Chapter 172: The Vastness of the World, the Insignificance of Man (3k)

"G54 Branch warship has reached the target sea area, currently no abnormalities."

"G53 Branch warship is 3 nautical miles from the target sea area, currently no abnormalities."

"G47 Branch warship is 9 nautical miles from the target sea area, currently no abnormalities."

A large amount of reporting information was constantly being transmitted on the warship. Brina stood on the deck, the sea breeze almost tearing her bodice apart. The cloak behind this woman snapped in the wind, the characters for "Justice" fluttering in the gale.

Her hearing was excellent; even standing here, she could hear various exchanges from inside.

"Colonel Brina, are we not approaching yet?"

"Major General Robert of the G54 Branch has already started urging us."

Corporal John came behind the woman, bowing his head, reporting nervously.

He had never imagined that the news of that 【Golden Town】 would spread so quickly; he should have only conveyed it to a few nearby pirate crews...

But at this moment, multiple Navy branches had dispatched troops simultaneously, with a total of 8 warships deployed. This kind of lineup, aside from the legendary 【Buster Call】, was a rare, large-scale operation in the Navy.

More than 10 high-ranking naval officers were participating in the operation; even a Great Pirate with a bounty of nearly 100 million would not be worthy of such a large-scale naval operation.

The only reasonable explanation was that the Navy had also received some kind of authorization and wanted to take down the rumored 【Golden Town】.

Brina seemed not to hear John's voice, elegantly holding a lady's cigarette in her hand, but the sea breeze was strong, and before she could smoke it, the cigarette was already about to burn out.

"Colonel Brina, we..."

The woman turned abruptly, staring fiercely at John. That look made it almost impossible for John to associate her with the beautiful and alluring female officer he saw at the base every day.

"Shut up, Marine!"

"If you want to die, you can jump off directly. This ship cannot move!"

Brina was in a very bad mood; that damned Monster actually really considered himself a 【God】.

She clicked her tongue; such a guy was actually the most troublesome to cooperate with.

Ordinary pirates either sought wealth, power, or lust; one could always find a way to satisfy them.

If a person has desires, they can be manipulated.

But a madman who truly considers himself a 【God】, how could she possibly satisfy him?

Even if she suppressed all abnormal information in this sea area, even if she continuously drove some pirates and merchant ships into this sea area, no matter how much she did, the other party would only think this was what a "believer" should offer.

Moreover, this ridiculous 【God】 never bestowed anything upon her.

Brina's dissatisfaction with Enel had long been deep, but hindered by the other party's power—that kind of Logia fruit—Brina believed that an ordinary Navy Vice Admiral probably could not handle it.

But once it involved an Admiral or a Headquarters Vice Admiral level, 【Golden Town】 would likely have nothing to do with her anymore.

Therefore, Brina had always tolerated the other party and used him to eliminate the branch's star Marine, that Kori, as well as Major Rushido, who did not get along with her.

Brina watched coldly as the warships arrived at the target sea area one by one, the corners of her mouth curling up.

Since this evil god never bestows anything, then she would have to use the evil god's ferocity to plot a little future for herself.

Crack!

John shuddered in fright and turned to look, only to see a blue-white bolt of lightning fall from the sky for no reason on the clear, sunny sea. In just an instant, the G54 Branch warship exploded with a boom, then broke into two halves and began to sink.

"This..."

John opened his mouth to speak, but had no idea what to say.

Crack!

Another bolt of lightning fell, and another Navy warship exploded with a boom.

Thunderbolts continued to fall from the sky, and miserable wails came from the Navy warships.

John stood far away, staring blankly at the terrifying lightning that was almost the size of a warship, falling like rain. The originally designated assembly area for the target instantly turned into Purgatory.

He saw a black dot rise into the air from the wreckage of the G54 Branch ship, changing direction in the sky. That was likely Major General Robert, who had mastered some of the unique skills known as 【Navy Six Styles】. His physical technique was astonishing; it was said he could kill a Sea King with one punch and had once captured a Great Pirate with a bounty of 88 million alone.

But the next moment, accompanied by the slightly delayed sound of a crack.

The black-dot-like figure fell from the sky, and before it even hit the sea surface, it turned into black fly ash, with most of its body disappearing.

John was trembling all over.

Major General Robert, who possessed the strength to rival ten thousand men, was actually blasted to death on the spot just like that?

He himself had been selected for the Navy in his hometown thanks to his excellent marksmanship, and was subsequently conscripted into a Navy branch on the Grand Line.

At first, John had hoped that with his precise marksmanship, he would surely be able to achieve great things.

But after the entry assessment, his comprehensive ability only ranked at the bottom, and he was eventually assigned to a logistics position in the guard room.

He had watched with his own eyes those who entered the field units; almost every one of them was taller and heavier than him. Those guys could each punch with hundreds of pounds of force.

But these guys were all eclipsed by a young Marine named Kori.

Whether it was running speed, strength, combat technique, or shooting accuracy, that guy far exceeded ordinary people.

Kori was unanimously favored by the branch commander and strongly recommended for training at the Headquarters.

And such a guy, it was said, performed extremely mediocrely at the Headquarters.

The vastness of this world, in John's view, was manifested in these countless people who emerged after layer upon layer of selection.

No matter how dazzling you are in your hometown—a genius or Elite among tens, thousands, or even ten thousand—you will always encounter those who are far above you.

And now, this powerful Navy branch Major General, who had also been to the Headquarters for training and mastered the 【Navy Six Styles】, had died powerlessly under a lightning strike without even seeing the enemy's face.

That feeling of horror and powerlessness made John almost collapse.

Tap.

Brina lit her cigarette again, turned around, and swept her foot out. The intense force instantly sent John flying away.

She had long realized the vastness of the world; this world is one dominated by a group of Monster-like guys relying on absolute violence.

Was the Pirate King Roger called the Pirate King because he successfully circled the Grand Line once?

No, it was because what his ability to circle the Grand Line once represented was the terrifying power he already possessed, completely overriding almost all pirate crews!

The Four Emperors, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and even the Navy...

There is not a single institution that is not utilizing pure violence to vent its rule.

A world like this... is rotten to the core.

Brina lowered her eyelids, feeling no sentiment for the deaths of her many colleagues.

She arrived at the command room, where the Marines were already pale with fright at the scene before them; seven Navy warships from different branches, along with nearly a thousand Marines and over ten high-ranking officers of Colonel rank or above, had all turned to dust in that thunderstorm.

In the communications room, the messages sent by those Marines before they died still echoed.

"Help!"

"G47, help!"

"G53..."

"Ah!"

A scene like a nightmare made even these Marines, who were accustomed to cruel Pirates, feel their own insignificance.

Brina shoved aside the guy sitting in front of the internal Den Den Mushi, causing him to hit the rear deck with a cry of pain, and then she dialed the Den Den Mushi with a cold expression.

"Hello, this is Colonel Brina, person-in-charge of the Grand Line G51 Branch, contacting Marine Headquarters."

"We have encountered a powerful attack in the area 5 nautical miles southeast of Skuld Island; apart from our branch, the other branch Marines... have all perished!"

"Requesting support from Headquarters!"

The expression of the Den Den Mushi also became shocked; clearly, this tragic news was hard for Marine Headquarters to believe.

A moment later, the Den Den Mushi's expression changed, and a low voice sounded from it.

"This is Marine Headquarters, Sakazuki."

Brina's Spirit lifted; she had not expected that it would be the Admiral 【Akainu】 himself on the line, and she subconsciously stood a bit straighter, immediately saying:

"Yes, reporting the situation on the scene now."

"We arrived at the target sea area at the designated time to assemble, but a powerful thunderstorm suddenly appeared in the sky. Major General Robert of the branch flew into the air to find the enemy but was killed instantly. Other ships were also destroyed by lightning one after another within half a minute. Only my branch's ship, being on the periphery, managed to escape."

"The enemy is suspected to be a Logia Ability User!"

Brina abandoned that stingy 【God】 without hesitation.

Zzz~

An abnormal crackle of electricity suddenly came from the Den Den Mushi.

Brina's pupils constricted, and before she could speak, she heard a new voice emerge from the Den Den Mushi.

"Brina, you are truly not a devout believer."

At this moment, Brina felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of her feet to her crown.

This guy...

This place is over 20 nautical miles away from that island!

And, for a Den Den Mushi that can only communicate on two lines, how on earth did the other party intervene?!

The eeriness of Enel's ability and his abnormally vast range of effect made Brina's heart sink continuously.

"You are the guy who attacked the branch Marines?"

Sakazuki's voice was low, as if a volcano were brewing.

Enel, however, laughed loudly.

"【Hahaha】, an attack?"

"That is the punishment for disrespecting 【God】, Mortal."

At Marine Headquarters, Sakazuki's expression was incomparably gloomy; he had seen many guys who became arrogant just because they obtained a decent Devil Fruit, but this kind of maniac who truly regarded himself as a 【God】 still made him feel annoyed.

"Colonel Brina, retreat. Headquarters will take charge of this matter."

Sakazuki ordered coldly, then hung up the connection.

But Brina was stiff all over at this moment.

She wanted to hang up the connection, but blue-and-white electricity actually appeared out of thin air from the Den Den Mushi, flickering on and off, strand by strand.

Brina was terrified, and John, who saw this scene from outside, turned and fled toward the side deck almost instinctively, where there were lifeboats specifically for escaping.

The receiver in Brina's hand began to move on its own.

Enel's voice continued to emerge.

"Brina, bring your soldiers and come to the island to see me."

"I think I would be very happy to know what kind of arrangements that Sakazuki has, 【hahaha】..."

His loud laughter echoed from the cabin like a muffled thunderclap.

In the sky, at this moment, a figure resembling a flamingo happened to pass through the clouds at high speed.

Crack!

As the thunder exploded, Doflamingo suddenly froze in mid-air. Intense lightning fell from the sky, and he looked up, his whole body turning pitch black.

At the same time, in the Shendian, Enel also slowly sat upright.

He could feel that his 【God's Judgment】 had not caused the other party much injury.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

Is this what is called... Haki?!

On the periphery of the sea area where the large number of warships had sunk, a sampan was gliding nimbly. Bai Cangshu watched the thunder in the sky collide with that fire-red figure, the smile on his face becoming increasingly obvious.

He looked at the only warship that had not sunk, exerted force with his hands, and the sampan immediately sailed toward it.

(End of this chapter)