Even after all the precautions the Revolutionary Army had taken, the World Government's reach and capabilities still exceeded their expectations.
At that very moment, one fleet carrying an exceptionally important mission was making its way through dangerous waters.
The ships were transporting far more than ordinary cargo.
A large number of the Revolutionary Army's core researchers were aboard—scientists whose accumulated knowledge represented a crucial part of the organization's future. Alongside them were precious technical archives, the results of countless days and nights of research, containing technologies with the potential to reshape the balance of the world.
Part of the Revolutionary Army's weapons stockpile from the South Blue had also been loaded into the holds, carefully secured for transport.
Using a temporary route provided by the Eternal Divine Kingdom, the fleet was attempting to cross a treacherous stretch of sea permanently shrouded in dense fog.
The region had always been notorious for its danger.
The heavy mist blanketing the water concealed countless unknown threats, but at first, nothing seemed particularly unusual.
The waves were rough, but manageable.
Water slapped rhythmically against the hulls, and the sailors gradually began to relax.
Then—
Without warning, everything changed.
The sea erupted as though some enormous beast beneath the surface had suddenly been enraged.
Towering waves rose like mountains, crashing into one another with deafening force.
"Hold on!"
"Something's wrong!"
"Is this a storm?! How?!"
Seawater poured across the decks and into the lower compartments as crews desperately worked to reinforce the ships against the sudden disaster.
At the same time, the sky began behaving strangely.
Clouds that had been scattered across the horizon suddenly converged, drawn together as though some invisible hand were stirring the heavens.
They twisted.
Rolled.
And gradually formed an enormous vortex.
The spiral grew faster and larger with every passing second, until it seemed capable of swallowing the entire sky.
Then an oppressive presence descended from its center.
Noble.
Cold.
Absolute.
The pressure spread across the entire sea like a tangible weight, sinking deep into everyone's bones.
Every person aboard the fleet felt the same primal fear—
as though unseen eyes were watching them from somewhere above.
BZZZZT—!
Before anyone could fully comprehend what they were seeing, a dazzling golden slash composed almost entirely of sacred-looking light tore across the sky.
It was so bright that no one could look directly at it.
Without warning, it cleaved through the dense fog like divine judgment descending from the heavens and struck one of the transport ships near the center of the formation.
BOOOOM!!
A tremendous explosion shook the sea.
A huge fireball erupted into the air, illuminating the dark waters.
Fragments of the ship flew in every direction. Some crashed into the ocean and threw up towering sprays, while others struck nearby vessels and caused further damage.
The fleet instantly descended into chaos.
Shouts.
Screams.
The roar of the waves.
All of it merged into one terrifying cacophony.
The transport ship carrying so many irreplaceable people and resources never even had time to issue a proper warning.
A second flash of light cut through it with merciless precision.
The vessel was severed cleanly through the middle.
Then flames surged upward like a ravenous beast.
Fire devoured what remained of the hull, painting the wreckage crimson as shattered timbers and metal rained down into the sea.
Supplies.
Research materials.
Crew members who had not even had time to react.
All of them were swallowed by the raging waves and dragged into the depths.
"ENEMY ATTACK! HIGHEST ALERT!"
The Revolutionary Army officer commanding the escort had gone deathly pale.
Sweat rolled down his forehead as he roared into the communicator with everything he had.
The moment the order was given, the remaining escort ships reacted.
Protective barriers flared to life one after another, brilliant shields rising around the vessels.
Combat personnel sprinted toward their stations without hesitation.
Fear was present in their eyes—
but so was resolve.
Then the fog began to disperse.
Not naturally.
It was being forced apart by an overwhelming presence.
As the mist peeled away, several figures gradually came into view atop the turbulent sea ahead.
They stood tall and imposing, like gods stepped directly out of myth.
Each wore archaic yet magnificent silver armor, every plate gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.
White cloaks embroidered with the emblem of the World Government billowed behind them.
Their faces were partially concealed beneath elaborate masks, leaving only cold, arrogant mouths exposed.
Some stood directly upon the surface of the sea without disturbing even a ripple beneath their feet.
Others hovered effortlessly in the air.
The pressure radiating from them was as heavy as a mountain, making even breathing difficult.
These were warriors who answered directly to the Celestial Dragons.
Feared throughout the world as the Spear of the Gods—
the infamous God's Knights.
One knight at the front slowly stepped forward.
The long sword in his hand burned with brilliant golden flames, blazing like the heart of the sun.
His voice was cold with contempt.
"Filthy rats."
"You think serving a new master will save you from God's judgment?"
...
The knight's voice was as cold and sharp as ice striking ice, every word dripping with the indifference and contempt of someone looking down upon insects.
To him, the revolutionaries before him were insignificant creatures destined to be wiped out.
There was no warning.
No attempt at negotiation.
The battle erupted in an instant.
Several members of the God's Knights moved like phantoms emerging from the darkness, surging straight into the Revolutionary Army fleet at speeds far beyond anything ordinary soldiers could follow.
Their movements were refined and precise, every step and strike carrying the polish of warriors who had trained for years at the highest level.
They leaped from ship to ship like shadows.
Most people could barely even track them with their eyes.
Their bodies contained terrifying strength, and every swing of their weapons stirred violent currents through the surrounding air.
Their mastery of Haki was even more frightening.
Powerful waves of it radiated outward almost tangibly, pressing down across the battlefield and making everything around them tremble.
Golden sword light flashed again and again.
Each brilliant arc was followed by the shriek of displaced air—
and then the deafening crash of another Revolutionary Army vessel being torn open.
Hull plating split beneath the attacks as though it were paper.
Deep gashes appeared across ships that had been built to withstand heavy combat, wooden debris exploding outward as seawater immediately rushed through the breaches.
The people aboard suffered even worse.
Screams filled the decks.
Blood splashed across the planks and ran down the sides of the ships, mixing into the dark sea below.
"For the flame of revolution! Hold them back!"
At the critical moment, the Revolutionary Army fighters roared and launched their counterattack.
Their eyes burned red with determination.
There was no hesitation.
No retreat.
Cannons and firearms thundered in rapid succession, sending volleys toward the God's Knights in an attempt to halt their advance.
Haki clashed against Haki, producing heavy shock waves that made the surrounding air tremble.
Battle cries rose from every direction, resolute and desperate.
Explosions repeatedly tore across the sea, setting ships and floating debris ablaze as thick smoke rolled into the sky.
The ambush had come far too suddenly.
The Revolutionary Army had been carrying out its relocation according to plan, never expecting such a powerful force to intercept them here.
Worse still, the brutality of the fighting exceeded anything they had anticipated.
Every passing second saw another comrade fall.
Every ship was being pushed closer to destruction.
The God's Knights were far stronger than ordinary Marine officers.
Their individual power was exceptional, and their coordination was seamless, making them resemble different parts of a single perfectly functioning war machine.
Against enemies like these, the Revolutionary Army's evacuation force had been thrown into one of the most dangerous situations it had faced since the organization's founding.
Ahead stood the God's Knights, waiting to slaughter them.
Behind stretched the violent and unpredictable sea.
Every surrounding route had effectively been sealed.
Whether they could break through an interception carried out by one of the World Government's highest fighting forces and reach the Eternal Divine Kingdom had become an enormous question.
Every revolutionary understood what was at stake.
A single mistake could mean total annihilation.
And if that happened, the hopes carried aboard these vessels could disappear along with them.
Even so, no one loosened their grip on their weapons.
They gritted their teeth and prepared to fight to the death.
...
Elsewhere, another Revolutionary Army evacuation group was also making its way toward the Eternal Divine Kingdom.
This convoy carried equally important personnel and resources, but its security forces were led personally by Sabo.
Sabo stood at the head of the operation, calm and resolute, giving everyone around him a sense that no obstacle could stop them as long as he remained there.
Until now, the voyage had been relatively quiet.
There had been few unexpected complications.
Even so, everyone remained alert, carefully protecting one another and the invaluable cargo entrusted to them while silently hoping they could reach their destination without incident.
But fate had other plans.
Just as several deep-sea transport vessels were about to enter the territorial waters of the Eternal Divine Kingdom—
just when everyone began to believe safety was finally within reach—
disaster struck without warning.
BOOOOM—!!!
The explosion was so violent that it felt as though the heavens themselves had been torn apart.
A dazzling golden pillar of light, formed from an almost unimaginably concentrated mass of energy, plunged directly through more than a hundred meters of dark-blue seawater.
The ocean churned violently around it.
Like a spear hurled down by an enraged god, the beam carried overwhelming destructive force—
and struck the Deep Sea Ghost directly in its vital propulsion system.
The underwater explosion was muffled by the surrounding sea, but that only made the sound more oppressive.
The damage itself was immediate and horrifying.
The enormous submarine lurched forward as though it had been rammed by some prehistoric sea monster.
Lights throughout the vessel began flickering wildly.
Shrill alarms screamed through the corridors.
Then freezing seawater burst through the enormous breach and poured into the ship with savage force.
"Enemy attack!"
The captain's eyes widened in horror inside the command room.
"It's the God's Knights!"
His expression twisted with disbelief.
"How the hell did they pinpoint our position this accurately?!"