"What? A Pirate Festival?"
Kyros couldn't help but exclaim upon hearing such absurd news.
'Are you kidding me? What in the world does that man aim to achieve? Gathering so many pirates together?'
Sengoku fell silent for a moment, allowing the news to sink in before continuing: "Douglas Bullet, a man known as the Demon Heir, a former crew member of Roger's Pirates, seized the opportunity during the chaos of Impel Down's breach to make his escape."
"The Marines don't know his exact intentions yet, but..."
The voice on the phone lowered, "This guy used the eternal pose to Raftel as bait and orchestrated this unprecedented pirate festival along with Buena Festa." (T/N: In the movie it is a treasure of Roger, and the fact that it is the eternal pose to Raftel is known afterwards.)
"The Marines just ignore it? The five elders in Mariejois don't care? Raftel should be their utmost taboo, right?"
Atlas fired three questions in a row.
It's not an overstatement to say that Bullet's actions have unquestionably clashed with the core interests of the world government.
Raftel, a location that even the Five Elders dread.
Yet, Atlas couldn't muster the slightest curiosity about what lay concealed there.
Even if it holds the truth of the void century.
History can be remembered, but it will never be the fundamental tool to overturn the world.
That alone won't be sufficient to rock the foundations of the world government.
"The Five Elders have instructed the Marines to prepare for a Buster Call, Atlas!"
"Me?!"
"That's correct. You've been granted the authority for the Buster Call. Marineford's Onigumo and the others are en route."
The tone of the den den mushi hinted at Sengoku's less-than-pleasant mood.
"...Alright, no problem. I'll handle it."
Kachak—! !
After uttering these words, Atlas hung up the phone and turned to face Kyros.
"You should already have a grasp of the overall situation, right?"
"I do. But Admiral, it seems you forgot to ask about the location," Kyros remarked with a wry smile, pointing towards the now-silent den den mushi.
"...Sengoku will send detailed information via fax later," Atlas explained firmly, maintaining his composure.
"Then... what about Catarina Devon?"
"Bring her along. A useless person won't stir up much trouble, anyway."
.....
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Sengoku slammed his fist onto the dark desk, and the once-sturdy furniture instantly emitted a strained creak.
"Bwahahaha! What's the matter? Did that youngster Atlas get on your nerves again?" Garp exclaimed while munching on the senbei sent by Sengoku.
"No, it's that fellow Bullet! Even after escaping, he continues to disrupt the order at sea. Pirates, I tell you, are a bunch of unruly and disorderly troublemakers!"
"Bwahahaha, didn't I tell you?" Another handful of senbei found its way into Garp's mouth as he spoke vaguely. "That Bullet is indeed formidable, but leaving it to Atlas poses absolutely no problem."
"Plus, with Bullet gathering so many pirates, doesn't it just make it easier for us Marines to round them all up at once?"
"That's exactly what I was saying..."
"Hey!! Garp, you rascal! Save some for me. These are the tasty senbei I've been hoarding for a while, and I can't bear to eat them!"
"Well--!!"
Garp's expression suddenly stiffened. "How long have you've been hoarding them?"
"It's, uh... three years, right?"
"..."
"Puff--!!"
Garp immediately spat out the senbei he had in his mouth.
Three years? This should have expired ages ago!!
"Garp!!!"
Sengoku wiped debris off his face, paying no mind to the bits of senbei clinging to his beard. His eyes shot fire as he roared at Garp like an enraged lion from the east of the river.
"Bwahaha! I'm going to check on my grandson first!!"
Seeing Sengoku getting angry, Garp swiftly used Luffy as a shield.
.....
"Buster Call?!"
Smoker scowled and carefully flipped through the fresh fax in his hand, page by page.
Douglas Bullet was imprisoned during the Buster Call assault.
And the executor was... Sakazuki!!!
However, according to what Zephyr disclosed at that time, Bullet wasn't directly captured alive by the Buster Call's firepower; he was defeated due to physical exhaustion. This fact underscores Bullet's formidable physical prowess, and now, over ten years have passed. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions in Impel Down, it hasn't hindered his Haki training in the slightest.
So, compared to his youth, Bullet is undeniably more formidable now!!!
"But there's no way to compare the current Buster Call with the previous one, right?"
Reluctantly, it must be acknowledged that the Marines are somewhat behind the times now.
Since the era of the Great Pirate Age initiated by Roger, the Marines haven't enlisted individuals as monstrous as Sakazuki and his peers for quite some time. Except for Atlas.
After all, those with even a hint of talent are eager to join the ranks of pirates. In such an environment, Marine finds it challenging to attract promising recruits.
True, Onigumo and the others are formidable. However, compared to Sakazuki in the past, they don't even come close. Back then, the trio were considered monstrous forces on the seas!!!
"So Sengoku is singling me out, entrusting Bullet to me, and assigning the other soldiers and generals to the Buster Call."
"But the intel doesn't seem to mention the other party's location?"
Kyros on the side tilted his head and scrutinized the information word by word.
"The headquarters is still investigating. If there's any news, we'll be notified promptly."
"Such a significant operation can't escape our intelligence agencies."
Atlas stated calmly, "Once the Buster Call lineup is in place, we can initiate a comprehensive assault."
"Then let's..."
Smoker hesitated. Even if Marine can swiftly locate Bullet, it will undoubtedly take some time for Onigumo and the others to join the operation.
Should we passively wait for our fate or take the initiative during this downtime?
"Well, let's take the initiative and infiltrate. All we have to do is keep the Ryu-Sen invisible in the sky. I doubt anyone's so bored that they'd use Observation Haki to survey the sky."
Furthermore, even in the New World, where Haki is commonplace, and strong individuals are as abundant as dogs, one cannot simply awaken Observation Haki at will.
After Atlas finished speaking, the Ryu-Sen beneath his feet ascended steadily from the ground, seamlessly blending with the surrounding environment.
Aerial perspective is advantageous. Perhaps they can pinpoint Bullet's location by surveying the multitude of pirate ships without relying on Marine intelligence.
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