While Black was making merry, Ohara in the West Blue was facing a catastrophe.
Fleet B5 had already entered the waters near Ohara, and Sengoku stood at the bow of the command ship, gazing toward the Tree of Knowledge, which shimmered with the light of wisdom under the sunlight.
Not far away, three refugee ships carrying Ohara's civilians were slowly leaving the port.
Inside the Tree of Knowledge, Dr. Clover was holding a transponder snail. On the other end was Saturn, whose expression carried a cold sneer.
"Ohara will be destroyed because of your foolishness."
Dr. Clover gasped for breath. While secretly instructing the scholars to throw the books from the Tree of Knowledge into the lake, he stalled for time through the transponder snail.
"You cannot hide the truth forever!"
"Even if we die, there will be successors who will uncover history!"
"The people of the sea have the right to know the truth!"
"Unrepentant."
Saturn snorted coldly.
"How much do you actually know?"
Dr. Clover's tone became solemn and reverent, as if reciting an ancient incantation.
"There is breath in the void. The god of the forest sent demons to descend, and the sun continuously spread war. The children of the half-moon had a dream, and the children of the full moon also had a dream. Humans ascended to godhood after killing the sun. However, the god of the ocean was furious, and from then on, they could never see each other again."
Saturn's pupils contracted upon hearing this.
To those unaware of the truth, this passage sounded like a cryptic riddle.
But to Saturn, it was clear that Ohara had discovered far more than the World Government had anticipated.
His voice grew deeper.
"It seems you truly did uncover something extraordinary..."
After speaking, he hung up the transponder snail and immediately dialed Sengoku's transponder snail instead.
"Sengoku! Immediately destroy the refugee ships! Not a single remnant must leave Ohara!"
Sengoku's hand paused as he pushed his glasses upward.
"But Gorosei-sama, it has been confirmed that the refugee ships are carrying civilians who pose no threat to the World Government."
"Execute the order, Sengoku!"
Saturn ended the call before Sengoku could respond.
Sakazuki and Kuzan, who stood beside Sengoku, had naturally heard Saturn's command.
Kuzan frowned.
"Mr. Sengoku, do we really have to attack civilians?"
Sengoku's tone remained firm.
"This is an order from the World Government."
Sakazuki, however, had no such hesitation.
His fists transformed into molten magma.
Drops of magma fell onto the deck, burning two large holes into the wooden surface as thick Black smoke rose into the air.
"Meteor Volcano!"
As Sakazuki unleashed his attack, countless magma fists shot into the sky before raining down, completely covering the area where the refugee ships were located.
Seeing this, Saul who had been hiding in the forest could no longer remain still.
He was deeply dissatisfied with the Marine's decision to launch a Buster Call and had already defected from the Marines to rush to Ohara in order to help resist.
Saul charged from the beach into the sea. His massive giant body made the surrounding ocean appear like a mere pond.
He grabbed a Marine warship and lifted it high before hurling it toward another warship.
The two ships collided violently and shattered into countless fragments.
"Damn traitor!"
Sakazuki roared angrily and prepared to charge forward, but Kuzan had already moved ahead of him.
Seeing Kuzan act first, Sakazuki paused briefly.
He still needed to confirm whether the refugee ships had been completely destroyed. Dealing with the traitor could be left to Kuzan.
"Why did it come to this, Saul?"
Kuzan stood upon the frozen sea, slowly walking toward the giant.
Saul's furious roar echoed across the battlefield.
"The scholars did nothing wrong! They shouldn't have to pay such a terrible price!"
"So Mr. Sengoku sent you here to carry out the Buster Call, but instead you came to warn them?"
Saul swung a massive fist, attacking Kuzan first.
"The scholars are right! People have the right to know the truth!"
Kuzan did not dodge.
His body shattered into countless ice fragments that scattered through the air before slowly reforming.
"In that case... you will fall here today."
"You are the ones who should fall!"
Sengoku glanced briefly toward their battle before issuing a new command.
"Fire!"
The sunlight reflected off his glasses, concealing his expression.
In an instant, artillery fire rained down across the entire island of Ohara.
The Tree of Knowledge soon became engulfed in flames as thick smoke rose into the sky.
After confirming that the refugee ships had completely sunk beneath the sea, Sakazuki charged directly into the raging inferno.
After several rounds of bombardment, Sengoku's voice echoed throughout the entire fleet via the communication system. His tone was calm, yet absolutely resolute.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, confirm the progress of the Buster Call. Have the targets been completely eliminated?"
Sakazuki's voice came through the communicator, carrying the fierce intensity of burning magma.
"Ohara's leader, Clover, confirmed dead."
Sengoku glanced in Kuzan's direction.
He saw the man standing quietly on Ohara's shore.
In front of him stood Saul, whose enormous body was now completely encased in a thick layer of ice.
Sengoku let out a quiet sigh before giving the final order.
"The Buster Call is complete."
"Conduct the final round of bombardment. All soldiers return to the ships."
"Kuzan will handle the aftermath."
"Yes!"
...
Black learned of the Ohara Buster Call the following morning.
The delivery bird from the World Economy News Paper arrived punctually at the bow of the ship.
Stella took a newspaper and instinctively prepared to hand the delivery bird some Berries, but the bird suddenly flapped its wings and avoided the payment before flying away.
Stella was startled.
This behavior usually meant that something major had happened.
Looking down at the newspaper, she saw the headline:
"Archaeologists Touch the Forbidden Ohara Faces Catastrophe."
Stella's eyes widened in shock.
Without even reading the article, she rushed into the cabin and handed the newspaper to Black, who was calmly eating breakfast.
"Your Highness, something major has happened."
Black took the newspaper and immediately understood the situation after a quick glance.
He casually tossed the newspaper toward Olvia, who was standing quietly nearby.
"Look. This is the consequence of your so-called cleverness."
Olvia reached out and caught the newspaper.
After only a single glance, the color drained from her face, and her body swayed unsteadily.
"Mama!"
Robin, who had been watching Olvia closely, immediately abandoned her breakfast. She jumped from her chair and ran to her side.
The newspaper slipped from Olvia's trembling hands and was caught by Robin.
When Robin read the contents, she froze in place.
"Doctor... everyone..."
Her eyes quickly filled with tears.
Even though Black had warned her earlier, Robin already knew that Ohara would face punishment.
But despite mentally preparing herself, she had never imagined that the World Government's retaliation would be so cruel turning the entire island of Ohara into ruins.
"Logically speaking, it shouldn't have escalated to this extent."
"However, the scoundrels on the seas have been far from peaceful lately."
"In their search for Roger's so-called treasure, these fools have begun meddling with things they should never touch."
"This incident is a perfect opportunity to properly deter those ignorant idiots."
"But there is also good news."
"Your identity was never exposed."
"Perhaps CP never noticed your disappearance."
"Or perhaps they deliberately concealed it from the World Government to avoid getting themselves into trouble."
"In any case, once the storm passes, you will be safe."
"Doesn't that make you feel at least a little better?"
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