"I'm not stupid. How many people do we have? How many do they have? And it's nighttime!"
Ian said irritably. "Who knows how long the fighting would last?"
"That's true!"
Zephyr laughed, then seemed to remember something. "What about Ace?"
"Almost forgot about that kid. Kuma, make a trip. See if things are over there. If it's over, bring him back."
Ian glanced at Kuma, and after receiving Kuma's response, he waved his hand. "Let's go home!"
As Ian's order fell, the ship also began to move. Without paying attention to the Buster Call fleet behind them, it slowly sailed toward the West Blue.
Only after the ship had sailed several miles did Zephyr seem to hear a roar coming from behind. He turned his head again, and his complicated gaze once more fell on the Buster Call fleet behind them.
Then he let out a long sigh, shook his head, and said with a tone of emotion mixed with a bit of pleasure derived from someone's misfortune: "This time, Sengoku is probably going to go crazy!"
No, not just Sengoku. The World Government side is probably going to go crazy as well!
...
"Bastard!!!"
A furious roar echoed across the entire sea.
Even though the Buster Call fleet had already reacted, facing that sudden saturation-style attack, such a massive fleet simply could not achieve absolute defense.
When the magma and ice defenses dissipated, Sakazuki and Kuzan stood on the frozen sea surface. Both of them looked toward the ship from Umbrella Corporation that had struck and immediately retreated.
One had a face full of anger, while the other frowned slightly, his eyes carrying a deep, unfathomable look.
Kuzan put his hands into his pockets, remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a calm tone: "Do we continue the pursuit?"
Hearing Kuzan's words, Sakazuki, already filled with rage, was just about to say something when…
"Report, Admiral Akainu, Admiral Aokiji."
This voice instantly pulled Sakazuki back from his surging fury. With a gloomy expression, he turned his head and looked at the marine officer behind him.
Although the officer who was being stared at by Admiral Akainu's furious gaze felt his entire body stiffen, he still steeled himself and said, "The losses have already been calculated. Fourteen large battleships and one hundred forty-six warships have been damaged. Among them, ninety-four warships are no longer able to continue sailing."
Kuzan and Sakazuki: "..."
As soon as this report fell, both Sakazuki and Kuzan fell silent.
This Buster Call fleet had only brought fifteen large battleships. As a result, before they had even seen the enemy, fourteen large battleships had already been damaged in a single exchange. Only the one they were guarding had not been destroyed.
And those one hundred forty-six warships... it could be said that the losses were truly severe!
"Additionally, all lower-ranking marines are unconscious, suspected to have been impacted by Conqueror's Haki. Furthermore, seventy-six marines have fallen into the sea, but personnel have already been arranged to search for them. Another one hundred sixty-two marines, even if they wake up now, have completely lost... their combat capability."
As the officer's heavy voice fell, Sakazuki and Kuzan still maintained their silence.
Even though they reacted at the very first moment and rapidly pushed their abilities to the limit, wanting to fully cover the entire Buster Call fleet was still a bit too late!
It could be said that this battle was a dereliction of duty on the part of both of them.
Upon seeing the Umbrella Corporation, they only wanted to get close as quickly as possible. They never expected this to be a trap.
Or rather, the darkness had made them somewhat careless, thinking that Ian, the God of Sun, would not be able to use his abilities at night.
After finishing the report, the officer looked seriously at Admiral Akainu and Admiral Aokiji again.
"Vice-Admiral Doberman and Vice-Admiral Strawberry have asked me to inquire whether we should continue pursuing Umbrella Corporation?"
Sakazuki and Kuzan: "..."
Sakazuki and Kuzan did not answer immediately. The two looked at each other once more, their faces gloomy as they stared at one another. In the end, it seemed as though both had already made a decision.
"Hmph!"
"The mission has failed. We have already lost the chance to keep that guy here."
Sakazuki let out a cold snort.
Kuzan directly spoke to the marine officer in a flat tone: "Organize the reasons for this mistake and have Marine Headquarters reassess the threat level of Ian, the God of Sun. Also, reorganize the fleet and immediately turn back."
After a slight pause, his gaze emitted a chilling coldness as he continued in a serious tone: "I suspect that something unexpected... Has also happened over at Enies Lobby!"
As Kuzan's words fell, the officer's expression changed instantly, and he immediately recalled the Umbrella Corporation's bizarre actions.
Could it be that those guys were deliberately waiting for them here?!
Those damned criminals!
Do they not know how much chaos it would bring to the sea if Rocks's descendant were to escape?!
After responding, he did not hesitate any further. He immediately turned around, stepping on the frozen ground, and ran toward the warships behind him.
They had to reorganize the fleet as quickly as possible and then head to Enies Lobby for support!
After he left, Sakazuki and Kuzan once again looked in the direction where the Umbrella Corporation had departed. At this moment, night fell once again.
Under the cover of darkness, the ship was already nowhere to be seen.
Staring at the pitch-black expanse before him, Sakazuki could no longer suppress the fury in his heart. "Those damned bastards! You're right. That guy definitely did it on purpose. Killing World Government agents right in front of us, this is a provocation against us!"
His entire body seemed to be emitting scorching magma, as if even the thick ice beneath his feet was about to be burned through.
"I will definitely personally capture that bastard!"
"Forget about provocations for now. Arrange personnel to salvage the CP9 members to see if there's still someone alive, and also give Borsalino a call to ask about the situation."
Compared to the stifled and furious Sakazuki, Kuzan only felt stifled inside and thus remained much calmer.
He frowned, his tone heavy. "I have a bad feeling about this."