A few days later.
On Seiken Island, one of the two remaining endpoint islands.
Strangely, there were no Marine garrisons, and the entire island was deserted.
On the massive volcano at the center of the island.
The Red-Haired Pirates stood with solemn expressions at the edge of the crater.
Their Observation Haki could easily sense the bombs buried deep beneath the lava...
The energy contained within them was astonishing.
Ben Beckman took a deep breath:
"Is this the Navy's backing?"
"They've even evacuated all personnel. If some lunatic were to attack the remaining two islands."
"The New World would be burned to ashes by lava..."
This great trouble, they had no choice but to deal with it now.
The enormous magma storage facilities buried beneath the three endpoint islands, and their connection to the ley lines of various islands in the New World, had been confirmed after Sakazuki's announcement.
However, the Four Emperors had tacitly suppressed this news to prevent panic.
Not long ago, when Barret wreaked havoc on the Red-Haired Pirates, he revealed a piece of information:
"The Navy has evacuated the remaining two endpoint islands."
"If you wish to save the New World, you must protect them."
"And do not attempt to destroy the bombs on the islands, or the New World might be destroyed outright..."
Though confused, the crew dared not be careless and immediately changed course for the nearest endpoint island.
Upon arrival, it was as Barret had said; all Marines and residents had been evacuated.
An island devoid of people...
If some insane individual were to come here and detonate the volcano... the New World would be destroyed...
Yasopp stared in disbelief:
"Hey, hey, is Sakazuki truly insane?"
"This is too bizarre."
"These are islands the Navy is supposed to protect, yet they've abandoned them..."
"If an accident occurs and the New World is destroyed, millions of citizens would die. Who are the pirates here, us or them?"
Ben Beckman's expression was grave:
"This is Sakazuki's true terror."
"Though he wears the cloak of justice, with his way of doing things, he cares nothing for ordinary civilians."
"When he revealed the truth about the endpoint islands, he must have anticipated this day."
"These two remaining endpoint islands are not the Navy's weakness, but a bargaining chip to threaten us."
"If the Navy were stationed here, and some lunatic attacked, the Navy would suffer losses."
"But if they choose to withdraw and inform us, do you think we could stand by and watch the New World be destroyed? Or Kaido, or Big Mom?"
"I'll make the call."
He stood up and walked out. The atmosphere, which had been tense after Shanks's intervention, had eased.
Shanks wore a faint smile, but no one knew the weight of his heart...
-----------
The Grand Line, Dieppe Island, Marine Recruitment Center.
The fervor of the World's Great Recruitment was slowly subsiding. Those who wished to join the military had already departed.
However, there were still many who were either too young or had made up their minds, coming to inquire and register.
"Hey! Look!"
"Hiss—"
"A Devil Fruit user!"
"So tall!"
As the crowd gasped, the attention of the Marine recruitment center personnel was also drawn:
"This is..."
From afar, a tall, burly man dressed entirely in green, exuding a roguish charm, walked towards them. Wherever he passed, flowers and small grass sprouted, as if he were an envoy of nature.
"Yo, soldier, I want to sign up."
-----------
East Blue, an unnamed sea area.
A naval battle was unfolding.
Chasing and fleeing were the Alvida Pirates and the Marines of the 117th Branch.
The two sides drew closer.
Boom boom—
Cannonballs struck the deck of the pirate ship, narrowly missing the mast.
The impact left everyone dazed.
Alvida, freckled and obese, wielding her spiked club, directed her crew to counterattack, while looking back at the slave laborer, Coby:
"Coby!!!"
"What are you dawdling for! Hurry and bring out the cannonballs!"
"Don't even think about escaping! Or I'll kill you first!!"
Since the World's Great Recruitment began, the number of pirates in the four seas had plummeted.
On one hand, it was due to the prevailing trend, and on the other, countless Marine warships were hunting pirate crews for combat experience and pre-war training before being deployed to the New World.
Alvida, who usually reveled in her power, found herself in a difficult situation and harbored thoughts of escaping to the Grand Line.
However, despite hiding and evading, she was discovered and a pursuit ensued.
Coby trembled violently:
"Yes! Yes!!"
His body shaking, his face pale, he pushed over a box of cannonballs.
As a slave laborer captured by Alvida, he simultaneously hoped for Alvida's defeat by the Marines and feared that Alvida would strike him down before she died...
Swish—
A sharp whistling sound echoed in the ears of everyone on the ship.
Those with experience could confirm that this cannonball was a direct hit...
Many slumped to the ground. Alvida, gripping her spiked club, swallowed hard and mustered her courage. With a fierce leap, she swung her club and struck the cannonball.
Boom!
Alvida's hand was cracked, and she felt a wave of dizziness. She thought the crisis had been averted.
However, the subsequent whistling sound directly struck her head, and she fell unconscious...
Seeing Alvida collapse, many pirates showed despair. Without Alvida's immense strength, they could only bully ordinary people.
Now that their greatest support was gone, the thought of fleeing inevitably arose.
Coby, however, was filled with joy, as it meant he could escape...
Boom boom boom—
As the distance closed, more and more cannonballs hit their mark. The pirate ship was battered by the relentless barrage, and the Marine warships gradually caught up...
There was no boarding action... To adapt to the warfare of the New World, all Marine branches had adjusted their combat methods.
They abandoned the traditional close-quarters combat and focused on destroying all enemies with cannonballs.
Evening.
Only a small portion of Alvida's pirate ship remained above the water; most of it had sunk.
The vast quantities of supplies piled on the warships indicated that the battlefield had been cleared. A Marine soldier reported to his commanding officer:
"Report, Lieutenant Commander Norris!"
"Battlefield cleanup complete! Not a single survivor from the Alvida Pirates!"
"Your orders!"
Since Sakazuki took office, all Marines were under strict orders to leave no survivors.
Lieutenant Commander Norris, older and with a scraggly beard, nodded:
"Disengage."
The soldier excitedly returned to relay the order. Norris's eyes held a hint of melancholy.
He knew why the soldiers were excited upon hearing the order to disengage; it meant they would be sent to the Grand Line or the New World...
Perhaps this was a tremendous opportunity to witness a broader world... but... many might not even live to see that day...
Deep night.
Norris stood on the tall building of the base, watching the figures below busily loading supplies onto the warships, remaining silent.
Behind him, the base commander, Colonel Alch, approached.
He walked up to Norris, offering a cigarette:
"What's wrong, Norris?"
"Why does it seem like your faith has been wavering lately?"
Their faith, of course, was in Sakazuki...
Norris smiled:
"How could that be... Don't slander me."
He took the cigarette, but his fingers trembled slightly as he held it.
Sensing his own anomaly, he fell silent for a moment:
"This is already the third batch this year..."
Familiar faces were called up and thrown into the battlefields of the New World, and one by one... they vanished without a trace...
Alch naturally understood Norris's feelings. They were all ordinary individuals, saved and nurtured by Sakazuki before being assigned to their posts.
After twenty or thirty years of camaraderie, they had become like brothers. But with several of them being summoned to the New World and disappearing without a trace, how could he not grieve...
Alch took a deep breath:
"The war has just begun. Casualties are inevitable. It's too early to mourn."
"After all, no news might be the best news."
"Victory will ultimately be ours."
"Believe in Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."
He patted Norris on the shoulder, unsure how to comfort him, his own emotions stirred, and turned to leave.
Norris's mouth opened as if to say something... but in the end, he simply nodded silently.
-----------
New World, Dahrla Island.
Located within the territory of one of the Four Emperors, Kaido, six warships had just captured a small outlying island.
Many soldiers were clearing the battlefield and counting the number of evacuated residents.
Inside a warship, Colonel Bach, who had just survived a life-and-death battle, felt a pang of fear, as he had narrowly escaped dismemberment during the recent fighting.
After the battle, feeling a sense of lingering dread, he unconsciously walked to his room.
He picked up the pen and paper on the desk and slowly began to write. He hadn't known how to phrase it before, as his comrades had died in battle...
But after today's fight, he realized that if he didn't report his safety... he too might die at any moment...
And they would wait for him with such hardship...
Time slowly passed, and as dusk fell, several pages were filled... He thought for a moment, and then added at the end:
"All is well, do not worry."
"Bach."
He packed the letter and walked out of the room, only to realize it was already dark:
"It's been so long..."
Shaking his head, he found a clerk on the ship:
"Dick, help me mail this letter tomorrow."
The clerk named Dick took the envelope and smiled:
"Alright, where to?"
Bach replied with a smile:
"To the East Blue, 117th Branch, for Brother Alch and Norris."
Dick gave an "ok" gesture and said nothing... Such situations were all too common.
It wasn't that they didn't want to use Den Den Mushi, but the moment the Den Den Mushi connected... tears would flow uncontrollably (friends who served in the military would surely understand this feeling. After three months of basic training, when making a call home after being assigned to a unit... they couldn't help but cry).
Bach set aside his worries and smiled:
"Thanks."
Dick waved his hand:
"No need to be polite, let's go for a drink."
Unbeknownst to them, a powerful pirate ship was heading their way...
The next day...
Deep night.
Led by a powerful Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, the pirate ship circumvented the island from the rear and stealthily infiltrated.
"Damn Marines, daring to attack my territory."
"They must be tired of living."
The speaker was a lion-beastman. To be cautious, he had activated his Devil Fruit ability before landing on the island, just in case.
However, after a brief reconnaissance, he found that the highest-ranking officer was only a Rear Admiral, and thus became arrogant.
Although he was not particularly prominent under Kaido and his territory was small.
He had been active in the New World for many years, and he was much stronger than these Marine Rear Admirals who had appeared from nowhere.
Licking his long fangs, he revealed a cruel smile.
Boom—
On a Marine warship, flames erupted.
Led by the lion-beastman pirate, in a short time, a warship sank into the sea.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!!"
The sound of dense footsteps, gunshots, and cannon fire erupted.
Several leading Rear Admirals rushed out.
"Damn it... where did this guy come from..."
"Have they reported to Headquarters!"
"Reported, but reinforcements won't arrive until tomorrow morning."
"It's too late."
"Let's try to stop him. Karami! Go retrieve that thing!"
"Okay!"
Swish swish—
The Rear Admirals split up and charged towards the powerful pirate. The one called Karami ran to retrieve the item...
On the flagship of each fleet, a special container held a device emitting a purple glow... Explosive Rock.
This special container, created by the Navy's research team, could only be opened by scanning a registered person's fingerprint or by a powerful Haki attack, to prevent accidental detonation.
Karami ran to the lower deck of the main ship, found the carefully stored container, and placed his index finger on it.
The specially hardened cylindrical object slowly opened, revealing the Explosive Rock stored within. A mechanical voice sounded:
"Thank you for your sacrifice for justice..."
Before the mechanical voice finished, Karami grabbed the handle and pulled it out, rushing out.
The container on this level was not as strong as the outer one, making it easy to detonate...
As he reached the cabin door.
Boom!!!
The shattered bodies of the Rear Admirals and some soldiers were thrown in. Karami was forced to shield the Explosive Rock and retreat...
But a blur flashed by.
Screech—
Karami's arm holding the Explosive Rock was directly torn off, his chest caved in, and he slid down the wall.
A beastly paw grabbed the Explosive Rock:
"Oh?"
"Explosive Rock, eh... how dangerous..."
The lion-beastman's face darkened. The pirates had suffered greatly from these things since the war began... To self-destruct if they couldn't win was simply shameless!!!
He gently placed the Explosive Rock down and walked up to Karami, his voice chilling:
"You Marines are truly disgusting..."
"It would have been best to have tortured you to death just now."
"But it's not too late..."
He stepped on Karami's knee.
Crack!!!
It was crushed instantly.
Karami's eyes widened in fury, his teeth clenched, he remained silent.
A cruel smile flickered across the lion-beastman's lips. He then grabbed Karami's remaining arm...
And slowly crushed it, the sickening crunching sounds echoing in the cabin...
Until the last bone in Karami's arm was crushed...
Screech—
The arm was torn off and flung away.
A giant beastly paw gripped Karami's throat, preparing to slowly crush it. But Karami, spitting blood and with a blurred consciousness, strangely began to laugh.
He laughed so hard his body trembled, coughing up blood:
"Cough... cough..."
His body struggled a few times, and he finally died...
The lion-beastman's pupils constricted, as if he had discovered something. He slowly turned his head... Damn it, when did...
The lion-beastman pirate, preoccupied with his torture, had not noticed...
Among the Marines who had been thrown in.
Bach, with a gaping hole in his chest, had inexplicably not died but had regained consciousness. His hand rested on the Explosive Rock container on the ground...
He too revealed a smile...
With a slight exertion of force.
Crack—
Purple liquid flowed out, and Bach slowly lost his life...
As his consciousness faded, a montage of his life flashed through his mind: his childhood village, his kind parents, then the devastation by pirates, their slaughter... being saved by Sakazuki...
Joining the military, training, and being assigned to the East Blue... nearly twenty years of time... then the war began, fighting alongside his brothers in the New World... until now...
Although his life had been full of hardship, he had been extremely fortunate... Bach thought this, and his smile widened even further...
He suddenly remembered something important:
"Did the letter... get sent?"
Boom—
In the darkness of the night, it was as if a sun had risen...