Kroba's attitude simplified some procedures; after he indicated his desire to communicate with the Five Elders, Spandam gathered the scholars in the open area outside the Tree of Omniscience.
After confirming that no scholars had been overlooked, Spandam granted Cloba's wish and gave him the right to communicate with the Five Elders.
"Clover, the fact that the phone call reached us is enough to show that your friends' persuasion couldn't change your mind. Did you still stubbornly choose destruction?"
Dr. Cloba of O'Hara, an authority on archaeology, a name we all know on the Red Earth, you have made many outstanding contributions to world culture, I never imagined you would turn to this path of crime.
Now that the evidence of the crime has been established, there's nothing we can do. We can't just stand by and watch you break the laws of the world.
The Five Elders didn't seem very excited, as if everything was within their expectations, and they spoke in standard official jargon, though Cloba seemed quite disdainful of this tone.
"Stop with the bureaucratic talk, Five Elders!"
Olvia had already notified these scholars to escape, but they all ultimately chose to stay. Knowing their determination, Cloba did not feign compliance with the Five Elders, but instead began to "report his findings" to them in person.
It could be said that Cloba deliberately said things that the Five Elders didn't want to hear, until Cloba mentioned the name of the "Great Kingdom," at which point the Five Elders directly issued an order to kill them.
Unfortunately, it was Spandam who carried out the order. Even with a pistol at point-blank range, he couldn't hit a vital spot with a single shot. However, this didn't have much of an impact. After that, he took out the Golden Den Den Mushi and pressed the command to activate the Buster Call.
boom!
A shell struck the Tree of Omniscience, instantly setting it ablaze. Seeing that the World Government intended to destroy it, the scholars became truly anxious.
Ignoring the risks posed by the shelling, they ran to the library to try and save the books.
Boom! Boom!
Oran didn't care much about any of this at first. The Buster Call was to wipe out everything on the island, although normally, the shells should have been bombarded gradually from one side.
The situation involved someone gradually eliminating everything through a "washing" approach, specifically targeting the Tree of Omniscience on the island and secretly altering the bombardment order.
The problem is that Oran and Spandam are also on the island now.
*Smack*
Leliana, who had come here with Oran, casually swatted away an incoming shell, then looked at Oran: "Dad, what should we do now? Stop all the shells?"
"No need. Go check the nearby warships and see which one bombed the central area ahead of time. Have that ship stop or start from the edge area first, and we'll deal with it after we leave this place."
As he spoke, Oran also caught a cannonball. This kind of thing is not uncommon in the Grand Line, and it is even more common for people with some reputation in the New World to do this kind of thing.
Although Piltover is currently in the first half, or even the beginner level area, the challenge difficulty is hellish. Compared to the monsters in the New World, the only difference here is a fully-fledged top-tier combatant. Otherwise, the equipment is in no way inferior.
To deal with these shells, Oran could demonstrate his fancy shell-dodging skills.
Unless someone like Barrett is trapped on an island and bombarded with artillery shells for half a day, with powerful forces around him preventing him from breaking out, such shelling is essentially ineffective.
Just because something is useless doesn't mean they like being bombed. The Buster Call won't stop because of this, so it's okay to let them find a way to work around it.
"Okay, Dad, I'll go right away."
After Leliana left, Oran looked at Spandam, whose face was now covered in soot, traces of gunpowder.
The Buster Call was an indiscriminate attack; the Navy had no idea, or perhaps it was World Government agents who hadn't left the center of the island.
"Spandam, is there something wrong with your head?!"
"Cough cough, I didn't know those navy soldiers would attack indiscriminately. What are those bastards trying to do! Don't they know we're on the island too? They want us all to die together!"
"Do you think the Navy's shells can pinpoint targets with precision? Who launches a Buster Call without first retreating to a safe location?! You're launching a Buster Call standing in the center of the island, are you trying to die here?!"
Spandam was speechless, and even the agents beside him nodded, now standing on Oran's side.
They knew Spandane was not very capable, but they never expected him to get himself into this situation.
"Alright, I'm leaving now. You can stay here if you want to get bombed."
With that, Oran took the lead and walked towards the outer edge of the island. The CP agents followed his advice and ran towards the outer area together.
"Hey! Wait for me! Take me with you and run!"
Genetics is very important on this sea. The offspring of the strong are generally not too far behind. Even if they cannot reproduce the strength of their parents' generation, their strength and talent will far exceed those of ordinary people.
Ordinary people's offspring can also become stronger through training, but it is very difficult for someone who is extremely useless to have their offspring change.
Spandam's Dao power was only nine, a failing grade for an adult.
As his father, Spandain wasn't that weak, but he wasn't that strong either.
There were a few unexpected events along the way, such as the rare reunion of Olvia and Robin, although the timing was rather unfortunate.
When Oran was halfway back, the shelling temporarily stopped, though briefly, giving Oran some time to retreat.
Not long ago, around Ohara.
"Concentrate fire! Target: Ohara, the archaeological island!"
"In the name of justice, destroy the demons of Ohara!"
The highest order has been issued, and the warships' main guns roared incessantly as shells were fired at the island.
Although some shells landed quite far ahead of their targets, nobody cared about that.
"Lieutenant General Kuzan, a man is approaching this area and has deflected quite a few shells."
"Are there really people like this? The Buster Call can't be stopped, or the Navy will lose face."
"Wait, Lieutenant General Kuzan, that's Dr. Siddirell's daughter!"
"Huh? What are you talking about? Why would someone from the Grand Line appear in the West Blue?"
At this time, Kuzan still had a fiery temper. When he heard his subordinates report this, his first reaction was disbelief. However, when he saw the pink figure, he had no choice but to accept the reality.
Because of Zephyr, Oran and Lyriana frequently appeared at Marine Headquarters, and the members of later Marine training camps became quite familiar with them.
Leriana's large size and pink hair are almost her best features. Although Kuzan was an early trainee, he was also quite familiar with Oran's situation because of his cooperation in the research.
"Isn't this Lieutenant General Kuzan? It's great to have an acquaintance here. My father is still on the island. He asked me to tell you that there's a problem with your Buster Call program. Please bombard the targets in the normal order."
"At least pause for a few minutes and let him leave the shelling area before proceeding."
Why is Dr. Sidier on the island?
As they became more familiar, Kuzan started calling him Doctor, but now he understands it even less.
"It's the World Government's request, saying they want to be their lobbyists or something. Not only Dad, but that idiot who launched the Buster Call is also on the island now, and he's been bombed quite a bit."
"Did any ship bombard the center in advance?"
"It wasn't us, it was the ship commanded by Lieutenant General Sakassky."
This Buster Call was no less impressive in scale. Although it wasn't like the one targeting Barrett, which was led by Sengoku and Garp, Kuzan and Sakazuki, two vice admirals known as monsters, also participated.
Kuzan is still a radical, but he still has some disagreement with Sakazuki, though that's all.
Kuzan believes that "justice" is interpreted differently by people with different stances and changes with their stance, so he does not question other people's "justice".
"Sakazuki? It's him? Let me go with you. He's not the kind of person who would stop a mission."
For ordinary naval forces, this is a matter of compromise: let Oran and his men evacuate first, and then continue bombing.
But for Sakazuki, it's a different matter.
Seeing that Kuzan was not properly in charge of the warships under his command, but instead came to his side with a non-naval personnel by his side, Sakazuki's expression was not good.
"Kuzan? Why aren't you following your orders? What are you doing here?"
"You've been too radical. Dr. Siddiel is also carrying out a mandate from the World Government and is currently on the island. Your premature bombing of the central area has disrupted their retreat."
Let's pause for two minutes and let the Doctor and the CP agents leave that area.
"Once the Buster Call begins, there is no reason to stop it. This is the mistake of the person who pressed the signal to activate the Buster Call. I was just carrying out orders."
He had no problem with Oran, after all, Oran wasn't a pirate; he was simply addressing the issue, not the person.
For Sakazuki, following orders was of paramount importance, and he believed that orders should be followed even more aggressively. This is why he bombarded the center in advance to eliminate any threat.
However, the shelling stopped. The warships carrying out the Buster Call mission were not their own ships, and the navy on board was drawn from other branches, not a direct force that always obeyed a particular general.
For them, both Sakazuki and Kuzan were lieutenant generals of equal rank. One lieutenant general said to pause for two minutes before continuing, while the other said not to stop. The orders themselves were conflicting.
However, there were already quite a few people in the navy who had received Oran's help, and some of these navy personnel had even been fitted with prosthetic bodies. Therefore, upon hearing Oran's name, some of them temporarily stopped their subordinates' actions, creating a gap in the artillery fire.
Looking at the stopped artillery position, Akainu frowned, seemingly wanting to say something, but was stopped by Kuzan.
"It's only a few minutes, nothing else will happen, there's no need to make a big deal out of it."
"We are the Navy. Does the Navy have to obey the orders of outsiders when it is carrying out the orders of the World Government?"
"The other side was also carrying out the World Government's orders, and it was because you bombarded the area outside the designated zone in advance that this result occurred."
"Kuzan, you bastard!"
Just as Kuzan had suspected, Sakazuki was extremely stubborn, and not in accordance with the World Government's orders, but with his own logic. If he believed something was right, he would act even more radically, even if the World Government had already issued the order.
If Kuzan hadn't come along, achieving the objective would have been really difficult. After wasting a few minutes, Oran also withdrew from the shelling area, followed by a group of panting CP agents.
Only then did they realize that the king before them was worthy of the position of Shichibukai not entirely due to external forces, as he traveled at such a fast speed without even breaking a sweat.
"Continue the shelling."
Seeing Oran sitting on the distant coast, Sakazuki reissued the order to bombard Ohara and resume the bombardment.
"Lieutenant General Kuzan! On the island."
"What's wrong now! Is there any other problem?"
"It's Lieutenant General Saul who escaped. I'm absolutely certain. That figure is definitely him."
Having just dealt with the "accidental injury incident" here, and before Kuzan could even return to the two warships under his command, he received a new intelligence report.
Kuzan and Saul were close friends, a fact well-known in the Navy. Although the five vice admirals held different ranks, Kuzan and Sakazuki were undoubtedly of equal status, so this news was reported to him immediately.
"This island is really in chaos today."
Kuzan rubbed his head. This Buster Call seemed to be getting more and more complicated, but before he could do anything, a burst of fire suddenly reflected off his sunglasses.
Looking at the burning ships on the sea, Kuzan stared at Sakazuki in disbelief.
"Hey, that's a refugee ship."
"Since we've done it, we must nip it in the bud. If any scholars are mixed in with that ship, all the sacrifices we've made will be for nothing. We must leave no room for evil."
Sakazuki took everything he did for granted and offered his reasons in a nonchalant manner.
Whoosh!
A whooshing sound rang out as Lyliana's fist slammed towards Sakazuki. From the moment Sakazuki insisted on attacking the center area ahead of time, Lyliana had been somewhat annoyed with him.
At that time, she didn't feel anything; the navy was just carrying out orders, and there were people in the navy who stood by her side and spoke up for Oran. But Sakazuki's attack on the wrecked ship ignited the resentment she had accumulated.
boom!
Sakazuki raised his hand to block Lyliana's attack, but he underestimated the power of Lyliana's punch and was knocked back a few steps.
"Are you trying to interfere with the Navy's Buster Call?"
"I've heard about the World Government's arrangements. This refuge ship was set up by the World Government, and they allowed these people to leave the island."
Everyone who boards the ship has undergone vetting by CP agents. Are you questioning the World Government's methods, or doubting the agents' loyalty?
Lyriana's outburst wasn't entirely due to her disapproval of Akainu's behavior; her punch was also related to his previous insistence on bombarding Oran's direction.
Lyriana is still a minor, and Akainu's previous behavior has already displeased her. Her throwing punches may have been somewhat impulsive, but that doesn't mean she's just reckless.
From the moment she threw the punch, Leliana had ample reason to question her opponent, a argument that would hold water no matter where she was presented.
"Kid, this is a matter between the Navy and the World Government. It's not something you can interfere with. You wouldn't understand. It's a necessary sacrifice for justice."
"I didn't obstruct the Buster Call, I just didn't like you and wanted to beat you up."
boom!
Sakazuki's move was blocked by Kuzan.
"Sakazuki, are you really going to kill her? She's Dr. Siddirell's daughter, and don't you think she makes a lot of sense?"
Sakazuki didn't say anything, but his eyes were full of displeasure as he looked at Kuzan.
At this moment, Sakazuki's eyes conveyed a clear meaning.
You can try to break up a fight, but why are you only stopping me? Don't you think this little girl's punches don't hurt?
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"