A Few Minutes Ago
"Retreat? Sengoku, do you know what you're saying?"
"Right now, Morgans is broadcasting everything live to the entire world! And somehow, we can't even cut the signal!"
"If we retreat now, it's not just the Navy—even the World Government will lose all face!"
The blond Five Elder Star, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, lost his temper.
"Yes, the situation is extremely unfavorable. If we keep pushing forward, we could lose the entire fleet!"
"Sure, we can recover from losing face, but if we lose 400 warships and 80,000 elite soldiers here, can any of you afford that cost?"
It was rare for Sengoku to talk back to the Five Elders like this.
He was putting the decision squarely in their hands: What matters more—your pride, or the survival of this fleet?
The call from the Den Den Mushi was quickly cut off.
Sengoku knew what that meant—the five old men had gone off to deliberate.
About five minutes later...
"Very well. We'll temporarily pull the unified fleet out of the Calm Belt and wait for further instructions. We'll decide our next steps after reviewing everything."
"I understand."
This time, it wasn't Saint Shepherd Ju Peter speaking. It was the bald Five Elder Star, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro.
Sengoku finally received the official order—and he let out a sigh of relief.
He immediately recalled Admiral Kizaru and ordered about twenty warships on the left flank to stay behind and cover the retreat. The rest of the main fleet was to withdraw immediately.
As for the rear guard…
They were entirely composed of Navy officers secretly aligned with the World Government—along with their direct subordinates.
Back during the East Blue incident, Sengoku had already used the chaos to eliminate some of the World Government's spies within the Navy.
And now...
He took the opportunity to clean out the rest in one go.
This time, Sengoku was using Jun Lin to the fullest.
But the real question was—who was actually using whom? Could anyone really say for sure?
---
"The Navy retreated?!"
"Of course they did—the entire left flank of their fleet was crushed, and they hadn't even reached Jun Lin's main force!"
"I don't know much about naval warfare, but this is shocking!"
"So, this means the joint fleet of the World Government and Navy lost the battle?"
"Obviously. They lost the fleet fight, and the enemy also has their own Admirals—three of them, just like the Navy!"
"So what happens now? What will the world become...?"
Across the many kingdoms, in front of large screens, people were in an uproar discussing what they had just witnessed.
Some were excited.
Some were worried.
Some were downright terrified.
Every face showed a different emotion.
But one thing was certain: the clash between Jun Lin and the World Government was far from over.
In fact, it had only just begun.
---
Three Hours Later
The massive fleet withdrew from the Calm Belt and returned to the Grand Line.
They had left with nearly 450 warships—now over 70 were gone.
Some had been sunk. Others were too damaged to continue and had been abandoned.
And then there were the 20+ warships left behind to cover the retreat.
All that remained were 366 warships, with over 20 of them damaged.
---
Meanwhile...
A fleet of nearly a hundred sailing ships was making its way across the East Blue, carrying over ten thousand people.
This wasn't a navy fleet, nor was it part of Jun Lin's forces.
These were the ships of the Revolutionary Army—ordinary sail-powered vessels, not warships—used to evacuate elite rebels who had defected from the Arkado Kingdom days earlier.
According to Dragon's plan, they were to avoid the suppression fleet and escape the East Blue.
But now, word had reached them—Jun Lin had engaged the suppression fleet in the Calm Belt...
And won.
Just moments ago, they even received confirmation: Jun Lin had crushed the suppression fleet, forcing their retreat.
This left all the Revolutionary Army officers stunned.
Was Jun Lin really this powerful?
It wasn't long ago that Jun Lin had even threatened the Revolutionary Army—ordering them not to interfere in Arkado.
Back then, not even Dragon had taken the threat seriously.
Sure, the Revolutionary Army couldn't match the World Government in raw power—but who did Jun Lin think he was to threaten them?
But now, it was clear: they were dead wrong. And terribly so.
Especially Dragon, who now stood on the deck's prow, eyes dark and calculating.
"Sabo. What do you think Jun Lin will do next after defeating the suppression fleet?"
As the new Chief of Staff, Sabo was naturally the first person Dragon would consult during a crisis.
"Mr. Dragon, that depends. Did Jun Lin use all their forces to repel the suppression fleet?"
"And if they didn't?"
"Then the forces they didn't reveal are probably already heading straight for us."
---
"Pass the order—have all ships break formation immediately! Take separate routes and regroup at the rendezvous point later!"
"Yes, I'll handle it right away, Mr. Dragon!"
Sabo nodded and turned to relay the command.
But...
It was already too late.
Seven to eight nautical miles away, a fleet of 6 battleships and 18 destroyers was already in formation.
Their cannons turned in unison—locking onto the Revolutionary fleet.
And then...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A thunderous barrage erupted.
Half a minute later, after Viola reported in that the first round of artillery fire had been calibrated...
The second wave began.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
---
You had to admit—Dragon was a monster.
Even though they'd been ambushed, and the shells were faster and more destructive than anything the Pirate World had ever seen...
He still held his own.
The first salvo caught them off guard—one sailship destroyed, another badly damaged.
But the second wave?
Dragon stopped all of it. By himself.
Or rather—not by intercepting the shells.
He changed the weather.
A sudden surge of strange blue winds whipped up—knocking every shell off course mid-flight.
The ones that still threatened to land?
He simply flicked his wrist and wiped them away with a mini-tornado.
This didn't escape Viola, whose Glare-Glare Fruit gave her enhanced vision.
She reported everything to Luo Lan.
But Luo Lan didn't change the battle plan.
He simply ordered: "Keep firing. Don't stop."
The reason was simple.
Yes, Dragon is strong. But how long can he keep that up?
One hour? Then we'll fire for ten.
Ten hours? We'll fire for an entire day.
And even if you somehow endure for a whole day...
We've got a supply ship loaded with ammunition.
We'll bombard you for three days straight if we have to.
And when your stamina is drained...
Will you still be able to survive an assault from the Second Fleet's elite fighters?
You might not even last long enough for Hawkeye to take the field.
The Thunder Trio alone...
Might be more than enough to finish you.