48 Chapter 48
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048: Shocked By Marine Admiral's Death, 'Seraph' Appears!
...
"Wow, the Marine Admiral is dead?!"
"Is it real or fake?"
"There's no way, right?"
"An Admiral, considered a monster, died in the Marine's second attempt to exterminate that man!"
People from all over the world, while outside, stood up suddenly.
They were glued to the live broadcast from the Naval Headquarters on their phone bugs these days.
Eager to learn the truth about what Whitebeard revealed.
And now, they were discovering it.
The entire Naval Headquarters stood in terror, lined up against the Whitebeard Pirates.
Just as Whitebeard had claimed!
Neither Akainu nor Kizaru made an appearance!
Plus, there was Sengoku's face, contorted in ugly rage at Whitebeard.
In an instant, everyone realized that Whitebeard was telling the truth.
Some people stayed rooted to the spot in shock.
Others were shaking uncontrollably, their minds and bodies in disarray.
Many swallowed hard, unable to believe the news about the Marine Admiral's death, as stated by Whitebeard during the Summit War.
Because it was real.
Indeed, it was true!
Two Marine Admirals had personally led the operation.
And now an Admiral had actually perished in this second crackdown on that man.
For a time, the news sent shockwaves around the world!
At the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Can that news be true?"
The outside of a bar was torn apart.
Shakky stopped smoking right where she was.
She paid no mind to the shock sweeping across the nearby Sabaody Archipelago.
After a while, she found herself looking unintentionally at the silver-haired old man at her side.
Behind his glasses, Rayleigh's eyes shimmered with disbelief.
He watched the standoff between Whitebeard and Sengoku unfold above them.
Opening his mouth, he commented:
"I'm afraid this is true. With recent actions of the Marines and the premature execution, everything now makes sense."
While sipping his drink and speaking, the turbulence in Rayleigh's eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.
After all, Rayleigh had faced Marine Admirals in combat multiple times before.
Not the current era's Admirals, though.
But nobody understood better than he did the factors that qualified one as a Marine Admiral: inhuman, monstrous strength, and the ability to battle tirelessly for days on end.
Defeating such an entity, let alone killing one, seemed almost beyond the limits of possibility!
Moreover, it didn't matter if the fallen Admiral was Akainu or Kizaru.
Both men, in their prime for this era in terms of strength and age, were meant to be unconquerable!
A determined Marine Admiral could find it easy to escape from almost any predicament.
Such was their standing...
Rayleigh hadn't even imagined it.
Since the fall of the Rocks pirates in God Valley thirty-eight years ago.
There hadn't been another record of a Marine Admiral's death.
This incident was unlike any skirmish or melee.
This was an individual challenge against two Marine Admirals!
Consider this:
To kill and to defeat a Marine Admiral...
Were not concepts on the same plane!
There was no comparison!
At Amazon Lily, on Nine Snake Island.
In that moment.
A towering figure rose from her palace room.
Hancock's eyes narrowed slowly, reflecting her inner turmoil.
A Marine Admiral was dead?!
With such critical news.
The Marine government opted for secrecy from the public!
Thinking back on the reports she had seen earlier.
Hancock's fists tightened slowly.
Perhaps...
The notion wasn't so far-fetched after all!
"Snake Princess, snap out of it!"
Beside her, Grandma Nyon noticed the shift in Hancock's expression.
With her experience, she could tell that Hancock had changed her thinking once more.
So, without hesitation, she worked to bring Hancock back to the present.
"The foundation of the World Government isn't as simple as you think. Otherwise, those who deem themselves superior wouldn't consistently clutch the reins of global power."
"Even at that level, isn't it enough?"
Hancock interjected, frowning.
"That's true!"
Grandma Nyon agreed with a nod, assured without doubt.
Being the oldest on Nine Snake Island, and having lived through the era before the Rocks, she was keenly aware of the World Government's might.
Although they had last flexed their full strength during the God Valley Incident thirty-eight years ago.
That had been just a glimpse of their power.
At that time, the Rocks Pirates, close to ruling the seas and gathering all the era's titans, sought to seize God Valley.
The outcome was inevitable.
Within a single day.
The Rocks Pirates were annihilated at God Valley.
Buried in history, never to rise again...!
It was clear that if the World Government decided to take action, the extent of their power could be immense.
Even the Rocks Pirates, at their zenith, stood no chance.
And now...
An individual dared to topple that colossal World Government!
It was a feat that seemed impossible, even if the Four Emperors of the New World united for the cause.
Suddenly.
Grandma Nyon sensed the remnants of a mighty presence spreading toward Nine Snake Island.
The mother-in-law's face tensed as she leaped to the window, instinctively honing in on her surrounding awareness. "Could pirates be plotting an attack on Nine Snake Island amidst the chaos?" she wondered aloud. She observed the Calm Belt waters near Hydra Island, finding them strangely empty, which offered her a momentary sense of relief. However, the memory of a forceful presence that had sent her into high alert lingered in her mind. If not pirates seeking chaos, someone must have accidentally strayed into the Calm Belt. The realization struck her: the formidable presence she sensed must have originated from beyond the Calm Belt.
A deep unease settled in the mother-in-law's heart as she pondered the significance of such an overpowering force breaching the Calm Belt. "Could it be the infamous Whitebeard, sparking a war with the Marines?" she questioned. Instinctively, her eyes scanned the projected image of the Summit War, searching for clues to the situation unfolding. Her face paled at the realization that it wasn't Whitebeard. So who could it be? Suddenly, the image of a certain man flashed across her mind—an individual capable of shaking the very foundations of the World Government.
The mother-in-law's expression grew somber as she pondered the current focus of the world—the Summit War, wondering if the World Government had initiated an extermination mission against this dangerous man while all eyes were elsewhere. Gazing out at the desolate sea, her heart raced. Despite her own admonishments to Hancock against clinging to unrealistic dreams, she couldn't deny a hint of hope that the man from North Blue would prevail. She longed for a change in a world where no one dared defy the World Government, supporting Hancock's stance and Hydra Island's interests in witnessing the fall of a giant.
Simultaneously, news of a Marine Admiral's death in the Summit War rippled with shock across the globe—Sabaody Archipelago, Amazon Lily, Grand Line, and the New World. Countless people were astounded by the revelation.
Back with Bai Ye, the air vibrated with his continued release of Reiatsu, establishing dominance over the sea in his vicinity. A warship nearby emitted sounds reminiscent of anguished screams. 'Kong,' the Generalissimo of the World Government Army, was visibly shaken by the overwhelming power of a single individuaL. Yet, undeterred, Kong prepared for direct confrontation, his own aura escalating as he coldly declared the need to eliminate monstrous threats to the World Government's rule like Bai Ye. With that, Kong activated his phone bug, commencing the first phase of "Operation Demon Slaughter."
Powerful auras emerged aboard the warships, belonging to emotionless 'weapons' poised for battle. With the "Seraphs" at his command, Kong confronted Bai Ye with a vow to obliterate him and others like Kaido and Whitebeard, asserting the supremacy of the World Government. The attack commenced as the 'Seraphim,' incapable of fear or doubt, advanced on Bai Ye.
In response to the claim that he was a threat to the World Government, Bai Ye remained calm, pointing out the hypocrisy now laid bare for all to see. Whether it was the Marines or the Generalissimo himself, they all embodied a deep-seated double standard. Still, Bai Ye watched the approaching "Seraphim" and knew Kong had more tricks up his sleeve. A chill glinted in Bai Ye's eyes; these were the enforcers of the World Government's tyranny. Today, they would meet their end, buried by the very entity they sought to protect.
