Hearing the exhaustion in Carlo's voice, Robin couldn't help feeling worried.
"Are you okay?"
Carlo's hoarse voice came through the Den Den Mushi. "I'm fine. Stay where you are for now. When things settle down a bit over here, I'll come get you."
Then he hung up.
It was obvious he wasn't in the mood, nor did he have the energy for small talk.
Robin finally let out a sigh of relief. Some of her strength returned as she looked at the video Den Den Mushi displaying distorted static, then at the one that had just disconnected in her hand.
A strange sense of unease filled her heart. It felt as if a world-shaking plan was slowly unfolding...
* * *
New World, Former Site of Mariejois.
The Red Line, towering tens of thousands of meters high like a colossal wall, had been torn open by a massive breach, and the New World was now completely connected to the Grand Line.
The islands on both sides had been swallowed and overturned by earthquakes, while the aftershock of that heaven-shaking explosion sent layers upon layers of hurricanes and tsunamis sweeping across the world.
At the edge of the atmosphere, after hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Carlo's eyes remained bloodshot as his Observation Haki repeatedly swept across the area again and again, yet he found nothing.
Although he had prepared himself mentally, he still couldn't calm down.
"Cough... cough..."
After remaining for so long at the center of the volcanic ash cloud, his already weakened body could no longer endure it, and he coughed up blood. He wiped it away immediately and continued searching...
* * *
Half a day later.
The island drifting from the moon slowly appeared above the enormous blue planet.
Before it could fully enter the atmosphere, a bolt of lightning struck down. It descended from the edge of the atmosphere and plunged directly into the flowing magma at the center of the explosion.
Crackle!
A powerful magnetic field erupted alongside the ability.
Inside the magma, Enel clenched his teeth tightly as his Observation Haki spread outward, covering an area tens of thousands of meters wide.
"Where... where are you..."
* * *
High in the sky.
The moment the floating Egghead Island appeared, Carlo stopped searching.
With a teleport, he instantly arrived inside Egghead's laboratory. As soon as he landed, his legs gave way and he nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, Bullet caught him while Lilith handed over a bottle of nutrient solution.
After thanking her, Carlo injected it into his body and regained a bit of strength. Looking toward Vegapunk, he endured the splitting headache and asked, "Has the infiltration been completed, Doctor?"
Vegapunk looked equally exhausted and sorrowful. It was clear he hadn't rested for days.
"That's right. All communications across the world have now been completely cut off and brought under surveillance. We can begin the plan."
Carlo nodded and took a deep breath. "Good."
Previously, communications had been impossible because the massive explosion had disrupted the planet's entire magnetic field. But when the Den Den Mushi in his arms stirred slightly, Carlo knew the operation had succeeded.
When he called Robin, the call connected exactly as expected.
The transmitters scattered throughout space around the planet were now blocking all communication devices except those of the Marines, while at the same time monitoring everything in real time.
This world had always been made up of isolated islands. Now every island was completely cut off from the others, unable to obtain any outside information.
As for the News Coo… the "Big News" Morgans had long since fallen under the Marines' control. In other words, the Marines were now the only force in the world possessing a complete bird's-eye view.
What remained was simple. Before the endless volcanic ash disappeared, they would use surveillance, intelligence reports, and the News Coo network to drag out every hidden figure that had yet to reveal themselves.
Everything in the open had already been dealt with by the Marines, and now it was time to deal with those lurking in the shadows.
No one would escape.
* * *
After recovering some strength, Carlo let go of Bullet's support.
Suddenly noticing the anxious expression on Soter's face, he asked Lilith for another nutrient injection, administered it, and walked over.
Placing a hand on Soter's shoulder, he asked, "Which direction?"
Looking at Carlo's weakened state, Soter gritted his teeth before answering, "Northwest."
The Vivre Card between his fingers had already burned almost to the edge. It trembled faintly toward the northwest.
Carlo took a deep breath and forced himself to focus.
"Let's go."
Whoosh!
The two vanished instantly.
After they disappeared, Bullet walked to the island's edge and gazed at the endless sea of volcanic ash below before turning and returning to the laboratory.
Finding Vegapunk, he asked, "Do you have the current battle map of the New World?"
Vegapunk nodded. "Yes."
His hands flew across the control console, and a model formed from the Marines's Den Den Mushi positioning network appeared.
The blank areas represented islands the Marines had not yet surrounded.
After memorizing the entire battle map, Bullet stepped outside.
BOOM!!!
His body shot into the sky, turning into a streak of light before disappearing.
* * *
New World, The Final Endpoint Island.
Corpses.
Corpses everywhere.
Marine warships and shattered pirate vessels lay stranded deep in the sand. Blood stained the beach red, forming a trail that stretched into the depths of the island.
For seven days and seven nights without rest, the battle had never stopped. Not even the world-shaking explosion, nor the hurricanes and tsunamis that followed, had interrupted the desperate fight.
The fleet led by Hillber and Zephyr had pinned the remnants of the Beasts Pirates firmly in place.
After retreating here while fighting, the remnants of the Beasts Pirates had originally intended to trigger the destruction of the New World and perish together with their enemies. Instead, they discovered they had been completely fooled by the Marines.
The Endpoint Island, whose volcanic threat had been publicized throughout the world, had become a dud.
No matter how many bombs they dropped or how many attacks they launched, the magma inside the volcano not only failed to erupt, it steadily diminished. Eventually, it began drying up altogether…
Before Jack could even recover from his rage, countless artillery shells rained down from the sky.
The cluster bombs developed by the Marines's research division exploded above the island, and innumerable smaller bomblets spread evenly across the battlefield, burning and detonating everything in sight.
Afterward, the Marines fleet concentrated all firepower on the dozens of pirate ships docked at the shore. With unstoppable determination, they severed the pirates' path of retreat.
And so, the battle continued for seven full days…
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The earth trembled violently as fierce collisions echoed across the island.
Jack, transformed into a gigantic mammoth, charged endlessly across the battlefield. His eyes were blood-red, and reason had long since abandoned him.
Compared to him, Zephyr looked tiny, yet he stood like an immovable mountain.
With both arms coated in Armament Haki, Zephyr panted heavily as he repeatedly sent the ancient beast flying.
After seven days without sleep or rest, the battle had finally reached its end. The Marines had used only a handful of warships to wipe out the remnants of dozens of Beasts Pirates vessels.
They had succeeded, but almost no one remained alive.
On the pirates' side, Jack, once promoted to one of the former All-Stars, was still alive, but he had completely lost his sanity.
On the Marines' side, Vice Admiral Hillber had long since fallen in battle. But before dying, he detonated Dyna Stones and took the last two remaining Tobiroppo members with him: Sasaki, and Black Maria.
As for everyone else, only a few Marines doctors survived under Ain's protection. The rest had all died on this island.
Meanwhile, Ain continued supporting Zephyr throughout the battle.
**
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