While Dragon, Garp, and Sengoku confronted the Five Elders at Mary Geoise, the Marines had already begun making their next major move.
One warship after another closed in, compressing the remaining pirates into the Red Hair Pirates' former headquarters.
Without attracting anyone's attention, Raleigh arrived at the New World front line.
At that moment, he was aboard Pluton, speaking privately with Sakazuki.
"What are you planning?"
There was a complicated look in Sakazuki's eyes.
Even with the pirates on the verge of complete extermination, he remained clearheaded.
He did not know why Raleigh had personally come to the New World, but he knew Raleigh never acted without reason.
Raleigh lifted the cup in his hand and quietly watched the tea leaves drifting up and down in the water.
Neither man spoke for some time.
Eventually, Raleigh broke the silence.
"A long time ago, when Brother Borsalino and I were still wasting our days together, I swore that I would completely eradicate the pirates."
"I said the same thing when I was a Vice Admiral. I repeated it when I became Fleet Admiral."
"Now I'm here to fulfill that promise."
"Besides, I suspect Red-Haired Shanks left this place a long time ago, though I still don't know where he went."
The pirate captains had done everything possible to conceal the news of Red-Hair's escape.
Although the pirates shared an unspoken agreement not to reveal it, the Marines were not fools.
They had already fought their way to the Red Hair Pirates' main base without seeing a single core member of the crew.
That alone proved they had left long ago.
"It's strange," Raleigh continued. "Based on the Marines' advance routes, the Red Hair Pirates couldn't possibly have escaped by sea."
"As far as I know, none of their Devil Fruit users can fly either. Unless I'm mistaken, they must have left the New World very early—before we even began surrounding it."
Using the intelligence in their hands, the Marines had already pieced together most of the truth.
There was no sign of the Red Hair Pirates anywhere in the New World, while every other remaining pirate had been trapped on the island ahead.
"If Red-Hair isn't here, then let's get started as soon as possible," Sakazuki said. "Things sound rather lively over at Mary Geoise."
A hint of interest appeared on his face.
Raleigh was genuinely surprised.
He had assumed the only thing capable of exciting Sakazuki was hunting pirates.
"Good. I've already issued the order. In two hours, we begin the final offensive and crush every pirate on that island."
Raleigh spoke with complete calm.
Given the Marines' current deployment in the New World, even if Red-Hair were still present, it would change nothing.
Unless Shanks could control Uranus and blast the Marine fleets into pieces, he could not alter the pirates' inevitable destruction.
"What do you need me to do?" Sakazuki asked after drinking a cup of hot water.
Raleigh unfolded a sea chart and marked a location and a set of coordinates.
"After flattening Red-Hair's headquarters, sail Pluton to this location."
"Then wait for the right moment and fire at these coordinates."
Sakazuki accepted the chart and studied it carefully.
After a long moment, he raised his head in shock.
"Aren't these the coordinates of Mary Geoise?"
Although Sakazuki was unfamiliar with many locations in the New World, he knew Mary Geoise's coordinates.
He silently calculated the distance once more.
From the position Raleigh had marked, Pluton's cannon could cover every part of Mary Geoise.
Raleigh raised a finger and pointed overhead.
"The reason this world became what it is today is because the people above us made the wrong choices."
"Pirates are only the ulcers on the body. The true illness lies much deeper inside."
"As long as those people remain above us, the pirates will eventually return no matter how thoroughly we eliminate them now."
Raleigh then pulled a confidential file from his coat and handed it to Sakazuki.
"Some time ago, our intelligence agents inside Mary Geoise reported that the World Government had conducted numerous transactions with pirates."
"The most recent one occurred when the Red Hair Pirates attacked the Marine transfer station."
Disbelief filled Sakazuki's face.
He knew that the peace between the Marines and the World Government was now merely for appearances, while the two sides had already become bitter enemies in secret.
Even so, he found it difficult to believe that the World Government would cooperate with the pirates it regarded as garbage of the sea.
"Would the World Government really do something like that?"
Raleigh spread the documents across the table before him.
"I didn't believe the Five Elders would cooperate with pirates either."
"But we underestimated how deeply they fear the Marines' growing power."
"According to our agents, Red-Haired Shanks isn't an ordinary pirate."
"When the Five Elders made their deal with him, they didn't even demand that he offer the World Government anything in return."
Sakazuki frowned deeply.
"If that's true, then Red-Haired Shanks is most likely in Mary Geoise right now."
Raleigh nodded lightly.
"Whether the Red Hair Pirates are in Mary Geoise doesn't really matter."
"Once the Celestial Dragons are dealt with, we'll have plenty of time to play cat and mouse with them."
"But if they are there, even better. We can eliminate them together with the Celestial Dragons."
After finishing his tea, Raleigh stood and left.
Before the New World's pirates were wiped from history, he intended to give them one final global broadcast.
...
Across the sea of the New World, more than a hundred warships resembling steel beasts steadily compressed the pirates' remaining space.
Faced with such an offensive, the pirates had abandoned every other island and gathered at the Red Hair Pirates' headquarters, hoping to use the island's terrain to fight the Marines in a landing battle.
After Garp and Sengoku left the frontline command, Tsuru boarded a warship with the remaining intelligence officers and went directly to the front.
"Boss, when do you think the Marines are coming?"
A one-eyed pirate with a scar across his face turned toward his captain.
The pirate captain was already filled with anxiety.
Hearing the question, he spun around and cursed.
"Coming? To hell with them coming!"
"I hope those bastards never arrive!"
"I wish a massive tsunami would appear, or every Sea King in the ocean would rise at once and drag all their warships beneath the waves!"
The one-eyed pirate had been cursed at for no reason, but he no longer dared say anything.
He had already seen his captain reaching for his blade.
If he kept talking, that sword might end up buried in him the next second.
After assigning duties to his crew, the pirate captain returned to his cabin and sat alone in a daze.
His desk was covered with precious ornaments.
Most had been stolen directly from villages and towns. The rest had been exchanged with other pirate captains using loot from similar raids.
In the past, these had been his greatest treasures. No one else had even been permitted to look at them.
Now they covered the entire desk, yet he no longer had the slightest desire to spare them a glance.
He had first gone to sea before the Great Pirate Era began.
For years, he had remained in the Four Blues, committing relatively small crimes.
Then he witnessed Roger's execution and heard the Pirate King speak of the One Piece.
Driven by dreams of wealth and the title of Pirate King, he gathered a few companions and sailed out from the Four Blues.
They had endured countless desperate situations before eventually reaching the New World.
To be honest, he had been remarkably lucky.
Of all the people who had left the Four Blues with him, he was the only one still alive.
Now, however, he clearly understood how his story would end.
"What a waste. I should never have gone to sea."
Perhaps people only began questioning why they had become pirates when death finally stood before them.
He was far from alone.
At least half the pirate captains gathered at Red-Hair's headquarters were thinking the same thing.
The remaining half had long since lost themselves in killing.
They merely believed that the Marines had no right to exterminate pirates, never once considering why they had brought this fate upon themselves.
...
Aboard the largest Marine flagship, Raleigh met with Tsuru and the other Vice Admirals.
Every officer in the conference room wore a smile, especially veteran Marines like Zephyr.
Most Marine soldiers had enlisted because pirates had once harmed them or their families.
Perhaps from the day they joined, they had lived for the dream of completely eliminating piracy.
Now that dream stood before them, close enough to touch.
Raleigh's presence seemed perfectly natural to them.
For a moment this historic, the Fleet Admiral should obviously be present to command the battle personally.
Before Raleigh could speak, several officers began calling out from their seats.
"Fleet Admiral Raleigh, give me a chance! I want to lead the first charge!"
"Fleet Admiral Raleigh, you know how fiercely I fight. Let my fleet attack first!"
"Fleet Admiral Raleigh, they're all still young and talented. The Marines will need them in the future. Choose me instead! I'm already sixty, and I have no regrets left in life!"
Before Raleigh could say a single word, the conference room turned into a noisy marketplace.
Everyone rushed to list their own strengths.
Some even tried leaving their seats to approach Raleigh and volunteer in person.
Looking at all the eager officers around him, Zephyr could not help thinking how wonderful it was to be young.
He had wanted to die fighting pirates for a long time.
Unfortunately, he had never managed to find the right opportunity.
After he hinted at his intentions, both Raleigh and Tsuru reassigned his missions.
He was still tasked with hunting pirates, but only on islands that Enel, Barrett, and the others had already swept clean.
There were barely any strong opponents left.
Zephyr instinctively felt that dying alongside pirates that weak would be humiliating.
If his opponent were Red-Haired Shanks, that would at least be worthy of him.
Since he had found no proper opportunity, Zephyr had stopped forcing the matter.
If the Marines needed someone to break through a powerful defense, he would step forward.
For now, they did not need him.
Tsuru found the scene rather encouraging. After thinking briefly, she turned to Raleigh.
"Fleet Admiral Raleigh, since everyone wants to be the vanguard, why don't we abandon the idea of secondary assaults?"
"Every direction can be treated as the main offensive."
The officers who had remained silent immediately became interested.
Who would not want one final glorious achievement?
If they successfully led their soldiers through the pirates' defenses, they would have a story worth boasting about for the rest of their lives.
They began voicing their agreement.
"Fleet Admiral Raleigh, I think Vice Admiral Tsuru's suggestion is worth considering."
"Fleet Admiral Raleigh, our forces greatly outnumber the pirates. We really don't need supporting attacks."
Most of them favored attacking from every direction at once.
For Marine officers seeking military glory, it was the best possible arrangement. Whether they earned credit would depend entirely on their own ability.
Only after everyone finished speaking did Raleigh finally give his first response.
His opening sentence immediately poured cold water over their excitement.
"Not a single warship will approach the shore during this final battle."
"We are the Marines. We have more than enough firepower and ammunition. There is no reason to gamble our lives against pirates with blades."
"I understand that all of you want military achievements, but we no longer need to trade the lives of our soldiers for victories against pirates."
Raleigh placed a document on the table.
"Half a month ago, Momonga secretly transferred all available ammunition from the Four Blues into the New World."
"It is currently on its way here."
"Once it arrives, I want you to blast that island into pieces."
"This will be a Buster Call on a scale the world has never seen before."
Raleigh's meaning was clear.
He would not allow Marine soldiers to continue charging into battle.
He intended to replace Marine lives with every shell the Four Blues could provide.
"We've already come this far. I want as many people as possible to return home."
When Raleigh finished speaking, the officers' enthusiasm faded slightly.
Naturally, they regretted losing their chance to earn glory.
But after considering Raleigh's words, they understood.
Rather than risk their soldiers' lives for achievements they had not yet earned, it was better to use cannon shells and make sure those men returned safely.
Seeing that everyone had accepted his decision, Raleigh tapped the table.
"The bombardment begins precisely at ten o'clock."
"I don't care how much ammunition you use. As long as the barrels don't explode, keep firing."
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
Their answers echoed through the conference room.
The officers then left the flagship, returned to their own fleets, and began preparing according to Raleigh's orders.
...
On the island, some of the pirates had already noticed the Marine warships moving.
"Boss, are they preparing to bombard us?"
The same one-eyed pirate asked again.
The captain responded indifferently.
"Then let them bombard us. Tell the men to hide properly."
"We'll stay underground until it's over."
In his mind, the Marines' strategy would be the same as always: fire several rounds of artillery, then begin a landing operation.
The tunnels they had prepared were twenty or thirty meters below the surface. Ordinary shelling posed no threat to them.
Before the captain could say anything else, the roar of Marine artillery swept across the sea.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless shells struck the island at once, washing every inch of land in fire.
"Get underground!"
Without looking back, the pirate captain sprinted into the tunnels.
Aboard one of the warships, a young officer looked on helplessly.
"There's no need to waste this much ammunition. We should simply charge in and kill them ourselves."
His adjutant answered calmly.
"Fleet Admiral Raleigh has his reasons. We only need to follow his orders."