With her sharp insight, Tsuru immediately grasped what the enemy was planning. She waved her hand and gave her orders: "We cannot focus our defences only on the plaza area. It is highly likely that while we are busy dealing with Kaido, Shiki will land his forces in other parts of the island. And as for Grimm, he still hasn't shown himself anywhere. I suspect Shiki has already sent him straight to the skies above Mary Geoise!"
"Exactly right!"
At that moment, the voice of Fleet Admiral Kong rang out through the naval communications system: "Do not let your attention be completely drawn to Kaido and his two commanders, no matter how much they taunt or provoke you!"
"I agree."
Fleet Admiral Kong continued, "Do not focus all your strength on Kaido. We have no way of knowing when or where Shiki will choose to make his landing. For now, all forces are to spread out and remain on high alert to guard against any surprise attacks from the Golden Lion's fleet. We only need to leave enough elite soldiers here to handle Kaido and his group."
Sengoku understood immediately. He glanced over at the six figures already locked in fierce combat, their battle reaching a point where neither side could easily gain the upper hand.
Sakazuki vs Kaido
Kuzan vs Jack
Borsalino vs King
Wait a moment…
"What is Borsalino playing at? What does he mean by striking only once every five seconds?!"
Shaking his head, Sengoku went on, "We will leave these three monsters in your hands to deal with!"
He nodded solemnly, then began issuing orders to rearrange their forces. Only a portion of their strength would remain here to face Kaido, with the burden of the battle resting mainly on the three officers who were candidates for Admiral.
"Remember, right now our greatest enemy is Shiki," Sengoku reminded them one last time. His meaning was clear: Take a page out of Borsalino's book. If you can strike once every five seconds and still hold your ground, why rush to strike five times in a single second? Isn't it better to conserve your strength and stamina while you fight?
If they threw themselves fully into the battle and exhausted all their power, they would be playing right into Shiki's hands. In short, their main priority right now was defence.
The entire naval force stationed at Marineford began to spread out across the whole island, taking up positions in every district and corner, their eyes constantly fixed on the sky above. More than three thousand soldiers remained behind to provide support and assistance to the three Admiral candidates.
High up in the sky, thousands of metres above the battlefield, Shiki watched the images transmitted through his Den Den Mushi, a deep frown forming on his face.
"As expected of Sengoku… he has distributed his forces perfectly, and found exactly the right way to deal with Kaido and his group!"
Although he could not see every detail of what was happening on the ground, he could clearly make out how the naval forces had arranged and positioned themselves.
"Captain Shiki, they have scattered their forces across the island and are keeping watch from all directions. This makes it very difficult for us to find a safe place to land!" A tall, slender swordsman stepped forward and reported to him.
While a fleet capable of flying through the air held an overwhelming advantage when it came to escaping or retreating, this power also had its risks and disadvantages when it came to making landfall.
If the enemy knew exactly where you intended to land and launched their attacks while you were still descending, your entire force could be wiped out or crushed to death before your feet even touched the ground.
"Heh…"
Shiki's mouth twisted into a wicked grin around his cigar. He picked up another Den Den Mushi marked with a cross symbol and spoke into it: "How is everything going on your end?"
The eyes of the snail-like creature opened, revealing pupils as black as night, and Grimm's voice came through clearly: "The people of the World Government have already discovered our presence."
Shiki ended the call with a smile, then stood up and walked to the bow of the Golden Lion. He first used his Observation Haki to sense and locate the position of the two floating islands where Grimm was stationed. The very next instant, his eyes snapped wide open, and he immediately released the power he had been using to keep those islands suspended in the air.
---
At this very moment, high above the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, countless government agents dressed in formal suits stood atop the towering Red Line, gazing up at the two enormous landmasses floating in the sky above them.
This place was already located higher than almost any other point in the world, close to the very edge of the atmosphere. Even with the power of the Float-Float Fruit, this was the highest possible altitude at which these islands could be kept suspended.
The World Government employed far more powerful and skilled individuals than the Navy, even though most of them were rarely mentioned or seen in public. The moment the two islands began drawing near, several people had already sensed their presence using Observation Haki—though Grimm had no way of knowing exactly who had detected him.
Were these hidden masters working directly for the government? Were they the Five Elders themselves? Or could it be none other than Im, the supreme ruler and leader of the Celestial Dragons?
Deep within the heart of Mary Geoise, the eldest of the Five Elders—an elderly man with golden hair—watched through a visual Den Den Mushi alongside his four colleagues as the floating landmasses drew closer and closer. His brow furrowed deeply.
"Shiki… that madman is actually using entire islands as weapons to crash down upon Mary Geoise!"
The Elder with curly hair narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "His main fleet is nowhere to be seen… does that mean he is only controlling these two islands?"
"Regardless of the situation, allowing these islands to remain floating above Mary Geoise is an extremely dangerous situation and cannot be permitted!" said the Elder who always carried a sword, speaking with complete calm and composure.
"At present, the islands are located in zone 307, within range of our defences. Bring them down!"
Though the Five Elders maintained an air of absolute calm and authority, deep down they were filled with shock and disbelief at how far Shiki was willing to go.
"That man Shiki… he has clearly already made up his mind to die in this attack."
"Has he been driven to such madness simply by the legacy and achievements of Roger?"
They had always thought it was remarkable enough that Shiki had the courage to stand up and challenge the Navy openly. Even though he was a pirate, the Five Elders still held a great deal of respect for him.
In the past, they had even lamented the fact that a man of his talent and strength refused to serve them.
Did he desire wealth, power, or beautiful women?
Was there anything in the entire world that the World Government could not provide him? Why choose to become a pirate and live outside the law?
Yet no matter what they offered or promised, Shiki had never been swayed or tempted. He truly was a wild and untamable lion—and lions belonged in the open plains, free to run wherever they wished, did they not?
Although the Navy served as the primary shield and defence force for the World Government, Mary Geoise did not rely entirely upon them for protection. They had hidden within their ranks a force of powerful warriors whose strength and skill was easily equal to that of the Navy's greatest officers.
Shortly after the Five Elders issued their orders, something unexpected happened. The two islands hovering in the sky suddenly began to plummet downward at terrifying speed. The Five Elders watching through the transmission were caught completely by surprise.
How is this possible? We haven't even taken any action yet… why are the islands falling on their own accord?
Standing calmly at the very edge of the rapidly descending landmass, Grimm began to speak in a clear, commanding voice: "Activate all auras—Devotion Aura, Retribution Aura, and Radiance Aura. Activate Seal of Blood, Blessing of Might, Blessing of Wisdom, Blessing of Kings, Blessing of Might Weapon, and Blessing of Angels…"
In an instant, a brilliant golden light surrounded Grimm, shining with such intensity and power that he looked exactly like a divine being descended from the heavens, illuminating the sky and the earth all around him.
"Before long, the Holy Light will rise up, and all fate shall be broken and defeated by my hand!"
ROAR!
Inside their office, the Five Elders had not even had time to fully comprehend what that blinding golden light was, when they saw clouds of dust and debris being thrown up by the impact of the falling islands.
And from within that cloud of destruction, hundreds and thousands of terrifying, rampaging creatures came pouring out.
Whether they were monstrous praying mantises larger than elephants, or beasts with the head of a horse and the body of a tiger, these creatures—creatures that would normally never be seen anywhere in the world—all shared one common trait: they were now completely consumed by bloodlust and rage.
While the government agents standing guard at the entrance of Mary Geoise watched in stunned disbelief, the creatures rushing from the islands began to be enveloped in a thick red mist of blood and energy.
Their bodies grew rapidly, increasing in size right before everyone's eyes. In less than thirty seconds, every single one of them had transformed into terrifying abominations, looking exactly like demons that had escaped straight from the depths of hell—creatures whose very appearance inspired nothing but terror and the overwhelming urge to flee.
"Those things…!"
The Elder with long silver hair stared at the monsters charging toward them, and suddenly remembered a special scientific research project conducted years ago by the brilliant scientist, Vegapunk.
Experiments conducted using cells extracted from creatures created by Grimm, which were used to breed powerful, ferocious beasts.
Any animal or human being infected by this substance would gain incredible strength and power far beyond their natural limits—but at the cost of their sanity and reason, turning them into mindless monsters that existed only to hunt and devour living flesh.
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