"The sea—It's the Marines!"
On the island, a group of residents in patched clothing stared in terror at the large number of warships appearing on the sea.
They were civilians under Whitebeard's protection, so to them, the Marines were no different from "pirates."
They were also aware of the upheaval shaking the world. Members of the Whitebeard Pirates had even been stationed on this island already.
"Have all the civilians take shelter."
Water Buffalo Atmos, who had been ordered here, issued the command, then prepared with his subordinates for a fight to the death against the Marines.
Of course, that referred to their resolve.
Pops had told them to protect what ought to be protected. Atmos would do exactly that, until the moment he died.
On the other hand, Pops had also said that someone would come to help them.
They simply did not know where those reinforcements were now.
In the distance, aboard a large warship.
Akainu withdrew his gaze and looked toward the adjutant beside him.
"Evil that stands in the way of justice must be eradicated, no matter what sacrifices must be made."
After making that firm declaration, he waved a large hand, preparing to have his forces launch a large-scale bombardment.
He intended to bury the civilians on that island together with the members of the Whitebeard Pirates in the explosions.
And yet, at that very moment—
A massive shadow suddenly covered the sky above the large warship.
Rumble, rumble…
The trembling of the air resounded across the heavens. A gigantic meteor, its scale measured in kilometers, descended with a roar while wrapped in a ring of raging flames.
Issho, who was manipulating gravity as he hovered in the sky, lowered his head and "watched" as the falling meteor covered that warship.
Around him, hundreds of smaller meteors fell like rain, smashing toward the warships surrounding the large vessel.
"You have gone too far."
At that moment, the blind swordsman voiced his condemnation. This was not a weak condemnation made of words, but an indispensable physical condemnation.
Surely, no matter who it was, they would have to take such condemnation seriously.
At the very least, Akainu could not ignore it.
The falling, scorching meteor was terrifying, but the eruption of a volcano was no less so.
"Great Eruption!"
A gigantic magma fist, like a volcanic eruption, melted through the enormous meteor, tearing it apart and assimilating it into a sky full of flaming projectiles that shot straight toward the direction perceived by his Observation Haki.
Issho gently drew half of his blade. Invisible gravity abruptly spread outward.
Those thousands of volcanic bombs froze for an instant. Then, together with the other meteors he had pulled down, they smashed toward the Marine warships, including Akainu's.
Boom—!
Boom—!
Boom—!
Within the massive explosions, Marine warships rapidly sank one after another.
Whether volcanic bombs or meteors, neither was something ordinary Marines could withstand.
Only a small number of warships led by Marine Vice Admirals survived by sheer luck.
Akainu had no time to spare for anything else, because an even larger meteor came crashing down without giving him the slightest chance to breathe.
A gigantic shadow blotted out the sky, exaggerated enough to seem like the end of the world.
As Issho watched the meteor he had just dropped descend, another meteor manipulated by his Devil Fruit ability appeared high above the sky.
His Observation Haki could capture meteors in outer space. As long as meteors remained, this kind of strike would not stop.
If he fought Akainu one-on-one to the death, he might not have much confidence.
But if it was merely a matter of delaying him, then from his elevated position against an opponent below who could not fly, how long the delay lasted would be up to Issho!
Marine Headquarters.
Tsuru, who was overseeing command, received the report that Akainu had been intercepted.
This Buster Call had yet to truly begin, and already signs of losing control had appeared.
'So that is how it is after all?'
Tsuru looked at the wanted poster beside her hand. The photograph on it was unmistakably Ren.
As expected, the unexpected had still happened.
She remembered the intelligence from Dressrosa. Back then, a powerful figure who controlled gravity had interfered in the battle between Kaido and Ren.
According to Kizaru's later statement, that person absolutely possessed Admiral-level strength.
'A powerful figure capable of manipulating gravity and fighting a Yonko can naturally stop Akainu, who cannot fly.
'Even without fighting directly, simply dragging down meteors is enough to keep the main force from advancing an inch.
'But aren't you a little too terrifying, Demon Ren?'
If the intelligence was not wrong, then during Dressrosa, that man had no deep relationship with Ren.
He had acted purely for the sake of the civilians on Dressrosa.
Perhaps this time was for the same reason, but the timing of his appearance was simply too perfect.
Barring any accident, Ren's involvement was most likely the reason.
If that still had some logic to it, then Mihawk's participation truly exceeded Tsuru's expectations.
She was well aware of the current instability of the Seven Warlords system, but Mihawk's personality should not have led him to proactively abandon his position and take the initiative to oppose the Marines.
'What method did he use?'
Tsuru felt bewildered. She tried to analyze Ren.
But it was like stretching her hand into a white fog. She could see nothing. Only when she touched something could she understand even a little more intelligence.
Just like when this person's schemes came to a close, it was only upon contact that one could feel that suffocating terror.
Impossible to fathom, impossible to reference, without a trace, beyond imagination… all the elements most feared in intelligence work had gathered in one person.
If there was any point that could preserve their dignity—
It was probably that, just as she had predicted, Ren was not the same kind of person as a normal pirate. He even loathed pirates.
After overthrowing Totto Land, defeating Big Mom and forcing her to flee, the Cross Guild he had established through his enormous reputation, prepared to hunt all pirates, was the best proof of that.
But looking at things now, perhaps his hunting targets were not limited to pirates.
"How should these problems be solved…"
Tsuru began to feel a headache coming on, but with her knowledge of the internal situation, she was not yet anxious.
The forces the World Government had prepared for this plan would inevitably far exceed the limits of Ren's understanding.
No matter how the situation developed, Whitebeard would inevitably die in the hunt. After that, they would have to free up their hands and eliminate Ren, this troublesome threat, at any cost.
Judging by the intelligence obtained from within the World Government, they had also guessed that the abduction of the Celestial Dragons was related to Ren, and they had no intention of letting off this man who had challenged their authority.
Even if he was too difficult to deal with, there was a possible plan to join forces with the other Yonko against him.
Thud—!
At that moment, the door to the conference room was suddenly pushed open in a rush.
Along with it came a panicked voice.
"Whitebeard—Whitebeard, he—he—"
"What about him?"
Tsuru stood up, her pupils contracting.
"He appeared in front of the Red Line…"
"?"
"…Above it is the Holy Land, Mary Geoise!"
"!"
The Marine delivering the news took a huge breath mid-sentence, directly making Tsuru's heart beat much faster.
"What did you say!?"
Before the news was delivered to Tsuru, Whitebeard, who should have appeared at Sphinx together with Ace, had appeared in front of the Red Line.
The seas of this world were divided into four seas by the intersecting Red Line and Calm Belt.
The first point of intersection was Reverse Mountain. The second was Mary Geoise, standing atop the Red Line at the end of the first half of the Grand Line.
The New World was located beyond Mary Geoise.
With Ren's help, Whitebeard appearing here was ridiculously easy.
He deliberately passed by a Marine base, casually sank a small warship, then continued onward.
The power of tremors radiated beneath his feet, supporting him. Around him, the sea surged without cease, growing higher and broader under the exquisite manipulation of quake force.
At this moment, he spoke into the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"You'd better not be lying to me, Ren."
Ren's calm voice rang out from the receiver.
"If we want to resolve this matter, isn't striking their home base the best method?
"Since the World Government is already prepared to tear off all pretense and make their move, we are enemies either way. In that case, why not hit them hard?
"There is something in Mary Geoise that the Five Elders absolutely must care about. Even if that thing may be terrifyingly powerful, they won't simply ignore this.
"The God Knights may have already set out, but the hidden agent inside CP0 leaked the news in advance.
"As for the Marines, the Three Admirals have all been intercepted. Garp chose to retire and stay out of things. Zephyr chose to leave and establish his own justice.
"With Sengoku alone, there is no way he can kill Ace through Shanks.
"Every figure who could be calculated has been arranged for. Even if some real accident occurs, there is still me, the card that has yet to enter the field."
"Your people don't plan to act this time?"
Whitebeard asked while manipulating quake force to raise a tsunami higher and higher.
"My team is too young. They are not yet qualified to step onto this stage.
"However, when necessary, they can still enter the field."
"You protect your own quite well."
"Is that supposed to be sarcasm?"
"No. I'm not so fragile as that."
Whitebeard said, "It's only death. There's nothing worth worrying about. I also know very well that you and I do not stand on the same side.
"Compared to me stubbornly surviving to the end, fighting the World Government to the death to probe their unknown trump cards, or even heavily injuring them—
"Then dying in battle and having you take away my Gura-Gura no Mi would be what best suits your interests, wouldn't it, brat?"
"…"
This time, Ren did not answer.
"It doesn't matter. There was never a ship in the new era meant to carry me."
Whitebeard did not dwell on it. Instead, he grinned with carefree ease.
"Compared to dying powerless and bedridden from illness, this ending is already far, far better than the one I should have had.
"Ren, do not forget your promise. What comes afterward, I'll leave to you."
"It isn't time for farewells yet. I think there should still be a moment when I make my move."
Ren said softly.
"It doesn't matter. It's time to show those high-and-mighty bastards some color!"
Whitebeard swung his fist, constantly releasing quake force that affected the sea for dozens of kilometers around him.
As a Devil Fruit Awakening user, and one who had reached the peak, his range of assimilation far surpassed what ordinary awakened Devil Fruit users could imagine.
What he was about to raise was the greatest tsunami in history, one capable of endangering even the top of the Red Line.
Of course, before unleashing that tsunami, he would first demolish the land foundation beneath the nation of the gods.
After all, Mary Geoise was far too high.
Yes—
This was a catastrophe aimed directly at the nation of the gods, Mary Geoise.
If no one stopped it, the entire Celestial Dragon group would inevitably pay an unimaginably heavy price for this.
Ren's Word Spirit had already been applied.
The curtain of war was gradually rising.
(End of Chapter)