The World Government had suffered devastating losses.
This came at the worst possible moment, just as they had chosen to escalate the war and planned to seize Jaya Island, aiming to fully occupy the Golden Sea in a short period. They had already mobilized their propaganda, spreading their influence far and wide, presenting an image of overwhelming dominance.
Then this happened.
A coordinated strike from Jaya Island's forces shattered that illusion completely.
Only twelve pirates had thrown their allied army into chaos, striking like a ruthless slap across the face of the World Government and leaving them humiliated before the entire world.
When the final numbers were calculated, the result was shocking.
Out of fifteen Vice Admirals, only two survived. Without the timely arrival of the World's Government Army Admiral Vulture, there would have been none left alive.
Tens of thousands of soldiers had been slaughtered. Entire bases had been wiped out. The once formidable allied force had been reduced to barely a third of its original strength. These were not expendable recruits but trained elites, each one requiring years of resources and effort to cultivate.
The economic losses alone reached into the hundreds of billions of Berries.
And that did not even account for the destruction of multiple war bases or the countless warships now resting at the bottom of the sea.
The loss of warships struck particularly hard.
The Marine had already suffered severe attrition in recent months, and now more than half of their fleet was gone. The shortage had become critical.
Warships could not be replaced overnight. Their construction required immense time, manpower, and funding.
For the coming war, the World Government had no choice but to accelerate shipbuilding while simultaneously pulling vessels from every available region, including the Four Seas and even the New World.
Otherwise, the so-called war would be nothing more than an empty threat.
This shortage came with consequences.
The Marine's deterrence weakened significantly. Pirate activity would inevitably surge, leading to greater damage across allied nations. Civilians would suffer, trade routes would destabilize, and the seas would grow even more chaotic.
The World Government understood all of this.
And yet, they could not stop.
The losses were too great to hide. Retreat was not an option. Negotiation was unthinkable. At this stage, preserving their reputation was more important than anything else.
They had to respond.
At Base Zero, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Kuzan, Freda, and Raging Bear stood in silence as the reports arrived. For a brief moment, all three were stunned.
The scale of the losses was almost impossible to accept.
"Damn it!" Raging Bear roared, his aura erupting violently like a feral beast.
Kuzan clenched his fists, his expression darkening. Countless lives had been wiped out in such a short span of time. Even for someone accustomed to war, this was difficult to process.
He understood the nature of this battlefield. On Jaya Island, strength determined everything. There was no distinction between strong and weak, soldier or officer. No one would be spared.
Even so, this level of loss was overwhelming.
Vulture was no longer present. He had moved to Base One, now leaderless, to prevent further surprise attacks. With so much combat power already lost, their position had shifted into a clear disadvantage.
A deep weariness settled into Kuzan's heart.
He had never wanted to be part of this war. He had come only because of Sengoku's orders. Now, faced with the aftermath, the entire conflict felt meaningless.
The World Government's greed had pushed them into conflict with countless forces. The burden of that decision had fallen squarely on the Marine's shoulders. Just as the situation had begun to stabilize, this catastrophic defeat dragged them back into crisis.
As one of the commanders of the allied forces, Kuzan knew there was no escaping responsibility.
No matter the cause, the blame would fall on them.
The rank of Admiral was not only a symbol of power but also a crushing weight.
Closing his eyes, Kuzan felt an unfamiliar sense of exhaustion. For the first time in a long while, he found himself longing for his days as a Vice Admiral.
He even began to understand why Garp had repeatedly refused promotion.
It was not just about avoiding the Celestial Dragons. It was about avoiding this burden.
The entire base fell into a heavy silence.
The earlier confidence had vanished completely.
Before the attack, they had believed that once reinforcements arrived, Jaya Island would fall in a single decisive campaign. Now, that confidence had turned into doubt.
Could they even win?
When news reached the Holy Land, fury erupted instantly.
The Five Elders issued new orders without hesitation.
The planned expeditionary force was expanded to one hundred thousand troops.
Recognizing the shortage of high-level combat power, the World Government chose not to pressure the Marine further. They understood the Marine's current state and still needed it to maintain order across the seas.
Instead, the Marine would provide only three additional Vice Admirals.
The rest would be filled by the World Government itself.
They had another advantage.
Devil Fruits.
Even if elite fighters were lacking, they could temporarily enhance their forces by distributing capable Devil Fruits to selected individuals. While top-tier fruits remained scarce and tightly controlled, mid-level abilities could still significantly boost combat effectiveness.
This war had become unavoidable.
And this time, the World Government demanded victory.
The next day, the world exploded with news.
Morgans had already prepared everything in advance. Newspapers flooded every corner of the seas, carried by News Coo to the Four Seas and beyond.
Even if the World Government wanted to suppress it, they were too late. Morgans had already relocated the headquarters of the World Economic Journal.
The story spread like wildfire.
When Gar and the others quietly returned to Jaya Island, few paid attention.
It was only the following day that the truth became known.
Twelve individuals had raided the World Government's allied forces, killing thirteen Vice Admirals and tens of thousands of soldiers, crippling their military strength in a single operation.
The impact was unimaginable.
Even the great powers of the New World struggled to believe it.
Jaya Island erupted in celebration. Cheers filled the air as the oppressive tension that had weighed on everyone began to lift.
For the first time, confidence in the coming war truly took root.
"Gurararara! They've done something remarkable."
Edward Newgate laughed loudly aboard his ship, newspaper in hand. In front of him, battle footage played continuously, broadcast by the World Economic Journal.
Across the seas, countless people watched similar recordings, eager to understand how such an operation had been carried out.
Golden Lion Shiki laughed even more wildly, already picturing Sengoku's furious expression.
Charlotte Linlin and Kaido also burst into laughter before leading their forces once again toward the Marine G-1 Branch in the New World.
"I didn't expect this."
Marshall D. Teach studied the footage carefully, a rare hint of surprise in his eyes.
He had originally estimated that eliminating three or four Vice Admirals would already be a success.
The reality had far exceeded expectations.
Through brief clips alone, he could clearly see how much Gar, Laffitte, and Nelson had grown. Their strength was no longer what it had been before.
At the same time, observers across the world began to connect the dots.
The participants of this operation came from the four Yonko crews, along with the Nightfall Pirates.
The five strongest pirate forces in the world had acted in coordination.
That realization sent shockwaves through countless factions.
On the newly introduced Den Den Mushi forum system, discussions exploded.
One headline quickly rose to the top.
"The Five Strongest Pirate Crews Have Formed an Alliance?"
The analysis beneath it sounded convincing enough to fool many readers, drawing widespread agreement.
Yet those with real insight dismissed it immediately.
Temporary cooperation was not the same as an alliance.
Still, the idea spread rapidly.
Another headline gained even more attention.
"Are Vice Admirals That Weak?"
Blunt. Mocking. Impossible to refute.
The battlefield results spoke for themselves.
Thirteen Vice Admirals had fallen, while the attackers emerged unscathed.
Then another thread took the spotlight.
Two names.
Two legends.
"Iron Fist" Garp and "Sky Sovereign" Shiki.
Their exchange was direct and explosive, filled with open insults and challenges.
Garp clearly believed Shiki had orchestrated the entire operation. After all, only someone of his influence could unite such forces.
Shiki did not bother to deny it.
If Garp wanted a fight, he would gladly oblige.
The exchange ignited excitement across the world.
At the same time, Garp made his decision.
He would return to the New World.
Not for the Golden Sea war, which he had no interest in, but because the New World needed him. With the pressure from multiple Yonko, even two Admirals were struggling to hold the line.
Only Garp could stabilize the situation.
Back in the Golden Sea, preparations accelerated on both sides.
The bounties of those involved in the attack rose sharply.
Gar surpassed 700 million Berries. Laffitte reached 540 million. Nelson followed closely behind, his ability greatly increasing his threat level.
The message was clear.
These individuals were now considered top-tier threats.
On the surface, the pirate forces celebrated with grand banquets, projecting confidence and momentum.
Behind the scenes, careful coordination continued.
The World Government, misreading this confidence as recklessness, doubled down on its preparations.
CP0 received reinforcements. CP9 agents were deployed as well.
Hidden operatives had already infiltrated Jaya Island, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
However, that advantage would not last.
Through newly uncovered intelligence, their presence had been exposed.
Once the next phase began, those hidden agents would be the first to be eliminated.
Both sides were preparing.
Both sides were waiting.
Within days, as wave after wave of reinforcements arrived in the Golden Sea, the tension reached its peak.
The smoke of war began to spread once more.
And this time, there would be no turning back.