In the West Blue, a small-scale battle between the Marines and the Revolutionary Army began.
Both sides had only committed a small number of troops and ships.
On the Marine side, the commander was Donashu Atley, a colonel who had only recently been promoted.
On the Revolutionary Army's side, it was Gejil Coleridge, the commander of Area 14.
The distance between the two sides on the sea grew shorter and shorter.
Boom!
Relying on the fact that their cannons had greater range than the Revolutionary Army's artillery, the Marines opened fire first.
Massive cannonballs howled through the air and landed accurately on the Revolutionary Army's deck.
Wood splinters flew everywhere. One huge hole after another appeared in the deck and hull.
Gejil Coleridge's expression was ugly.
This was not the first time they had been attacked by Marine artillery.
Even though the Revolutionary Army had already undergone an industrial revolution, the level of technology they possessed was still far behind the Marines.
Because of that, they had no choice but to close the distance and force a melee.
Cannonballs exploded on the water, throwing up pillars of seawater that slammed violently against both sides of the ship.
Everyone aboard was shaken until their heads rang.
"How much farther?"
Gejil Coleridge wiped seawater from his face and roared toward the gunners behind him.
"Five hundred meters before we can return fire!"
The gunner heard Gejil Coleridge's shout and answered nervously.
"Good! Everyone, push harder! Charge through!"
Boom!
A cannonball tore through the air with a shrill whistle, heading straight for the ship's mast.
Everyone knew that if the mast fell, the ship would lose its power.
At that point, they would be lambs waiting to be slaughtered on the sea.
Whoosh!
Gejil Coleridge leapt from the deck. At some point, the long blade in his hand had already been drawn.
He suddenly exerted his strength, sending out a slash of sword aura that cut straight across the surface of the cannonball.
Boom!
The cannonball exploded violently in midair.
Gejil Coleridge landed back on the deck with lingering fear, adjusting his breathing.
'We cannot continue like this. If this goes on, our casualties will be too heavy.'
At that moment, the thought of retreat had already risen in Gejil Coleridge's heart.
It was not that he feared these Marines. He simply did not want his death to be meaningless.
If this were a battle on land, then even if he had to die, he would still launch the attack.
Boom, boom, boom!
The Marines had no interest in what Gejil Coleridge was thinking.
Their warship continued cruising just outside the Revolutionary Army's cannon range.
"Aim at the enemy warship! Fire!"
Gejil Coleridge suppressed the anger in his chest and gave the order.
He knew his cannonballs could not reach the Marine warship, but he needed to blanket the area with fire to buy himself a chance to retreat.
Boom!
Both sides entered an intense artillery exchange. However, even the farthest Revolutionary Army shell only landed on the sea not far from the Marine warship, while the Marine shells almost all fell around the Revolutionary Army vessel.
In the space between both sides, several shells occasionally collided in midair and exploded violently.
The fierce air currents then triggered other nearby shells, setting off chain explosions.
On the Revolutionary Army ship, the sails were raised to their fullest.
Gejil Coleridge stood on the mast and finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
At the very least, the ship beneath his feet had been preserved.
It would not be destroyed by the Marines in this naval battle.
Marine Captain Donashu Atley also saw the Revolutionary Army's intention, but he was in no hurry to launch an attack.
Instead, he followed Sakazuki's orders.
"Proceed according to the original plan. All cannons, fire at will."
The Marine warship was like a bloodthirsty shark, clinging tightly behind the Revolutionary Army vessel and constantly tearing bites out of its prey.
By dusk, this chase finally ended with the Revolutionary Army escaping back to port.
The Marine warship arrogantly blew its horn three times from outside the island's coastal artillery range before slowly withdrawing back into the open sea.
"Damn it! The Marines are going too far."
At that moment, Gejil Coleridge's right arm was wrapped in bandages.
He slammed his left hand down onto the table.
Because the Revolutionary Army did not know exactly how far Marine technology had advanced, they had no choice but to test it with human lives.
...
Meanwhile, the Marines who returned were extremely excited, loudly boasting about their skills.
"Captain Donashu Atley, I have reported the battle results to Admiral Sakazuki."
A communications soldier saluted Donashu Atley as he spoke.
Donashu Atley gave a slight nod.
"Return to port."
Ever since the Marines gained a foothold in the West Blue, they had begun gradually testing the Revolutionary Army's firepower and technological level.
Based on the intelligence gathered over the past few days, although the Revolutionary Army possessed technology more advanced than most of the sea, it was still inferior to the Marines.
However, their port defense cannons were still a challenge for the Marine fleet.
"Justice will prevail."
Amid the cheers of the Marine soldiers, the warship began returning to port to replenish its ammunition.
At that moment, in the Nitasulo Kingdom, Sakazuki was sitting alone inside the war room, staring at the sand table in a daze.
He had never expected Raleigh to be so bold.
Raleigh was not satisfied with only waging war against the Revolutionary Army.
He also intended to wage war against the pirates of the New World.
The Four Blues were no longer his only target.
Now, most of the Marine soldiers recruited from the Grand Line had all been sent into the Four Blues for real combat training.
Among the Marine soldiers under Captain Donashu Atley's command today, more than half had only recently joined the Marines.
Raleigh's intention was very clear.
He wanted to use the Revolutionary Army, which had not yet fully developed, to train his soldiers.