Teach was naturally aware of the operation unfolding on Gar's side. To prevent any leaks, the plan had been tightly restricted, known only to the captains of the major pirate crews and the select few directly involved in its execution. Even among elites, information was treated as a weapon, and in a battlefield like the Golden Sea, a single leak could overturn everything.
Although they called it a hunt, the reality was far more dangerous and complicated. Vice Admirals were not prey that could be casually slaughtered. Each one was a seasoned powerhouse, supported by an entire war base filled with elite soldiers and officers. Even if Gar's group held the advantage, securing even a single confirmed kill would already count as a decisive success.
Even so, Teach remained confident in their strength. He understood their limits, but he also understood their synergy. And if the situation turned unfavorable, retreat was always an option. Survival came before pride.
The World Government had originally established twelve temporary war bases surrounding the Golden Sea. Now, only six remained active, their forces consolidated into these key strongholds. The abandoned bases had been stripped down to bare frameworks, their facilities left in disrepair. Jaya Island knew full well that once reinforcements arrived, the World Government would rebuild them swiftly using its vast resources.
These bases were crudely named from Zero to Five, a simple designation for temporary structures built in haste for war.
When Gar's team arrived above War Base Number Five, dusk had already fallen. The sky burned with the last traces of sunlight, casting long shadows over the fortified island below.
High above, a massive bird formed from dense gray mist hovered silently. Gar and his companions did not rush their attack. Instead, they waited.
They were not alone in this operation. Timing mattered. Coordination mattered. Only by striking simultaneously with the other groups could they maximize the chaos and overwhelm the enemy before reinforcements could respond.
While waiting, Gar calmly reviewed the intelligence in his mind.
Three targets.
Tsen, a Marine Vice Admiral.
Guinness and Madno, both Vice Admirals from the Marine.
The Marines had always possessed a deeper pool of elite fighters, but their forces were stretched thin across the seas. With the strategic focus shifting toward the New World, only five Marine Vice Admirals were present in the Golden Sea, compared to ten from the world government.
In total, twenty-four Vice Admirals had been deployed to this war.
Nine had already died.
Three from the Marines.
Six from the The world government.
Even for the World Government, this was a devastating loss.
On Jaya Island's side, casualties had been lighter, but not insignificant. Several notable figures had fallen or been crippled. One example was "Ghost Fire," a core member of the Devil Pirates with a bounty of 700 million Berries, who had lost an arm in battle. Although he survived and later returned with a mechanical prosthetic developed by the Nightfall Pirates, his combat effectiveness had still taken a hit.
For smaller pirate crews, losses were even more severe. Losing a single high-bounty fighter could cripple their entire organization. Many had already withdrawn from the Golden Sea, realizing that this battlefield was no place for the weak.
The war had escalated beyond ambition. It had become a clash of monsters.
Meanwhile, the The world government had committed nearly its entire force. Sixteen Vice Admirals and one Admiral, "Tyrant Bear," were already present, with another Admiral soon to arrive. This was their chance to prove their worth, to stand equal to the Marines who had long dominated the World Government's military prestige.
At this stage, retreat was no longer an option. Too much blood had been spilled.
Both sides understood that this war would only end with a decisive result.
Half an hour passed in silence.
Then, the Den Den Mushi rang.
Gar picked it up, and Kronos's voice came through, steady and commanding.
"Begin the operation."
The call ended.
Gar's lips slowly curled into a savage grin, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Get ready."
Rubert and Nelson nodded without hesitation.
The mist bird suddenly dove.
From high above the sky, it descended like a falling meteor.
Below, a Marine soldier looked up, frowning.
"What is that?"
Others followed his gaze, squinting at the descending shape.
"Just a bird, isn't it?"
But as it drew closer, its massive wingspan became clear. Over twenty meters wide, an unnatural construct that should not exist.
Then someone noticed the figures standing on its back.
His face turned pale.
"Enemy attack!"
Too late.
The mist bird crashed into the base with a thunderous explosion, bursting apart into an expanding cloud of dense gray fog. The mist spread rapidly, swallowing everything in its path, engulfing the entire island within seconds.
Visibility dropped to almost nothing.
Rubert had already activated his ability.
The Mist-Mist Fruit transformed the battlefield into his domain.
The fog thickened, turning darker, heavier, suffocating. It crept into lungs, clung to skin, and began to erode the strength of anyone caught within it. Soldiers coughed, staggered, and collapsed as the poison-like mist invaded their bodies.
Rubert vanished into it completely, becoming one with his creation.
His titles, "Mist Killer" and "Mist Phantom," were not exaggerations.
At the same time, Nelson disappeared without a trace, slipping into the shadows through his spatial ability.
Only Gar remained visible.
He stood openly, releasing his aura without restraint, deliberately drawing the attention of the strongest enemies.
Then he moved.
Blades flashed.
Bodies fell.
Gar carved through the soldiers like a predator unleashed, his hunting knife and claws tearing through flesh with ruthless efficiency. He did not linger. He did not hesitate. Each strike was precise, efficient, lethal.
Yet he was not hunting them.
They were merely warm-up.
Through the mist, he sensed three powerful presences approaching rapidly.
His true prey had arrived.
"The hunt begins."
His voice was low, almost a whisper, filled with savage delight.
His body transformed.
Crimson pupils gleamed.
White fur flowed across his frame.
A feral aura erupted outward.
Gar entered his Moon Lion form.
The ground beneath him cracked as he vanished, his speed leaving behind a crater where he had stood.
Elsewhere, the three Vice Admirals moved together, cutting through the mist with caution. They halted suddenly, instincts screaming danger.
They exchanged glances and nodded.
They would strike together.
They had already identified the mist as belonging to Rubert, which meant this was no ordinary attack. If they failed to suppress him, the entire base would be annihilated.
Then Gar struck.
A white blur tore through the mist, faster than the eye could follow.
His blade targeted Guinness.
The weakest link.
Guinness felt death closing in. His instincts screamed as he twisted his body at the last moment.
He avoided decapitation.
But not the strike.
The blade sliced cleanly through his Armament Haki and severed his arm.
Blood sprayed into the fog.
Pain exploded through his body.
The other two barely saw what happened. By the time they reacted, Gar had already disappeared again.
Fear crept into their hearts.
They knew who this was.
Rain Gar.
And within this mist, he was unstoppable.
"Retreat. Get out of the fog!" Tsen shouted, pulling Guinness back.
But escape was impossible.
Gar attacked again.
This time from above.
The three braced themselves, every nerve on edge.
Tsen swung his blade to intercept.
Gar smiled.
Then everything changed.
In an instant, positions shifted.
Madno suddenly appeared in Gar's original position.
Gar appeared behind Tsen.
Nelson had acted.
Spatial displacement.
Tsen's full-powered slash landed on Madno instead, cutting deep into his body.
Before anyone could react, Gar's blade pierced through Tsen's back, stabbing straight into his heart.
At the same moment, a sword burst through Guinness's chest from behind.
Nelson emerged, expression calm.
Rubert appeared beside the injured Madno and delivered the finishing blow.
Three Vice Admirals fell in seconds.
Their eyes remained wide open, filled with disbelief.
Silence followed.
"That was easier than expected," Gar muttered, though even he sounded slightly surprised.
Nelson shook his head with a faint smile.
"No. This is what perfect coordination looks like."
Mist, space, and raw power.
Each ability alone was dangerous.
Together, they were overwhelming.
Gar glanced at Rubert.
"You should join us. The captain would welcome you."
Rubert gave a small smile.
"I'll pass."
The refusal was immediate, but not hostile. Loyalty still bound him to the Flying Pirates.
Gar did not press further.
"Then we continue," he said, eyes burning with excitement.
Nelson nodded.
"First, we clean up."
Rubert raised his hand.
"Leave that to me."
The mist thickened once more.
Gar and Nelson moved again, targeting the remaining elite officers.
Minutes later, the fog began to disperse.
A massive mist bird rose into the sky once more.
Below, the island had fallen silent.
No voices.
No movement.
Only corpses scattered across the battlefield, and the lingering stench of death.