"What's going on? Why did Admiral Kizaru back down?"
"No idea. Maybe there are other admiral-level powerhouses in this 'Jun Lin' fleet? Maybe more than one?"
As it turns out, those speculations weren't wrong.
While most of the world could only guess, a few people had actually hit the mark.
In the next moment, on the battleship where Morgans was stationed, a man in a kimono wielding a cane-sword appeared.
He stepped through the air using Geppo (Moonwalk), moving step by step toward Admiral Kizaru.
"No one is allowed to pass," he said calmly. "Even a Navy Admiral."
It was Fujitora (Issho), one of Jun Lin's three admirals.
The world exploded in shock.
An admiral—one of the strongest military forces on the seas—was being blocked by someone who looked like a goofy old man… and told he couldn't advance.
And the most shocking part?
Kizaru didn't fight back.
Instead, he raised his hands in surrender, silently signaling he wouldn't make a move.
Everyone watching was stunned.
At that point, the camera shifted back to Morgans.
"Everyone must be confused by what just happened, but the reason is simple," he explained.
"The man currently facing Admiral Kizaru is called Issho, codename Fujitora. He's one of Jun Lin's three admirals, and his strength is on par with the Navy's top three admirals."
"And beyond Fujitora, there are two more in the Jun Lin fleet—one more admiral and another vice admiral who already possesses admiral-level strength."
"That's why Admiral Kizaru didn't dare make a move—because even the legendary Whitebeard wouldn't take on three admiral-level enemies alone."
BOOM!!
As Morgans finished speaking, the Jun Lin fleet's main cannons fired again.
Seconds later, the left flank of the World Government's suppression fleet—positioned over ten nautical miles away—was hit once more.
This strike was even more accurate than the last.
Though only one battleship was directly hit, nearly all the other shells landed in the same area, causing massive near-miss damage.
At least eight ships were heavily damaged.
The entire world was dumbfounded.
People had thought Jun Lin was just some reckless pirate group stupid enough to declare war on the World Government.
But what was happening?
An admiral had been stopped in his tracks, unable to destroy the enemy fleet.
Meanwhile, the government's own suppression fleet was being pounded without being able to even counterattack.
Then, as another bombardment ended and before the next could begin, Morgans began explaining the cause of this major incident via the live broadcast.
Only then did the world understand.
So that's why the World Government and the Navy had deployed such a massive force—they were planning to crush a rebellion in the East Blue, in the Kingdom of Arkado.
Something similar had happened in the South Blue last year… and that entire kingdom had been erased from history.
It's said most were killed, and the survivors were shipped off around the world as forced laborers—dying of exhaustion or starvation.
So this time, the World Government intended another massacre in Arkado—and Jun Lin had stepped in to block the suppression fleet from entering the East Blue?
Once the truth became clear, viewers across the world split into two camps:
One side supported Jun Lin, hoping they would successfully stop the government from entering East Blue.
The other side supported the World Government, saying it was justified in suppressing rebels who had let themselves be manipulated by revolutionaries—even if it meant their deaths.
But all of that wasn't the main point.
The key was this:
Since Jun Lin had chosen to step into the light, they had to make a statement to the world.
After all, most civilians didn't even know Jun Lin existed.
That couldn't be allowed to continue.
That's why Luo Lan (Junlin's leader) approached Morgans and paid a massive sum to organize this global broadcast.
To maximize impact, Jun Lin provided 3 billion Berries in funding and compensation to the World Economic News—paid not in cash, but in solid gold bricks.
That's right. Gold bricks worth 3 billion Berries.
Morgans later admitted that he sold the gold directly to Gild Tesoro, who was obsessed with gold and even willing to buy at a 10% markup above market price.
And Tesoro could afford it.
30 billion? 300 billion? 3 trillion?
He'd still buy.
So Luo Lan sent Karina to contact him directly.
After all, Tesoro would hoard the gold without releasing it into the market, meaning no inflation or economic disturbance.
Luo Lan practically adored that man.
---
Round three.
Round four.
Round five…
Soon, Jun Lin had fired ten full rounds of bombardment.
They had destroyed 15 World Government sailing ships and heavily damaged another 28.
The entire left wing of the suppression fleet had essentially been wiped out.
Fortunately, that wing had only World Government ships, not Navy vessels.
So while the Navy took some losses, they were minimal—mostly ships stationed near the left.
And those ships?
From the beginning, Fleet Admiral Sengoku—based on Tsuru's advice—had assigned them to government-planted officers and their direct subordinates.
As for how Gion (Momousagi) knew?
It was obvious.
Luo Lan's orders had always been: avoid killing naval officers unless necessary, and focus on forcing a retreat.
Now that the Navy was cooperating, Gion went with the flow.
On one hand, they crushed the World Government's fleet.
On the other, they quietly eliminated spies within the Navy.
And all of it gave the Navy a perfect excuse to retreat gracefully.
A triple win.
---
In the sky, Kizaru stood helplessly blocked by Fujitora.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi rang.
This time, surprisingly, Kizaru picked the right one.
"This is Kizaru speaking!"
"Borsalino, the fleet is pulling back from the Calm Belt. Return immediately!"
"Understood. Heading back now!"
He let out a sigh of relief and hung up.
Turning to Fujitora, he said:
"The Fleet Admiral has issued the retreat order. You're not going to stop me, are you?"
"Go ahead," Fujitora replied, making a polite gesture without any intention of stopping him.
Kizaru gave a wry smile, turned into a flash of light—and disappeared into the sky.
---
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