Marine Headquarters.
"What?!"
Akainu gripped the Den Den Mushi, veins bulging on his forehead as he roared in fury. "Fujitora is fighting against God's Knights?"
"Yes!"
On the other end of the line, Maynard answered nervously.
"Not only that, Admiral Fujitora has voluntarily resigned from his position and asked me to return his Justice Coat to you."
"..."
Akainu crushed his cigar between his fingers.
He could somewhat guess Fujitora's reasons for resigning and attacking the God's Knights, but the admiral's sheer audacity had exceeded his expectations.
Like Fujitora, he held no fondness for the Celestial Dragons either.
But he was a soldier, not a politician.
The Celestial Dragons had created the World Government. Their rule was legally justified and represented order.
Akainu stepped out onto the balcony alone.
An admiral resigning and turning against the Celestial Dragons—such a grave incident would inevitably cause internal upheaval.
Moreover, since this involved both an admiral and the God's Knights, Kizaru and Ryokugyu likely wouldn't be able to handle it.
As the fleet admiral, he had no choice but to intervene personally.
"Prepare to set sail!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lulusia Kingdom.
The sky darkened as an avalanche of rubble rained down upon the God's Knights below. The admiral's furious assault was no less devastating than a natural disaster.
"That blind bastard dares to attack us?!"
Gunko raised her hand, and an arrow-shaped mark appeared above her. The falling debris automatically veered away from her body, guided by the arrow's direction.
But the sheer volume of rubble was overwhelming.
Even if she avoided injury, she would still be buried beneath the ruins.
The others faced the same predicament.
An endless torrent of shattered stone and debris gathered into a mountain-like mass, crushing them beneath its weight.
The area was too vast to evade.
And under the relentless pull of gravity, the rubble compacted tighter and tighter, its density increasing to dangerous levels.
If they lost mobility, they wouldn't even be able to escape using magic circles. They needed enough space to move—or to break free from the ruins as quickly as possible!
"Cerberus!"
At the critical moment, Shamrock summoned his sword.
He had many means of escape, but he didn't need to act personally. His blade alone could handle this.
"GROWL!!!"
The sword transformed, and the Hellhound emerged within the ruins, its massive body creating a spacious shelter for Shamrock and the others.
Shamrock frowned deeply.
"This is troublesome."
He didn't understand why Fujitora had suddenly turned against them, nor did he care about the whims of lowly surface-dwellers.
But an admiral-level combatant would cause major complications at a time like this. The worst-case scenario was Fujitora joining forces with the Revolutionary Army.
"Captain, should we call for reinforcements?"
"No need."
Shamrock shook his head.
With four God's Knights already deployed—and himself, the second-in-command, present—calling for backup would be a disgrace.
Still, Fujitora's sudden betrayal had disrupted their plans, leaving their next steps unclear.
For now, escaping took priority.
Outside the mountain of rubble.
Fujitora slowly lowered his Cane Sword.
Betraying the Marines had not been his intention—as a man, he could not lightly abandon his principles. But the Celestial Dragons' slaughter had trampled over his bottom line, leaving him no choice but to act without restraint.
Now, there was no turning back.
"They're here."
Fujitora tilted his head slightly, sensing familiar presences approaching from behind.
The Revolutionary Army's Commanders had arrived.
Looking at the pile of rubble ahead and Fujitora standing at the foot of the mountain, Ivankov immediately halted.
"Just as I expected, hee-haw!"
The other Army Commanders arrived one after another.
As expected, infighting had broken out!
Sabo also reached the mountain's base.
"Fujitora, why did you do this?"
"Naturally, for the sake of my own principles."
Fujitora answered calmly. He believed he had no right to speak of justice at this moment, so he chose different words.
"Additionally, this old man has resigned from the Navy. We are no longer enemies."
"..."
The Army Commanders exchanged glances.
A Navy Admiral suddenly betraying them was no small matter.
Sabo approached Fujitora, attempting to recruit him: "Mr. Issho, the Celestial Dragons are also enemies of our Revolutionary Army. For the upcoming battle, could we form an alliance?"
"..."
Fujitora hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
"Though I have left the Navy and attacked the God's Knights, I have no intention of joining the Revolutionary Army or forming any alliances."
Thanks, but no thanks.
Not even a temporary alliance.
He didn't want to get too deeply involved with the Revolutionary Army.
Though he admired their spirit, they were ultimately a group of wanderers. Associating with them would make it difficult to achieve his ambitions.
Sabo's expression darkened.
"Mr. Issho, attacking a Celestial Dragon is a crime the World Government will never forgive. You have nowhere to go now."
"I do."
Fujitora smiled. "This old man plans to seek refuge with the Hoenn Navy. I just don't know if they'll accept me."
"..."
Sabo's face grew even darker.
At this point, he understood perfectly.
Fujitora simply looked down on the Revolutionary Army.
Damn it, they were trying their best too!
Suddenly, everyone's expressions changed.
"BOOM!!!"
A passage exploded open through the rubble mountain.
Shamrock, Saint Killingham, Saint Sommers, and Gunko—the four God's Knights—emerged from the passage, casting disdainful glances at everyone.
"Finally, they show themselves!"
The Army Commanders' eyes burned with intensity.
Each of them had suffered persecution at the hands of the World Government. They had waited over a decade for this day!
Though it wasn't the final battle, they would make the World Government feel their pain!
Meanwhile, near Sabaody Archipelago.
The Groudon Ship surfaced, the bubble coating its hull bursting as it headed toward the Kingdom of Lulusia. Taking the Fish-Man Island route would be faster.
"Full speed ahead!"
The Groudon Ship raised its sails, rushing toward the Kingdom of Lulusia. The Revolutionary Army and the Navy were locked in fierce combat, though the situation remained unclear.
Soon, mist began to rise over the sea.
"Lord Gurd, we're currently at the edge of the Florian Triangle. We'll soon sail out of the thick fog."
"Understood."
Gurd nodded slightly.
The dense fog, which severely limited visibility, was somewhat unsettling. However, the Florian Triangle was close to Sabaody and vast in scope, making it difficult to avoid entirely.
As long as they followed the Log Pose Guidepost and didn't venture too deep, the danger wasn't that high.
Usually, ships that met disaster were either helmed by inexperienced navigators or overconfident ones—or Pirates seeking treasure.
Half an hour later, the fog gradually dissipated.
As bright sunlight broke through, the crew cheered joyfully—only to hear another round of cheers nearby.
"Huh?!"
Both sides turned to look at each other.
"A Navy ship?!"
"The Groudon Ship?!"
"Wha—?!!"
Two massive warships sailed side by side, less than ten meters apart, startling all the crew members on both vessels.
Gurd stood at the bow of his ship, gazing at the figure on the opposing vessel's prow.
It was Akainu!
After a long silence, Gurd crossed his arms.
"Long time no see, Akainu!"
"Gurd!"
Akainu's fist began to glow.
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