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After several days of flight, on this morning, the white land appeared on the horizon.
"Are you ready, Rowen?"
Tsuru usually disliked wearing her cloak on her back; she believed that justice wasn't just about appearances but resided in the heart, adhering to the concept of "true justice."
So she dressed plainly, looking no different from a typical elderly neighbor.
But today, she dressed solemnly, wearing a pair of leather gloves with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
At first glance, the Marine legend who once roamed the seas decades ago, Tsuru, reappeared before everyone.
"Ready!"
Rowen was similarly dressed in a neat suit, his tall figure stretching the Justice cloak like a banner, leaving a lasting impression on those who saw him.
This extravagant attire wasn't to flaunt the Marine's wealth or the personal glory of officers but to send a message to the enemies below.
The Marines are here!
We are here, so...
Surrender, perish, or flee, sinners!
"Very well!"
Tsuru had taken over the command, overseeing the overall situation. She picked up a Den Den Mushi and said, "Akainu, Momousagi... Rowen will be responsible for luring the snake out of its hole next. Keep an eye on the movements of the other forces and be prepared to strike at any moment!"
"Understood!"
A response sounded from the Den Den Mushi. Akainu remained in an aircraft control room, magma involuntarily flowing from his body.
"Dragon!"
"Forces 7 to 9, heed the command, commence action!"
It was "action," not "attack," because the missions of Forces 7, 8, and 9 were to block access to and from the ports.
Officially, these ports were managed by port towns themselves and had no connection to the Revolutionary Army. Even if there were civilians suspected of having ties to the Revolutionary Army in Non-Allied Kingdom Member ports, Tsuru wouldn't allow indiscriminate slaughter.
But in the remote region of Baltigo, there were only a few notable ports worth mentioning, so dozens of aircraft from Force 3 were enough.
Henry, as the commander of Force 7, grinned at the words.
"Colonel Ain, you guessed right. We can't go on a killing spree. The other forces can only use force to block the ports, but they might still cause trouble."
"But as for us..."
Henry shrugged nonchalantly and roared, "Someone, load the tranquilizer cannonballs and find a way to fire at them!"
Meanwhile, Rowen opened the hatch, standing in the air tens of thousands of meters high, performing a leap of faith.
...
Bang!
The office door was forcefully pushed open, causing Dragon to jerk his head up, looking at the messenger who burst in. "What's going on?!"
"N-No... it's bad, Leader!"
The messenger gasped for breath. "Marines are here!"
"Marines?!"
Why would Marine come to Baltigo? Dragon sucked in a cold breath, suddenly thinking of a possibility, and stood up. "Territory Manatee hasn't moved. Could it be the Aircraft Force?"
At this, the head of the Intelligence Department widened his eyes in disbelief, looking up.
There were two explanations for the Marine's arrival, one being that they were passing through, which was rare but possible.
"Exactly!"
Once catching his breath, the messenger quickly spoke, "They suddenly descended from behind the clouds, and several important ports almost simultaneously fell."
"The guerrilla commanders are asking if we should counterattack?"
Counterattack?!
Dragon felt like tearing their heads open to see what they were thinking. Marines were sealing off the ports, indicating that they had confirmed this place as the territory of the Revolutionary Army.
In such a situation, instead of immediately initiating a retreat, they actually needed to consult about a counterattack?!!!
A thousand soldiers may be easy to recruit, but finding a competent commander is difficult.
Dragon was momentarily furious.
"How many Marines have come? Have you figured out their movements?"
Seeing Dragon's thoughts, the head of the Intelligence Department interjected.
"We don't know, there are many... They're everywhere, and we can't discern their movement patterns!"
While the carrying capacity of the aircraft couldn't match that of the largest Battleship War Behemoth, with the addition of gas balloons, the size of the aircraft rivaled that of two War Behemoths!
Recalling the photo where the sun was obscured by the swarm of aircraft, Battery Forts stood tall, and the momentum was as overwhelming as the iron-blooded military style rushing like a dark cloud, the messenger shuddered. "The Intelligence Department estimates there should be about a thousand."
Bang!
The ten-centimeter-thick conference table was shattered by Dragon's kick, splintering into pieces, sending wood chips flying, hitting painfully.
"Why haven't we received any information about so many enemies infiltrating?!"
"Is the Intelligence Department incompetent?!"
The head of the Intelligence Department bowed silently, trying to avoid getting spit on.
It wasn't surprising that Dragon suddenly became violent; after all, they knew too well the consequences of a thousand aircraft appearing in Baltigo.
This meant that there were at least two thousand aircraft hidden in the shadows, ready to strike them with thunder at any moment.
Under the leadership of the Buddha-like Sengoku, Marine was indeed this cunning!
Suppressing his anger, Dragon didn't have time to consider how the information leaked. He decisively ordered, "Retreat! Inform everyone to abandon Baltigo!"
Issuing this command, Dragon felt like his heart was bleeding.
But there was no other choice.
If they didn't go all out, the Revolutionary Army wouldn't have any ability to confront Marines head-on. Although Baltigo was the capital of the Revolutionary Army, its armed forces weren't very powerful.
Dragon didn't believe that with over three thousand aircraft mobilized, there wouldn't be the involvement of Marine Admiral Dragon.
If they didn't retreat immediately, they wouldn't be able to leave later.
Once targeted by that Monster, who was unmatched in speed, it would be difficult to escape.
...
In the high sky, dark clouds roiled.
Aircraft in the distance constantly moved backward, avoiding being struck by lightning.
Awakening Technique: God's Cry Shot!
Zi Zi Zi... Bang!
A meteor fell, and lightning burst forth!
A huge and incomparable electric plasma exploded into a brilliant fireworks display on the horizon. Canyons hundreds of meters deep were instantly flattened by this force, and the terrifying tremors could even crush mountains ten kilometers away.
"Next time you encounter this kind of situation, do you know what to do?"
Brushing off the dust lightly from his shoulders, Rowen blinked as he entered an aircraft control room and asked the commanding officer.
Gūlū...
The commanding officer swallowed nervously, nodding eagerly. The electric flashes outside still lingering, the overwhelming power of nature had left him awestruck.
"Yes... I understand."
"Very good!"
Rowen patted the officer's shoulder reassuringly. "What we need are valuable prisoners. Soldiers like these, who won't spill any useful information, if they don't resist, then fine. But if they do, they're signing their own death warrant!"
"The government doesn't have enough resources to feed a bunch of useless people!"
This operation, to put it plainly, was Rowen's way of settling personal scores. Dragon's repeated plans had infuriated him. Even if Dragon had some value, Rowen had no intention of letting him off easy.
In his eyes, the Revolutionary Army's value only existed in the Commanders and Dragon himself. The idea of drowning the government with masses of people and oceanic tactics was hopeless, even after a decade.
So, when the Revolutionary Army forces planted in Baltigo were discovered, Momousagi might consider the issue of prisoners, but Rowen and Akainu had absolutely no intention of showing mercy.
Better to kill wrongly than to let someone escape.
That was their attitude.
PuruPuru... PuruPuru...
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi rang.
There was only one person who could connect their Den Den Mushi once the war started. Rowen answered the call and saluted, "Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Thunk!
Inside the room, the other Marines saluted as well, paying homage to the authority of the General Dictate.
"Rowen, Dragon has appeared! Akainu will take ten minutes to arrive, you're faster, so intercept him first."
With aircraft filling the sky, no action of the Revolutionary Army could escape the surveillance of the Marines.
Tsuru now regretted not listening to Rowen's advice to pressure for more information, because she too realized that this place was definitely not a secret base.
With this number of forces, besides the headquarters in the Four Seas, there was only one place in the Grand Line that fit the bill.
"Oh? Did you get a clear look at his face? Could it be someone else pretending to be him?"
Dragon was slippery, and Rowen had to consider this possibility.
"It shouldn't be. They can mimic appearances, but their abilities don't match."
Tsuru shook her head. "Moreover, if they're showing up to protect Nico Robin, given her importance as the Devil Child, Dragon wouldn't hand them over."
(End of this chapter)