Sakazuki soon handed the document back to Hina.
Now was not the time to dwell on long-term frameworks. Bringing down Mary Geoise was the immediate priority.
"Since the Revolutionary Army has arrived," Sakazuki said as he looked at Ortoren, "what did you mean earlier?"
"A force of ten thousand needs a clear, unobstructed route," Ortoren replied. "The Revolutionary Army's Morley and lightning can open a path for us through the Red Line. Their abilities are perfect for that."
It was obvious that lightning and Morley already knew what they were here to do. Once the arrangements were finalized, the two of them immediately got to work. One possessed the Paramecia-type Push-Push no Mi, while the other fought like a living pair of scissors. Together, they were a flawless combination, capable of dealing with any terrain the Red Line could throw at them.
"Will you also be taking part in the assault on Mary Geoise?" Sakazuki asked, turning toward Dragon, Kuma, and Ivankov, who were still present.
Before Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, could speak, Bartholomew Kuma—normally gentle and reserved—spoke up with rare impatience.
"I will fight. I'm going to Mary Geoise to find Ginny!"
At the end of last year, the Revolutionary Army's Eastern Army had been nearly wiped out in the East Blue. Its commander, Ginny, had been captured and taken to Mary Geoise. According to her Vivre Card, she was still alive. There was no way Kuma would stay out of this battle.
Dragon smiled faintly from the side.
"Even if this is the Marines' war, my father was taken to Mary Geoise as well. And I once carried the banner of Marine justice myself. You don't really have a reason to stop me, do you?"
His words were perfectly justified. Garp had been "taken" to Mary Geoise and was effectively being held there. As his son, Dragon going to rescue that unreliable old man was only natural.
Before long, a series of orders spread outward from the command tent.
The Marines rested and reorganized at the port of Mary Geoise for six days. During that time, lightning and Morley continued carving out a massive passage deep within the Red Line.
On the third day, Ortoren made a public announcement through the newspapers.
"Marine Admiral Benn Ortoren and Marine Admiral Sakazuki Officially Join Forces!"
"Admiral Benn Ortoren Officially Assumes the Role of Acting Fleet Admiral!"
"Acting Fleet Admiral Benn Ortoren Condemns the World Government for Its Countless Crimes, Trampling Order and Justice!"
"Ortoren, Acting on the Orders of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vows to Carry Marine Justice Through to the End!"
"Marine Headquarters Officially Declares War on the World Government and the Holy Land, Mary Geoise!"
Although many factions had long suspected that Ortoren intended to rebel, he had never made his stance explicit.
Until now.
The Marines had publicly declared war on the World Government and Mary Geoise.
As the saying goes, when forces unite, they strike as one. What had seemed like an imminent split between the New World Marines and Marine Headquarters was rapidly resolved with Sakazuki's return, the two sides merging back into a single force.
Later historians would refer to this reunified force as the "New Marines," distinguishing it from the old Marines who had once belonged to the World Government, both in terms of era and fundamental nature.
At the same time, Borsalino moved swiftly, purging Marine Headquarters of officers who remained loyal to Mary Geoise.
With Kuzan also returning to Headquarters, Ortoren's orders could now be fully enforced across the entire Marine organization.
That said, large factions loyal to Mary Geoise still existed at the regional level.
Once Ortoren announced war on the World Government, the allied nations of the North Blue were the first to respond. Almost immediately, they declared their withdrawal from the World Government's member-state system and pledged full support for the New Marines under Ortoren's command.
The New World followed suit. Totto Land and numerous New World nations publicly declared that they would fully support Ortoren and the New Marines in their war against the World Government.
The West Blue, as always, remained silent, showing no reaction at all.
The South Blue, however, descended into chaos almost instantly. Naval forces supporting the New Marines clashed head-on with those loyal to Mary Geoise, igniting a civil war. The Revolutionary Army soon joined the fighting, and in an astonishingly short span of time, the flames of war swept across the entire South Blue.
Allied nations supporting the World Government and countries backing the Neo Marines attacked each other, while the two factions within the branch Marine bases also went to war among themselves.
In the East Blue, the World Government's influence was overwhelming. Not a single kingdom across the entire East Blue announced its withdrawal from the World Government's member-state system. In that vast sea, only three Marine bases tried to support the Neo Marines, and they were swiftly wiped out.
The first half of the Grand Line was just as extreme. Alabasta took the lead in supporting the Neo Marines, but forces like Spring Queen Island and others stood with the World Government. The major Marine bases descended into chaos, civil wars breaking out one after another. Kuzan had only just returned to Headquarters when he was sent out again overnight to suppress the Marines' infighting and constant skirmishes throughout the first half of the Grand Line.
With the world in such turmoil, pirates everywhere seized the chance to run wild, eager to indulge in the chaos.
But in the New World, the pirates were largely suppressed by Slekemind. The North Blue remained a world unto itself, with no unrest at all and no one daring to poke their head up.
Overall, only the South Blue and Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line, saw a fresh surge of pirate activity, like the dying struggle of the Great Pirate Era.
...
Above the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Inside the God's Knights' garrison, Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders and the Warrior God of Science and Defense, sat in a tent with his Civilization Staff in hand, speaking with the God's Knights' Supreme Commander, Figarland Garling.
"It's obvious the Marines beneath the Red Line are building a march route leading to the Holy Land," Garling said. "But because of the vertical angle, we can't even stop them. Based on our observations, they'll launch their attack in at most two days."
The two sat facing each other. Saint Saturn clearly held the higher position, yet from Garling's tone, it was equally clear that he was speaking to one of the Five Elders as an equal.
When Saint Saturn showed no intention of responding, Garling's brow furrowed slightly.
"What's the situation with Uranus? If we deploy the Heavenly King, a single strike from here would wipe out the Marines below completely. As for their top-tier fighters, it should deal them a heavy blow as well. Then, if the God's Knights take the initiative and strike, we might be able to flip offense and defense. Once we build our momentum and force a shift in the situation, the prestige the World Government has accumulated over eight hundred years should be enough to make those supporting the rebels turn back to us…"
"Uranus…" Saint Saturn let out a quiet sigh. "Two hundred years ago, after that inexplicable robot attacked Mary Geoise, Uranus's energy conversion device was destroyed. The remaining energy is enough for at most two more uses. And ever since then, Imu-sama has not allowed us to use Uranus's power lightly…"
"Still no new energy technology?" Garling asked after a brief pause.
"We've been researching it all along. Years ago, the genius scientist Vegapunk broke through several key problems. He's now working on the 'Mother Seed: Mother Flame,' something like an artificial sun. If it succeeds, it won't just supply Uranus with energy, it will reshape the entire world's energy landscape…"
Saint Saturn's voice hardened.
"But the last time I spoke with him, he said it would still take at least five years to develop the Mother Seed. And on top of that… the New World has already fallen. That damned Borsalino has betrayed us. We've effectively lost Punk Hazard…"
"With the situation this bad, we shouldn't be holding anything back," Garling said in a low voice. "Using Uranus to change the situation quickly and crush the Marines is the right answer. Once they're dealt with, we can take Punk Hazard back. If we can hold on for five years, like that Vegapunk fellow says, then in five years we'll have abundant energy and Uranus can be used freely. When that happens, we'll once again hold the power to extinguish any flame at will, enough to suppress the four seas just like we did for the past eight hundred years!"
"You're right…" Saint Saturn fell silent for a moment, then a ruthless glint flashed through his eyes.