Buru buru buru…
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi beside Shiki began to ring, and Grimm's voice came through clearly from the receiver: "Shiki, has your press conference come to an end yet?"
High in the sky, a thousand metres above the Sabaody Archipelago, Grimm sat comfortably in his chair. Resting on the armrest beside him was another small Den Den Mushi.
"I've been waiting eagerly for this moment. But more importantly, I want to fight the Navy when they are at their absolute peak. If Sengoku and Garp aren't even here to face us, then even if we win, it won't feel like much of a victory at all."
"Besides… my original target was the World Government, yet here you are choosing to attack the Navy instead. Have you gotten our plans mixed up somewhere along the line, Shiki?"
Grimm smiled faintly. "Ah, well… never mind, it's nothing. For now, let's send Kaido and his crew straight to Marineford first. Think of it as our little surprise gift to them!"
"Are you saying we should just drop him straight down from here? We're a thousand metres up in the air, you know!" Shiki asked casually.
"Stop your nonsense and just throw us down already! I'm not even afraid of it, so what are you scared of, you coward?!" Kaido roared loudly in response.
---
[Main Attributes]
World of Warcraft Paladin Strength: 116%
Crusader Level: 87 (15% Experience)
Weapon: Ashbringer – 125% Power
Weapon: The Silver Hand – 39% Power
Weapon: Truthkeeper – 86% Power
Haste (affects all movement and action speeds): 188%
Half a month had passed since Shiki made his public declaration to attack the Navy, and the entire world had been thrown into a state of chaos and panic. Needless to say, the Navy had immediately recalled all forces stationed across every corner of the globe back to Marine Headquarters to prepare for the coming war.
Just from the names of elite officers appearing in the newspapers these days, one could see how seriously they were taking the threat: Borsalino, Sakazuki, Kuzan, Tsuru, etc…
But there was one thing that caught Grimm's attention: the name of Garp was nowhere to be found in any of the reports.
There was only one possible reason why such a powerful figure would remain away from Headquarters. Garp had been ordered to stay behind in the New World to keep watch and prevent other major pirate powers from taking advantage of the situation and launching their own attacks—most notably, Edward Newgate and Charlotte Linlin.
Although Grimm did not know if the Navy had realised that he himself had vanished from his usual routes, he was certain that Whitebeard would never take part in this conflict. Just as he had told the man himself when he left the Moby Dick years ago, Whitebeard had long since lost his ambition and desire for conquest.
"Are you trying to catch up to Roger's legacy while you still have some strength left in you? You are likely going to die on the battlefield this time, you know… No, not likely—you will die, Shiki… Hehe…" Grimm thought to himself with a cold smile.
From what he had gathered in the news, the total number of naval forces assembled was more than five times the size of the Golden Lion's fleet. Even if one counted all the powerful, monstrous beings under Shiki's command, the Navy still held a three-to-one advantage in numbers.
No matter how one looked at it, Shiki and his crew were clearly at a disadvantage, and Shiki himself was fully aware that he would very likely lose his life in this battle.
But he would rather die fighting than live out his days in weakness and decay like Redfield, spend his life in quiet seclusion like Rayleigh, or become nothing more than a "living legend" who did nothing but rest on past glories like Whitebeard.
Shiki had only ever had one goal in his life: to achieve something that even Roger himself had never accomplished. And for the sake of that goal, he was willing to pay any price—even his own life.
At this moment, high in the sky five thousand metres above Water 7, an island located very close to Marine Headquarters, several large landmasses separated from the Island of Miracles floated among the clouds, surrounding the fleet of ships. There were now fewer than ten days remaining until the battle was set to begin.
"It's about time we started moving, don't you think?" Grimm contacted Shiki through the Den Den Mushi.
"Gahahahahaha! Are you growing impatient already, Grimm? Relax and be at ease. I'll first take us high above Mary Geoise, just as we planned, and then we shall put our scheme into action!" Shiki's voice came through the receiver, filled with wild excitement and a hint of madness.
"My life… it is about to shine with the most brilliant light it has ever known! Gahahahahaha! Hahaha… ha… ha… ha…!"
---
Marine Headquarters, Marineford
Only two days remained until the promised day of battle, and countless elite officers and soldiers recalled from every corner of the world stood ready, prepared for action at a moment's notice.
Tsuru sat with her hands folded beneath her chin. "Although Shiki stated clearly that the attack will take place the day after tomorrow, the man who once led the Flying Pirates has always been a master of strategy and deception. We cannot let our guard down for even a single second."
"That is exactly the kind of man he is…"
Admiral Sengoku spoke with a heavy, solemn tone. "There is another matter that requires our attention. Reports have come in from Garp and Zephyr, who are stationed in the New World. Among the Four Emperors, only Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin remain in their territories. Kaido and Grimm have both vanished without a trace for nearly a month now."
Tsuru fell silent for a moment, considering the situation carefully before speaking slowly. "Kaido… it is said that he disappeared immediately after the battle on Banilla Island. It is possible, though highly unlikely, that he was captured or taken prisoner during that fight.
"As for Grimm… he has always been a man who travels wherever he pleases, making it nearly impossible to track his movements. However, our spies stationed on Fish-Man Island have not reported any sightings of him passing through either the New World or Paradise. This suggests that he most likely remains somewhere within the New World.
"But there is one detail that cannot be ignored. Aside from Jiana, who remains stationed permanently in the Holy Land, his other two top commanders—Plank the Terror of the Seas and Yasuo the King of Intimidation—have also disappeared completely."
After finishing her report, Tsuru sank back into deep thought.
The Navy was certainly not foolish enough to take every word Shiki spoke at face value. He said he would attack the day after tomorrow—but who could be certain he would keep to that timeline?
That old rascal… there is no way we can trust him. It would come as no surprise at all if he struck us out of nowhere the very next second. Even in his younger days, Shiki had always loved using the power of his Float-Float Fruit to launch sudden, unexpected attacks, and it seemed he had not changed his ways one bit.
At present, more than eighty thousand naval soldiers and officers had been gathered and placed on full alert, ready to respond instantly in case the Golden Lion's fleet suddenly descended from the skies.
Based on their intelligence and investigations, the Navy held a numerical advantage of more than five-to-one compared to the enemy forces.
As for the enemy's strongest fighters, aside from Shiki himself, the Navy was confident that they could deal with his other commanders. However, nothing in war was ever truly certain. And given that Kaido and Grimm had both vanished without explanation, there was no way to be sure whether or not they had joined forces with Shiki and were preparing to fight alongside him.
For this reason, the Navy had prepared for the absolute worst-case scenario, operating under the assumption that Kaido, Grimm, and all of their respective subordinates were already part of Shiki's forces.
If this turned out to be true, the situation would become incredibly dangerous. The Navy had never before faced an assault led by such a massive collection of powerful and dangerous figures all at once.
There was even a very real possibility that Marine Headquarters itself could be completely destroyed…
In the New World, Garp and Zephyr had been assigned the heavy responsibility of maintaining order and security. Zephyr, in particular, could barely remember the last time he had been placed on the front lines of such a critical conflict.
Sengoku and Kong had been placed in command of the forces facing Shiki, supported by four officers currently holding the titles of "Yellow Monkey", "Blue Pheasant", "Red Dog", and "Wisteria Tiger"—all of whom were considered prime candidates for promotion to the rank of Admiral, and whose strength was already nearly equal to those holding the position.
On paper, this formation was more than enough to deal with the threat posed by the Golden Lion Pirates.
But if the worst-case scenario did indeed come to pass…
If Kaido brought his two most powerful commanders—Jack the Drought and King the Conflagration—and joined forces with Grimm and his trusted subordinates Plank and Yasuo… then the outcome of the coming battle would become incredibly uncertain, and the Navy's chances of victory would hang by a very thin thread.
"Even though I know I won't be able to sleep, I still need to get some rest. I am getting old, and my energy is nothing compared to what it used to be when I was younger…"
Tsuru stood up slowly and left the office of the Fleet Admiral.
__________________
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