At this ti, Akainu and the others defending the outer seas of the Red Line also received news that the Neo Navy had launched the decisive battle.
After all, the Neo Navy did not conceal its movents at all and was almost advancing straight across the sea toward the Red Line.
As the first line of defense protecting the Red Line, the Navy would be under unprecedented pressure.
That was because the Navy had not stationed its forces on the Red Line itself, but instead chose to intercept the Neo Navy in the surrounding seas.
Akainu did not understand why the Four Elders had given such an order.
If that was the case, there was no real difference between stationing the Navy at the Red Line or at Enies Lobby, since neither achieved the effect of concentrating all forces in one place.
If the goal was to buy ti, it would have been more effective to have the Navy harass the enemy elsewhere.
However, he could more or less understand the Four Elders' thinking.
Perhaps they feared that if their forces were split in two, Caelan would ignore the Navy's harassnt and directly attack the Red Line.
In that case, the Red Line would lose one layer of expendable defense.
The Four Elders were simply too cautious about their own lives, and they did not even dare to gamble on whether Caelan would value the lives of ordinary civilians more than his own determination to kill them.
A bunch of cowards who did not even have the courage to face their enemy head-on.
"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, a large number of warships have appeared in the sea ahead."
"Caelan and his forces are leading the charge."
Keyes brought the frontline intelligence and reported loudly to Akainu.
Akainu ca back to his senses and said in a deep voice, "How many are there?"
"There are over a thousand warships, all fully manned, with around a million troops," Keyes reported in detail. "We have also confird the presence of several admirals. Sengoku, Borsalino, Zephyr, Gion, Fujitora, and Aokiji are all there."
"And Caelan will definitely appear in the final battle."
Even just reciting the lineup made his heart feel tense.
In fact, their side also had thousands of warships and nearly a million troops.
But these forcibly conscripted civilians could not be compared to the elite soldiers and officers of the Neo Navy.
Moreover, most of their mid-level vice admirals had already fled. Caelan had taken in that entire group, causing them to lose a huge amount of mid-level combat strength.
In terms of top combat power, the difference was not large. They had Fleet Admiral Akainu, Commander-in-Chief Kong, and three newly appointed admirals, only two fewer than Caelan's side.
If reinforcents from Mariejois descended, they would even have the nurical advantage in admirals.
However, Caelan alone was enough to render their top fighters ineffective, leaving them at a disadvantage once again.
With the situation evenly matched at best, even as a staunch supporter of the World Governnt, he could not help but feel panic.
"So you have co with everything you have. You really intend to settle everything in one battle."
Akainu looked into the distance, where dense black shadows were erging at the horizon.
Facing such a lineup, he only felt a heavy sense of pressure.
The enemy had mobilized all their forces without leaving any room for retreat, even emptying Dressrosa, their main base.
If the World Governnt still had the courage to launch a surprise attack with an elite force, Caelan would suffer heavy losses and be forced to adjust his strategy.
But now, it was clear that the Four Elders lacked that resolve.
"Fleet Admiral Akainu, give the order."
Kong narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low voice.
Akainu glanced at him and said firmly, "All units, prepare your firepower. Load all ammunition and suppress the enemy the mont they enter firing range."
"Ryokugyu, Castellon, Urther, and Commander-in-Chief Kong, follow and engage the enemy head-on."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Akainu."
Keyes jogged away and relayed the order to the entire Navy through the Den Den Mushi.
Admiral Castellon and Admiral Urther showed no expression and simply nodded.
They were mbers of the Knights of God, hiding within the Navy as a front.
In essence, they represented the interests of the Celestial Dragons, and a confrontation with Caelan was inevitable.
Naturally, they would not retreat.
"Didn't they say the World Governnt had a trump card?" Ryokugyu said with a carefree grin. "Now that the enemy has co right to our doorstep, it's ti to use it, isn't it?"
When he had been recruited, he believed that a regi which had ruled the world for eight hundred years must possess a deep foundation and a trump card capable of dealing with Caelan.
Yet now that the enemy had arrived, they were still stuck on the defensive. This was far from what he had imagined.
"A trump card?" Akainu glanced at Ryokugyu and smiled for the first ti. "Aren't you the trump card?"
It was laughable to still expect the World Governnt to have so hidden ace.
After the immortality of the Four Elders had been broken and the destruction of the ancient weapon, he believed there was nothing left stronger than the World Governnt itself.
If there had to be a trump card, it would be expendable pieces like Ryokugyu, who still firmly believed in the World Governnt.
", the trump card?"
Ryokugyu felt like soone who had made a fortune in the stock market by accident, uneasy and uncertain.
For the first ti, he felt a hint of regret.
He supported pure aristocracy and had once believed that the Celestial Dragons, with their eight hundred years of history, were the most legitimate rulers.
Now, it seed that Caelan's side looked even more like true nobility.
"Fleet Admiral Akainu is just joking," the bald Castellon said to reassure him. "Saint Saturn told that we are only buying ti. The real trump card is still being prepared."
"Yes, the real trump card is being prepared," Urther nodded in agreent. "That is the ultimate power behind the World Governnt's eight hundred years of rule."
They had also heard from the Four Elders that Imu was planning sothing major, sothing that would soon deal Caelan a crushing blow.
As long as they held out a little longer, Imu would be ready.
As mbers of the frontline Knights of God, they would gain new seats among the Five Elders after the war.
What they did not know was that these promises were nothing more than empty bait.
"Oh, I see."
Ryokugyu steadied himself and smiled.
As ti passed, the Neo Navy's forces soon entered the Navy's firing range.
Just as the hastily assembled Navy troops were preparing to aim and fire, a golden figure leaped down from the sky on the opposite side.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
Countless golden beams scattered from the figure, targeting the Navy's deployed warships.
The beams fell at incredible speed, carrying destructive power like that of a mountain collapse.
In an instant, dozens of warships were destroyed.
"Ice Age."
An overwhelming wave of freezing air surged in from afar.
In the blink of an eye, the entire sea area where the Navy was positioned, along with all the warships, was frozen solid, forming an enormous ice field.
The Navy soldiers who had been preparing to fire their cannons were imdiately seized by the cold, unable to even stand steadily.
Before the two sides officially clashed, the Neo Navy had already dealt the Navy a heavy blow.
"Borsalino. Aokiji."
Akainu felt complicated emotions as he watched his forr colleagues take action.
The mory of competing with Aokiji for the position of Fleet Admiral felt like it had happened yesterday, and Borsalino, who was always slacking off, seed as though he were still napping in the chair beside him.
In the blink of an eye, Akainu had beco the Fleet Admiral, yet he felt no joy.
After composing himself, his gaze sharpened. "Move out. Let's go et our old friends."
With that, Akainu charged forward first, with Kong and the others following closely behind.
(To be continued.)
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