Several days later.
One of the two remaining Endpoint islands, Secon Island.
Strangely, there were no Marine troops stationed there. In fact, the entire island was completely empty.
At the center of the island stood a massive volcano.
The members of the Red Hair Pirates stood at the edge of the crater, their expressions heavy and grim. With their Observation Haki, they could easily sense the bomb buried deep beneath the magma far below.
The energy contained within it was enough to make anyone uneasy.
Beckman took a deep breath. "So this is the Marines' confidence. They even pulled out all their forces. If some madman really attacks the last two islands, the New World will be burned to ashes by magma."
This was a huge problem. One they had no choice but to take on.
The massive magma reservoirs buried beneath the three Endpoint islands, along with the fact that they were connected to the underground veins of the New World's islands, had already been confirmed after Sakazuki revealed the truth.
However, the Four Emperors had tacitly suppressed the information to prevent panic.
Not long ago, when Bullet caused chaos within the Red Hair Pirates, he revealed something important.
"The Marines have already withdrawn from the last two Endpoint islands. If you want to save the New World, you'd better guard those places. And don't try to destroy the bombs inside the islands. Otherwise, the New World might be destroyed on the spot."
Although everyone was confused, this was not something they dared to take lightly. They immediately changed course and headed for the nearest Endpoint island.
After arriving, it was exactly as Bullet said. All Marines and residents had withdrawn.
An empty island.
If some insane person really came here and triggered the volcano, the New World would be wiped out.
Yasopp looked completely stunned. "Hey, hey, hey, that Sakazuki guy is really crazy, right? And this is way too strange. It's clearly an island the Marines are supposed to protect, yet they just abandon it. If an accident happens and the New World is destroyed, the number of civilians who die could reach tens of millions. So who's the pirate here, him or us."
Beckman's expression was grave. "This is what makes Sakazuki terrifying. He wears the cloak of justice, but with his way of doing things, he doesn't care about ordinary people at all.
"When he revealed the truth about the Endpoint islands, he probably already foresaw this day. These last two End Point islands won't become a weakness for the Marines. They will become leverage he uses against us.
"If the Marines station troops here and some lunatic attacks, the Marines take the losses. But if they withdraw and tell us about it, do you think we would allow the New World to be destroyed? Or that Kaido and Big Mom would allow it? He dumped this troublesome burden straight onto us.
"And that's not all. The bombs buried beneath the volcanic magma are still under Marine control. If the Marines are defeated, he'll directly detonate them and destroy the New World. He's openly telling us that only he has the right to flip the table. From the very beginning, he had us figured out."
After hearing Beckman's analysis, everyone around felt a deep chill settle in their hearts.
Lucky Roux scratched his head. "Then if we lose, couldn't we use this place to threaten Sakazuki."
Beckman let out a soft sigh. "Did you forget what I just said? Sakazuki doesn't care about this at all.
"From the moment he declared war and said he would drag the New World down with him if he lost, you should have understood. Whether the New World is destroyed is just a bonus condition. His real goal is to wipe out all pirates.
"If the Marines win, and we detonate this place, so what. People will only know that pirates destroyed the New World. All the blame will fall on us.
"If the Marines lose, and he detonates it himself, the New World is destroyed. And again, all the blame still falls on pirates. From start to finish, he's aiming to be the world's 'great hero.'"
Lucky Roux finally understood and clenched his teeth in frustration. "Damn it. We should expose that bastard's hypocrisy."
But even he lacked confidence. Nobody would believe it.
Who would people trust? Pirates, or the new Fleet Admiral who had fought pirates for decades in the name of justice.
Shanks looked serious, but he was not discouraged. "Seriously… we got played again. But that guy is way too arrogant. He thinks he can pin us down with just this. He's underestimating what it means to carry the title of Emperor."
Everyone froze. Even Beckman looked puzzled.
"Oh? You've got a good plan."
Shanks broke into a confident smile.
"No."
Beckman slapped his forehead. He knew it. Why did he expect anything from this idiot?
He snapped. "Then where does that confidence come from?!"
Shanks scratched his head and laughed loudly. "Dahahaha! Let's call those guys over and discuss it together. With more people, we'll figure something out."
Beckman's expression softened. "That's true. After all, this is a ticking bomb. No one knows when it might go off. We should study it together. I'll make the calls."
He stood up and walked out. Thanks to Shanks interrupting, the tense atmosphere eased.
Shanks still wore a faint smile, but no one knew how heavy his heart truly was.
* * *
Grand Line, Diep Island, Marine Recruitment Office.
The craze of the world-wide draft had begun to cool down. Those who wanted to enlist had already set off. Still, every day there were people who were underage, or who had just made up their minds, coming here to ask about registration.
"Hey, look over there!"
"Hiss! A Devil Fruit user!"
"He's so tall!"
The crowd's gasps drew the attention of the Marine recruiters.
"This is…"
In the distance walked a tall, powerfully built man dressed entirely in green, with a roguish and handsome air. Wherever he passed, flowers and grass sprouted endlessly, as if he were a messenger of nature itself.
"Yo, soldier. I'm here to sign up."
* * *
East Blue, an unnamed sea.
A naval battle was unfolding. The two sides chasing each other were the Alvida Pirates and the Marines of the 117th Branch.
The distance between them kept shrinking.
Boom! Boom! Boom!...
Cannonballs slammed into the pirate ship's deck, nearly hitting the mast.
The impact left everyone dizzy.
Freckled and fat, Alvida gripped her spiked club and commanded a counterattack. At the same time, she turned back and shouted at the slave deckhand on board, Koby.
"Koby! What are you dragging your feet for! Hurry up and move the cannonballs! Don't even think about running! If you do, I'll kill you first!"
Ever since the world-wide draft began, the number of pirates across the Four Blues had dropped sharply.
On one side, it was the trend of the times. On the other, countless marine warships were hunting pirate crews for real combat training before heading into the New World.
Life had become hard even for someone like Alvida, who used to bully others freely. That was why she decided to flee to the Grand Line.
But after hiding and running, she was still discovered, leading to this chase.
Koby trembled violently. "Yes! Yes!"
His body shook as he pushed the crate of cannonballs over, his face pale.
As a slave forced into service by Alvida, part of him hoped she would be defeated by the Marines. Another part feared she would kill him before dying herself.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistling sound pierced the air above the ship.
Anyone with experience knew this meant the shell was going to hit dead center.
Many pirates collapsed onto the deck in despair. Alvida swallowed hard, lifted her club to steel herself, and leapt up, smashing the cannonball aside.
Boom!
Her palms split open from the shock, dizziness washing over her. She thought the danger was over.
But the next whistling sound came immediately after and struck her head directly, knocking her unconscious.
Seeing Alvida fall, despair spread across the pirates' faces. They did not have her brute strength. Normally, they only bullied ordinary people. Now that their biggest support was down, thoughts of secretly fleeing were unavoidable.
Koby looked ecstatic. This meant he might finally escape.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the distance closed, more and more shells hit their mark. The pirate ship was torn apart by concentrated fire as marine warships gradually caught up.
There was no boarding battle.
To adapt to warfare in the New World, all Marine branches had adjusted their tactics. They abandoned close combat and focused on eliminating enemies with artillery.
At dusk.
Only a small part of the Alvida Pirates' ship remained above the water. Most of it had sunk.
Supplies were piled high on the warship, showing that the battlefield cleanup was complete. A marine soldier reported to the commanding officer.
"Report, Commander Norris! Battlefield cleanup complete. No survivors from the Alvida Pirates. Awaiting orders."
Since Sakazuki took power, all Marines had been given strict orders. No prisoners were to be left alive.
Commander Norris, an older man with a face full of stubble, nodded.
"Withdraw."
The soldier excitedly went to relay the order. Norris's eyes, however, held a trace of worry.
He knew why the soldiers were excited to hear the withdrawal order. It meant they would be sent to the Grand Line, or even the New World.
Perhaps it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a broader world. But many of them might never live to see that day…
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