Dressrosa.
In the conference room, aside from Aokiji who was still suppressing the North Blue and Kizaru who remained at Egghead, many high-ranking officers were present, including Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, Tsuru, Gion, and others.
The moment Caelan announced the decisive battle, they all knew it would be the most glorious battle in history.
The World Government, which had ruled over the world for eight hundred years, was finally about to fall by Caelan's hand.
Even the twenty kings who once overthrew a mighty ancient kingdom could not compare to this moment.
That was a war of betrayal and shame, filled with conspiracies and deceit.
This war, however, was righteous and justified, backed by overwhelming strength. It was destined to be extraordinary.
"For this decisive battle, mobilize every force the Neo Navy can coordinate," Caelan said firmly from his seat at the head. "We will destroy the World Government in one strike, leaving no remnants."
"We must act quickly, eliminate the threat completely, and minimize our losses."
"Based on our comparison of combat strength, this is an achievable outcome."
"Although I am the supreme commander of this battle, all affairs, major or minor, will be arranged by Sengoku. Tsuru will serve as chief of staff. The rest of the generals will each lead an army as deputy commanders. Are there any objections to this arrangement?"
As a former fleet admiral, Sengoku knew the layout of Mariejois better than anyone.
Although the enemy might adjust some defenses temporarily, there were many key locations that could not be easily moved.
Caelan had no intention of micro-managing positions like shifting a machine gun five meters to the left. He simply wanted to be a leader who knew how to delegate.
Let the professionals do their jobs. He would appear only at the final moment.
"No objections."
Everyone shook their heads.
Sengoku was the most senior among them, and because he had once served as a fleet admiral, he understood the defense of Mariejois inside and out.
If he were in charge of the operation, he could probably sketch a full defense map of the World Government and identify all its weak points.
"Good. Then you can proceed with the planning, and once it's complete, submit it to me for approval." Caelan stood up and walked out. "I'm heading to Egghead to bring back a few more generals."
Naturally, he was referring to Joy Boy and the ancient robot, Emmett.
As for Kaido, Whitebeard, and Roger who had been summoned earlier, he also planned to bring them out for the final battle.
If he didn't let them appear now, there might never be another chance.
Once Caelan had fully left, Sengoku, now designated as general of the operation, stepped forward and began organizing the strategy.
He drew a simple map of Mariejois on the blackboard from memory, marking the key areas one by one. "There are several important observation posts and CP defense points in Mariejois. I'll mark their locations..."
"Next, we'll focus our attacks on these targets. The World Government's treasury and the Navy's treasury are in this direction. Behind them is the Celestial Dragon residential zone, and Pangaea Castle, which is the Holy Land's core."
"Be careful. The World Government still holds trump cards. They won't break easily."
"The combined strength of the Knights of God and the CP organization may seem insignificant in the eyes of Supreme Commander Caelan, but we must not underestimate them."
Sengoku spoke seriously, and with Tsuru coordinating, they gave their best effort in laying out the strategic plan.
Zephyr, Gion, Doberman, and others also provided their input.
Before long, a preliminary strategic deployment was completed. The next step was to discuss the exact timing of force concentration and make adjustments based on real-time conditions.
Soon, everyone sprang into action and began making full preparations for war.
Concentrating troops, mapping out routes, mobilizing supplies and rations—everything was in motion.
Meanwhile, Caelan followed the location of Joy Boy's heroic spirit and returned to Egghead.
In Egghead's plaza, Vegapunk and a group including Kizaru were gathered around a large surveillance screen, replaying footage of the destruction of Uranus in Dressrosa.
Even with the screen at maximum size, it was still small for the two giants.
Joy Boy and Emmett were practically lying on the ground, watching Caelan's confrontation with Uranus with wide eyes.
As people who lived eight hundred years ago, they were naturally familiar with Uranus—a terrifying weapon capable of dominating wars in the ancient kingdom.
But in Caelan's hands, it had not even lasted a moment.
If that golden beam of light had hit them, they would likely have ended up just like Uranus.
Watching Uranus be destroyed by Caelan now filled Joy Boy and Emmett with complex emotions.
Even more puzzling was how Caelan had clearly been here just last night, and somehow made it to Dressrosa by morning.
Even if they ran themselves to death, they couldn't have made that trip in time.
"Hey, looks like everyone's seen the news."
Caelan suddenly spoke, emerging through the heroic spirit connection and startling everyone watching the screen.
"Lord Caelan came out of the screen?"
S-Snake stared blankly at him.
What they were watching was a replay, and not much time had passed since the event.
Logically, Caelan should still be in Dressrosa.
"More or less. I came back through the Internet cable."
Caelan patted the little empress's head and smiled.
Following the heroic spirit's connection wasn't much different from using an Internet cable.
"Commander Caelan, you run even faster than me!" Kizaru looked at Caelan in disbelief. "You just finished defeating Uranus in Dressrosa and already made it back."
Thanks to Vegapunk's high-speed tech, they had received footage from Dressrosa almost instantly.
To think Caelan had been at Egghead last night, rushed to Dressrosa to extinguish the crisis in the morning, and returned again just after.
Calling it fast didn't do it justice. It was almost supernatural.
"A boss needs to be capable. Nothing surprising." Caelan didn't bother explaining and said directly, "The decisive battle is about to begin. Take Joy Boy and prepare to return."
"A decisive battle?" Kizaru's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stood at attention. "Understood, Commander Caelan!"
A decisive battle was ideal. Once the World Government fell, the world would no longer be in turmoil.
At that time, even if he didn't retire, he could still enjoy life in peace.
"I will give my all to crush the World Government!"
Joy Boy declared loudly, his voice full of heroic spirit.
He would never forget the humiliation of eight hundred years ago.
Although he had once believed the new generation's Nika would bring an end to the World Government, reality had shifted slightly.
Still, it didn't matter. He believed Caelan would destroy them.
If Caelan couldn't do it, then even ten Sun Gods wouldn't be enough.
Besides, now he could fight personally, sparing the next Nika the trouble.
Imu, wait for me.
Thus, two massive ships set sail from Egghead toward Dressrosa, carrying the strongest warriors of the present and the most powerful figures from eight hundred years ago.
(To be continued.)