In the afternoon, most of the Andia Kingdom's military entered a state of full combat readiness. Dense clusters of ships of various sizes were docked at every coastal port.
On the coastal land defenses, one army unit after another was assembled, and various defensive fortifications assumed defensive postures.
Garp's fleet anchored outside the bay entrance of the Andia Kingdom, as Andia no longer permitted them to dock within the harbor. Through telescopes, they could see that the port's artillery platforms and ships were already in a state of combat readiness.
"Hahaha… This situation seems a bit troublesome now. That's quite a few troops. A direct assault might not necessarily succeed." Garp looked around and laughed heartily.
It seemed the Andia Kingdom was prepared to sever ties with the World Government and Marine Headquarters at any moment, and this display was clearly meant for them to see, to show them that taking Andia Kingdom wouldn't be easy.
"Just a bunch of rabble. Give me a thousand elites, and I'll charge straight to their king." Ramirez suggested. While he could certainly fight his way through alone, if he got tied down, a decapitation strike wouldn't be so easy.
After all, the ruler of a nation, sensing danger, wouldn't wait for an attack to come to their door. So, troops were useful.
"No rush. Let's see if they send someone first. Besides, we can't confirm the situation yet. What if they really are hunting thieves who stole national treasures?" Garp waved his hand dismissively.
He had visited this country once with Aokiji and it had left a deep impression. If possible, he hoped this war wouldn't happen.
Furthermore, he didn't want to interfere too much. Even if the Dawn Pirates were involved, it was better to let the World Government decide.
He was only responsible for capturing Crocodile.
"I've reported the situation. There's no concrete evidence yet, but the World Government has authorized us to force a landing if a search is necessary. If war breaks out, nearby member nations will provide swift support." Aokiji hung up the Den Den Mushi and stated calmly.
"Is that so. Looks like Akainu's death really made the higher-ups angry." Garp wasn't too surprised. From the fact that a veteran like him was dispatched, it was clear the World Government was determined to deal with the Dawn Pirates.
But the opponent wasn't weak either. Without a good opportunity, if they were determined to escape, capturing them wasn't guaranteed.
Not far away, on the coastline, a ship primarily colored black-brown slowly appeared on the horizon. It was larger than the most advanced naval warships, though from a distance, this wasn't discernible.
Only upon closer approach could one perceive its immense size and the imposing, metallic sheen. Although the hull had a metallic luster, its decorations were lavish, almost like a small palace.
Luxurious, exquisite, noble. The overall decorative style was predominantly pure white and gold, resplendent and magnificent, though the basic layout of the living quarters hadn't changed much.
Rosen's room was slightly larger, with the rest of the decorations kept as close to the previous style as possible. On the bare metal mast, a large Jolly Roger now flew, as large as a sail itself, because they were no longer a sailing ship.
The space where the sail once hung needed to be adorned.
The Pluton, like a war beast, appeared silently and then stopped at a distance from Garp's fleet. The Dawn was temporarily stored inside the Pluton's hold.
Having used the Dawn for so long, they were still attached to it. Moreover, some narrow bays and straits between islands might not accommodate such a massive vessel, so the Dawn remained useful.
"Just waiting here isn't getting us anywhere. I'll go scout the situation. Don't worry, I won't act rashly without orders from above." Ramirez jumped onto the naval ship he had brought with him, leaving a remark behind.
Aokiji and Garp didn't stop him. Since the World Government had imposed constraints, they believed Ramirez would be useful. Besides, they did need someone to investigate the situation more concretely.
Aboard the Pluton, Rosen, Hathaway, and the others stood in the control room. Located in the center of the ship, the control room was seven or eight stories high and offered an excellent view. It was situated in front of the building where Rosen's quarters were, though Rosen's floor was even higher than the control center.
"Ahead is Garp's fleet. The main cannon's sensors have locked onto that sea area. Fire with that as the center?" Enel's body was wreathed in lightning, splitting into several currents as he sat, ready to manipulate the dense array of buttons on the console at any moment.
Naturally, with his strength, he had no concerns about stray currents escaping.
"That naval ship seems to be heading into port. And that reckless fool is unlikable. Lock onto him! I want to see how powerful this Pluton main cannon really is." Rosen pointed to a spot on the screen, indicating Ramirez steering his ship forward.
Want to attract the World Government's attention? That was easy enough. Just expose the Pluton battleship and let them witness the power of destruction.
Even if they didn't immediately guess it was an Ancient Weapon, they would certainly become highly wary and intensely interested.
If they did guess it was an Ancient Weapon, Rosen would have to flee as fast as possible to the New World.
Not far away, on a coastal mountain peak in the Andia Kingdom, Rayleigh, Issho, Xia, and others stood, gazing into the distant sea.
"Can they really divert the World Government's attention? Exposing themselves now would confirm your connection to them. Wouldn't that cause the World Government to intensify pressure on the Andia Kingdom?" Rayleigh looked at Xia with a puzzled expression.
"Don't worry. The World Government will definitely be shocked." Xia said confidently.
"It's a pity I cannot see it. I imagine it would be quite an interesting sight. But if needed, I could also lend them a hand. There are plenty of rocks and stones here. It wouldn't be a problem to manipulate them and disrupt the Marines' departure. That way, even if the situation turns against them, they could escape calmly." Issho stated calmly.
"Strange? Why do I feel a sense of danger? There are no enemies nearby..." Standing on a naval ship, Ramirez suddenly frowned. There was a sensation of danger, growing increasingly intense. What was happening?
"I feel somewhat uneasy, Vice Admiral Garp. Has your Haki detected anything unusual?" Aokiji suddenly felt a sense of unease. For warriors of their caliber, intuition was highly trusted, as it could sometimes foresee impending danger even before Observation Haki.
"Hm? Something does feel off. Is it in that direction?" Garp suddenly turned to look towards where Rosen and the others were, spotting a massive vessel. But from this position, he couldn't gauge its size; it looked like an ordinary ship, and he couldn't even see its flag.
"Target locked. Ready to fire!" Enel asked. As he prepared for the main cannon's first firing, he was eager but also slightly concerned. Would the power be too great? Or too little?
"Fire!"
Outside, the main cannon turret rotated. Then, faint ripple-like lines, nearly invisible to the naked eye, shot out from the muzzle, ascending into the high clouds. They seemed to vanish, with no sound or reaction.
"Why no sound? There's no cannonball either. Is it broken?" Natalie had been full of anticipation, but after waiting a moment, nothing seemed to change.
"Patience. Let it analyze and reconstruct for a bit." Enel said confidently.
BOOM! Suddenly, the clear skies turned overcast with dark clouds. Then, three thick elemental pillars descended from the heavens.
They were a pillar of lightning, a pillar of water, and a pillar of light. Each elemental pillar seethed, appearing immensely violent, as if doomsday had arrived.
Each pillar, like beams of light, shone down through the clouds with speed beyond comprehension, likely surpassing even Kizaru's light speed.
"What is that?!" Ramirez's sense of crisis skyrocketed. Looking up at the sky, his expression drastically changed. What was this? Such terrifying destructive power! He turned to flee, but the moment he moved, the three elemental pillars descended, engulfing him.
Each pillar had a diameter exceeding five hundred meters. Upon contact with the sea, they expanded rapidly, like column-shaped shockwaves spreading outward.
The diameter instantly grew from five hundred meters to ten thousand meters, and the residual waves continued to impact the surroundings. The three elemental pillars compressed and merged with each other, unleashing an apocalyptic energy surge!
(End of Chapter)