Chapter 463: Prelude to the Era of the Sky Castle!

Everyone on the deck fell into a long silence.

The Den Den Mushi in Akainu's arms rang at that very moment.

Buru Buru—!

The urgent ringtone, again and again, struck like a life-taking evil ghost, torturing the heart of everyone present.

At a time like this, who other than the Five Elders, seated in Mary Geoise and remotely controlling this war, would be calling the Fleet Admiral?!

Everyone present knew clearly that any order issued by the Five Elders would absolutely not be a retreat!

After a few breaths.

Akainu took a deep breath and with difficulty answered the call.

"Sakazuki!"

Saturn's voice, seemingly calm yet unable to hide its madness and fear, came from the Den Den Mushi's receiver; anyone could see his unease.

It was an indescribable fear of Britannias, of Gao Wen, and of the one sitting upon the Empty Throne.

"Advance!"

"Invade Britannias!"

Akainu's breath hitched slightly, his brain freezing for an instant.

The scene of the Ancient Weapon bombarding and slaughtering every enemy at the borders of Britannias was still before his eyes; the sense of smallness and powerlessness humans felt in the face of such a natural disaster still shrouded his heart.

"Stop joking!"

Akainu bit down until his gums bled:

"Britannias possesses an Ancient Weapon and already stands in an invincible position; against such a destructive weapon, the Navy's troop numbers are merely a string of cold figures!"

"With just one more shot, everything will be completely erased!"

"We..."

"That is precisely why this war must be fought on the mainland of Britannias!"

Saturn's voice was like the whisper of a demon, making the high-ranking Navy officers present feel a chill rising from their very bones.

They naturally understood Saturn's meaning.

If this battle took place on the mainland of Britannias, under the constraint of fearing damage to hostages, Knight Gao Wen would indeed have a high probability of not continuing to use the Ancient Weapon.

But as members of the Navy, as those backing justice, since when had they fallen so low as to rely on the lives of civilians to force an opponent to abandon the weapons in their hands...

Those present felt only a stinging pain across their faces.

Justice had nearly been shattered into pieces.

"Stop joking!"

"Bastard!"

Unable to restrain his temper and disregarding any so-called hierarchy of superior and subordinate, Akainu directly cursed.

He did not want to serve as this damn Fleet Admiral for even one more day!

This time, neither Sengoku nor Tsuru spoke up to correct Akainu.

The two characters for "Justice" printed on their coats seemed to carry a weight of a thousand jin at this moment, pressing down until they could barely breathe!

Saturn's voice, by contrast, gradually calmed down:

"You should be clear."

"Only the Moon-Boarding Ark is humanity's sole redemption!"

"With the power of Britannias and that man, it is highly likely they will intervene to interrupt it; at that time, it will be the extinction of humanity!"

"This is not a war for justice; this is a war for the continuation of our race!"

"Sakazuki!"

"Is your capacity truly only this much?!"

"Cast aside your nonsensical justice; right now, immediately, this instant, invade Britannias for me!"

"As for Knight Gao Wen..."

"That One will personally take action!"

Beep—!

The call disconnected.

Akainu stood at the bow, silent for a long time.

Since eating the Magma-Magma Fruit, this was the first time he had felt the cold of the sea breeze, a chill rising from the very bones.

He turned his head to look toward distant Britannias, gazing at that continent at the end of the vast sea.

The sense of humiliation nearly made him burn up, yet the sliver of reason remaining in his heart forced him to make the most correct judgment at this moment!

Board the moon!

The World Government's Moon-Boarding Ark is the only path to survival!

The last hope for humanity's continuation!

But...

But how many lives will this coming war claim?

Of the marines on these warships, how many will be able to board the World Government's escape ships?!

That number was so cold that even Akainu was unwilling to look at it directly.

"Sakazuki!"

Sengoku's voice arrived; the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen in an instant, his entire body exuding an aura of decay akin to one nearing death.

Those eyes were bloodshot, yet remained terrifyingly resolute!

"We must do what is right!"

"To hell with being right!"

Akainu erupted completely:

"If being right means letting my soldiers die for those pig-like monsters, then I'd rather see the world destroyed!"

"Even if T-Bone were still alive, he would absolutely never wish to see such a world exist!"

Mentioning T-Bone's name, Akainu's eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and as he looked toward Britannias, a hint of ferocity inevitably surfaced in his gaze:

"If we go to seize the World Government's Moon Ark, what are our chances of success?!"

"At least..."

"At least in the end, those with a chance to survive shouldn't be only that group of pigs, right?"

Whoosh—!

The sea wind churned, and a bone-chilling cold struck everyone.

Sengoku parted his lips, unsure how to refute.

Tsuru stared wide-eyed at Akainu, equally lost for words.

"You've got guts!"

Facing Akainu, Garp rarely showed a smile; wild Haki churned around him, stirring thunder within the void!

Aokiji, Kizaru, and Ryokugyu felt nothing but an electric current surging through their entire bodies, all because this path...

... was passable!

Aokiji thought a layer deeper, and a faint smile couldn't help but appear on the corner of his mouth:

"If the Marines' strength alone is insufficient, then..."

He turned his head to look at Britannias and said:

"What if we add that monster's power? Even the World Government, even the one standing above the clouds, would absolutely be unable to stand firm, right?!"

Everyone present felt their hearts skip a beat.

Even Sengoku, who had always been conservative and rational, became excited at this moment.

Just as he was about to speak, the warship beneath their feet transmitted a violent shake; even the few on the deck, strong as they were, nearly lost their footing!

"What's happening?!"

"Is it the aftermath of an Ancient Weapon?!"

"No!"

"No, it's Britannias itself; there are new changes again!"

World Government, Mary Geoise.

The battle outside Pangea Castle ended at a speed beyond imagination.

Lei Li and the others, who had joined forces to assault Mary Geoise in an attempt to rescue Jabba's wife and children, once again faced Imu, who had appeared at God Valley more than thirty years ago.

In merely a single exchange, that ability to forcibly dominate Rocks completely transformed them, turning them into members of the demon army.

This farce had already ended before it even began.

Imu stood quietly in the center of Mary Geoise.