When Admiral Kizaru arrived at the Sasu base, Rosen had already slipped away. He had no intention of confronting an admiral now, as it was unnecessary. His goal had been achieved, and as long as Vice Admiral O'Neill wasn't suspected, everything was fine.
Admiral Kizaru scratched his head in frustration as he surveyed the wreckage of the Marine base. How was he going to explain this to Fleet Admiral Sengoku? To make matters worse, Eric's body lay right before his eyes.
"Order all eight islands to search for Crocodile's whereabouts. Notify imdiately if he's found," Kizaru reluctantly commanded, though it was uncertain whether Crocodile was even still on the islands. Still, the order had to be given.
"Why are so many Marine ships entering the Sacred Sea? My god, are those battleships? I've never seen such massive Marine vessels before!" So civilians on Sasu Island watched in awe as the Buster Call ships sailed from the Forbidden Sea toward the direction of Landis Island.
From this distance, the battleships appeared enormous. Ordinary Marine ships were rarely seen, let alone warships of this scale.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A deafening roar erupted as a barrage of cannon fire rained down on Landis Island. Though still far away, the bombardnt was enough to devastate the outer areas.
The battleships sailed past Sasu Island, their massive cannons, larger than a person, turning slightly. Heavy artillery of this caliber was rarely seen, even by pirates.
"This doesn't look like ordinary shelling. Have the Marines gone mad?!" A pirate observed through a telescope as ten battleships fired in unison, the scene resembling the heavens roaring in fury.
The frequency of the cannon fire was terrifyingly high, as if the shells were endless, relentlessly bombarding Landis Island.
At the sa ti, alarms blared across the eight islands, warning residents to seek shelter. Though the islands weren't within the bombing range, they were technically part of Landis Island's territory. If a threat was detected, they could be targeted instantly.
"Ten top-tier battleships led by a Marine Vice Admiral? My god, I've heard of this scale, but I never imagined this was the Buster Call. This firepower is horrifying. Are they planning to sink the entire Landis Island?!" A pirate captain observed from the port of Frans Island as the battleships approached Landis Island.
"Get out of here now! I've heard the Buster Call will sacrifice anything to achieve its goal. The eight islands might not be safe. Hurry!" Soone sensed the danger. Though the Marines were targeting Landis Island, the sight of ten high-level battleships bombarding the area was enough to terrify many. The panic on the eight islands was understandable, far surpassing the fear caused by any monster.
"Report, Crocodile was sighted on Sasu and Frans Islands," a soldier reported on one of the battleships.
"Crocodile, that damn bastard. He's definitely connected to Vice Admiral Onigumo's death. Order the entire fleet to eliminate Sasu and Frans Islands first," Vice Admiral Doberman coldly commanded.
"What? Vice Admiral, Admiral Kizaru is on Sasu Island, and there's a Marine base and many civilians there. If we bombard it—"
"Admiral Kizaru will understand. As for the other Marines, tell them to evacuate on transport ships imdiately. They have ten minutes. After that, the Buster Call will comnce. If Crocodile is on those islands, this will force him out," Doberman remained resolute.
Considering the recent heavy losses the Marines had suffered, he didn't want to sacrifice more lives. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given even these ten minutes.
Even during the Enies Lobby incident, evacuation ships were provided, but once the bombardnt began, it was indiscriminate. Ten minutes—how many people could evacuate in that ti? Such an order was hard to comprehend. To potentially force a single pirate to reveal himself, two entire islands were to be wiped out. It was as if human lives ant nothing!
The alarms grew more urgent.
"This can't be! Why? We're allies, and we still have the mission to blockade Landis Island. Have the Marine Headquarters' Buster Call ships gone mad?" A major was stunned upon hearing Vice Admiral O'Neill's island-wide announcent. This made no sense! What kind of madness was the Buster Call, attacking even their own people? Were the rumors true?
"Stop dawdling! Get the civilians evacuated. We only have ten minutes. Move quickly! Inspectors, be thorough. Don't let pirates or Crocodile sneak onto the ships. You know the consequences," O'Neill ordered. Fortunately, each island had transport ships. Under the island-wide announcent, countless civilians and Marines rushed toward the Marine base, boarding the ships in chaos. But ten minutes was far too short, and many wouldn't make it in ti. The ships were also insufficient.
Vice Admiral O'Neill, in charge of the evacuation, looked grim. Was this the Buster Call? He had never participated in one before, but he knew its power lay in its sheer terror.
Now, with Sasu and Flance Islands under bombardnt, even if the shells were powerful enough to devastate the islands, could they kill Crocodile if he were there? No, they couldn't. But the Buster Call proceeded anyway—first, to force Crocodile out, and second, to show the world the consequences of opposing the World Governnt, to intimidate others.
At least for now, many pirates, hearing the island-wide announcent, were nearly scared out of their wits. Pirates and hunters on the islands fled in panic toward the Gray Port.
If they were slow, the bombardnt they had just witnessed would be enough to obliterate them ten tis over.
"The Marines are all insane! Damn it, I shouldn't have co to hunt the Shichibukai. This is a nightmare!" A pirate captain ran toward the port in a panic, abandoning his crew and treasure.
Just monts ago, they had been watching the Marine battleships bombard Landis Island like it was a spectacle. But now, with the cannons turning toward them, who wouldn't be afraid? They had just seen the destructive power of those shells—one shot could flatten a small hill.
anwhile, on the outskirts of Frans Island's coast, Rosen and his group hadn't heard the island-wide announcent. The area was sparsely populated, with no broadcasting equipnt like the island's center. Moreover, their view was blocked by the island, so they couldn't see the passing Marine battleships, but they could hear the thunderous cannon fire.
"The frequency of the bombardnt is unusual," Rosen frowned, quickly recalling Vice Admiral O'Neill's ntion of the Buster Call. Rosen understood its power—ten battleships could rcilessly destroy even a World Governnt facility like Enies Lobby, let alone a civilian island like this.
The devastation was staggering. An entire island could be reduced to a sea of flas, leaving no survivors. Only a miracle, like Luffy's escape, could defy such destruction.
"Brrring brrring…" Rosen's Den Den Mushi rang. This was a private line, newly set up.
"Robin, bring the white Den Den Mushi," Rosen said to the distracted Robin.
"Of course, Boss," Robin nodded, though she was puzzled. Who would call Rosen at a ti like this?
anwhile, Mr. 5 and Valentine occasionally glanced at the room where Law was still operating on Daz Bones. As for Charles, he had been thrown into the ship's hold.
Click.
"The Buster Call has been launched, approaching from the side. The other directions are already within the Marine battleships' range. Only the path toward Landis Island remains uncovered. My blockade has been lifted, and the Marines are retreating. Frans Island is within the bombardnt zone. Leave as soon as possible," Vice Admiral O'Neill quickly explained over the Den Den Mushi.
(End of Chapter)
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