"Jie hahahahaha!!!"
Shiki was extremely excited.
"Now this really is a grand spectacle, Marine Headquarters Marineford!!!"
"Before, Orin and I came here once and destroyed more than half of Marineford. This time, it won't sink completely, will it~"
"After all, those two monsters, Newgate and Orin, are both on the island right now!!!"
Thinking of something he had always wanted to do but never managed to accomplish—something that might finally be played out for real today—Shiki couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh loudly.
"Rather than worrying about that, you should worry about how much longer you can hold on, Shiki!!!"
Leaping into the air, one punch smashed Shiki out of the sky.
As one of the few monsters of the old generation who still retained peak combat power, dealing with the current Golden Lion was effortless for him.
"With your current self and the Whitebeard Pirates, you still can't break through Marineford's defensive line!!!"
"Jie hahahahaha!!!"
Several mouthfuls of blood spilled from Golden Lion's mouth, yet the bold smile on his face remained unchanged.
"How naive, Garp!!!"
"It seems you still haven't figured out the current situation~"
"On the way here, I saw quite a few interesting characters rushing over. This war absolutely won't end so easily!!!"
"Nani???"
A trace of gravity appeared on Garp's face.
..."
Meanwhile,
The Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The Roomr of Authority,
"The war has entered a fever pitch~"
The five highest authorities of the World Government, secretly monitoring the battlefield situation, were now staring at the Den Den Mushi.
Whitebeard, blood spilling from his mouth; Golden Lion, steadily losing ground—their gazes were icy cold.
"The era of the old generation of great pirates, led by Rocks, has already passed."
Saint Topman Warcury said calmly.
"Even if there are some minor twists, judging from the current situation, the Navy's victory is already inevitable."
Saint Marcus Mars also held an optimistic view.
"This war will become a benchmark, used to suppress the increasingly rampant pirate arrogance since Roger's execution. The rate of people going out to sea will drop significantly."
Everyone was extremely optimistic about their judgment of the battle.
And it was at this moment—
A messenger came rushing in, panting heavily, or rather, practically rolling and crawling inside.
"Re… reporting to the Elder!!!"
"Mm???"
This sudden disturbance instantly drew the attention of the Elder. They frowned and looked at the flustered soldier.
"What an outrageous display!"
"What matter could make you panic like this before us?!"
Facing the cold gazes of the world's highest authorities, several beads of cold sweat formed on the soldier's forehead.
But recalling that incomparably important intelligence—
Intelligence brought back only after an entire CP0 infiltration squad had been wiped out, information that was spat out in blood to a Den Den Mushi—
"Reporting! It concerns the CP0 investigation—regarding the results of Orin-sama's secret experiments!!!"
"Nani?!"
At the mention of this, the fastest and most intense reaction came from Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro.
Vegapunk's research had originally been under his charge. His understanding of scientific research was the deepest among them.
His level of concern for this matter was clearly far higher than that of the other Elder.
Of course, the other Elder were also extremely interested in—and attached great importance to—the secret Orin had been hiding all this time.
"Read it."
Five figures fixed their gazes on him simultaneously, increasing the soldier's pressure immensely. He hurriedly opened the document.
After just one glance, instead of the shock and horror the Elder had expected, his expression showed confusion and incomprehension.
Then—
An extremely concise and hurried passage of text was slowly read aloud from the soldier's mouth.
"Research objective: Artificial Nika (scratched out), Sun God Joy Boy."
"Nani?!"
The instant the soldier finished the last word, his entire head was instantly shattered by a single gaze.
Blood and filth splattered throughout the Chamber of Authority.
Terrifying Conqueror's Haki erupted in all directions, the ground beginning to crack apart!!!
Five gazes filled with killing intent and fury locked onto the Den Den Mushi.
"What kind of joke is this!!!"
"We believed we had already given Orin all the respect he deserved, even yielding at times—how dare he?!"
"This is an irreconcilable enmity! With the World Government having developed to this point, Joy Boy must never reappear in this world!!!"
The Den Den Mushi was activated, and the will of the highest authority was swiftly transmitted to Marine Headquarters.
..."
"Beru beru beru…"
Hm???
Though the war had entered a fever pitch, the Den Den Mushi he carried suddenly rang. Sengoku felt puzzled, yet had no choice but to answer it.
Because the call came from Mary Geoise.
"Kacha."
"Reporting to the Elder, the situation of the Summit War is currently favorable."
Sengoku proactively reported, but quickly noticed something was off about the expression on the other end.
The Den Den Mushi, mimicking the faces of the Elder, was now filled with killing intent and fury.
"Sengoku, regardless of the cost, include Orin among the attack targets!!!"
"???"
Hearing this order, Sengoku—who had believed the situation was overwhelmingly favorable, with the Whitebeard Pirates being besieged by the three Admirals and Golden Lion being pummeled by Garp, victory just moments away—
felt his brain nearly crash on the spot.
"This…"
"This is an order, Sengoku!!!"
At this moment, the Elder displayed a level of rigidity that was shocking and incomprehensible.
After that, they hung up the Den Den Mushi. They still had to immediately report to Im-sama.
At this moment, Sengoku stood beside the execution platform. Facing the blazing battlefield, he felt an icy chill seep through his entire body.
He saw the Navy soldiers fighting with rising morale, and the pirates steadily retreating yet resisting stubbornly.
This flourishing situation was forcibly destroyed by a single phone call.
Go after Orin?
Who would go?
An Admiral? Garp? Or himself?
And what about the Shichibukai?
Just at this moment, a voice he least wanted to hear rang out.
At some unknown time, Orin had already walked to the center of the battlefield—the domain of the three Admirals.
"Ho~ an aged Whitebeard and two Yonko commanders going up against three famed Admirals really is a bit too much, huh…"
Whitebeard's chest had already been pierced through; he must have vomited several liters of blood by now.
Orin stood beside the battlefield between him and Akainu, stroking his chin.
"That's Orin-sama!!!"
"Is he going to make a move against the Whitebeard Pirates too?!"
"Great! The battle is decided!!!"
Even the Koby duo, who had been hiding on the outskirts peeking at the fight, seemed convinced that this war was a Navy victory.
"As expected… becoming an Admiral or something really is too much. After all, even Luffy fell on the path of pursuing his dreams…"
Koby lowered his head, searching for psychological comfort.
But the next instant, Helmeppo—still watching the battle beside him—suddenly changed expression drastically.
This also drew Koby's attention. He looked over as well, only to see that previously calm and unrestrained figure—now gently raised one hand, stopping the massive magma fist in midair. A crimson light burst forth from his eyes.
"However…"
"Sengoku, you don't seriously think my Observation Haki didn't hear the contents of that Den Den Mushi, do you?"