Bardock's location. As expected, they had found absolutely zero loot or valuables in the ruins—only worthless, tragic remnants of a dead civilization.
"Bardock," Robin asked the moment she arrived, her sharp eyes scanning the Captain's face. "Are the Marines approaching us truly that difficult to handle?"
Bardock nodded gravely. "Yes. Their lineup this time is absurdly strong. Vice Admiral Tsuru isn't just the Navy's Great Staff Officer; she is objectively the strongest female Marine from Sengoku and Garp's legendary era, and remains the most formidable female officer in the world today. Furthermore, her Paramecia-type Wash-Wash Fruit (Woshu Woshu no Mi) is incredibly dangerous. It can literally wash away the 'evil' and darkness in a person's heart, pacifying them. Because of how broken that concept is, I highly suspect it possesses other terrifying, unrevealed applications—like forcibly 'washing' away an enemy's physical stamina, or instantly cleansing her own allies of negative status effects."
Bardock paused, looking at his combatants. "As for the other two Vice Admirals, Tokikake and Gion... they are the absolute cream of the crop. In terms of raw potential and combat strength, they are fully capable of reaching the Admiral level. Fortunately for us, they haven't quite reached their absolute, finalized physical peaks yet. If they had, I would have ordered an immediate, full-scale evacuation the second Enel detected them."
Hearing Bardock's grim assessment, the crew's reactions were incredibly mixed. Some, like Mansherry and Chopper, looked genuinely worried. Others, however, looked completely thrilled.
Enel was the most obvious. The intense, crackling anticipation on his face made it glaringly obvious that he was absolutely dying to fight.
"Captain," Enel grinned, electricity actively sparking across his shoulders. "They might be strong, but we aren't weak either. There's absolutely no reason for us to tuck our tails and run without a fight. Besides, with our sheer mobility, if things somehow go south, it won't be difficult for us to completely disengage and escape."
"I agree with Enel, Boss," Daz Bonez stepped forward, his cold, stoic eyes burning with a deep martial intensity. "Our daily internal spars have reached a plateau; it's becoming difficult for us to achieve rapid, significant breakthroughs. If we want to truly evolve, we need to be pushed to the brink. Only genuine, life-and-death combat against absolute masters can force our physical limits to shatter and elevate us to the next level."
Bardock fell silent, his mind racing as he weighed the variables.
He was also highly inclined to stay and fight. However, his primary concern was the safety of the younger, less experienced crew members. If a full-scale war broke out, the "Monster Trio" of the White Dragon (Bardock, Enel, and Daz Bonez) would be completely tied down in absolute death matches with the three Vice Admirals, meaning they wouldn't be able to casually step in and save the others if things got dangerous.
But then Bardock thought about the future. Once their business in the North Blue concluded, they would be charging headfirst into the Grand Line, and eventually, the absolute hellscape of the New World.
If baby birds wanted to learn how to soar, they had to be violently thrown into the storm. He had gathered an incredible roster of high-potential rookies on this ship; sheltering them would only stunt their growth and turn them into fragile glass cannons.
Bardock's eyes flashed with absolute resolve. We fight.
"Alright," Bardock smirked, his aura flaring with intense confidence. "We will meet the Navy head-on. Enel, Bonez, and I will personally handle the three Vice Admirals. The rest of you will form a vanguard to hold off the Marine elites."
Bardock began rapidly assigning roles. "The soldiers they brought are highly trained Marine Headquarters elites, not standard Blue Sea grunts. The moment the battle begins, I will immediately unleash a massive wave of Conqueror's Haki to thin their numbers and take out the weak-willed ones, but be prepared—I won't be able to completely knock out their seasoned officers. Perona, Mansherry, you two are strictly on backline support and crowd control. The rest of you, adapt to the battlefield and cover each other's blind spots."
With the overarching strategy finalized, the crew visibly relaxed, their nerves replaced by fierce determination.
"Well then," Bardock smiled, looking up at the sky. "Since it will still take a bit of time for their heavy battleships to physically reach the island... let's go have a massive feast first."
After all, one simply couldn't wage war on an empty stomach. Having Enel functioning as an omniscient, long-range radar was truly the most practical asset in the world.