"Bear..."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Kuma didn't notice any change in Ginny's emotions.
Although Rowan had hurriedly brought him back, he completely understood that it was because the headquarters had been exposed.
Given his considerate nature, he instead thought that Ginny might be upset because their wedding had been delayed again and again.
He had originally planned to ask her about it after the evacuation operation, but Ginny spoke first.
At that moment, inside the enormous library, the countless documents that had originally been transferred here from Ohara were being held firmly in place on the bookshelves. Ginny held the Rooster Talisman in her hand, causing each bookshelf to float into the air.
After leaving the library, Kuma would simply slap the bookshelves away, sending them flying toward the location designated by Vegapunk.
Scholars were guiding and organizing things on both sides, and the transfer proceeded in an orderly manner.
Ginny hesitated for a moment before telling Kuma about what had happened earlier, as well as the doubts she had been having.
Finally, she brought up the scene at God Valley when Saturn had spared Kuma.
Kuma casually slapped another bookshelf away, then frowned as he recalled what had happened at God Valley many years ago.
That had been the day that changed his fate. Together with Rowan's existence, it had also been a day that would change the future of the world.
The memory was deeply etched in his mind, but too much time had passed.
Scene after scene flashed through his mind. Back then, he had called him "Uncle." Thinking about it now, that had truly been rather naive.
From the very beginning, Saturn had never regarded them as equals. He had always believed that, aside from themselves, all other living creatures were nothing more than insignificant insects.
"At that time, he didn't kill me. I could sense how powerful he was. Even after I had eaten the Paw-Paw Fruit, I was still completely helpless before that Saturn."
Kuma continued, "I knelt down and begged him, but I never received a definite answer. Instead, he once again confirmed what would become of the Buccaneer race."
"But even after clearly telling me what the fate of the Buccaneers would be, he still chose to let me go in the end."
Kuma sighed and shook his head slightly.
"Throughout the entire conversation, he never revealed the slightest hint as to why he spared me."
Ginny looked up at the azure sky, toward the direction of the Red Line and Mary Geoise.
What she had experienced in Mary Geoise as a child also made her understand that Kuma's survival could never have been because of mercy.
Those people had never known what mercy was.
And now, with what had happened to her this time, what exactly was the reason she had been targeted?
Perhaps there were still many things she didn't know about what had happened at God Valley back then.
"How are the wedding preparations going, Kuma?"
Unable to figure it out, Ginny decided to put these unpleasant thoughts aside.
Kuma also became visibly bashful. Scratching his head, he answered honestly, "Belo Betty said they're supposed to be a surprise.
A surprise means even Ginny can't know about it. Only when you find out at the very end will it really be a surprise."
Hearing this, Ginny pouted before making another bookshelf float away.
"Hmph. Then I won't tell you either."
Time passed by second after second.
Half a day later, near the waters surrounding Baltigo, Borsalino obediently descended.
He had already changed into a set of ordinary clothes and was sneaking toward Baltigo.
However, before he could even land on the White Land, a mechanical voice suddenly rang out from nearby.
"Suspicious target detected. [Unterminal Database: Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Borsalino. Confirmed.]"
Before the voice could finish, intense gunfire erupted.
Bullets formed blazing streams of fire, crossing over each other from both sides to create a blockade as they fired toward Borsalino.
"Hmm?"
"Hmm?! (#Д#)"
Under Observation Haki, Borsalino immediately sensed that these continuous bursts of gunfire carried a distinct threat.
"Kairoseki bullets?"
In an instant, his body transformed into light and he abruptly retreated. But just as the attacks were about to reach him, Borsalino once again dispersed his body, scattering into countless points of light.
Not every bullet among the barrage was made of Kairoseki, but every single one carried the aura of seawater.
Having spent some time at Punk Hazard, Borsalino knew exactly what that aura was. It should be bullets coated with P-Matter.
High above the waters near Baltigo, Borsalino frowned.
What did Sir mean by this?
During their previous call, Sir hadn't said anything about what he wanted him to do, but Borsalino hadn't mentioned that he would continue the reconnaissance operation as planned either.
There were surveillance Transponder Snails installed by the Five Elders at the Punk Hazard research facility.
He didn't know whether the one he currently had was being monitored as well, which was why he had sunk the snail connected to the Five Elders deep beneath the seawater before their previous conversation.
So had they simply reached the same conclusion independently?
Borsalino smacked his lips, then took out the Transponder Snail connected to the Five Elders and made the call.
"Brrr... Brrr..."
"Click."
The call was quickly answered, and Saturn immediately asked, "How is the situation?"
Borsalino sounded rather helpless.
"I stopped at a considerable distance from the island, changed out of my Marine uniform, and began infiltrating. But the moment I got close to the island, I was attacked by automatically identifying weapons."
There was silence from the other end of the call.
After a while, Saturn asked, "You didn't attempt to force your way in?"
"It isn't an ordinary attack, Saint Saturn. There are strange firearms capable of continuous fire, firing nearly three hundred rounds a minute. The bullets also contain P-Matter, which can affect Logia users."
"That's quite a frightening attack. If you continue forcing your way in, you might alert them. But if you retreat, they may hesitate for the time being over whether they should evacuate."
Saturn fell silent for a moment before connecting with the other four Celestial Dragons in the Room of Authority and communicating with them.
"Firearms capable of continuous fire, along with an intelligent core that automatically identifies targets..."
"Even if Baltigo isn't the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, we already know that it is at least one of their bases. Combined with this level of defensive weaponry, I believe there is a very high possibility that this is indeed the Revolutionary Army's headquarters."
"Have Borsalino keep watch over the entirety of Baltigo. The moment anything begins to rise into the air, shoot it down at all costs!"
"The light beams of the Glint-Glint Fruit can accomplish that!"
"Whatever happens, have him wait for your arrival. As long as you can reach Baltigo, we can enter the battlefield at any time."
"We're already sailing there at full speed."
"Additionally, I'll contact the Marines when we're about to reach Baltigo. Sakazuki was injured by Big Mom. Kuzan and that kid from the G-5 branch will lead the forces being reassigned to surround this island."
"Once I arrive, there will be absolutely no possibility of anything escaping into the sky."
"So Borsalino is the key right now. But given the nature of his Glint-Glint Fruit, even if he isn't a match for the Cloaked Man, preventing the Revolutionary Army from escaping en masse won't be a problem."
"Then it's settled. Saint Williams has provided us with some information. The coordinate marker on Bruno was transferred once, but disappeared afterward. His Vivre Card also stopped responding."
"That means they're being extremely cautious."
"Baltigo's defensive forces will be sufficient as leverage."
Meanwhile, on the now completely deserted Baltigo, Rowan and a group of robots were operating tablets in their hands, carrying out the simple, foolproof operation of the defensive weapons.
After making a round of inspections, Rowan noticed that Borsalino had left the weapons' surveillance range and smiled.
As expected, compared to Kuzan, Borsalino was much more flexible.
It was merely a hint, yet Borsalino immediately understood what I meant.
Once the evacuation of Baltigo began, Dragon and Kuma, who had nearly been drained dry from exhaustion, were no longer fit to stay behind.
In the end, Rowan decided to leave part of the research facility's combat robots behind.
Along with some of the defensive systems that hadn't been dismantled, they would create the illusion that the Revolutionary Army had not yet evacuated, making it seem as though Baltigo might merely be one of their bases.
If someone comes knocking, it would only be polite to return the favor.
From the forced abduction operation targeting Ginny in Loguetown using the Door-Door Fruit, to the coordinate marker placed on Bruno afterward, the World Government's plan targeting the Revolutionary Army, or rather, targeting him, had been one carefully linked step after another.
If he hadn't happened to be with Ginny in Loguetown, there really was a chance they would have succeeded.
And if it weren't for the fact that he had already turned Borsalino to his side, the coordinate marker on Bruno would have plunged Baltigo into the greatest crisis the Revolutionary Army had faced since its founding.
Using an island on the surface of the sea as the headquarters had never been particularly safe. They had understood that long ago.
That was why preparations for relocating the headquarters had always been underway. The problem was that obtaining Saltpeter Crystals was extremely difficult.
Forming Island Clouds also required combining the Rooster Talisman's power with Kuma's abilities, along with an enormous amount of energy.
The amount of land that could be carried into the sky was limited, and overall, it was inferior to the land of the Blue Sea. This was also why Vegapunk had kept delaying the project.
"Ding."
A notification sounded on the tablet. After Rowan accepted the call, Vegapunk's face appeared on the screen.
"Sir, the relocation plan has been completed. Everything went smoothly."
Rowan nodded slightly, then praised the weapons Vegapunk had left behind.
The automatic friend-or-foe identification combined with the foolproof controls made them feel almost exactly like the weapons from a game in his memories.
"Are the leader and Kuma eating?"
"They were overexhausted. Although their physiques allow them to recover quickly through food, directly soaking them in nutrient solution is the fastest way to restore their strength."
Vegapunk's eyes darted from side to side, as though he were trying to remind Rowan not to forget something.
Seeing this, Rowan immediately understood.
"Don't worry. After this incident, that giant mechanical soldier probably hasn't been delivered to Punk Hazard yet. When the time comes, I'll make a trip there and bring it back to you."
Vegapunk was delighted that Rowan had taken the hint. He even spared some precious time to introduce him to the layout of the new Sky Island headquarters.
"Sir, although the Sky Island has already taken shape, and thanks to the Leader and Kuma's abilities it is no longer above Baltigo, its enormous size means that the propulsion is extremely weak."
"So, Sir, energy can bring about countless changes and new technologies. Once we make a breakthrough, situations like today's will basically never happen again."
"Also, the energy shield project has already made progress. The only reason we can't calculate its parameters and proceed with the next stage is that we're lacking ten stable and reliable energy sources."
After a long string of explanations, his ultimate purpose was obvious: he wanted Rowan to hurry up and bring that giant mechanical soldier to him.
After the tablet call ended, a warship appeared on the horizon near Baltigo.
Having already conducted a preliminary reconnaissance of the nearby waters, Borsalino transformed into light and landed on the warship.
Saint Saturn didn't even look at him. His eyes remained fixed on the distant island.
Every World Government agent on the deck was standing at full alert.
Ever since departing from Mary Geoise, every one of them had been extremely tense.
One of the Five Elders, standing at the very peak of world power, had personally descended from the Red Line. Such a display of power was something they had never witnessed before.
Near the coastline by the harbor, a cannon barrel emerged from within the island.
"Boom!"
A cannonball was fired.
Borsalino raised a hand and fired a laser, destroying the cannonball in midair.
But at the same time, more than a dozen cannon barrels emerged from the island.
Among them was even a square-shaped structure with roughly twelve cannon barrels lined up side by side.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
For a moment, the special shells, sharp as blades, came whistling toward the warship.
Borsalino's entire body transformed into light and appeared in midair, lasers shooting forward like a torrential rainstorm.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
For a moment, thunderous explosions rang out through the sky, the tremendous shockwaves making the warship shake violently.
As the warship drew closer to the island again, the mechanical voice that had forced Borsalino to retreat earlier sounded once more.
"One of the Five Elders of the World Government, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn..."
The moment the announcement began, a fierce barrage of gunfire erupted.
Because the bullets contained P-Matter, Borsalino could only completely transform into light, dodging the bullets raining toward the warship.
But in the next instant black lightning erupted like the descent of hell. A terrifying power burst forth from Saint Saturn's body.
Haki, almost tangible in its intensity.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
The incoming bullets fell onto the deck like rain. Yet Saturn, standing at the bow of the ship, didn't even move.
Meanwhile, on the Red Line, in Mary Geoise.
Two figures were hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment.
The Celestial Dragons were special. But even more special than the Celestial Dragons were the five old men in the Room of Authority, and the deeper existence known as Imu.
The Five Elders governed the world's politics, the God's Knights managed the Celestial Dragons themselves, while Imu rarely left the Flower Room.
The first time Rowan's disguise had been discovered was because he had approached Imu's forbidden domain.
And because he had disguised himself as a Celestial Dragon, the Five Elders had immediately exposed him.
But this time, with one of the Five Elders, Saturn, having left, once they began activating that strange teleportation array from his memories, all five of the Five Elders would leave this place.
That was when the opportunity would come.
And the ones coming to Mary Geoise were still not his main body, but merely two clones. For Rowan, this wasn't difficult.
Breaking into someone's home?
I can do that too.
Now, all he needed to do was wait for things to begin on his main body's side. He already had a rough idea of the timing, so he could afford to wait a little longer.
Time passed second by second.
Over at Baltigo, Saint Saturn had already led a large number of agents onto the island, with the extremely obedient and hard-working Borsalino following beside him.
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