When Finn arrived near Spring Queen Island, he encountered several Marine fleets that had been patrolling the surrounding waters.
Admiral Sengoku clearly attached tremendous importance to Douglas Bullet and Crocodile this time. Or perhaps he paid special attention to the madman Douglas Bullet specifically.
As for Crocodile, he might be famous and powerful, but at least he wasn't a complete lunatic who'd massacre cities or destroy countries at random. This time, he'd just been unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire.
The Buster Call fleet, led by Sakazuki, was currently en route. But due to time constraints, the Buster Call fleet wasn't particularly impressive this time. Not nearly as formidable as the force sent to O'Hara.
First, Finn wasn't part of that official roster. Second, Kuzan had traveled to the New World not long ago to help Borsalino stabilize the situation at Punk Hazard, so he couldn't arrive in time for this Buster Call.
Therefore, among the five Vice Admirals assigned to the Buster Call, only Sakazuki could be considered a genuine powerhouse.
Among the other four Vice Admirals, only Dalmatian could be considered competent. The remaining three were Vice Admirals of mediocre strength, not particularly outstanding.
It was for this reason that Admiral Sengoku had urgently summoned Marine officers near Spring Queen Island to cooperate with the Buster Call operation, hoping to avoid failure.
But there were no elite Marine officers near Spring Queen Island currently.
Speaking of which, Spring Queen Island had experienced genuine misfortune over the past two years. Not long ago, a brutal pirate with a bounty of one hundred and sixteen million berries, "Bloody Torrent" Craster, had massacred the island, leaving rivers of blood. The Marine G-16 base on Spring Queen Island had collapsed, and Vice Admiral Vislan had been killed in action.
After finally cleaning up that hellish situation and beginning to restore order, just days later, Crocodile and Douglas Bullet had arrived to cause trouble again.
The order that had been painstakingly rebuilt was about to collapse once more.
Because Spring Queen Island had already been substantially destroyed once, there were no elite Marine commanders patrolling the surrounding area. At most, there were just some Rear Admirals and lower-ranking officers. Admiral Sengoku's request for nearby Marines to cooperate with the Buster Call operation wouldn't produce much additional firepower.
Fortunately, Marine G-7 base wasn't far from here, and Gion had already arrived. and Finn happened to be relatively close to Spring Queen Island as well, so he'd also made it in time. Fortunately, G-8 base wasn't very far either, and Vice Admiral Jonathan, a hidden powerhouse, had also arrived.
Otherwise, with the existing Marine forces in the area, it was uncertain whether they could properly handle Douglas Bullet and Crocodile.
"Vice Admiral Jonathan," Finn said, boarding the G-8 flagship and greeting the senior officer.
At this time, Vice Admiral Jonathan was surrounded by numerous Marine officers. Obviously, before Admiral Candidate Finn arrived and before the leader of the Buster Call, Sakazuki, showed up, all nearby Marine officers were under Vice Admiral Jonathan's command.
Vice Admiral Jonathan's serious expression relaxed somewhat when he saw Finn. He smiled. "I'm relieved now that you've arrived. I feel much more confident with you here."
"Hahaha, are you that confident in me?" Finn said jokingly, then asked, "How's the situation?"
Vice Admiral Jonathan didn't waste time with pleasantries. His expression turned serious as he spoke. "Basically, the entire force that was rebuilding G-16 on Spring Queen Island has been wiped out. Rear Admiral Stolobel was seriously injured and has been transported to Mary Geoise for treatment. Unknown if he'll survive. Ever since our fleet began patrolling the nearby waters, Crocodile and Douglas Bullet, who were fiercely fighting three days ago, stopped their battle. Since I arrived, I immediately destroyed their ships and established a dispersed blockade of the surrounding waters, so they have essentially no chance to escape. Crocodile tried to seize a warship twice, but I sank both vessels. Overall, they're trapped on Spring Queen Island."
Finn nodded approvingly. "As expected of you, Vice Admiral Jonathan."
It had to be said that Vice Admiral Jonathan's deployment was quite excellent. At the very least, he'd rescued the unfortunate Stolobel and successfully blockaded Spring Queen Island, preventing Douglas Bullet and Crocodile from escaping before the main force arrived.
It was just unfortunate that they'd stopped fighting three days ago. If they hadn't ended their conflict or suffered serious injuries before then, judging from these past three days, they were probably back at full strength now.
Listening to Finn's praise, Vice Admiral Jonathan shook his head. "The forces at hand are still insufficient. Otherwise, I was planning to launch a probing attack to test their condition. At the very least, I should have worn down their stamina."
After a brief pause, Vice Admiral Jonathan continued, "It would actually be best if we could eliminate them before the Buster Call fleet arrives."
Upon hearing this, Finn looked toward Spring Queen Island in the distance, then nodded. "You're absolutely right."
The Buster Call fleet was one thing. It could be recalled as long as the Golden Den Den Mushi didn't activate.
Once the Golden Den Den Mushi activated, Spring Queen Island would basically be completely destroyed. It would be impossible to rebuild for at least ten to fifteen years.
However, Spring Queen Island occupied an extremely important geographical position in the first half of the Grand Line. It was essentially positioned in the central area between the northern and southern Calm Belts, allowing rapid connection between G-7 and G-8. At the same time, it served as a protective umbrella for Enies Lobby. Moreover, Spring Queen Island connected to Water 7. The Marines' warship manufacturing typically had to pass through Spring Queen Island's waters.
All in all, this was an extremely important strategic location. Otherwise, Vice Admiral Vislan wouldn't have stationed tens of thousands of troops here.
"Sakazuki isn't a fool," Finn said after thinking for a moment. "Even if the Golden Den Den Mushi activates, he probably won't destroy the entire Spring Queen Island. That would have devastating impact on the Marines' strategic deployment. In my opinion, the worst-case scenario is that portions get razed to the ground."
"In short, whether it's you or Sakazuki, once you decide to land and engage in ground combat, you must exercise caution. Especially you," Vice Admiral Jonathan said with a knowing smile. "I heard that you and Borsalino fought Charlotte Linlin in the New World and destroyed half the island. Spring Queen Island's strategic centrality is extremely important, so please show some restraint!"
Finn nodded, then smiled. "Not necessarily. My ability isn't only for destruction. It's also quite effective for reconstruction. It's remarkable, really. I could spend some time relocating another island and positioning it nearby, which would compensate for the strategic gap."
Vice Admiral Jonathan was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "That's true enough."
After that, Finn chatted with Vice Admiral Jonathan for a few more exchanges, learning about the Marines' situation in detail. Then, as Admiral Candidate, he assumed command of the Marine forces that had assembled from the surrounding area.
Glancing at the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals gathered here, Finn felt somewhat disappointed.
It was indeed similar to what he'd learned before. Except for Gion and Vice Admiral Jonathan, there wasn't much combat power available.
Thinking about the Buster Call fleet, the situation was comparable, with only Sakazuki as a genuine powerhouse.
However, although the overall quality didn't meet Finn's expectations, it was completely superior to the pirates' strength. At least Finn, Gion, Sakazuki, and Vice Admiral Jonathan were all capable of high-level combat.
Not only was it four against two, but the two opponents weren't even allies.
After considering the situation, Finn said to Gion beside him, "Use the Den Den Mushi to contact Sakazuki. I need to speak with him."
Gion responded quickly and contacted Sakazuki using her Den Den Mushi.
After a moment, Sakazuki's voice came through the connection.
"Gion?" Sakazuki greeted with evident confusion.
He was genuinely puzzled. He and Gion had been exchanging Den Den Mushi signals for many years, but they basically never contacted each other directly.
"It's me, Finn," Finn responded immediately.
Sakazaki finally understood and asked in a deep voice, "Have you arrived near Spring Queen Island?"
"Yes, I've reunited with Vice Admiral Jonathan and his forces," Finn replied, then added, "I'm aware of the island's situation. Sakazuki, you're preparing for a landing assault, correct?"
"Of course. To deal with those two bastards, do we expect to kill them with artillery bombardment?" Sakazuki said without hesitation.
"How many combat-capable officers can you deploy?" Finn asked.
Sakazuki was silent for a moment, then said, "Just myself and Dalmatian."
"Understood," Finn nodded, then issued orders directly. "On our side, Gion and I will breach from the southeast of the island. Judging from your trajectory, you'll be approaching from the northwest, so there's no need to rendezvous. Your Buster Call fleet will blockade the northwest while we block the southeast. After Gion and I land, you and Dalmatian will follow. The four of us will serve as the spearhead force and attempt to eliminate Crocodile and Douglas Bullet. All other Marine personnel, including those in the Buster Call fleet, will obey Vice Admiral Jonathan's command and remain in the outer waters as backup. Hold off on activating the Golden Den Den Mushi!"
Finn's words were effectively stripping Sakazuki of his command over the Buster Call fleet.
But Sakazuki didn't hesitate at all and responded directly, "No problem!"
He knew very well that Finn's arrangement was extremely reasonable.
Considering Douglas Bullet and Crocodile's strength, it was necessary to deploy spearhead troops to handle them. Artillery bombardment wouldn't eliminate threats of that caliber.
Those with sufficient strength to serve as the spearhead included Vice Admiral Jonathan. That made four of them, with Dalmatian as a competent half, totaling four and a half combat-capable officers.
However, it was impossible for all four and a half to deploy to the frontline.
Therefore, Vice Admiral Jonathan, as the most senior and experienced officer, would withdraw from the first battle sequence. As overall commander, after Finn and the others advanced to the frontline, he would control the remaining Marine forces, manage tactical adjustments, and provide backup support.
After hearing Sakazuki's serious agreement, Finn glanced at the sun sinking toward the distant horizon. "How long until you arrive?"
"I plan to sail through the night and arrive by early tomorrow morning at the latest," Sakazuki said without hesitation.
"Tomorrow morning? Understood. We'll launch the general assault at dawn!" Finn said gravely.
Soon, when there was nothing else requiring coordination, Finn and Sakazuki ended the Den Den Mushi connection.
Finn then said to Vice Admiral Jonathan, "Vice Admiral Jonathan, I'm entrusting the coordination to you. Tomorrow morning, Gion and I will serve as the spearhead force, cooperating with Sakazuki and the others in the main assault. Now that it's getting dark, let's rest and conserve our energy for tomorrow."
"Haha, don't worry. We won't let them escape Spring Queen Island before the final assault tomorrow morning," Jonathan replied with a confident smile.