"Although there were a few twists and turns, in the end, she agreed to join our side," Akainu replied.
"And the last one is Doflamingo. He promised to participate, but so far, he has yet to make a move."
There were originally seven Warlords of the Sea in total.
As of now, five had aligned themselves with the Navy.
"Five of them, huh..."
Sengoku spoke slowly. "That is enough. As long as the others do not assist Whitebeard, we shall have the victory."
He turned his gaze toward Aokiji.
"What is the status of the defenses at Headquarters?"
Aokiji answered: "Everything has been arranged. One hundred thousand Marines have been deployed and gathered here."
"At the same time, fifty warships will be positioned at the port to form a defensive blockade."
"With these defenses, our position is practically an impenetrable fortress — an absolute wall of iron."
Sengoku thought for a moment.
Then he spoke to everyone present.
"Listen well. We will arrange our frontline defenses in three layers."
"The first layer will be the five Warlords of the Sea."
"The second layer will be the numerous Marine Vice Admirals and the main force of our soldiers."
"And finally... the three of you — the three Marine Admirals."
He declared firmly: "With three layers of defense... I refuse to believe Whitebeard can break through!"
"In terms of combat power and weaponry, we hold an absolute advantage!"
---
Meanwhile!
Aboard the ships of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Whitebeard was also making preparations for the war that was about to arrive.
He spoke to all his division commanders. "Out of our original sixteen divisions, we currently have fourteen commanders remaining, leading around 1,600 elite core members."
"In addition, there are forty-three allied pirate crews, bringing our total strength to roughly over fifty thousand men."
"This is our full military strength!"
The commanders spoke with great excitement. "As long as Father is with us, we will definitely rescue Ace!"
"That's right! Long live Father!"
At this moment, it felt as if the entire world was waiting for one single event to arrive.
"The Great War"!
The forces led by the Navy... against the pirate forces led by Whitebeard...
What kind of massive waves would this clash create?
At the same time... Blackbeard, who had just become a Warlord of the Sea, chose not to assist the Navy.
Instead, he invaded the great prison Impel Down and caused irreversible destruction and chaos...
Resulting in mass breakouts, where pirates from all levels of security escaped from the prison one after another.
The situation in the world was becoming more chaotic by the day.
...
In the Kingdom of Dressrosa.
Robin placed the latest newspaper into El's hand.
"Here is today's news."
El glanced at it briefly.
Currently, the whole world was in a state of tension, like the calm before a massive storm.
Yet the news reports were unusually peaceful and quiet.
The calmer it became, the more El felt that "that day" was approaching fast.
He said to Robin: "Go and call Crocodile here."
Robin was slightly surprised by the order.
Ever since the members of Baroque Works had joined El's faction...
El had never assigned them any important tasks or missions.
To suddenly call for Crocodile now...
Did it mean that the period of hiding and waiting was finally over, and action was about to begin?
Crocodile arrived before El very quickly.
El looked at him and spoke calmly. "You have seen everything that has been happening recently, haven't you?"
A smile appeared on Crocodile's face. "Indeed... the world is falling into great chaos!"
"Signs of war are everywhere... it truly is a paradise for ambitious men!"
El laughed. "I knew you were the type who loves to get involved in ambitious schemes and big events."
"Very well then... I have a task for you."
Upon hearing this, Crocodile's eyes lit up instantly.
A task?
This was the first time El had ever said such a thing to him!
Could it be that his recent performance had finally earned him El's trust, and now he was finally being entrusted with an important mission?
El continued speaking. "I want you... to help me recruit some people and bring them here."
The excitement that Crocodile had felt just moments before vanished instantly upon hearing this assignment, replaced by disappointment.
What kind of request is that?
Was this task really worthy of someone of his strength and status?
Any random member of Baroque Works could have handled this.
"What is it? Are you unwilling?" El asked.
Crocodile hurriedly replied: "How could that be! It is just... this kind of work seems somewhat wasteful of my abilities and potential."
El replied calmly. "The people I want you to recruit... are not ordinary people."
"People like Jinbe, the Warlord... do you think you can bring a few figures of that caliber here?"
As soon as he said this, Crocodile became excited again.
"Ah... so it's that kind of mission! That is quite a challenge!"
"However... challenging missions are exactly the kind I enjoy most."
"Leave it to me!"
He finished speaking and turned around, preparing to leave.
Behind him, El said calmly: "Pay attention to the timing."
"Depart right now... and you should arrive in time for that great storm that is coming."
Hearing El's words — which hinted at deeper meaning — Crocodile felt an excitement he had never felt before surge through him.
El possessed such immense power, yet he almost never took action or stepped into the world's affairs...
Spending his days here in Dressrosa, resting and building up his strength.
But now... was he finally about to make his move?!
Without turning around, Crocodile spoke while walking away. "Lord El... are you not coming with us?"
El replied indifferently. "No rush. I travel much faster than any of your ships."
El's way of doing things was simple: Either remain silent and motionless... or strike and astonish the world.
It had been a long time since he had caused a major uproar.
Right now, El found himself extremely interested in what was about to happen.
Because the War at the Summit... was going to involve far more than just two major forces!
"The Navy is going to execute Ace."
This earth-shattering news spread rapidly across the seas.
"It's finally starting."
Countless people were anxiously speculating about the Navy's next moves.
Releasing such news to the public proved that they were determined to fight the Whitebeard Pirates to the death!
"And the date of the execution.....is TODAY!"
This shocking announcement was issued directly from Marine Headquarters.
From the desk of Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
__________________
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