New World.
About five minutes later, the sea became completely calm again. The blinding light had faded away.
In the distance, the Marines on the warships—those who had barely managed to escape from G1—opened their eyes and looked toward where the base used to be. Terror immediately froze their eyes. Unprecedented fear showed on their faces, making them unable to even hold their weapons.
Many sailors sank directly to their knees on the deck, their legs weak, letting out terrible cries.
"I… I can't believe it!" one man stammered.
"No… I don't want to be a Marine anymore, I don't want to be a Marine anymore, woo woo woo woo…" another cried hysterically.
One by one, the Marines suddenly ran backward as if they had gone insane.
The Marine Rear Admiral standing on the ship's bow did not blame the sailors for their weakness. At that very moment, his own legs were shaking, and his lips were trembling uncontrollably.
"What… what kind of power is this?" he whispered in disbelief.
Looking out at the blue ocean, the place where the Marine G1 Branch had once stood was now nothing more than a giant, bottomless, deep hole. Boundless seawater poured into this massive pit. Every single trace of G1's existence had vanished. The surrounding seawater was still steaming due to the extreme heat of the attack.
Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Pangaea Castle.
After the Five Elders (Gorosei) witnessed this scene through a special visual Den Den Mushi feed, cold sweat streamed down their foreheads, and their expressions changed dramatically.
"Damn it, when did Kaido gain control of such power?!" one of them yelled.
"Such power is actually being wielded by a pirate!" another exclaimed.
The destructive force of that single move was truly terrifying. Destroying an entire island with one strike! This was the kind of destructive power that was said to be held only by the legendary Ancient Weapon Pluton.
If that strike had hit Holy Land Mary Geoise… The Five Elders dared not even imagine it.
Just then, the door to the Chains of Command chamber was violently pushed open. The Five Elders frowned, and they were about to speak, but when they saw the person who walked in, their displeased expressions immediately calmed down.
The person who entered was an old man with crescent-shaped hair, wearing a long robe over a black suit, with a long sword at his waist. He stood before the five powerful figures without showing any respect.
"Does Imu have any instructions?" one of the Elders asked respectfully.
The old man relayed the command. "Imu's order is that Kaido cannot be allowed to continue acting like this. Such great strength should not be in the hands of pirates. Once the Whitebeard situation is dealt with, you must let the Marines and CP work together to confront Kaido. And most importantly, what Imu cares about the most is that King, the only Lunarian, must be captured by the World Government."
The Five Elders immediately looked hesitant.
This made the old man speak with undisguised displeasure. "What, do you have a problem with Imu's command?"
"No…" Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, the Science Defense God of War, quickly replied. "Of course, we will not have any problems with Imu's command. It's just that if the Marines need to deal with Kaido, it might take some time."
At this point, as if afraid the man in front of him might misunderstand, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn explained further. "We don't care about the Marines themselves, but as the public face of the World Government, they will definitely need a period of rest after this battle with Whitebeard. If we send the Marines out like this, no matter how this current war ends, the Marine forces might not be able to maintain control over the current situation on the Grand Line."
"Oh, then what do you suggest?" the old man asked.
"Although the World Government has the power of CP to use, it is still too weak compared to Kaido and the Marines. But if the power of the God's Knights could be called upon…" Saturn trailed off.
As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately met with the old man's clear rejection. "Don't even think about it. The God's Knights exist for only one purpose, and that is to protect Imu. This time, if Kaido hadn't appeared near Holy Land Mary Geoise, we wouldn't have acted at all. This is a sign of your own incompetence," he said coldly.
The Five Elders' expressions were grim. They looked at each other, and finally, Izanbaron V. Nasujuro Saint, the Legal God of War, spoke up. "The Marines can act, but they need time."
"How long will it take?" the old man demanded.
"Sengoku had already expressed his intention to resign as Fleet Admiral before this war began. After this war, he will likely submit his resignation. Therefore, the Marines won't be able to act until a new Fleet Admiral is chosen," Izanbaron explained.
The old man snorted coldly, clearly unhappy with this answer. He thought for a moment and then gave his final decision. "Three months. I will only give you three months!"
The Five Elders exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. "No problem."
At this moment, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, the Science Defense God of War, asked, "What about the headquarters? Kaido has already gone there?" He looked at the old man, who knew what the question implied.
The old man replied coldly, "Don't worry. Although the G1 incident was unexpected, you don't need to worry about Marineford. Just follow the original plan."
Everyone nodded.
"So, why did Kaido destroy G1? If it was only to show us his power, it seems a bit unnecessary," asked Saint Topman Warcury, the Legal God of War.
It was true that everyone present was among the strongest forces on the Grand Line. They admitted that the destruction of G1 by Kaido had indeed shocked them a bit. However, with their knowledge, they could tell that the attack seemed to require a long period of preparation to unleash such terrifying power. Once they knew this, they wouldn't give Kaido such an opportunity next time, which would greatly reduce the threat of the move. Unfortunately, the Five Elders could not understand Kaido's true intentions.
Grand Line, Paradise.
While Eneru's Raigo was destroying G1, Kaido, along with King and Eneru, had already crossed the Red Line and arrived in the first half of the Grand Line.
King, flying in the sky, also expressed the same concern about the sudden attack.
Kaido's answer was simple. "Worororo, don't overthink it, King. Eneru's Raigo is indeed incredibly destructive, almost worthy of being called a Divine Strike!"
Eneru, hearing Kaido praise his power, immediately looked smug.
"But the flaws of this move are still too obvious," Kaido continued. "To achieve that level of destructive power, the strength of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi) alone is not enough."
King finally understood why Big Brother Kaido had caused such a massive disturbance at Red Port. It turned out to be preparation for Eneru's special attack.
"Moreover, the right move can only show its maximum value in the right location," Kaido concluded, finally revealing his true thoughts. "Although the New World has become pirate territory since Roger started the Great Pirate Era, the Marine G1 Branch still remained like a nail, fixed firmly in the New World, spreading the influence of the Marines and the World Government. Now that I have destroyed G1, whether the Marines decide to rebuild or not, the New World will at least experience a period of time with a lack of Marine and World Government influence."
Kaido's eyes narrowed. "This period is very valuable. We must gather enough power during this time. When that time comes, and our alliance with Big Mom is announced, we will have nothing to worry about on this Grand Line…"
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