Preparing for a large-scale war was no easy task.
This time, the Marines had received unprecedented support from the World Government. It could be said that they had everything they asked for. Even so, three days had passed, and they still had not fully completed their preparations.
As the saying went, provisions had to move before the army. But before provisions, intelligence work was even more important.
And it was precisely on this issue that the Marines encountered an unprecedented problem.
Where was the enemy's territory? How many troops did they have? How strong was their combat power? What kind of weapons and equipment did they possess? What had they prepared in response to a Marine attack? And then there were the uncontrollable factors.
All of these questions had to be understood in advance so they could make proper preparations and avoid unnecessary casualties.
For this war, the Marines had mobilized one hundred and fifty thousand Marines, ten thousand CP intelligence agents, and twenty-five warships. In addition, in terms of high-level combat power, they had Fleet Admiral Sengoku, two Admiral-level fighters in Garp and Zephyr, Admiral candidates Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, twenty-three Vice Admirals, and four CP0-level elite fighters dispatched by the World Government. They were prepared to wipe the Sky Pirates completely from the sea.
For the sake of this war, they did not even have the time to deal with the pirates roaming the seas.
If this operation failed again, it would be a major blow to both the Marines and the global situation.
A grim, murderous atmosphere hung over the entire Marine Headquarters and the G1 Branch.
Marine Headquarters had originally wanted to wait a little longer, but after receiving news from the New World that the Thunder God Pirate Crew had defeated the Silver Axe Pirate Crew, they could no longer sit still.
If they did not launch the war now, while the enemy was weakened after a major battle, then once the Thunder God Pirate Crew finished absorbing the Silver Axe Pirate Crew's territory and forces, the war would become even more difficult.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Because there was a risk of intelligence leaks on the Marine side, the operation plan against the Sky Pirates and their country, Rainbow Country, was being arranged in secret.
Inside a hidden conference room in the Marine Headquarters building,
the senior Marine officers and CP0 members participating in this operation had gathered together.
On a huge screen projected by a visual Den Den Mushi was all the intelligence the Marines and CP had been able to collect.
It had to be said that the World Government, which had ruled this world for eight hundred years, was not truly incompetent. Once it operated at full capacity, its efficiency was frightening.
The blue light of the screen reflected off Sengoku's glasses, revealing an extremely serious expression.
"This meeting is only for the exchange of intelligence and strategy. I will assign the detailed battle plans to each of you individually. For the sake of operational secrecy, the commanders participating in this operation are strictly forbidden from privately discussing their battle plans with one another."
When his words fell, the entire conference room was completely silent. But that was enough.
"Since no one has any objections, I will now explain the intelligence on the Sky Pirates. This information was compiled from everything CP and the Marines have gathered since the Sky Pirates first set sail."
As his voice fell, the screen behind Sengoku changed, and the portraits of four people appeared on it.
"As you can see, these four are currently the highest combat power of the Sky Pirates."
"The core among them is naturally the captain of the Sky Pirates, and the key target of this operation: Fire Dragon Yemu."
As his words fell, the screen changed again.
"Fire Dragon Yemu. Place of birth: an unknown sky island. Age unknown, likely around twenty. His first appearance was in the waters near Slast Island on the Grand Line. In terms of strength, he is an absolute monster. His growth rate is astonishing. At present, we can confirm that Golden Lion Shiki died at his hands. I doubt any of you here would underestimate him."
"Now, for the details. First, Devil Fruits. Based on our current intelligence, Fire Dragon Yemu may be the only three-Devil-Fruit user in the world, having eaten the Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi, the Paramecia-type Atsu Atsu no Mi, and the Paramecia-type Fuwa Fuwa no Mi."
A wave of gasps instantly swept through the conference room. Everyone's eyes were filled with shock.
"You should all already know the origins and abilities of the Mera Mera no Mi and the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi. As for the Atsu Atsu no Mi, based on our speculation, it may have come from a flag hunter named Don Accino. They once fought in Water 7. This fruit can control the user's own heat between zero and ten thousand degrees. It is an extremely terrifying Devil Fruit."
"And the trouble does not end there. There is absolute evidence proving that Fire Dragon Yemu has fully mastered the awakened abilities of all three Devil Fruits."
"In addition, Fire Dragon Yemu is an absolute master of all three types of Haki. His Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror's Haki have all reached the highest level. It may sound like I am boosting the enemy's morale and lowering our own, but in terms of Armament Haki, he is stronger than I am. And now that he was able to kill Shiki, we can also confirm that he has definitely mastered the top-tier power of Conqueror's Haki coating."
"In terms of swordsmanship, both John and Shiki died at his hands. We can reasonably infer that Fire Dragon Yemu is also a Great Swordsman-level fighter."
"Therefore, whether we can defeat, no, kill Fire Dragon Yemu will be the key factor in determining whether we win this battle."
"To be honest, that will be very difficult. The Fuwa Fuwa no Mi ability alone leaves us with no clear way to handle him."
"Fortunately, this time, the Marines and Fire Dragon Yemu are not fighting a one-on-one duel. This is a war. So this time, Garp and I will personally take action against him."
Sengoku's words finally calmed the slightly uneasy Marines a little.
No one in the Marines doubted the strength of the Marine Hero, Garp.
"Now that we have covered Fire Dragon Yemu, next is the Sky Pirates' largest subordinate fleet: the Thunder God Pirate Crew."
As his words fell, the screen behind him changed once more, and detailed intelligence on Enel and his Thunder God Pirate Crew appeared on it.
"Compared to Fire Dragon Yemu, the Thunder God Pirate Crew, whether their captain Enel or his subordinates, will be much easier to deal with. But they absolutely must not be underestimated."
"First is Thunder God Enel. Place of birth: an unknown sky island. Age unknown. Younger brother of Fire Dragon Yemu. As for him, I believe all of you have already read the newspapers. Just yesterday, Thunder God Enel defeated Silver Axe Morgan and became the new overlord of the New World. That alone is enough to prove his terrifying individual power. But the truly troublesome part does not stop there..."
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