Robin stared at Carol's confident expression, momentarily dazed.
"Is that so..."
She could discern the meaning behind the light in Carol's eyes, a conviction as unwavering as the faith many in the Revolutionary Army held for her.
Yet, everything she had taught the Revolutionary Army had been taught to her by the very person before her. And the one who taught everything to this person was Fleet Admiral Sakazuki...
Carol turned to look at Robin and smiled, picking up her water glass.
"Don't worry about the Revolutionary Army anymore. The future of this world rests solely on the decisions of a few."
"It has nothing to do with anyone else."
"Stay here quietly for a while."
"When we shatter all the darkness in this world..."
Carol held her cup and turned towards the Fleet Admiral's office.
"You can then choose to do whatever you love for the rest of your life."
"Robin."
She vanished from Robin's sight.
It took a long time for Robin to snap back to attention, letting out a soft sigh.
She turned, resting her arms on the parapet, and gazed at the world.
For some reason...
This island, which looked so stern and imposing, now exuded an unusual sense of peace and serenity.
Her heart suddenly found a sense of calm...
-------------
Although the tranquility of Marine Headquarters was out of sync with the rest of the world, the war never ceased.
Due to the deployment of forces in the New World, the Navy's main fleet had converged in the central region.
The defensive lines, guarded by Kuzan and Enel, were constantly being breached by Hearnock and Red-Haired Shanks.
However, having learned from the precedents of Kaido and Shanks, the pirates engaged in normal troop-to-troop combat, attacking islands without high-level combatants directly interfering. The battles were primarily attrition warfare between lower-ranking pirates and Marines.
But the pirates, through some unknown intelligence, seemed to know the layout of almost every island. The Navy began implementing a strategy of fighting and retreating.
For a time, the pirates gained the upper hand. With the cooperation of Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, the Cake Island front also began to retreat, leaving only the Wano Country front in a stalemate.
There were also the encirclement strategies of Aramaki and Borsalino, which yielded some of the few victorious outcomes for the Navy.
Until several days later...
New World, Port Paris.
One of the islands located at the current border between the Navy and Hearnock's forces.
It was guarded by the Navy Headquarters Admiral, Kuzan.
Hearnock, for reasons unknown, had gathered a large fleet to attack, and even appeared on the battlefield himself. This gave Kuzan a bad premonition.
Above the island, thousands of meters high.
BOOM—!!
The explosive heat of steam swept across the heavens, melting countless ice formations before they could re-solidify.
Kuzan had just managed to reform his body, his upper half still encased in ice.
The heatwaves and white mist in the air surged violently, instantly condensing into four colossal white steam giants, hundreds of meters tall, expelling steam from their feet like rockets as they crushed downwards.
Seeing the four white steam giants charging at him, Kuzan blasted backward in the air.
He exhaled a thick chill and swept his hand outwards across the icy air...
CRACKLE—
The sound of ice spreading echoed.
The four white steam giants attacking him suddenly slowed, then began to freeze from their heads downwards, their entire bodies encased in incredibly hard ice until their feet...
They then fell powerlessly to the ground, melting and exploding mid-air...
Kuzan above shot ice spikes from his hand, instantly forming a long blade, and swung it backward without looking.
CLANG!!!
The sound of metal clashing reverberated.
The ice blade, imbued with Haki, collided with a steam spear, sending sparks flying.
Kuzan turned his head slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"Ara ara—"
"You've personally entered the fray."
Since Red-Haired Shanks' hasty retreat, the pirates had grasped Sakazuki's strategy: as long as high-level combatants didn't interfere and overwhelm them, Sakazuki wouldn't intervene.
Thus, for a while, Hearnock and Red-Haired Shanks' advances had been primarily focused on lower-level combat. Coupled with Sakazuki's order to retreat if unable to hold, the pirates had gained significant momentum. However, Hearnock breaking the rules at this juncture made Kuzan unsure of his intentions...
Hearnock, holding his steam spear, sneered.
"Blame your Fleet Admiral for being too arrogant..."
Sakazuki's strength was undeniable, but his ambition was too great. The Four Emperors, through information transmitted by the World Government and the Navy's deployment, had uncovered Sakazuki's objective. They were simultaneously enraged and relieved.
Enraged because they felt underestimated by Sakazuki, who seemed to be scattering their forces as if not taking them seriously.
Relieved because Sakazuki's arrogance presented an opportunity. While the Navy's top-tier fighters were on par with the Four Emperors, they were dispersed.
In a one-on-one fight, though difficult to kill due to mutual countermeasures, who didn't have a few trump cards up their sleeve...
Hearnock hadn't dared to consider such a plan when Barrett was around. But the latest news indicated that Barrett had been transferred by Sakazuki days ago, his whereabouts unknown.
This was their chance...
Kuzan and Enel were dealing with Hearnock's steam and Shanks' Observation Killing.
If these two were eliminated, no one could stop Hearnock's steam-powered attacks, nor perceive Shanks' Observation Killing. This would create a significant advantage against both the lower and higher ranks of the Navy.
After all, apart from Kuzan's ability to instantly form ice barriers, most other Admirals had no effective way to counter steam.
Observation Killing was similar; it could even block Sakazuki's senses. It allowed Shanks to fight with overwhelming power while escaping. Other Admirals, apart from Barrett, would have difficulty fighting Shanks.
Therefore, not only was Kuzan under attack, but the Red-Haired Pirates were also fully mobilized on the other side of the New World, surrounding and attacking Enel...
Hearnock's aura surged, growing more ferocious, and a menacing voice filled with killing intent rang out:
"Might of Steam Kill!!!!"
A colossal roar echoed in the sky.
Hundreds of meter-tall white steam giants emerged from the clouds, their arrival accompanied by a howling force, encircling Kuzan.
Kuzan's expression became grave, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"A cliché move."
Despite calling it cliché, Kuzan did not relax at all. They had fought countless times, and both knew each other's abilities and techniques intimately.
He couldn't fathom what trump card Hearnock possessed that gave him such confidence in killing him...
Kuzan's arms transformed into ice, condensing a potent chill. From the chilling air, two thorny ice tendrils formed, lashing out at two of the steam giants.
"Ice Age!!!"
The icy tendrils pierced the steam giants. Before they could self-destruct, they were instantly frozen and solidified. Then, spreading ice thorns erupted from them, lashing out at other steam giants.
In a short time, the air seemed to be filled with a spiderweb of ice.
The frozen steam giants were rigidly fixed within this immense ice web.
BOOM—!!
A violent explosion erupted, as if the sky itself had been shattered. The battle between the two had just begun.
On the island below.
At some unknown point, a boundless black mist began to spread, engulfing the soldiers guarding the island.
And it subtly reached towards the sky...
-------------
Evening.
Neo Marineford.
BZZT—MM—BZZT—MM—
The long-absent, piercing alarm sounded.
Everyone at Headquarters descended into panic.
Navy Headquarters Admiral 'Kuzan' had fallen in battle at Port Paris in the New World.
This was the highest-ranking casualty the Navy had suffered since the war began, and one of their strongest combatants.
No one knew how Hearnock had accomplished it.
Given the nature of their Devil Fruits, they had been evenly matched for over two years of combat. This incident had occurred too suddenly...
Everyone on the island was mobilized. The intelligence department was gathering all useful data, searching for clues to understand how Hearnock had achieved this.
Simultaneously, they contacted various fronts and discovered that Admiral candidate 'Enel' was also temporarily unreachable. The information was urgently reported to Sakazuki.
Sakazuki simply replied that he knew and said nothing further.
This left the intelligence officers at a loss as they retreated...
-----
In the Fleet Admiral's office.
Had it not been for the piercing alarm, this place would have been exceptionally tranquil.
Unlike the hustle and bustle outside,
Sakazuki stood calmly before a large sand table. He raised his hand and crushed the islands within the black circle, marked with the flags of Hearnock and Red-Haired Shanks, one by one.
A low voice echoed in the empty office.
"The Navy has arrived..."
CRUNCH—
The last island within the black circle, marked with a pirate flag,
was casually crushed by Sakazuki...