August 18, Marineford Era 1524.
The Beast God Pirates loudly declared war on Marine Headquarters to the entire world!
This day marked the tenth since Barbarossa Caesar established the Pirate Assembly!
On the front page of the World Economic Times, the Speaker of the Pirate Assembly, Captain of the Beast God Pirates, the World's Strongest Creature, the Strongest Man, Barbarossa Caesar, explained the reason for declaring war: to let the Marines die with clarity.
"All along, our Beast God Pirates have adhered to the principle of peaceful coexistence and mutual development with the Marines, never proactively provoking them."
"But the tree may prefer calm, yet the wind will not subside."
"Our repeated forbearance has only been met with the Marines' relentless encroachment."
"For the first time, former Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Marine Hero Garp, and Marine Admiral Kizaru ganged up on my son with a sneak attack in the New World. Shame on you for bullying the weak with your numbers."
"The second time, taking advantage of my tea party aimed at promoting stable and peaceful development in the New World, Marine Fleet Admiral Akainu, along with three Admirals and the hero Garp, caused trouble in my territory and injured Shanks, captain of the peace-loving Red Hair Pirates, whom I had invited."
"The third time, while I was away on business and my subordinates Dragon God Kaido and Soul God Charlotte Linlin were also absent, the Marines shamelessly dispatched multiple powerful fighters to once again ambush my son Katakuri. They attempted to capture him and recreate the disgraceful downfall of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"These three incidents have left my son Katakuri on the brink of death from severe injuries!"
"Moreover, my great swordsman Ganzui has been captured by the Marines."
"Such unscrupulous actions are unbecoming of a Marine force that claims to uphold justice."
"Listen well, you lackeys of the World Government! I, Barbarossa Caesar, hereby declare that ten days from now, on August 28th 1524, I will lead my pirates force to formally engage the Marines in a decisive battle at their headquarters in the New World.
Last time, you defeated the former strongest man in the world, crushed the Whitebeard Pirates, and ushered in a new era for the Marines.
This time, I, Barbarossa Caesar, the new strongest in the world, challenge the entire Marine force openly and honorably!
I give you ten days to prepare and gather all your elite forces.
Let me see just how powerful this so-called new era of the Marines truly is!
If I lose, the New World belongs to the Marines!
If you lose, the Marines will have no place in the New World—pack up your headquarters and move it back to the shattered Marineford!
Prepare all your schemes and defensive measures.
I will crush you on your own turf!!!"
...
This blatant, undisguised declaration of war instantly ignited the entire world!
Marine Headquarters G-1.
Akainu's face was extremely grim as he read the newspaper and the latest reports, all of which filled him with towering rage!
Because the Marine Headquarters failed to hand over World and Ganzui before nightfall as Caesar demanded, the Beast God Pirates made good on their threat, dispatching pirate fleets to openly attack various Marine fortress bases in the New World!
Leading these pirate fleets were notorious and fearsome pirates: Man Demon Gin, Desert King Crocodile, Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo, Dragon God Kaido, Soul God Charlotte Linlin, War God Katakuri! And the newly appointed commander of the Giant Soldier Legion, Giant God Loki!
Even more shocking, the G-2 Branch Fortress, second only to Marine Headquarters in strength, was forcibly lifted from the sea by the legendary pirate Golden Lion, now the Lion God Shiki of the Beast God Pirates, raised ten thousand meters into the air, and then dropped!
This caused the entire island of G-2 Fortress to vanish from the sea, leaving no trace of its existence!
Fortunately, Akainu had already issued a mandatory recall order, summoning all elite Marines from the nearest New World bases back to Marine Headquarters.
Even so, the Marines suffered devastating losses in this wave of attacks by the Beast God Pirates—twelve fortress bases destroyed and over three thousand brave and skilled Marine soldiers lost!
These fortresses were painstakingly seized by the Marines over decades, wrested bit by bit from the countless vicious pirates of the New World.
Yet in less than a single day, they were all shattered and destroyed.
This completely nullified the Marines' strategic deployment in the New World!
Now, only the Marine headquarters G1 Base remained, floating isolated above Fish-Man Island at the entrance to the New World!
For a time, condemnations from the World Government came in an endless stream.
Fleet Admiral Akainu not only had to endure complaints from his own officers but also faced repeated insults of "useless" from the Gorosei.
This left Akainu overwhelmed with troubles.
What infuriated him even more were the statements in the newspaper.
Reportedly, these were personally written by Caesar, every word true without the slightest falsehood.
"Bastard! Bastard!! Caesar! You bastard! This is utter nonsense!"
Enraged, Akainu incinerated the newspaper on the spot into ashes.
Then another message from Black Horse added fuel to the fire, pushing the already furious Akainu to the brink of losing control at Marine headquarters.
"The World Government says that Army General Pavlov and General Floyd have been dispatched to the Grand Line to suppress the riots caused by the Revolutionary Army and have no time to come. Sakazuki, you can only rely on the Marines' own strength to resist this attack. The World Government believes that Marine headquarters can surely handle the Beast God Pirates as smoothly as they dealt with the Whitebeard Pirates at Marineford!"
And that bastard Black Horse, after delivering the message, actually tried to sneak away and return to the Holy Land!
Fortunately, Akainu had prepared in advance, having Kizaru and the returned Ryokugyu intercept Black Horse and World.
'What a joke! You, Black Horse, started this mess, and now that Caesar is enraged and playing for real, you think you can just walk away unscathed?'
At least they were two decent combatants who could somewhat fill the void left by the deaths of Sengoku and Garp.
"Damn it, this time it's really risky. That bastard Caesar is too bold!"
Akainu angrily picked up the Den Den Mushi on his desk, found a number from the drawer, and dialed.
...
New World, Red Sea, Blood Rose Island.
"Pururu pururu pururu pururu."
"Shanks! The Den Den Mushi is ringing; it seems to be the dedicated line from the Marines."
Benn Beckman took out a continuously ringing Den Den Mushi from his pocket and walked toward Shanks.
At that moment, the spacious hall wasn't crowded.
Only a few remaining officers of the Red Hair Pirates: Lucky Roux, Yasopp, Benn Beckman.
Along with Buggy and Mihawk.
They all sat around the sofa, each holding a copy of the newspaper.
"The Marines? Heh heh, if the Marines are contacting me now, it's probably about this, right?"
Shanks took the Den Den Mushi and waved the newspaper in his hand to the others.
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