"Yes, Fleet Admiral—the enemy is indeed the Rocks Pirates!" the Marine soldier replied firmly.
Hearing such a confident report, the Fleet Admiral, along with Kong, the three Admirals, and Sengoku, all stood frozen in disbelief.
"What… what's the situation on your side right now?" the Fleet Admiral asked again after several seconds of hesitation.
"Saint Aurelius D. Virel ·Is and Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp have already crushed the Rocks Pirates. The battlefield is chaotic, but it's clear—we hold the advantage," the Marine reported.
The Fleet Admiral and the others exchanged looks, stunned.
What the hell was going on?
They hadn't even arrived yet—and the battle was already about to end?
"Is it because of Aurelius D. Virel ·Is?" Sengoku was the first to speak.
"Sengoku, isn't that obvious? Do you really think the crew Garp brought alone could take down the Rocks Pirates?" Kong retorted.
Indeed—even at Garp's peak, relying on him alone would never be enough to defeat the entire Rocks Pirates.
There was only one explanation—
Aurelius D. Virel ·Is.
The Fleet Admiral's expression turned serious.
"In that moment… I finally understand. Aurelius D. Virel ·Is is someone the Five Elders are focusing on cultivating. I was wondering earlier—why would they allow him to take part in something this dangerous?"
He paused, then continued slowly.
"Now I see… the people around him—and he himself—are no ordinary individuals. No wonder the Five Elders allowed him to act so freely and join this war."
"They were confident all along."
After saying this, the Fleet Admiral suddenly realized something and quickly asked:
"Wait—you left something out."
The Marine on the other end froze. "L-left out what?"
"The Roger Pirates—what about them?"
"When we arrived, the Roger Pirates had already been pushed to collapse by the Rocks Pirates. Then Edward Newgate went after them. If nothing unexpected happened… the Roger Pirates should have already fallen," the Marine replied calmly.
"Understood."
The Fleet Admiral nodded and hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Leaning on the railing, he stared into the distance and let out a long breath.
"Heaven is truly on the side of the Marines today. This will be a day to remember—two of the most dangerous pirate crews in the world are about to disappear."
"Indeed. This time, the Celestial Dragons have helped us solve a massive problem," Kong said calmly.
Back on Is' side—
Almost everything was going smoothly.
Retsu Unohana and Tornado had completely suppressed Charlotte Linlin and several of the stronger pirates.
The battle between Madara Uchiha and Edward Newgate had grown even more intense, the island visibly crumbling under their clash.
On Acnologia's side, though he couldn't gain the upper hand, he had successfully held back Rocks D. Xebec.
Rocks found Acnologia troublesome.
Acnologia felt the same about Rocks.
Meanwhile, Yoriichi Tsugikuni faced Kaido—
And completely overwhelmed him.
Several deep slashes carved into Kaido's abdomen, blood pouring out.
If not for another officer intervening and redirecting the fight, one of the future Emperors of the Sea might have fallen right there.
Even so—
Kaido had already lost consciousness, his blood staining the ground. Without immediate treatment, death was still a real possibility.
As for Is—
Shiki had completely given up any attempt to fight head-on.
After witnessing the power of Susanoo, he refused to engage, constantly fleeing instead.
But Is refused to let him go, chasing him relentlessly—even now, they had already moved far away from the island.
"Slash! Slash!"
Two massive energy blades shot forward.
Shiki dodged quickly, glancing back with irritation.
"You bastard! I don't remember us having any grudge—why are you chasing me like this?!"
"Can you run any more shamelessly, Shiki?"
"You think I'm stupid? If I hadn't been injured by Roger earlier, I'd definitely fight you head-on and see who rules the skies! If you've got the guts, wait until I recover—we'll settle this properly!"
"You think I'm stupid too?"
"Then keep chasing. I don't mind running forever. Let's see whose patience runs out first!"
Truth be told—
Even with Susanoo, Is wasn't faster than Shiki in flight.
And maintaining Susanoo along with the paper armor consumed a significant amount of stamina.
So—
Is dismissed Susanoo.
Flaming wings spread from his back as he continued the pursuit.
Meanwhile, on the main battlefield—
Just as the Marine had reported—
The Rocks Pirates had completely collapsed.
Unlike the Roger Pirates, who fought with loyalty and were willing to stand and die together—
The Rocks Pirates were different.
Most of them fled in all directions, each for themselves.
They had no concern for their captain's fate.
As long as they survived—that was enough.
"Whoosh—BANG!"
Just as Whitebeard was about to continue fighting—
A figure suddenly landed beside him.
He turned his gaze—
"Captain… Rocks?"
"..."
Rocks D. Xebec spoke coldly:
"The sounds of battle are fading. Just like Roger earlier… we've been pushed into a corner."
"By the Marines… no—"
"More accurately—by that Celestial Dragon."
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