IW: Chapter 238 - Bai Ye Declares War! Imu Exposed, Sengoku: I've Become a Bare Commander?
"What… what in the world is going on?"
Buggy frantically craned his neck, straining his eyes to peer through the dense, swirling curtains of dust. His cowardly instincts screamed that this might be his absolute last window of opportunity to cut and run. Yet, his feet remained glued to the shattered ground, torn by a deep, conflicting realization: Bai Ye might actually have won.
After all, when facing the three Logia Admirals just moments ago, Bai Ye had dismantled them effortlessly. And that final, cataclysmic Nika punch—imbued with that suffocating torrent of Advanced Conqueror's Haki—felt like an absolute, undeniable game-changer.
"Did he... did he really just crush them like that?"
As the dust finally began to settle, the global audience watching the feed bore witness to a sight they had universally deemed impossible.
Bai Ye stood amidst the ruins, completely victorious. In his left hand, he casually hauled the battered, semi-conscious forms of Fleet Admiral Kong and Vice Admiral Warhal. In his right hand, he held Hero Garp and Great Staff Officer Tsuru by their collars like captured trophies.
With a single, overwhelming display of force, the absolute peak of the Navy's military might had been thoroughly neutralized.
Feeling the raw, chaotic energy still humming through his veins, Bai Ye finally truly understood why the World Government feared the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. When stripped of its debilitating stamina restrictions, the fruit was an absolute, god-like cheat code. No wonder the plot had to severely nerf Luffy's endurance later on; without a stamina limit, the powerhouses of the old era simply possessed zero counterplays against a fully realized Nika.
Even without the fruit, Bai Ye's baseline strength already eclipsed theirs. With the divine amplification of Nika, the gap between them had widened into an uncrossable chasm.
Aside from Tsuru, who had been shielded from the direct brunt of the impact, the other three old veterans were barely retaining consciousness. But in that ultimate collision of pure Haki and raw physical output, all three of them had, without a single exception, been utterly broken by Bai Ye.
"Now then... time to collect my spoils of war," Bai Ye murmured, a sharp smile playing on his lips.
Capturing three Admirals, the Hero of the Marines, the Chief Tactician, the Fleet Admiral, and a top-tier vanguard of the World Government all in one fell swoop... Bai Ye was genuinely amused to see how the Five Elders would scramble to react to a decapitation blow of this magnitude.
"Ah?! He... he actually won?!"
Across the global networks, the collective minds of humanity shattered. Panic, awe, and disbelief rippled through every kingdom. Who was it that he had just casually broken? Those weren't ordinary pirates—those were the living gods of the Marine vanguard!
"So... damn strong..." Garp muttered, his eyes unfocused and blood dripping from his chin. For the first time in his legendary life, the old hero felt completely hollowed out, utterly lost for words.
He knew he had lost cleanly. Facing Bai Ye in his Nika form, there was simply no path to victory.
Garp had spent his entire life believing in his own absolute strength. He had chased the Pirate King Roger across the seas, and together with Roger at God Valley, he had torn down the monstrous Rocks D. Xebec. But today, staring up at Bai Ye, he realized the terrifying truth—the world hadn't changed at all. The nightmare was simply reborn.
"Don't get all existential on me now, Garp. You'll have plenty of quiet time to self-reflect later!" Bai Ye chuckled smoothly.
Suddenly, his eyes shifted to the World Government vanguard in his grip, his expression instantly turning ice-cold. "Oh, by the way... the World Government's loyal lapdogs should really just learn to die early."
Snap.
With a sickening, nonchalant twist of his wrist, Bai Ye directly snapped Warhal's neck, tossing the lifeless body of the CP0 powerhouse into the rubble. He had absolutely zero interest in keeping hostages from Mariejois. These shadow operatives had been subjected to the World Government's brutal indoctrination from childhood; their minds were completely, irrevocably brainwashed. Trying to negotiate with or interrogate them was a waste of breath.
"Buggy, cut the feed."
Bai Ye's piercing gaze locked onto the trembling clown behind the lens. Hearing his name called by the monster who had just defeated the Navy, Buggy's brain short-circuited. He nodded frantically like a broken toy, instinctively slapping the Den Den Mushi to shut down the global livestream.
The screen cut to black worldwide, leaving millions in agonizing suspense.
Meanwhile, Buggy collapsed onto the fragmented stone, his soul practically leaving his body. He couldn't comprehend why a living legend like Bai Ye would even notice a pathetic, low-tier pirate like him. Why me?! Of all the people in the East Blue, why did this monster target me?! God, please save your humble servant! Buggy wept silently, completely overwhelmed by a deep, existential despair.
"Lord Bai Ye, are you really planning on keeping the rest of them alive?"
Yamato quickly stepped forward, her eyes darting between the captured Marine icons. Seeing Bai Ye's casual demeanor, it was obvious he intended to transport the high-ranking Marines away with them.
She couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. "Won't keeping them around prove to be an incredible hassle? Even though they lost to you, their individual strength is still immense. Dragging this group with us will only make the World Government hunt us with absolute, manic desperation."
It's impossible for Bai Ye to keep an eye on them all the time, right?
"They still have a purpose, I need to use them."
With that, Bai Ye said no more. He needed this group of people, and he would have to give them some tasks later.
"Big news!!! Holy crap!! Go find Bai Ye quickly, I want an exclusive interview with Bai Ye!!! Oh, and contact Marineford, if possible, I hope Fleet Admiral Sengoku can also give me an exclusive interview!!"
Morgan had already sniffed out a business opportunity. Because this battle was live-streamed, everyone knew about it. Morgan felt that newspaper sales would definitely explode.
But if he could get exclusive interviews with Bai Ye and Sengoku.
Then he felt his newspaper would definitely sell out.
"Are you kidding me?! This idiot is going to bring all the Marines back?"
"Gyahahahahaha, that's truly wonderful, this is the scene I most want to see!!"
A hint of excitement flashed across Golden Lion's face. Although he wasn't the one who acted, just thinking about being able to look at Garp with a victor's stance made him feel incredibly satisfied.
"Heh heh, that bastard's strength is clearly enough to execute the plan now, isn't it?"
Why did he have to go out and contend for an Emperor title?
Kaido didn't understand, but he also had some expectations for the beautiful world Bai Ye spoke of.
Wano Country.
Everyone present now came to their senses. The thought of the Marine being almost completely wiped out by Bai Ye unsettled them all.
"Doffy, the Marine has been wiped out. What about our Shichibukai?"
Trebol frowned. They had just secured the Shichibukai title and reclaimed Dressrosa.
But now, just as the first step of their plan was beginning, the Marine was about to be gone?
"Fufufufufu, that guy is aiming to destroy this world!"
Doflamingo ignored Trebol's words and laughed to himself.
He could already imagine how frantic those old men in Mary Geoise must be right now.
All of the Marine's high-end combat forces had basically been defeated or captured by Bai Ye.
Whether the Marine could still suppress this runaway era was truly unknown!
"He's not doing this because he wants to become a Celestial Dragon, is he?"
Pica's sharp voice also pulled Doflamingo's thoughts back.
As for whether Bai Ye wanted to become a Celestial Dragon, in his opinion, it no longer mattered.
After all, he could make those high-and-mighty guys in the World Government become like him.
However...
Doflamingo's mood became complicated. He wanted those guys to be overthrown, but he also yearned to be the king on that Empty Throne.
Otherwise, why would he go to such lengths to find that Devil Fruit?
"Law…" Doflamingo growled, then looked up at the Donquixote Family members and said, "Bring Law back quickly!"
To cope with the upcoming unexpected situation, Doflamingo decided to bring Law back early, he couldn't let him remain outside any longer!
"Mama, what do we do now that the Marine is gone?"
Big Mom Pirates.
All the children were sitting together. The Marine, who used to block their way, had now been dealt with by Bai Ye.
Now that the Marine was gone, they didn't know what to do.
"Pirate King?"
Big Mom also seemed a bit dispirited.
Her original goal was the Pirate King, but what was the point of being Pirate King now?
Bai Ye had directly wiped out all the high-level combatants of Marineford. Even if she went to Laugh Tale, would anyone recognize her as the Pirate King?
Everyone would just say that she took advantage of Bai Ye, that if it weren't for Bai Ye, she wouldn't have become the Pirate King, and that she couldn't possibly defeat Bai Ye, and that this was something Bai Ye didn't want.
It was as if her life had suddenly lost its purpose.
"Linlin, why don't we try to negotiate with Bai Ye?"
Streusen jumped out. He now believed they absolutely had to talk to Bai Ye.
At present, no one knew Bai Ye's objective.
If it conflicted with Bai Ye's objective, then could they be Bai Ye's opponents?
So, it was better to first figure out what he wanted to do, to avoid any future conflict with Bai Ye.
"That guy? Speaking of which, it has been a long time since I last saw him. Let's go find him!"
Charlotte Linlin thought for a moment, then agreed to the idea of contacting Bai Ye.
She also wanted to get in touch with Bai Ye and ask him what he was thinking.
"Gurararararara, as expected of that bastard Bai Ye!"
Although he was unwilling to admit it, Whitebeard also understood that he now seemed to have a considerable gap with Bai Ye.
"Pops, the Marine is gone, the Three Admirals, Garp, and Kong are all gone. The World Government must have a huge headache with this mess!"
Jozu said gleefully. He hadn't expected the collapse of the Marine to happen in an instant.
He had thought it was over when he saw Bai Ye surrounded by the Marine earlier.
But who would have thought that Bai Ye would turn the tide and take down all those people?
"What does that have to do with me? Let's have a banquet today!!"
Whitebeard didn't care about such things; all he wanted was a family.
So, whether it was Bai Ye or the Marine, as long as it didn't affect him, Whitebeard wouldn't bother with it.
However, he was in a very good mood today, so he decided to hold a banquet to celebrate.
Among the cheering crowd, Blackbeard was now echoing laughter, but his smile was somewhat forced.
Now that the situation in the New World had reached such a point, and he didn't even have the qualifications to participate, was it true that his life would end here?
Suddenly, his desire for the Dark-Dark Fruit grew stronger. If he possessed the Dark-Dark Fruit and could steal the Devil Fruits of Bai Ye and Pops, would he become like Bai Ye?
"Father, I feel that we should agree to that proposal from before!"
Fish-Man Island.
The princes, Neptune, and Queen Otohime were discussing whether to agree to Bai Ye's request.
But now, it seemed they had no choice but to agree?!
Goodness!
This was too fierce, wasn't it?
He directly crushed the Marine.
"I agree."
Queen Otohime believed that cooperating with Bai Ye was the most correct path.
She had been too naive before. After carefully considering what Bai Ye had told her, Queen Otohime felt it made a lot of sense.
If the World Government truly wanted to cooperate with them, they would definitely return the Fishman slaves.
But before she left, the Celestial Dragons hadn't even brought up this matter. So, their relocation to the surface, was it truly as Bai Ye said, merely because they wanted to better capture mermaids and Fishman slaves that they deliberately agreed?
Thinking about all the things the World Government had done, as exposed by Bai Ye, Queen Otohime believed it truly wasn't impossible.
Therefore, between cooperating with the World Government and Bai Ye, Queen Otohime ultimately leaned towards Bai Ye.
"Then let's take a gamble."
Neptune finally decided to take a gamble. He was different from Queen Otohime; he actually had some distrust towards humans deep down.
It was just because Queen Otohime had always persuaded him before, so he decided to try.
Now he understood, he could only bet on Bai Ye once.
"I've become a bare commander?!"
Sengoku was sitting in the Fleet Admiral's office, feeling an indescribable sensation.
He was just sitting here, and suddenly he became a bare commander!
The Three Admirals were captured, Garp was captured, Tsuru was captured, even his own superior was captured!
What kind of situation was this?!
He now seriously suspected that Bai Ye looked down on those elite Vice Admirals, otherwise they would all have been packed up and taken away by Bai Ye.
When he saw this scene, Sengoku almost fainted from anger.
So many people, all captured by Bai Ye, then what was he, the Fleet Admiral, supposed to do?
Amazon Lily.
Hancock watched the live broadcast disappear, and her previously energetic self immediately collapsed onto the bed, looking utterly listless.
"Sister!"
"Elder Nyon, what's wrong with Sister?"
The two sisters were bewildered.
She was fine just a moment ago, wasn't she?
Why did she suddenly collapse again?
"Lovesickness!"
Elder Nyon looked at Hancock with a solemn expression. It had already been very serious before, but it had eased somewhat because she watched the live broadcast.
However, after the live broadcast was cut off, Hancock returned to her previous state.
"That's quite serious then."
Bai Ye emerged from the Kamui Space, looking somewhat surprised at Hancock, who appeared perfectly fine.
Just a moment ago, she looked like she was dying.
Speaking of which, did the cause of her lovesickness transfer to him?
One could only say that Amazon Lily was indeed pure enough; he had only saved her once, and she had become fixated on him.
"Lord Bai Ye, are you here to move us? I'm ready! I'm all ready!"
"So amazing!!"
The Boa sisters exchanged glances. From the change in Hancock, they only felt it was incredibly miraculous.
They never expected their sister, who was just looking sickly, to suddenly recover in an instant.
Perhaps this was a medical miracle.
"If you're ready, let's go."
"Okay!"
Hancock sprang up from the bed, then stood by Bai Ye's side in a demure posture, as if telling Bai Ye that she would agree to anything he said.
After gathering all the people of Amazon Lily, Bai Ye used Kamui to directly transfer the entire island to the sky above Wano Country. Bai Ye currently did not want to expose the news of Amazon Lily and Wano Country.
"Allow me to introduce our new member, Hancock, and Gloriosa, who insisted on coming along."
Bai Ye led Hancock before everyone, with Gloriosa following behind. Upon hearing Bai Ye's introduction, Golden Lion and the others looked at Gloriosa with some strangeness.
"You're telling me this woman is Gloriosa?"
In Golden Lion's memory, Gloriosa was a young and beautiful woman!
Now she looked like this; it truly seemed that time was a relentless force!
"Golden Lion, Kaido, and John?!"
Gloriosa looked at the familiar faces. She had wondered why she hadn't heard any news of these few people all these years.
Logically speaking, these individuals definitely wouldn't keep hiding. She only recently learned about Kaido's whereabouts when vying for the title of Emperor.
"Captain John?! He's Captain John?!"
Buggy, who had been captured by Bai Ye, suddenly looked up at the drunken man who was guzzling alcohol non-stop since he arrived. This drunkard was actually Captain John, whom he had been searching for all this time?!
No!
He wasn't searching for Captain John, but rather for Captain John's treasure.
Legend has it that Captain John possessed a treasure that could rival a nation's wealth, and this was what Buggy had always pursued!
"Are you really Captain John? The legendary Captain John with a treasure that could rival a nation's wealth?"
Buggy no longer cared about his fear; he just wanted to know if the man in front of him was that Captain John.
"Yo, do you want my treasure?"
Captain John grinned upon hearing Buggy's words.
Another brat coveting his treasure!
Back when he was with the Rocks Pirates, everyone knew he loved collecting treasure, so this rumor had spread throughout the Rocks Pirates and became even more exaggerated later on.
After the Rocks Pirates disbanded, countless more rumors about his treasure emerged.
"Can I?"
Buggy suddenly felt that joining Bai Ye might not be a bad thing after all.
He could inherit Captain John's treasure just by joining.
"Of course, but all my treasure has been given to that guy. If you want the treasure, you'll have to find him!"
Saying this, Captain John pointed at Bai Ye, clearly implying that it was useless for Buggy to ask him and that he should go to Bai Ye for the treasure.
Buggy, who had been overjoyed, immediately became speechless the next second.
What a joke.
Ask Bai Ye for treasure? He didn't even know why this demon had captured him. If he dared to open his mouth, he might not live to see another day.
Moreover, everyone here was a famous figure: Golden Lion, who almost wiped out the Roger Pirates in the Waters of Warhal, Kaido, the Emperor of the Sea, and Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman.
At the mention of each of these names, Buggy completely deflated.
"What you're doing now seems much more impressive than Rocks. If that guy Rocks knew, he'd probably want to be resurrected to see it!"
"Resurrection?"
Bai Ye smiled faintly, listening to Gloriosa's words.
In fact, Bai Ye also wanted to see what kind of expression that guy Rocks would have then.
If it weren't for Rocks's guidance, he probably would have died long ago. Speaking of which, that guy's intentions were indeed a bit impure, but he did play a crucial role in his growth.
"I suddenly believe you can really do it now."
From Bai Ye's previous live broadcast of challenging the World Government to finally gathering such a force.
Gloriosa also chose to believe Bai Ye.
"Then I really thank you!"
Although Bai Ye knew that Gloriosa had not believed him before.
But isn't that a bit too little confidence in him?
"Bai Ye, where are the people you captured?"
Golden Lion was a bit impatient. He couldn't wait to taunt them a bit.
"Those guys are still useful to me!"
Bai Ye didn't want Golden Lion and Sengoku to meet.
"Useful? You're not going to use them for a trade, are you?"
Golden Lion frowned. This seemed illogical. If they traded the opponents with the World Government, the World Government would probably be happy to trade.
But it wouldn't benefit them much.
"It is indeed a trade, but it's a trade with the Marine. If we suddenly capture so many combatants, the world will surely go berserk. I don't want to see pirates go berserk."
He could already foresee how berserk the world would become once this news spread.
"So you want to use them to capture pirates?"
Issho agreed, as the massive disappearance of Marines would certainly cause the world to go berserk.
But Issho didn't speak before, mainly because he knew that if they were released, wouldn't that be aiding the enemy?
"Are you confident you can persuade them to surrender?"
Golden Lion didn't believe it.
He really didn't believe Bai Ye could make those few people surrender.
"Not confident. We'll take it slowly later. Anyway, this is a long-term job."
Even without the Three Admirals, there's still Garp.
Pirates would indeed go berserk, but the World Government would still have people to suppress the sea.
Plus, with him mediating various parties in the New World, the impact wouldn't be particularly significant.
Besides, he had some things to do later. Thinking of this, he said goodbye to them and entered the Kamui Space.
At this moment, Garp and the others' eyes flickered when they saw Bai Ye arrive.
Earlier in Kamui, they had intended to launch a sneak attack, but Bai Ye mercilessly taught them a lesson. Now, seeing Bai Ye arrive, they were much more obedient.
"Heh heh, if you want to persuade us to surrender, I think you can forget about it!"
Bai Ye had said it once before, but they had flatly refused.
Does Bai Ye want to persuade them again now?
Impossible!
There was no way they would surrender.
"With the Marine losing so much combat power, do you think the world will go berserk?"
Bai Ye wasn't in a hurry. People are stubborn at first; grinding down their will would be enough.
He wasn't the one in a hurry now, the Marine was.
"No, you wouldn't allow this world to go berserk either."
Tsuru looked up and seriously gazed at Bai Ye. Among the people here, only Tsuru had a brain.
After she woke up and understood the situation around her, she also analyzed Bai Ye's purpose.
He was indeed no longer a pure pirate.
"Bai Ye, listen to my advice. Although the current system isn't very good, if you go to war with the World Government, even more people will die!"
Kong sighed. Now he had to admit that Bai Ye already had the ability to threaten the World Government.
If they fought, it might be like that blank century long ago.
"Everyone yearns to resolve oppression. Many of you guys were born at the bottom, weren't you? Didn't you know what life was like for people at the bottom back then?"
The Three Admirals all came from the bottom, and Garp, Tsuru, and others were not born into nobility.
Naturally, they understood how people at the bottom lived.
"Do we have to rely on you pirates?"
"Pirates? Anyone who opposes the World Government is a pirate, but don't you know who the biggest pirate in this world is? As the core of the Marine, haven't you been to the Holy Land?"
Pirates are indeed evil, but compared to the Celestial Dragons, they are insignificant.
These words indeed left them speechless.
"Besides, what I want to solve is just that group of nobles. As the evil deeds of the Celestial Dragons are constantly exposed, people's hearts of resistance will never stop."
...
Seeing them remain silent, Bai Ye stopped talking nonsense.
"I know you are Marines, and your duty is to capture pirates. Similarly, I also don't want pirates in this world. I want to connect all the islands together, where everyone can live happily together, without racial divisions or the oppression of nobles. Why do you help those Celestial Dragons maintain their rule?"
In fact, it can be seen from the anime that there have always been disagreements between the Marine and the World Government.
Even an extreme Marine like Akainu sometimes didn't want to obey the World Government's orders.
In Bai Ye's view, perhaps in the final decisive battle with the World Government, the Marine might even switch sides.
Ultimately, it was because the Celestial Dragons were too inhumane.
"What you describe is very good, but eight hundred years ago, perhaps the establishment of the World Government also said the same thing."
Although historical research is prohibited, perceptive people can actually see it.
When the World Government was established at that time, perhaps it was also like Bai Ye is now?
"No! The D. Kingdom back then was just as I said, everyone lived together, but they were opposed by the ancestors of those Celestial Dragons. They wanted to maintain their noble rule, so they defeated Joy Boy. The Marine is nothing more than their tool to maintain the balance of the sea. Whose justice do you Marines protect?"
After Bai Ye finished speaking, he left immediately.
He planned to come over every few days and give them a speech. This matter would not be resolved overnight.
"Resolved?"
Golden Lion and the others looked at Bai Ye as he emerged from the alternate dimension and asked curiously.
It wouldn't be that simple, would it?
"No, it's a long-term battle."
"I knew it!"
Bai Ye came out so quickly. If he could persuade the other party so quickly, they would probably be feigning surrender, wouldn't they?
"Live stream it. It's time to go to war with the World Government completely. Oh, and... find an opportunity to bring Vegapunk over."
Bai Ye decided to use this opportunity to directly announce two things.
At the same time, Bai Ye also noticed Vegapunk. He didn't want to leave Vegapunk to the World Government.
Moreover, Vegapunk knew many secrets. If he was there, it would be even better to strike at the Celestial Dragons.
As Bai Ye started the live broadcast.
Immediately after, the entire world received the signal again. Everyone put down what they were doing, preparing to see what Bai Ye was going to do next.
"Today's live broadcast is to announce two things. First, I hope all pirate crews disappear. You can exist as adventure crews. Second, to the World Government, the Five Elders, and Imu, our war begins today. Wait for our arrival in the Holy Land."
With that said.
The signal was immediately cut off.
And these short thirty seconds shocked the world.
Are pirates going to become history completely?
"Who does he think he is?!"
"But... didn't that guy just defeat so many Marines?"
"Maybe we should go back. We just set sail."
Many people were filled with fear because of Bai Ye's words, while others were completely disdainful, believing that Bai Ye wouldn't dare to act.
At the same time.
On the Red Hair Pirates ship, Shanks stared blankly at the now dark video transponder snail.
"Shanks, what should we do about that guy's words?"
Although they could ignore Bai Ye, given the strength Bai Ye had shown previously, if they ignored him, they might truly be surrounded and annihilated.
"We're not a pirate crew anyway. An adventure crew isn't bad, haha!"
Shanks laughed heartily. He couldn't change anything. To him, there wasn't much difference between a pirate crew and an adventure crew.
The meaning of an adventure crew should be not to plunder and kill, right?
He also disdained harming civilians.
"Captain is really uncool!"
Everyone teased him, but thinking that they could still go on adventures together, they suddenly felt that it didn't affect them much.
Whitebeard Pirates.
Marco looked anxiously at Whitebeard and asked, "Pops, what should we do?!"
"Let that bastard Bai Ye come find me!"
Whitebeard pouted, his eyes looking into the distance. He didn't care about being a pirate crew; all he ever wanted was a family. However, he wouldn't just disband or change like this, because he wanted Bai Ye to come and give him an explanation.
This stubborn old man just wanted to save face.
All over the world, pirates also began to ponder what they should do next.
They had originally assumed that the Marines losing such a colossal amount of military might would create a chaotic, lawless vacuum perfect for the rising generation of pirates.
But they never could have anticipated that Bai Ye would step forward to directly fill that void himself.
The absolute, crushing dominance he displayed on screen acted as a cold bucket of water poured over the burning flames of the Great Pirate Era. Suddenly, thousands of criminals and ambitious rookies who had been eagerly packing their bags to set sail quietly unpacked them. When a monster capable of effortlessly capturing the entire Marine vanguard is patrolling the seas, taking a ship out felt less like a grand adventure and more like a mass suicide pact.
Marineford
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku stared blankly at the ceiling, his expression a mask of pure, unadulterated disbelief. For him, watching that global livestream felt exactly like being forced to swallow a fistful of ash.
A pirate. A legendary, lawless pirate was out there effectively enforcing absolute world order and suppressing the pirate era better than the Navy ever had. The irony was suffocating.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
Vice Admiral Tokikake murmured from the side, breaking the heavy silence. Noticing the profoundly hollow, defeated look on his superior's face, he offered a quiet, timely cough to snap him back to reality.
Sengoku slowly stood up, pushing his chair back. The shock in his eyes rapidly hardened into a grim, unyielding clarity. He understood exactly what this development meant.
"Issue a base-wide alert. Mobilize every remaining asset," Sengoku ordered, his voice echoing with heavy finality. "The final, decisive storm is officially upon us."
He knew Bai Ye's ultimate objective wasn't just to play pirate king. Bai Ye was marching forward to completely dismantle and replace the World Government itself.
Revolutionary Army Headquarters
In the hidden shadows of Baltigo, Dragon rose from his desk, his dark cloak billowing slightly as he turned away from the monitors. He didn't hesitate for a single second.
"Get me a direct secure line," Dragon commanded his subordinates. "I need to contact Bai Ye immediately."
If Bai Ye's ultimate ambition was truly to rewrite the corrupt foundations of this world and shatter the chains of global oppression, then Dragon was prepared to make the ultimate concession. He would merge the entirety of the Revolutionary Army—their cells, their armies, and their logistics—directly under Bai Ye's banner.
After all, wasn't total liberation the exact dream they had been bleeding for all these years? If someone finally possessed the raw power to achieve it, pride had no place in the equation.
Holy Land Mary Geoise
Deep within the inner sanctum of the World Government, the Five Elders sat in a suffocating, dead-silent circle. The air in the room was dense enough to choke an ordinary man.
"He must be erased... at any and all costs..."
"He even spoke of Imu-sama aloud," Saint Jaygarcia Saturn rasped, his eyes burning with a dark, venomous fury. "This man's knowledge of the world's core secrets makes him far more terrifying than anything we have ever anticipated."
"The livestream feed was heavily encrypted and tightly locked on him," Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro gritted his teeth, his hand white-knuckled against the hilt of his sword. "We couldn't trace the signal. We have no way to pinpoint his current coordinates!"
If they could only lock onto his location, they could have unleashed the wrath of the heavens upon him. But now, they were blind.
"Then we consolidate our absolute defenses," Saint Topman Warcury stated coldly, his voice vibrating with the authority of centuries of rule. "If he is arrogant enough to march directly onto the Holy Land, we will ensure Mary Geoise becomes his absolute burial ground!"
At this point, the Elders were treating Bai Ye with the exact same gravity they reserved for Joy Boy himself.
Though the timeline seemed completely warped—and this sudden uprising had arrived far ahead of the historically promised day—the Five Elders refused to show fear. Bai Ye had thrown down the gauntlet and exposed the hidden truths; they would gladly play this game out to its bloody conclusion.
Eight hundred years ago, twenty kings had stood victorious over the ancient world. And today, the World Government would prove that nothing had changed.
"It is a massive oversight that Vegapunk's weapon technologies are not yet fully operational!" one Elder noted sharply.
"Send a direct directive to Egghead Island. Force Vegapunk to expedite his research by any means necessary," Saturn commanded, his eyes narrowing. "Furthermore, initiate immediate protocols to extract him. Leaving a mind that dangerous on Egghead is no longer a viable option under these circumstances!"
A formal declaration of war against the entire world?
Fine, the Elders thought in unison, their expressions twisted into masks of ancient malice. Let us see if your flesh can withstand the weight of eight hundred years of absolute authority.
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