As Kaito and his group passed by the gathered reporters, cameras flashed wildly from every direction. Voices overlapped as countless questions were thrown at them, the reporters almost looking as though they wanted to devour Kaito on the spot.
"Everyone," Kaito said with a smile as he raised both hands slightly, "we are heading to retake the Marines' base in the New World. You are free to follow us, but we do not have time for interviews right now. In one month, I will hold a large press conference. At that time, you can ask whatever you want."
The reporters, journalists, and news agencies all nodded in understanding. After all, the Marines had been defeated, the Whitebeard Pirates had completely submitted to Kaito, and the entire New World had effectively fallen under his control. It was only natural that he would be busy.
As his foot stepped down, terrifying force gathered beneath it. Cracks spread across the solid ice surface, and in the next instant, it exploded.
Shattered ice scattered across the sea as seawater rushed back in. The surrounding warships immediately regained mobility.
Kaito waited calmly with a faint smile as some of his subordinates boarded several Marine warships and headed toward the Marine base in the distance.
The journey was quiet and uneventful. When they finally arrived at the G5 base, it was completely deserted. The entire facility was in disarray, clearly abandoned in haste, most likely after the Marines had seen the live broadcast or received Sengoku's retreat order.
The takeover of G5 went exceptionally smoothly, as did the remaining bases that followed.
The Marines had more than a dozen bases scattered throughout the New World, all designated with a G prefix. Among them, G5 was the largest, while the others were smaller outposts, nowhere near the scale of places like Totto Land.
By the time Kaito left his subordinates and cadres to secure the final Marine base, the sky had already darkened completely.
Night had fallen.
Looking up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky, Kaito let out a quiet sigh. "It got dark so quickly. I did not even notice the time passing."
"Yeah," someone replied with a smile. "We have all been busy."
"Now that the New World has been absorbed into our pirate group, our manpower is no longer sufficient."
"I see," Kaito said thoughtfully. "Do we not still have forty thousand captured Marines?"
"Them?" The speaker hesitated, frowning slightly. "Will they really be willing to switch sides?"
"They will," Kaito replied calmly, patting his subordinate on the shoulder. He turned to look out at the endless sea, pride quietly stirring in his heart. "No one in this world is perfect."
From now on, all of this will be my territory.
"Captain," another voice spoke up, "the New World is ours now, but our current headquarters is not suitable anymore. Should we rebuild it?"
"Of course," Kaito said indifferently, waving his hand. "You handle the arrangements."
"Understood."
Time flowed like water, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The entire sea erupted like a powder keg.
North Blue, in a small village.
"The Marines lost! Marshal Sengoku escaped! What are we supposed to do now that Kaito has won?"
"It is over, it is really over! The whole world might fall into the hands of Kaito's pirates!"
"The Marines are already defeated. Now the only ones who can deal with Kaito are the World Government. I hope they send troops quickly, otherwise the seas will be in danger!"
Similar scenes unfolded across every sea. Panic spread as people discussed the outcome endlessly, fear gripping countless hearts.
After all, no matter how powerful Kaito was, he was still labeled a pirate, and pirates were deeply hated by ordinary people.
Marine Headquarters.
The massive conference room was so quiet that the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.
When the meeting first began, the room had been filled to capacity. Now, more than half of the seats were empty.
At the center sat Kong, his face pale. Beside him were Sengoku and the three Admirals, along with several Vice Admirals.
The atmosphere was heavy. No one spoke. Some even had red-rimmed eyes.
Just days ago, they had still been drinking and chatting with comrades. Now, many of those same people were gone forever.
Tsuru's heart was particularly heavy. Her sister, Momousagi, had been captured by Kaito, and her fate was unknown.
"This time," Kong finally said, breaking the silence, his voice weak, "the Marines have suffered a complete and total defeat."
"I know many of you are unwilling to accept this. Some of you are angry, and some even resent Sengoku for giving the retreat order."
The generals slowly looked up at him. His words had struck the heart of their doubts.
They had not believed they were truly defeated. They thought they could still fight.
After all, the purpose of this operation had been clear. It was to deal with Kaito and Whitebeard after their battle, to take advantage of their injuries and wipe them out.
But what was the result?
Kaito had already subdued the Whitebeard Pirates. The clash between Kaito and Whitebeard had been nothing more than bait, a trap designed specifically for the Marines.
From the very beginning, they had been at a disadvantage.
"We lost the moment we walked into that battlefield," Kong continued bitterly. "My original plan was to capture Kaito after the war, crush the reputation of his pirate group, and then eliminate them completely."
"But in the end, you all saw what happened."
He looked around the room without concern for his dignity.
"I was completely overwhelmed by Kaito. If Kizaru had not intervened, I would not be sitting here today. The same goes for Akainu and Sengoku."
"Four of us," Kong said, his voice rising, his face turning dark. "Two Marshals. Two Admirals. All of us were pressed and beaten by Kaito."
"Two Marshals. Two Marine Admirals. Our faces were thrown straight into the sea!"
He slammed his hand down on the marble table. Cracks spread instantly across its surface.
"Especially at the end, when Kaito severely injured all four of us with a single move. At that moment, Marine morale was already gone. If we had continued fighting, all of us might have died there."
"Sengoku's decision to retreat was correct," Kong said with a heavy sigh. "The fault lies in our failure to understand just how strong Kaito truly is, and in our misjudgment of both him and Whitebeard."
The room fell silent.
As the generals listened, their dissatisfaction gradually faded away.
"Marshal Kong," someone finally asked, "what should we do now? The New World is completely under Kaito's control. With his ambition, he will never stop there."
"You do not need to worry about that," Kong replied, waving his hand. "The Marines can no longer handle this alone. I will inform the Five Elders."
He then turned his gaze to Sengoku. "Sengoku, it is your turn."
Sengoku nodded and slowly stood up. He swept his gaze across the room. His once jet-black hair had turned gray, a clear sign of how deeply this defeat had affected him.
After a moment of silence, he spoke solemnly.
"In light of the Marines' defeat and the complete collapse of our efforts in the New World, I hereby announce that I will step down from the position of Marine Marshal, effective immediately."
Gasps spread through the room.
"The new Marshal candidate has already been reported to the Five Elders," Sengoku continued. "The selection will be made from among the Marines and the three Admirals."
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