Saint Rosward, in particular, had never suffered any kind of injury since childhood, so his body's immune system was relatively weak.
On top of that, the punch had struck him squarely in the forehead. Straw Hat Luffy had seemingly thrown it in a fit of rage, and the blow had even been infused with Haki.
Therefore...
"There are no excuses! No matter what methods or secret treasures you must employ, you will keep Saint Rosward alive!"
"You may use any extreme measures necessary. It does not matter even if he becomes an idiot afterward. As long as he remains alive! Allowing a pirate to beat a Celestial Dragon to death would be the most absurd joke in the world and an unprecedented humiliation for the World Government!"
"If anything happens to Saint Rosward, every last one of you will be buried alongside him! The World Government will also become the laughingstock of the entire world!"
"Straw Hat Luffy! The Straw Hat Pirates! We were too focused on the matter involving Fire Fist Ace to properly pursue them for defeating Moria. This time, they must be thoroughly eliminated!"
"Where is Aokiji? That bastard deliberately held back when he was with Garp at Water 7, allowing those people to escape. In that sense, he bears an undeniable share of responsibility for this incident! Send him there again. Should he go easy on them and allow the Straw Hat Pirates to escape once more, his career as an Admiral will end there!"
The Five Elders could not conceal their fury, and each of them growled in a low voice.
The Cipher Pol agent responsible for conveying their orders trembled in fear, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Soon afterward, Aokiji left Marine Headquarters with a troubled expression. Wearing his Admiral's coat over his shoulders, he rode his small bicycle toward the Sabaody Archipelago at full speed.
...
On the Thunder God Pirates' side, Baron Tamago passed news of the upcoming operation to the division commanders, after which they began actively mobilizing their personnel.
The Thunder God Pirates possessed a vast organization and extensive holdings, and countless eyes were watching their every move.
The moment they made any noticeable movement, the various powers would inevitably detect it.
The Whitebeard Pirates and the World Government paid little attention to them.
Both sides were actively preparing for the great war that was about to begin and had no time to concern themselves with the Thunder God Pirates' movements.
The former genuinely did not care, while the latter had already stopped worrying about how much worse its situation might become.
Big Mom and Shanks, however, both fell into a strange silence.
When they recalled the invitation the Thunder Emperor had previously sent them, they each began to form a vague guess.
Charlotte Linlin chose to stay out of the conflict and observe from the sidelines. Shanks, meanwhile, accepted Beckman's advice and decided to join forces with the Thunder Emperor.
Although they did not know exactly what the Thunder Emperor intended to do, it was certain to be another major event capable of reshaping the world's balance of power!
Although the Red Hair Pirates were also counted among the Three Emperors, they possessed the weakest foundation of the three.
They had far less to lose. Unlike Big Mom, who had too many interests to consider, they could afford to take this gamble alongside the Thunder God Pirates.
While Shanks and Beckman were discussing the matter, inside the Golden Palace on Raijin Island...
"The division commanders have already begun gathering capable fighters. We did not inform too many people because we are employing a small, elite force for this operation. All the explosives have also been placed. We only require your command, Captain, and we can activate the device. When that happens, all three undersea volcanoes will be blown apart."
Baron Tamago paused noticeably during his report. After hesitating briefly, he continued.
"Bon... Captain, according to our estimates, if all three undersea volcanoes are destroyed, the resulting natural disaster will possess enough power to annihilate the New World. Therefore..."
"You are worried that we will also be caught in the destruction, aren't you?"
"...Yes."
"You do not need to worry about that," Roy reassured him.
This was probably not Baron Tamago's concern alone. Many others were undoubtedly thinking the same thing.
"I would never treat my own life as a joke. Everything I am doing serves a purpose. You do not need to concern yourselves with anything else. Simply follow my orders."
"...As you command, Captain!"
Roy watched Tamago depart, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes.
"Moreover, the reason Luffy struck a Celestial Dragon was because of the incident involving that mermaid named Camie."
"But Fish-Man Island now flies the flag of the Thunder God Pirates! Doflamingo is already gone. Who gave those people the courage to continue disregarding the authority of the Thunder God Pirates?"
"It seems the Thunder God Pirates have remained quiet for too long. Even a group of worthless scum has gradually begun to grow bolder!"
...
On the Sabaody Archipelago...
After Straw Hat Luffy sent the Celestial Dragon Saint Rosward flying, the entire Sabaody Archipelago was plunged into panic.
All the residents hid inside their homes. Aside from the Marines, the only people still running through the streets and plazas were pirates!
For a time, the entire Sabaody Archipelago descended into complete chaos!
After all, the person who had been attacked was a Celestial Dragon!
Whenever one of them was assaulted, an Admiral would be dispatched!
Rumors claimed that Marine Headquarters had already sent an Admiral, but no one knew exactly what was happening on the island now.
While the island's residents trembled in fear, elsewhere on the archipelago—
Boom!
A searing projectile resembling a mass of boiling magma exploded against the ground.
Eustass Kid, one of the pirate Supernovas, narrowly dodged it in a rather undignified manner. Even so, the projectile still grazed him, leaving a burn across his abdomen.
"Ugh..."
He pressed a hand against the wound on his abdomen and stared forward while enduring the intense pain.
A massive figure stood directly ahead of him.
A few wisps of smoke still drifted from the corner of its mouth, making it obvious that the magma projectile had been fired by it.
The figure was none other than a special war weapon created in the likeness of Emporio Ivankov, the Okama King and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
It was a Pacifista!
That was right—it had been modeled after Emporio Ivankov.
Because Kuma had joined the Thunder God Pirates, Dragon had sent Ivankov to infiltrate the Seven Warlords as an undercover agent.
As a result, the current generation of Pacifistas had been manufactured in Ivankov's likeness.
Furthermore, because Kizaru had died at an early point in history, the researchers developing the Pacifistas could no longer obtain experimental samples of his lasers.
(End of Chapter)
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