On Marine Headquarters G-1 Island, in a private manor.
Akainu opened his eyes on the hard bed, got up, and put on his green undershirt and red military uniform one by one.
Then he picked up the polished military boots from under the bed, carefully wiped them again with a towel before putting them on and tying the laces.
When he left the bedroom, behind him were neatly folded blankets and pillows.
He first entered the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.
Then he went into the kitchen, turned on the stove, and took out several eggs and two slices of dry bread.
After a series of fluid movements, a simple breakfast of two slices of dry bread sandwiching several fried eggs was ready.
Akainu pulled out a chair in the living room and poured himself a cup of heated milk.
On the table sat a family photo.
In the photo were a man and a woman, with a young boy whose eyes sparkled.
But the photo seemed to have aged considerably, with many white cracks dividing the faces of the man and woman, making them appear somewhat indistinct.
Akainu ate slowly while quietly gazing at the people in the photo.
Time passed gradually, and by the time he finished eating, the sky outside was beginning to brighten.
He took out a cloth, wiped the table and stove clean one by one, then picked up the photo frame from the table and gently placed it in the cupboard.
At the end of the hallway stood a clothes rack holding a snow-white cape and a hat.
Akainu took the leather gloves from his military uniform pocket and put them on, deftly draping the snow-white cape over his shoulders and properly adjusting his hat before turning the doorknob.
From the east, the slowly rising morning sun cast its crimson glow across the sea.
A sea breeze blew past.
The moment Akainu stepped out the door, his body instantly straightened like a spear.
His gaze was sharp, like a soaring eagle in the sky locking onto prey running on the ground!
His wide cape fluttered vigorously behind him, with the two ever-shifting characters for "Justice" strikingly visible.
Creak, creak.
The sounds of doors opening continuously echoed from all directions.
One by one, stern-faced officers, their presence as steady as mountains, emerged from their quarters and gradually merged into the ranks behind Akainu.
Akainu strode forward, his steps growing larger and his pace gradually quickening.
He walked with his head held high, chest out, eyes fixed straight ahead.
The procession behind him swelled, growing larger and larger.
Countless snow-white capes formed a sea of white.
Apart from the fluttering of capes and the dull, drum-like thuds of footsteps, no one spoke.
The sound of thousands of footsteps converged, as if shaking the very ground of the entire G1 Base with a low, rumbling hum.
Ahead of Akainu, several other streams of people began to appear on the left and right.
Akainu walked straight past them, and the crowd behind him grew even more massive!
As they passed through the empty residential streets, the doors of the houses on both sides were already shut.
The families of the Marines had been evacuated from the New World many days prior.
Now, only battle-ready Marine soldiers remained within the G1 Base!
The street gradually came to an end, and the view ahead suddenly opened up!
Stretching out before them was a vast, crescent-shaped plaza.
And on this enormous plaza stood dense, seemingly endless rows of Marine soldiers!
They filled every corner of the plaza, packing the massive base island to the brim.
From this height, the sea of people was clearly divided into three unbreakable lines of defense.
The first line of defense consisted of a fleet of a hundred large warships.
These massive, hill-like vessels were not only crowded with soldiers armed with swords and rifles but also lined with hulking Pacifistas!
Along the sides of the warships were densely packed cannon ports, resembling a honeycomb.
Should the enemy breach this line of defense, they would enter the bay and face fortress-like coastal artillery.
Mounted on enormous bases were massive gun turrets, each twenty to thirty meters long.
These fired the Marines' specially designed, most powerful shells—capable of sinking a pirate ship with a single shot!
Around the turrets, countless mechanical weapons were also stockpiled.
If the enemy managed to push through the heavy artillery fire and advance onto the base's plaza, they would face Marine officers who had grown and hardened through countless battles in the two years since the Summit War!
Each of these Marine officers led a well-coordinated squad, fighting not alone but as a unit.
If an officer fell, their squad would immediately merge into the unit led by a neighboring officer.
This time, the Marines would not be constrained by the need to protect an execution platform.
They would fight with all their might, unleashing their full strength against the Beast God Pirates who had come to challenge them!
Along the island's perimeter, steel walls thirty meters high had already been erected, much like Marineford in the past, transforming the island into an impregnable fortress!
As Akainu led numerous high-ranking Marines through the vast ocean of blue-and-white-uniformed personnel, countless soldiers and officers gazed at them with fervent and worshipful eyes.
"It's Fleet Admiral Sakazuki! And the four Marine Admirals!"
"Admiral Ryokugyu!"
"Admiral Kizaru!"
"Admiral Fujitora!"
"Admiral Dokuryu!"
The four Marine Admirals, whose auras ran as deep as abysses, followed expressionlessly behind Akainu as they strode directly to the harbor serving as the second line of defense.
Flanking them stood rows of stern-faced senior Marine officers, each holding various weapons.
The somewhat grim-faced head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, Black Horse, wore a long sword at his waist and was followed by the masked Bryndy World.
Beside them strode three powerful external reinforcements!
Koby, now a Marine Captain, stood among the crowd and watched as these three imposing figures, whose presence loomed like mountains, took their positions beside Sakazuki.
"Koby! Who are those people? They seem quite important—they're standing right next to the Admirals!"
Helmeppo nervously gripped his peculiar long sword and curiously asked the spirited young man beside him.
Koby replied uncertainly, "They should be the Army's Commander-in-Chief, Atlas, and the two Army Generals, Pavlov and Floyd!"
Helmeppo's eyes widened instantly.
"The Army's Commander-in-Chief and Generals? Hiss... what a formidable lineup! Koby, do you think... we'll win this time?"
Koby subtly clenched his fist, his face resolute as he firmly answered.
"Is there any doubt? Because justice will prevail!"