"What?!"
"They started the battle in the middle of the night?!"
"But why is it being broadcast live?! The Navy never said anything about this!"
Although everyone rushed outside, they were all deeply confused. Why was there a live broadcast?
This was nothing like the Summit War between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy that would happen years later.
That battle was broadcast because Ace was scheduled for execution and they knew exactly when Whitebeard would arrive.
But Shiki's war was an entirely different matter. He had given a whole month's notice—nobody knew exactly which day or hour he would strike!
Did they expect news crews to film Marineford non-stop for an entire month just in case? That was impossible!
Yet, when the pirates and citizens of Sabaody reached the main square, they saw the scenes of Marineford being displayed on huge screens from multiple different angles.
It wasn't just a live feed—it was being broadcast from every direction.
Watching the hellish battlefield unfold before their eyes, everyone was left wondering: How is this even possible?
Far away at Marineford, inside the Golden Lion's science lab which was now hovering less than a hundred metres above the ground, Dr. Indigo pressed a button. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect! That should do it!"
Of course, this broadcast wasn't organised by the Navy. It was all the doing of Indigo, Shiki's loyal partner and friend.
Through bribery, threats, and coercion, they had gained control over the news networks in Sabaody. With help from inside agents of the Golden Lion Pirates, they had installed Den Den Mushi cameras on their ships, secretly placed them on buildings throughout Marineford, and coordinated with news agencies pre-positioned in Sabaody to make this entire broadcast possible.
This was exactly what Shiki wanted.
As he put it himself: "Roger accomplished his great deeds while the whole world watched. How could I possibly let myself be outdone by him?!"
---
Meanwhile, sitting atop a large red tree in the centre of Sabaody's square, Silvers Rayleigh held a telescope, watching the screens intently.
Seeing that magnificent figure on the battlefield—standing proud and awe-inspiring, using two swords in place of legs—Rayleigh took a sip of his drink and murmured, "Shiki… is your life finally coming to an end?"
Since the feed was coming from multiple cameras, Rayleigh was switching his gaze between different screens. But when he glanced at one particular display, his brow furrowed deeply. "Wait a minute… this doesn't look like Marineford at all!"
It wasn't just Rayleigh; many others had noticed that the footage on one screen was completely different from the rest.
The scenes from Marineford were terrifying, brutal, and soaked in blood. But this image was much quieter, and the architecture was nothing like Marineford!
Soon, everyone's attention was drawn to it. A reporter wearing glasses stared in shock and stammered, "Th-This… isn't this the Holy Land of Mary Geoise?!"
His words sent shockwaves through the entire crowd.
"Are you kidding me?! Mary Geoise?!"
That was the seat of supreme power—the home of the Five Elders, the World Nobles, and the Celestial Dragons! Due to the angle, only a corner of the grand white palace was visible, and the shot was a bit shaky.
Suddenly, the image spun wildly around. It was most likely because the Den Den Mushi camera had been knocked over by something.
Then, the picture steadied again, as if mounted on something moving. When it finally rotated to face forward, the view was clear: the great white palace standing high above the clouds, atop the Red Line—the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
And there… just like on the battlefields of Marineford, were countless blood-red monstrous beasts. And standing high above them all… was a single figure cloaked in golden light.
Rayleigh felt the old scar under his right eye begin to throb painfully. As the figure drew closer, he lowered his telescope, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Grimm… it really is him!"
The live feed from Mary Geoise was also Indigo's doing. It wasn't difficult for him to modify and attach small Den Den Mushi directly onto the bodies of some of the beasts.
The reason the footage was so shaky and unstable was simply because the monsters were running around wildly.
As the creature carrying the camera moved closer to the golden figure, everyone got a clear view of his face. He wore a faint smile, his eyes filled with absolute confidence and conviction.
It was as if he wasn't looking at the heavily guarded Holy Land, but merely at a flock of sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Grimm! One of the Four Emperors of the New World!
He was actually at Mary Geoise!
"What is happening?! Is the Great Eternal Pope Grimm actually attacking Mary Geoise?!"
"No… impossible! No one has ever dared to do such a thing in history!"
The crowd was on the verge of panic. They were already terrified enough that Shiki was challenging the Navy, but Grimm was going even further—he was striking directly at the heart of the World Government!
And judging by what they could see, aside from the monsters, he appeared to be completely alone.
On one side, the Golden Lion Pirates assaulted Marine Headquarters. On the other, Grimm marched upon Mary Geoise.
Since Shiki's men had only hijacked the broadcast systems within Sabaody Archipelago, they couldn't transmit the signal to the entire world like the Navy did during the Summit War.
For now, only the people of Sabaody could watch these events unfold live.
But there was no shortage of reporters here. Upon hearing the news, hundreds of them scrambled out of bed, grabbing their notepads and rushing to the square.
Even though it was deep into the night, the scenes playing out—especially the horrific and bloody violence—were so captivating that everyone felt glued to the screens.
The feed showing Grimm and Mary Geoise was only one channel, and much shakier compared to the stable shots of Shiki's battle.
But just the name "Mary Geoise" was enough to draw a massive crowd. After all, the World Government remained an enigma to ordinary people. The very name "Mary Geoise" was something usually only known within official circles.
"What are those creatures?"
Right now, Indigo's Den Den Mushi was focusing on Grimm's location.
Because the beasts infected with the Blood Plague had lost all reason and were in a constant state of frenzy, the camera bounced around violently, only occasionally capturing glimpses of Grimm or the Government agents before panning away again.
At that moment, Grimm stood atop an infected ostrich, gazing toward the front lines where Government agents were clashing with the monsters. The continuous barrage of cannon fire was effectively halting the advance of the beast horde.
"As expected… the Government's final line of defence is not something that can be broken easily."
Even with Indigo's improvements, the infected beasts could only maintain their fighting strength for an average of thirty minutes before collapsing. They couldn't afford to waste time here.
Making up his mind, Grimm immediately contacted Plank through their communication link.
"Target coordinate: one thousand metres directly in front of me. Activate Cannon Barrage! Fire at will, immediately!"
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