Splash!
A gargantuan dark shadow breached the ocean surface, kicking up towering waves as it soared directly into the clouds. The high-altitude winds howled, snapping the Jolly Roger hanging from the mainmast.
"Heh~ Mina, we really are on the same wavelength, aren't we?" Aeridar leaned back comfortably on the sofa in the captain's quarters, a glass of juice in one hand and a Den Den Mushi in the other. He squinted his eyes with a smile. "I was just about to call you. What's the news?"
On the other end of the line, Mina didn't return his lighthearted tone. Instead, she spoke with professional gravity. "Captain, the Neo Marines has made its move. 'Black Arm' Zephyr has appeared!"
"Nani? Since when?" Aeridar's expression sharpened instantly.
"Exactly three hours ago. At the Neo Marines' secret port, they gathered over fifty warships of varying sizes, more than thirty thousand soldiers, and a dozen new-model airships. Zephyr himself appeared as the Supreme Commander," Mina reported solemnly. "And just moments ago, our intelligence officers sent word that the entire Neo Marines has deployed. The port is now completely empty, abandoned as if they have no intention of returning."
"Do we know their heading?" Aeridar asked quickly, a sense of alarm rising.
A former Marine Admiral, several powerful subordinates, fifty warships, thirty thousand troops, and an airship fleet, that was enough power to wipe a significant nation off the map.
Because of Aeridar's intervention, history had already deviated. He didn't know if the old man still intended to destroy the New World's three endpoints. If Zephyr decided to strike at him instead, it would be a massive headache. If they hit the Fernal Archipelago, even with the combined defenses of the Chris Pirates and the Donquixote Pirates, they could only hold out behind fortifications. The shipyards on the coasts would be decimated, and the central arms manufacturing bases would suffer heavy losses.
"Unknown. They have airships conducting aerial reconnaissance, and we've already lost three surveillance ships and two airships trying to track them. We've lost sight of their movements," Mina's tone was grim.
"Damn it. A full-scale deployment and abandoning their base... it seems the Neo Marines is ready to execute the next phase of their plan in one go!" Aeridar cursed.
"We don't know the specifics, but given their reckless abandonment of their home port, it must be a decisive grand plan," Mina analyzed.
"A decisive grand plan..." Aeridar's brow furrowed as the pieces fell into place. "Send scouts to monitor the waters around Firs, Secon, and Piriodo Island. We might find something there."
"Firs, Secon, and Piriodo Island... that legend?" Hearing the names, Mina immediately recalled the dark folklore. She spoke in disbelief: "Captain, surely not? Has that old man gone completely mad?"
Legend spoke of three endpoints in the New World that served as magma reservoirs. If all three were detonated, the subterranean magma would erupt, consuming the entire New World in fire. To most, it was just a ghost story, but the power players of the world knew the truth: those three reservoirs were real.
Firs Island was a secret Marine base. Even within the Marines, few knew it existed. It housed a massive stockpile of Dyna Stones, weapons said to rival the Ancient Weapons in destructive power, the perfect tools for destroying an endpoint.
Secon Island was a famous hot-spring resort. A bustling, densely populated island.
Piriodo Island was an uninhabited volcanic island where magma eruptions were frequent.
"Who knows?" Aeridar's eyes turned cold. If Zephyr succeeded in triggering the magma flow, Aeridar's entire empire in the New World would vanish into ash. This was something he could not allow to happen.
In the original timeline, the Straw Hat Pirates stopped the Neo Marines, but this was the real world. Now that Aeridar knew the possibility existed, he couldn't leave the fate of his world to luck or the Marines.
"Captain, if that truly is their plan, we cannot let that old man succeed. We should take this chance to wipe them out!" Mina suggested immediately.
"The Dyna Stones are the key. The Neo Marines's first target has to be Firs Island," Aeridar said firmly. "Gather our forces. Once they strike Firs, we intercept them at Secon or Piriodo Island!"
"Understood. I'll handle the intelligence," Mina said, before adding, "Should we notify the Marines?"
"The Marines take too long to mobilize on a large scale. These three islands are close together; the main Marine fleet won't necessarily arrive in time to stop them," Aeridar sneered at the Navy's bureaucracy. "We can't rely on others for this. It's better to do it ourselves."
Before hanging up, Aeridar added, "By the way, send ten tons of Fish-Man Island sweets to Big Mom. Use the airships. It must arrive within four days."
"Captain, I'm a little busy right now!" Mina grumbled, but she eventually relented. "Fine, I'll arrange it."
Click.
Aeridar hung up and massaged his temples. "What a pain. Why do all these old-timers love making trouble? Golden Lion Shiki, Red the Aloof, Byrnndi World... and now even Black Arm Zephyr. You're all ancient, can't you just stay retired? Annoying."
…
Marine Headquarters (Former G-1 Base).
Stomp, stomp, stomp...
SLAM!
"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, an S-class secret report! The Neo Marines has mobilized its entire force and their current whereabouts are unknown!" A Marine officer burst into the office, breathless.
"What? Unknown?" Sakazuki stood up, his face darkening. "Give it to me!"
He snatched the report. "Over fifty warships, more than thirty thousand soldiers..."
Sakazuki's expression grew increasingly grim. A former Admiral leading such a force, was he trying to wipe out a nation?
"Based on their trajectory, the suspected destination is... Firs Island!"
Sakazuki slammed his desk and stood up. "Quick! Get Vice Admiral Tsuru here! Summon all officers of General rank to the meeting room in thirty minutes!"