The cannons roared, and the earth burned.
This was what the Marines looked like when they went all out.
Even though the Revolutionary Army soldiers had long since built defensive fortifications, they were powerless before this level of firepower.
Benjamin Leo realized with grief that even digging the trenches another meter deeper would have been useless.
Because this firepower had already surpassed the so-called Buster Call.
Aboard the warship, Sakazuki's gaze never lingered on the fortress before him, because he understood the Marines' current firepower.
In front of the black technology developed by Vegapunk, traditional fortifications no longer had much effect.
Benjamin Leo watched helplessly as a shell fell into the trench.
A moment later, screams from the Revolutionary Army echoed inside.
Because the One Piece world rarely launched artillery offensives of this kind, the trenches they had built did not have shell-proof dugouts capable of withstanding bombardment.
Although Benjamin Leo's heart kept bleeding, he still held his post and did not leave.
He knew he no longer had any chance to escape.
With the time he had left, he needed to carefully record the information about the Marines' offensive so he could warn the rest of the Revolutionary Army to prepare.
The bombardment lasted only twenty minutes, yet it had already caused massive casualties among the Revolutionary Army.
Before the artillery fire even stopped, Marine soldiers had already boarded small boats and begun the landing operation.
At the front, Marine Vice Admiral Doberman ignored the shells flying overhead, drew his saber, and charged toward the Revolutionary Army's trenches.
Even though some sharp-eyed Revolutionary soldiers had already noticed the Marines launching their charge, they still could not raise their heads to defend against the attack.
"Order the artillery crews to begin shifting the firing units." Sakazuki said calmly.
This was a new tactic Raleigh had told him about, a tactic that could reduce soldier casualties.
In fact, during his long stay in the West Blue, Sakazuki had been repeatedly drilling this new tactic.
Doberman and the Marine soldiers under him understood this tactic the best.
That was why the first attack against the Revolutionary Army was led by Doberman and his troops.
When the artillery fire shifted toward the rear, the Revolutionary soldiers had only just climbed out of the trenches to look around.
Their faces were full of fear, their shock not yet settled as they stared at the Marine soldiers already beside them, too nervous to speak.
Bang!
The Marine soldiers opened fire first.
Bang, bang, bang!
Every trench contained the figures of Marine soldiers.
They were like war gods from the heavens, punishing the Revolutionary fighters in this region.
Before these Revolutionary soldiers, who had been forced awake from sleep, could even enter a true state of war, they crashed straight into the wolf-like Marines.
A one-sided slaughter began.
Screams, wails, and the clash of blades rang out in every trench.
Until now, Doberman had not encountered anyone capable of exchanging even one proper blow with him.
Not until Benjamin Leo appeared.
The moment he saw Benjamin Leo's clothing, Doberman instinctively sensed the other man's strength.
"It seems you are the commander of this Revolutionary Army force."
Doberman pulled his saber out of the body of a Revolutionary soldier, bright red blood splattering across his cloak.
"Marine!"
"I will kill you!"
When Benjamin Leo saw this scene, he could not hold himself back at all. He drew the long blade at his waist and charged forward.
Against such an enemy, Doberman naturally did not take him lightly. He rushed forward to meet Benjamin Leo head-on.
Time passed bit by bit.
When the first ray of sunlight shone on this battlefield filled with lingering smoke, everything had already fallen silent.
Doberman was panting heavily, and beside him lay Benjamin Leo, dead with his eyes still open.
"Looks like he earned your respect."
Sakazuki's military boots appeared in Doberman's field of vision.
Still breathing heavily, Doberman spoke in an admiring tone.
"I do not know what to say, but he was indeed worthy of respect."
"If he had belonged to some other force, he might have fled long ago in the face of such a Marine offensive."
"But as the Revolutionary Army commander of this region, he led his men in a fight to the death and refused to retreat. That alone is enough for me to respect him."
Sakazuki nodded.
The Revolutionary Army was different from other forces.
From beginning to end, the Revolutionary Army's goal and the Marines' goal were not truly opposed.
To a certain extent, Sakazuki even agreed with some of the Revolutionary Army's ideas.
Even so, he still carried out the orders from Headquarters without hesitation.
Because this battle was not caused by a difference in ideology.
It was caused by identity.
If the Revolutionary Army had not appeared, Sakazuki believed that under Raleigh's leadership, the Marines could have governed this world into something beautiful.
But now, the Marines' strength had to be split in two to deal with the Revolutionary Army.
"Enough. Order the soldiers to clean up the battlefield quickly. The prisoners who surrendered are still useful, so treat them better."
"They are not pirates."
"As for this Revolutionary Army commander who died in battle, give him a proper burial."
Sakazuki admired such opponents as well, but as a soldier, obeying orders was his duty.
No matter how much he admired an opponent, once they stood against him, it was better to turn them into a corpse.
Sakazuki looked toward the distant sea.
He needed to reach the next battlefield quickly.
When the Marines set sail again, the World Government and Marine Headquarters had already received Sakazuki's post-battle report.
...
Raleigh had stayed awake in his office all night, waiting for this message.
The moment Cleveland received the intelligence, he brought the file to Raleigh's Fleet Admiral office.
"Good news, Raleigh-sama."
"Admiral Sakazuki has sent word from the front. The Marines have completely eliminated the last group of Revolutionary Army soldiers. The entire West Blue is now under Marine control."
Raleigh immediately stood up from inside the office and said repeatedly, "Good, good, good."
Although he had long expected such a result in his heart, actually hearing it still gave him a different feeling.
"Copy the intelligence and send it to Mary Geoise."
"Also, release the news to the entire world."
Cleveland readily agreed.
...
Thus, just as people across the world finished breakfast and prepared to begin their busy day, the sight of News Coo flying overhead caught their attention.
Large numbers of newspaper boys also appeared on the streets, selling the latest papers.
"Big news! Big news! The Marines and the Revolutionary Army fought a major battle in the West Blue!"
"Two hundred berries! First come, first served! Only available while supplies last!"
The newspaper boys' voices were full of temptation, making even the civilians who had already begun working unable to resist taking out berries to buy a copy.
Recently, the Marines had acted with increasing frequency, and they vaguely seemed to be gaining unstoppable momentum.
Because of that, the people's worship of the Marines had grown even more fervent.
"Give me one. Let me see how the Marines are doing."
A man in a suit handed two hundred berries to the newspaper boy, then took a paper and slowly read it in his carriage.
The newspaper contained images of Marine soldiers fighting heroically, as well as the scene of Doberman killing Benjamin Leo.
The final image was Sakazuki's back before the fortress.
"Have the Marines already become this powerful?"
The suited man's pupils shrank.
Of course, he was not an ordinary civilian.
He was a CP agent hidden among the people.
In his impression, aside from the Buster Call, the Marines should not have possessed this level of firepower.
But now everything felt unfamiliar to him.
The Marines had taken a defensive position repeatedly fortified by Revolutionary Army soldiers while paying only the price of ammunition expenditure and a very small number of soldier deaths.
"I need to let the Five Elders know as soon as possible."
The CP agent dialed his superior's Den Den Mushi.
...
Even the special conditions of the Calm Belt could not stop the flight of News Coo.
Therefore, Dragon and his group sailing through the Calm Belt also saw the news that the West Blue had been taken by the Marines and that Benjamin Leo had died at the hands of Marine Vice Admiral Doberman.
"Benjamin Leo!"
"What a man of unshakable faith. Damn Marines!"
Sabo slammed his fist against the ship's railing, unable to believe that all of this had happened.
Although Dragon was grieving, he still did not stop advancing toward the New World.
He silently walked behind Sabo, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Sabo, pull yourself together. Benjamin Leo would not want to see you like this."
"You must remember that on the road of revolution, sacrifice has always been unavoidable. Benjamin Leo has already died on the road toward revolution, giving us precious experience in exchange. That means we have even less reason to give up on ourselves."
"Our mission is to fight so that the people still alive now can have a bright future."
Even after the Revolutionary Army suffered such a heavy blow, Dragon still did not change his original resolve.
In fact, he had long since calmly accepted the possibility that he too would die on the road of revolution.
"When we appear at Mary Geoise, that will be the moment the revolution is fully realized."
"The battle has only just begun. We will achieve the goal of the revolution."
After Dragon said this, Sabo, whose face had been covered in tears, raised his head. He wiped the tears from his face with force.
He could not remain this weak any longer.
Since Benjamin Leo had already sacrificed his life for the revolution, Sabo had to carry Benjamin Leo's will and continue the revolution to the very end.
Seeing that Sabo had recovered his spirit, Dragon called over Guy Miranda, who was responsible for observing their position.
"How much longer until we cross the Calm Belt?"
Guy Miranda compared their location with the sea chart in his hand, wiped away his nervous sweat, and said.
"Leader, we still need about three days."
Dragon nodded, then said solemnly, "Announce to the entire world that the Revolutionary Army will launch a full-scale offensive against the World Government."
"Notify every Revolutionary Army force in the Four Blues to abandon their defenses against the Marines and concentrate their firepower on eliminating the World Government's member nations."
At this moment, Dragon no longer cared about his arrangements in the Four Blues.
As long as they eliminated the corrupt nobles of those member nations, the newly emerging nobles in the future would definitely treat the people of their kingdoms properly.
Because the Revolutionary Army had once reached those kingdoms.
...
By the time the Revolutionary Army's plan for a full-scale offensive reached the world, a day had already passed.
When civilians who had worked all day returned home, they finally saw the latest major event.
They were once again plunged into shock.
Because the great war between the Marines and the pirates in the New World had only just ended, yet now the Marines and Revolutionary Army, and the Revolutionary Army and World Government, had once again ignited war.
At this moment, even the slowest person could sense the danger facing the world.
The Marines, the World Government, the Revolutionary Army, and the pirates entrenched in the New World.
All four of these massive forces had begun their own battles.
This world had finally fallen into the flames of war.
Some frightened civilians even knelt before statues of the gods and prayed devoutly, seeking comfort for their hearts.
...
At New Marineford, inside the Marines' high-level operations meeting room.
Raleigh read the latest intelligence.
When he saw that the Revolutionary Army had declared war on the World Government, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
At long last, after waiting for so long, he had seen the first light of dawn.
Before him, all kinds of high-ranking Marine staff officers were running simulations on the sand table.
They were not only simulating the spheres of influence between the pirates and the Marines, but also marking the spheres of influence of the World Government and the Revolutionary Army on this giant sand table.
"It has finally begun."
Raleigh returned to his office and could not help rubbing his hands together with a smile.
The struggle for world supremacy had finally begun.
When the Revolutionary Army raised the banner of resistance, the World Government would lose its control over the Marines step by step.
Raleigh was also extremely confident that the final victor of this war would be the Marines he led.
Not the World Government, which had long since decayed beyond repair.
As for the Revolutionary Army led by Dragon and the pirates represented by Red-Haired Shanks and Charlotte Linlin, they were nothing more than pieces on the chessboard.
They were far from being qualified to hold the banner.
Raleigh did not intend to interfere in this battle.
In fact, he wanted to launch a new offensive against the New World in order to respond to the World Government's summons.
...
Inside Mary Geoise, the Five Elders seated on the sofas in the palace all wore furious expressions.
Crash!
A teacup was violently smashed against the floor.
The sword-bearing Elder angrily looked at the shattered porcelain and tea stains on the ground.
"I knew it! I knew the Revolutionary Army would become the World Government's greatest enemy!"
"How dare those lowly people rebel against us!"
The other Elders were equally furious.
Because they also could not understand why these lowly people, who should have devoted themselves until death, dared to act against them after being incited by a few words from Dragon.
"Enough. Anger will not solve anything. Now we should think about how to completely eliminate the Revolutionary Army."
The short, stout Elder spoke.
"The Marines have already taken the West Blue. The fall of the other three seas is only a matter of time. But Dragon and the other high-ranking members have not appeared publicly for a long time."
Compared to the Revolutionary Army's massive forces, the person the Five Elders feared more was the Revolutionary Army's leader, Monkey D. Dragon.
It was this man's terrifying ideology that had allowed the Revolutionary Army to develop and grow so rapidly.
If Dragon did not die at the hands of the World Government, then merely defeating the Revolutionary Army within the Four Blues would be meaningless.
One day, Dragon would reappear before the eyes of the world, bringing a new group of Revolutionary Army fighters with him to continue targeting the World Government.