"I-Im? Who's that?"
On the Sabaody Archipelago below Mariejois, Rayleigh's expression changed as he heard Bai Ye's voice booming across the "Holy Land."
The reaction of the Five Elders—changing their composure in unison and shouting "Shut up!"—made the weight of the name "Em" evident.
Rayleigh, sharp and intuitive, immediately recognized the significance.
"That name… it's no ordinary one."
He hesitated for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver phone transponder snail equipped with jamming capabilities.
Jumping swiftly to a secure location, Rayleigh switched the phone bug's transmission line.
Instead of connecting to the Summit War feed, he now linked it directly to Mariejois, the "Holy Land."
Yes, this was the small favor Bai Ye had asked of him before cutting through the Yarchman Mangroves and ascending to Mariejois.
Bai Ye was not just attacking the World Government; he was unveiling it to the world.
If the World Government had chosen to turn Summit War into a spectacle of justice to suppress him, he would counter by broadcasting the collapse of their "untouchable sanctuary" to the entire world.
And now, the repercussions of this plan were unfolding.
Back at the Summit War…
The phone bugs projecting the battle at Marineford to the world suddenly cut to static.
"What's going on?!"
"Have the feeds been hacked?!"
"Impossible! Who would dare tamper with the World Government's communication network?!"
Around the world, countless people stared at blank screens with confusion and growing unease.
At Marineford, the heart of the Summit War:
"What is this?!" Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral, demanded, his voice sharp with tension.
"Did someone sabotage the projection lines?!"
Sengoku ordered his officers to immediately identify and fix the problem. The Summit War was critical in regaining the World Government's prestige after their prior failures, and there could be no room for error.
Yet, as the screens flickered back to life, what appeared was not the battlefield of Marineford.
The sight left Sengoku and everyone else frozen in shock.
"This… this can't be..."
The screens now showed Mariejois, the 'Holy Land,' crumbling.
The pristine and impenetrable sanctuary of the World Government was shaking violently. Cracks spread across the Red Line like creeping vines, and the camera panned to reveal countless bodies of World Government guards scattered amidst pools of blood.
Sengoku's breath caught in his throat. His composure, forged through decades as a Marine leader, cracked.
"No… no! This is Mariejois… being attacked?!"
He immediately ordered his men to sever the hacked line.
"This can't get out to the world!" Sengoku shouted, his voice frantic. He knew better than anyone the chaos this would unleash.
But his fears were already becoming reality.
Across the world, the sight of Mariejois in ruins was now being broadcast.
People in the Grand Line stared at the screens, their faces contorted in shock.
"Wait… that's not Marineford…"
"Is that… Mariejois?! The 'Holy Land'?!"
In a bustling town on the Grand Line, a newspaper fluttered to the ground. Someone picked it up and scanned the headlines:
"World Government's 'Operation Demon Slaughter' Fails!"
"Losses Mount: The Fall of 'Kong,' Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's Army!"
Their hands trembled as they read, and they turned back to the projection, now showing the devastation in Mariejois.
The realization hit them like a thunderclap.
"This… this man… is he really destroying the World Government?!"
The same thought reverberated across the seas, spreading like wildfire.
Was this mysterious invader planning to broadcast the fall of Mariejois to the entire world, just as the Marines had used the Summit War as a public execution spectacle?
The very idea seemed impossible, yet the proof was right before their eyes.
The unthinkable was happening.
For the first time in history, the untouchable "Holy Land" was crumbling.
And the entire world was watching.