In the forest, Aokiji glanced around cautiously, ensuring no one was paying attention.
He then unleashed his Observation Haki, enveloping the area within dozens of meters.
The slightest disturbance would alert him immediately.
It wasn't that Aokiji didn't want to go further—time was simply too tight.
Caesar's monstrous bird form was terrifyingly fast.
If Aokiji delayed any longer, the naval bases he intended to warn might already be destroyed by the time help arrived.
As a former Admiral, Aokiji knew all too well the military strength of the New World's naval bases.
At most, each was garrisoned by two Vice Admirals and fewer than a thousand soldiers.
And he knew exactly which base was closest—
G-5!
The soldiers stationed there were all New World natives, their temperament and combat methods even more ruthless than the pirates they fought.
A notorious troublemaker unit, currently under the command of Marine Vice Admiral Smoker.
Recently, the base had suffered another blow—former Vice Admiral Vergo was exposed as a traitor, a mole for the Donquixote Pirates.
The incident had left G-5 severely understaffed, and they were still recovering.
Aokiji pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed without hesitation.
*****
G-1 the new Marine Head quarters, high-ranking officers' residential area.
Inside a private residence, a tall, beautiful officer lounged in a bathtub filled with fragrant petals and foamy bubbles, her long, pale legs propped on the rim.
Pururu pururu, pururu pururu.
The sudden ringing of a Den Den Mushi made her glance towards the living room in puzzlement.
"Who'd call my private line at this hour?"
Her hair still in a bun, she rose from the bath, not bothering with clothes and strode into the living room.
"Hello? Who—"
"Gion! It's me, Kuzan. I need your help urgently—where are you right now?"
The woman was none other than Marine Vice Admiral and Admiral candidate, Momousagi Gion.
Crossing her shapely legs, Gion chuckled.
"Kuzan? Oh? You actually have an emergency for me? Hmph, it must be serious—you never call otherwise. By the way, wanna know what I'm doing right now? Heh, I'll tell you—I'm..."
"No time for chit-chat! Tell me, are you at G-1 right now? Go find Sakazuki immediately and inform him that the captain of the Beast God Pirates is on his way to destroy a Marine base in the New World! Tell Sakazuki to figure something out!"
Aokiji directly cut off Gion's words, speaking urgently in rapid succession.
Gion's expression changed drastically as she immediately rushed towards the door, about to pull it open and leave.
Only when her hand grasped the doorknob did she notice her arms were still covered in white soap bubbles, realizing she wasn't even dressed yet.
She immediately returned to the living room, not even bothering to rinse off, directly throwing on her Marine Vice Admiral uniform before hastily running out the door towards the base fortress.
Boom! Boom!
Pressing for time, Gion even employed Moon Walk—one of the Rokushiki techniques—stomping through the air with explosive bursts as she ascended directly towards the towering fortress.
The guards on the fortress were startled, abruptly seeing a figure flying toward them at high speed and initially mistaking it for an enemy attack.
Only when they recognized Gion did the soldiers finally exhale in relief.
"It's Vice Admiral Gion... Hiss— Look, she's not even wearing underwear! So bold, pfft—"
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Akainu hummed a tune while diligently reviewing documents, appearing every bit the hardworking bureaucrat.
BANG!
A deafening crash erupted as the office door was violently kicked open, slamming against the wall with a heavy thud.
The sudden noise startled the fully concentrated Akainu so badly that he snapped the pencil in his hand.
'Which bastard dares barge in like this?'
This was Akainu's first thought.
His Fleet Admiral's office had always maintained strict protocol—only a select few individuals could enter without knocking.
But having his door kicked in? This was an unprecedented first for Akainu.
When he looked up, he saw Gion striding urgently to his desk, her ample bosom heaving dramatically with each step, leaving Akainu utterly bewildered.
What the hell?
If she's here to 'Service' me does she have to be so aggressive about it?
As the faint fragrance from Gion reached him, Akainu cleared his throat, preparing to assert his authority as Fleet Admiral and reprimand this impolite subordinate.
But before he could speak, Gion planted both hands on his desk, her breast nearly pressing against Akainu's face.
Panting heavily, Gion urgently exclaimed.
"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, it's terrible! Caesar is going to destroy a Marine base—possibly G-5!"
Akainu was still dazedly admiring the view before him when Gion's sudden declaration left him stunned.
"Who? Who's destroying G-5?"
"The captain of the Beast God Pirates—Beast God Caesar! Kuzan said so! He asked if you'd offended Caesar somewhere, because he's already transformed into a giant bird and set sail to attack our New World bases!"
"Goddammit!"
Akainu's face paled dramatically.
No longer distracted, he immediately grabbed the Den Den Mushi on his desk.
"Pururu pururu... Pururu pururu..."
The line rang endlessly with no answer.
"Caesar! You damn bastard! Pick up! Why won't you answer?!" Akainu's mentality was on the verge of collapse.
The exhilaration he felt when hanging up the phone earlier had now turned into sheer rage and helplessness.
Who could have imagined that Caesar would actually set sail to destroy a Marine base just because he had hung up on him?
And what's worse—this man was fully capable of doing it single-handedly!
In the New World, apart from the new Marine Headquarters at G-1, the highest-ranking officers stationed at the other Marine bases were only candidates for Admiral positions, like Momousagi and Chaton.
As for Caesar's combat prowess?
Forget about Vice Admirals or Admiral candidates—even a standard Marine Admiral would think twice before confronting him alone.
If he truly unleashed his fury, he could easily annihilate an entire Marine base.
"Which base did you say he was heading to again?" Akainu roared at Gion.
Unfazed, Gion quickly replied, "The closest to the Totto Land waters is G-5. Kuzan said that's where Caesar is most likely headed."
Akainu immediately rummaged through his drawers for G-5's contact number.
"Is Smoker in charge there? Whatever—order him to evacuate the base with his troops immediately!"
After a frantic search, Akainu finally pulled out the Den Den Mushi linked to G-5 and dialed.
The call connected almost instantly, and Smoker's deep baritone voice came through.
"Smoker here."
"Smoker! This is Sakazuki! I order you to evacuate G-5 with your men at once! Someone's coming to destroy it—move, now!"
*****
Somewhere in the New World, a massive warship floated near a colossal island.
On deck, Smoker listened in bewilderment to the voice crackling through the Den Den Mushi.
"Who? Who's going to destroy G-5?"
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