Ten enormous battleships, taller than this bridge, sailed quickly in two rows of five.
On the foremost five battleships, Vice Admirals stood at the bow, leading the fleet.
Buster Call...
Upon receiving the Buster Call signal, they immediately set out. The signal's location was Enies Lobby, the closest target point to their Navy Headquarters!
Reinforcements were dispatched from the headquarters, and taking advantage of the rapid ocean currents of the Gate of Justice, they reached the Gate of Justice at Enies Lobby within just over thirty minutes.
Standing on the ship in the center, a man with a long beard and expressionless face wore a particularly tall hat. It was unclear if his skull was that high or if he just liked wearing tall hats.
He wore a light green suit, a Navy cape draped over his shoulders, with two swords featuring pink handles strapped to his waist; he was a Dual-Sword Style user.
The Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral, 'Strawberry' Strawberry.
On the ship to his left stood a man with a Mohawk hairstyle, his long hair tied back in a ponytail, sporting a mustache, and with a sword at his waist.
The Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral, Flying Squirrel.
On the far left was a broad-faced man with a whiskered beard, looking cheerful.
The Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral, Yamakaji.
The ship to Strawberry's right was occupied by a man with numerous knife scars on his face, looking extremely fierce.
The Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral, Doberman.
On the far right battleship, a man stood on the deck with his arms crossed, wearing a helmet and gold earrings dangling from his ears.
The Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral, Ghost Spider.
These Vice Admirals were renowned at sea, and among Navy Vice Admirals, they were considered elite.
Ghost Spider observed the rapidly approaching 'Bridge of Hesitation' and Enies Lobby beyond the bridge, taking a deep draw on his cigar and exhaling heavily, speaking in a deep voice:
"Whether it's a false judgment or not, we as the Navy follow orders. No matter what kind of island lies ahead, we must faithfully execute our orders upon receiving them! All battleships, aim, and when within range of the Bridge of Hesitation, commence shelling of Enies Lobby!"
A nearby Navy officer froze momentarily, anxiously saying, "Vice Admiral Ghost Spider, there are our people on Enies Lobby. Shouldn't we bring them onto the ship before bombarding?"
"Didn't you hear my orders?"
Ghost Spider remained unmoved, "Proceed, commence shelling."
"But..."
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and a bloom of blood erupted from the chest of the speaking Navy officer, who fell to the ground.
Ghost Spider held the flintlock gun, not even glancing at the fallen officer, continuing to look ahead with a cold expression: "I have no use for Navy who disobey orders."
The other sailors on the ship were silent, frozen with fear, and even those who felt sympathy kept their posture upright and rigid.
"Vice Admiral!"
From the lookout on the mast came a sailor's shout, "In the direction of the Bridge of Hesitation, we see 'Disaster' Norton Sage!"
"Norton Sage..."
Ghost Spider was momentarily stunned, his already grim face turning even darker, "The pirate who shows no respect to the World Government... daring to invade Enies Lobby, a place no one has ever dared approach. All battleships, commence shelling of the Bridge of Hesitation!"
"Yes!"
Some sailors quickly gathered on the bow deck, loading the cannons, ready to light the fuses and fire. But at this moment, their movements suddenly froze, and even the whole world seemed to stand still.
The sound of waves created by the ships sailing, the flapping of sails blown by the wind, the footsteps of sailors running across the deck...
All these sounds seemed to vanish at this moment, plunging everything into a sudden silence.
Thud.
The Navy sailor loading the cannon at the forefront rolled his eyes back and collapsed, as if spreading contagion, with sailors on the deck all crumbling one after another.
A battleship of a thousand strong now had fewer than fifty standing.
"Supreme King!"
The five Vice Admirals all had their eyes wide open, staring at the Bridge of Hesitation drawing nearer and the white-haired man grinning savagely atop it.
"A man with potential," Flying Squirrel's voice deepened.
"I hear he inflicted quite an injury on Master Zephyr; having that level of combat power in the East Sea, it's no surprise he possesses Supreme King Haki," Doberman said coldly.
"A bounty of six hundred million; it seems it's not just about destruction," Yamakaji said with a smile.
Ghost Spider held his head high, speaking with a grim demeanor: "We must deal with him before he fully matures!"
Strawberry drew the pair of swords from his waist, stating calmly, "This level is no longer suitable for subordinates to engage."
The battleships drew ever closer, with each ship's remaining fifty men steadily diminishing, with occasional collapses until only about ten remained standing by the time they reached the Bridge of Hesitation.
A thousand-strong Navy battleship, totaling ten thousand, but the number able to stand... fewer than fifty.
These were all positions of Navy Headquarters colonels, considered elite within the Navy, able to withstand Sage's Supreme King Haki.
But relying solely on these individuals, there was no way to initiate a Buster Call.
Without personnel, not to mention firing the cannons, even stopping the ship was a struggle.
"There are still people standing, huh? I thought it was just you five... better call for some backup; right now, your Buster Call is utterly meaningless!"
Sage, seeing the ten battleships about to dock before the bridge, laughed aloud, then suddenly kicked, unleashing a massive slash toward the front battleship.