Sengoku never imagined things would take such a turn.

He stared at the floating town rising steadily into the sky, already beyond reach, and at the purple-haired figure standing at the very front, immovable like a stubborn reef.

Bullets rained down, yet every single one somehow missed, brushing past that lone figure with uncanny "precision."

Sengoku's mind went blank.

His expression kept shifting—gritting his teeth one moment, sighing in resignation the next. His fists clenched, then loosened again.

Even he, the "Resourceful General," had no idea what to do in this situation.

Could you say they hadn't attacked?

They had opened fire.

They just missed.

Sengoku stared dazedly at the sky filled with "fireworks," and for a brief moment, an indescribable emotion welled up inside him.

If he had walked away from the Marines like this today, would he have been met with the same "farewell" as Zephyr?

The answer was clear.

With a weary sigh, Sengoku muttered to himself,

"There's only one Black Arm Zephyr in this sea."

The gunfire and explosions gradually faded, then ceased altogether.

The floating land was soon swallowed by the sea of clouds, disappearing into the far-off horizon, engulfed by brilliant sunlight.

From the barrels of the Marines' pistols, faint wisps of white smoke rose.

They lowered their weapons and turned to face the last remaining figure.

The young Vice Admiral stood bare-chested, his angular muscles exposed, covered in a patchwork of old and new scars. Under the sunlight, his figure radiated a brutal, unmatched kind of beauty.

For a moment, no one moved. They exchanged uneasy glances, frozen in place.

The air thickened.

Tension filled the scene, like a bowstring stretched to its very limit—ready to snap at any second.

At that moment, the Vice Admiral slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar.

"All the troublemakers are gone."

He bit down on the bloodstained cigar and pulled out a lighter.

Click.

A flame flared to life.

He took a long, deep drag. His chest swelled as the cigar visibly burned down.

"Hoo..."

A stream of white smoke coiled out like a dragon, blurring the sharpness of his gaze.

"Well then..."

Daren's calm eyes swept across the crowd, face by face. Most looked away instinctively, unable to meet his stare.

He let out a faint smile. His dry lips curled ever so slightly.

In that smile was a hint of unyielding madness, and a wild, almost hysterical... thirst for battle.

"—Who's going first?"

...

At the same time...

Red Line, Mary Geoise.

After half a day of intense firefighting and rescue efforts, the massive blaze that had engulfed most of the Holy Land was finally extinguished by the Guard Corps.

Even so, devastation stretched as far as the eye could see.

The once elegant blue-tiled, white-walled buildings now lay in ruins. Snow-white walls had been scorched black by the inferno, and amidst the wreckage were the mangled corpses of World Government officials, Holy Land guards, and even Celestial Dragons.

The ornate streetlamps and fountains that lined the streets were now charred and twisted. Thick plumes of black smoke rose from every corner of Mary Geoise, curling above the Red Line and lingering in the sky.

The once-arrogant nobles and officials now resembled ragged refugees, lined up in tatters, stepping over the burned remains of World Government flags as they were evacuated to safety under the escort of the Guard Corps.

Their expressions were vacant, faces pale. From time to time, they glanced nervously up at the sky, eyes brimming with fear, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

As if something unspeakably terrifying still lurked high above.

Clad in a heavy Fleet Admiral's cloak, Kong strode solemnly through the smoldering ruins, heading toward Pangaea Castle.

The long hours spent directing operations and rushing from place to place had deepened the wear on his aged face, already weathered by years of hardship. His eyes were bloodshot, streaked with fine red lines.

As he passed through the shattered remains of buildings, Kong took in the extent of the devastation with grim clarity.

This catastrophic "fire" had destroyed nearly half of the Holy Land.

Even with all the power and wealth of the World Government, it would take at least one to two years to restore Mary Geoise to its former state.

But material losses were the least of their problems.

The loss of life was far worse.

At least a third of the World Government's internal officials had perished in the chaos of the "fire" and "riots." That alone would leave political and military operations across the next several years in disarray, if not outright paralysis.

And then there was the destruction of the Land of the Gods—the residential area of the Celestial Dragons—which had suffered staggering damage, reportedly due to the "special attention" of a certain fleet commander.

At least a quarter of the Celestial Dragons who lived there had died under the brutal bombardment of the North Blue fleet. More than half of them couldn't even be pieced together into whole corpses.

Many had been killed in their sleep, wiped out by aerial strikes from laser cannons and missiles launched by the flying fleet.

On top of that, Kong had just received news from the returning fleet commander about the battle at Philseque Island. The moment he read it, a bone-deep chill surged through him, cold sweat seeping from his palms.

It was a total defeat.

He could barely believe it.

The World Government—a monolithic regime that had ruled the seas for over eight centuries...

The Five Elders, those aloof beings who looked down on mankind like gods, their ages unfathomable...

Had been crushed. Utterly.

And the one who had brought this devastation?

A Vice Admiral barely in his twenties.

"That brat Daren... he's stirred up way too much this time."

Kong muttered under his breath, his expression still tinged with disbelief.

"I never thought... he'd grow this powerful, this fast. He even secretly built a sky fleet with strength beyond imagination in the North Blue."

But beyond the shock, a trace of bitter helplessness surfaced in his heart.

Such a powerful and talented Marine, and yet—because of the arrogance of the Five Elders—he had been driven to stand on the opposite side of the Navy.

Thinking of the fierce battle currently raging at Marine Headquarters, Kong couldn't help but quicken his pace.

Climbing the Celestial Stairway, flanked by grand stone statues on both sides, Kong ascended step by step under the icy stares of the CP0 members—white-clad phantoms in human form—until he stood before the ancient fortress.

"Fleet Admiral Kong of Marine Headquarters, here to report to the Five Elders!"

He took a deep breath, forcing down the turmoil in his heart, and pushed open the doors to the conference hall.

The moment he entered, the scent of fresh tea washed over him.

Before him sat the five highest authorities of the World Government, casually gathered around a brazier, some standing, some seated, brewing tea and burning incense as if nothing had happened.

An inexplicable wave of anger surged in Kong's chest.

At a time like this…

And they're still calmly sipping tea?

"Esteemed Five Elders, we've just received the latest intelligence from Marineford."

Clenching his fists to steady himself, Kong forced down his fury and said in a low, steady voice,

"Former Admiral Zephyr has obtained the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi from Daren and taken Amatsuki Toki along with several core personnel from Headquarters."

"Sengoku and the senior officers currently at Marineford lack the aerial combat capabilities needed to intervene. And with Rogers Daren's own power in the mix, they've been completely unable to stop Zephyr."

"In my assessment, Zephyr's 'defection' will deliver a severe blow to the morale and willpower of the Navy."

"Right now, Sengoku and the core combat forces are locked in fierce battle with Rogers Daren."

At that, Kong lifted his head and stared coldly at the still-relaxed Five Elders, his voice sharp and forceful.

"My lords, with the sheer power Rogers Daren commands, even if we mobilized every available unit at Marine Headquarters, I doubt we could bring him down… let alone the fact that the mysterious North Blue fleet has now vanished without a trace. They could strike the government with military force at any moment."

"Given all this, I believe there is no longer any reason to prolong this war."

"Continuing such endless conflict will only lead to needless losses."

"I propose—"

His words were abruptly cut off by a hoarse, chilling voice.

"So, what you're saying is… we've already lost?"

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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