Atheus was actually worried about Dalmatian's ability to defeat Ghost Hand Ross, but Roma and Hez had not come to support him so far, which clearly showed that besides Dalmatian, there were Roma and Hez on the battlefield.
Ghost Hand Ross is not a big pirate with a Bounty of 200 million berries. His Vice-Admiral is stronger than him and the two Rear Admirals are somewhat weak but this lineup is enough to deal with Ross.
The only problem is his side.
Although Laffitte was not much better than him in the frontal battle, the other side used strange methods to make him consume his stamina faster and he also suffered a lot of injuries. Now he was only fighting him to delay him and not to win.
But the Battle over there is over and if he drags his fight a little longer then help will arrive and he is sure that he will be able to cope for a short time.
With that in mind, he stared at Laffitte and continued to attack.
But.
Almost at this moment, a voice was heard.
"You are not finished yet, Laffitte."
"I am very sorry Captain, but I am almost finished."
Laffitte turned his head and apologized in the direction of the sound.
Atheus's expression solidified.
His head was a little stiff when he twisted it and when he saw Ross, his heart could no longer remain calm and his eyes showed an incredible look.
How can it be!
How did Ghost Hand Ross appear here? Aren't Vice-Admiral Dalmatian, Roma and Hez joining forces in the siege? How could he come here?!
He had a terrible idea in his mind, but he could not believe it at all. But Ross was standing behind him and Dalmatian and Roma did not appear and did not catch up.
"I say, you seem to be distracted."
Laffitte's voice interrupted his thoughts, He did not know when Laffitte appeared next to him, holding the mahogany cane and stabbing his heart.
Atheus tried to dodge in panic, but it was too late. Although he avoided the heart, he was still penetrated by Laffitte's mahogany cane.
"��"
Atheus suddenly understood why the Headquarters was so serious when it issued the order and even said that they could postpone the attack and unite the forces of the two branches for encirclement and suppression.
At that time, Dalmatian and their group of Rear Admiral thought that it was unnecessary. Now it seems that they have miscalculated and underestimated the strength of the Ghost Hand Pirates.
Although there are not many Ghost Hand Pirates and only three official crew members, their strength cannot be measured by the number of crew members alone.
"Goodbye."
Laffitte pulled out his cane and sent it forward again. The cane passed through Atheus's heart precisely. When it was pulled out again, Atheus's body slowly fell to the ground.
Watching the last Marine Rear Admiral fall to the ground, Ross looks thoughtful and thought that he may be able to put Kenbunshoku Haki's notes into practice again and give them to Robin and Laffitte.
...
Marine Headquarters.
In an office near the top floor, three Headquarters Vice-Admiral were sitting on chairs and sofas, one of whom was Doberman and the other two were Momonga and Yamakaji.
"Dalmatian people have already found the Ghost Hand Pirates and they should have handled it in by now… Is it unstable to have the G8 branch base solely responsible for the Ghost Hand Pirates?
Yamakaji sat there and asked Doberman on the other side.
Doberman hasn't answered yet. Momonga, who has been keeping his eyes closed, opened his eyes and said: "Dalmatian's strength is not far from us. This time he mobilized three Rear Admirals in the base. It is the most prudent response."
Doberman murmured, "It takes at least a month for the other branch bases nearby to reach the sea under the responsibility of the G8 branch. If we wait, the possibility of accidents will be even greater. Now we can only place our hopes in the G8 branch. I hope Dalmatian will not let us down. "
Doberman didn't mind going out in person to deal with Ross unless the journey was too far away, but it would probably take at least two months for him to lead the army to find Ross from Headquarters.
Therefore, it is the best choice to send out emergency troops from the G8 Branch.
Waiting.
The Den Den Mushi on the desk rang and the three Headquarters Vice-Admiral in the room suddenly became serious. Doberman walked to the desk and picked up the microphone to answer it.
"I am Headquarters Vice-Admiral Doberman."
"…"
Dang Dang!
This is the sound of the microphone falling on the red oak table and colliding with the table, which echoes in the quiet office.
Momonga and Yamakaji were started.
"What happened?"
"…"
Doberman's fingers slightly trembled and he did not know whether it was from anger or from shock. The expression on his face was hard to describe in words and he fell back a step.
When Momonga and Yamakaji saw this, they couldn't guess what had happened. Momonga stood up and took over the microphone that had fallen off the table.
At the same time, Yamakaji came to Doberman. "Is it the annihilation of the Ghost Hand Pirates? Did the siege fail?"
"…"
Doberman seemed to use all his strength to suppress the feelings in his heart and went to the sofa next to him. He was in an extremely unstable state. "The encirclement and suppression failed, Dalmatian and three Rear Admirals all died in battle."
When he uttered the information he had just heard in a very depressed tone, he suddenly felt an irrepressible emotion in his heart.
Why?
Why did things go so far?
It was just a small person, but again and again, that small person has defied all odds and became someone who is out of their control, now they can't seem to do anything to him.
Captain Moby told him that the situation was under control, Rear Admiral Bastille told him that Ghost Hand Ross would soon be sent to the Judicial Island (Enies Lobby) for trial, Onigumo told him that he would be back soon, Dalmatian told him that he would not give Ghosts Hand Pirates any chance…
Inexplicable.
He thought of what Ross had said from West Blue.
"Although right now I am just an insignificant nobody and about whom maybe you wouldn't care even a bit, but please remember what I say."
"Your behavior today determines the future direction of this sea."
"I hope that one day in the future, you would not regret the order issued today because by then everything will be too late."
The sentence that was relayed by the division's Lieutenant Commander echoed in his ear, making him see Ross standing in front of him, stating it in a calm voice with a calm face.
Regret?
Doberman was in a trance for a moment, but he was a Headquarters Vice-Admiral after all. The next moment he recovered and his eyes became clear again.
Yes, there are some regrets, regrets that he did not pay attention to it earlier, he did not send Onigumo to West Blue earlier, he did not destroy the Ghost Hand Pirates in the sea earlier.
��Doberman… we need to initiate a conference."
When Momonga heard the report from the Den Den Mushi on the other side, he hung up the Den Mushi and was silent for a moment. He turned to Doberman, took a deep breath and said with a serious expression.
Doberman and Momongga looked at each other and finally nodded and Yamakaji sighed and nodded: "I will report it."
Usually.
Only at Shichibukai's pirate level can Headquarters be eligible to hold separate meetings for them. But now the situation is that the G8 branch base is almost completely extinct. The reconstruction and reassignment of the G8 branch base alone involve too many problems, not to mention the follow-up treatment of the Ghost Hand Pirates.