Chapter 62: The World Government's Damaged Prestige
Meanwhile, on the other side.
On the vast Great Sea, amidst a cluster of reefs, Admiral "Daytime Tiger" Davis looked exceptionally battered.
"Damn Shiki, I'll definitely kill you!"
Davis was extremely enraged.
On his way to Kent Island, he was ambushed by "Lion Ghost" Shiki.
Davis's Strength was greater.
But in aerial combat, facing Shiki, who possessed the Float-Float Fruit Ability, he was utterly unable to suppress him.
During the battle with Shiki, it was difficult for him to look after his Warship.
In the end, he watched helplessly as his Warship was destroyed by Shiki.
All the Marine Soldiers on board, except for him, were annihilated and sank into the sea.
This battle was an absolute humiliation for him.
To be made so miserable by a mere junior.
In his opinion, Shiki had merely relied on the advantage brought by his Ability.
Davis's hatred for Shiki had reached its peak.
Attacking the weak.
.
.
he knew that the sacrificed Marine Soldiers were his personal guards who had followed him for many years.
And what he had to do now was find the nearest Island and wait for the Marines' rescue.
"How is this possible?"
Black couldn't believe it, his right hand holding the pen trembled slightly.
Things had gone beyond his expectations.
The continuous stream of news made it impossible for him to believe the facts.
First, Admiral "Daytime Tiger" suffered heavy losses against "Lion Ghost" Shiki, with only one person surviving.
How long had it been?
Shiki had only just gained a little fame when he joined the Rocks Pirates.
Now, in just a few short years, he had grown to this extent.
He had thought that Headquarters had paid enough attention to "Lion Ghost" Shiki, but he hadn't expected that they still underestimated Shiki's Strength in the end.
According to Davis's description, Shiki seemed to have also gained an Ability similar to the "Float-Float Fruit".
This made the threat of "Lion Ghost" Shiki even greater; he had already become a major enemy of the Marines.
And the battle situation on Kent Island shocked him even more.
The Marines had Intelligence Agents on Kent Island.
As early as when the battle situation reached an extreme disadvantage, Black had issued the order to abandon the operation and retreat, but it was useless.
The Warships surrounding the Island were swallowed one after another by Titan.
Remembering the sounds that came before the Den Den Mushi was cut off.
"No good! We're surrounded by Special Mist!"
"It's so uncomfortable! So painful!"
"Monster! Monster!"
.
.
.
"Mythical Zoan."
Through the limited Intelligence available, Fleet Admiral Black determined the hidden Ability of Hades' Guard.
What gave him an even bigger headache was that Hades and the Guard whose name was unknown were too strong; each of them was a Monster among Monsters.
Vice Admiral Henry and Vice Admiral Cassius had no Ability to resist against the Guard wielding the Twin Hammers.
And Vice Admiral Vic was almost completely suppressed by the Son of Jaeger.
He found these descriptions hard to believe.
Because they were defeated too quickly, they didn't even get news of the retreat.
Could it be that natural-born Monsters like "Charlotte Linlin" had appeared again?
Due to limited Intelligence, Black's understanding of the Son of Jaeger and his Guard was very limited.
This time, the Marines could be said to have suffered heavy losses: thousands of Marine Soldiers, plus three Marine Vice Admirals, and numerous Marine officers.
It was also a heavy slap across the Marines' face.
A series of combination punches caught him completely off guard.
It should be known that this was originally an operation the Marines were full of confidence about, but it ultimately failed.
They had severely underestimated the Son of Jaeger's Strength.
Nor did they consider the Rocks Pirates' reaction upon receiving the news.
Leading to the current situation.
The Rocks Pirates had appeared, and their target for plunder was the Croydia Kingdom, one of the World Government's Member Nations.
Located in the front part of the New World, near the Red Line and the South Calm Belt.
The Croydia Kingdom was a Powerhouse Nation in the New World, possessing an Army of 1.
5 million, Quasi-Admiral Level Experts, and even Top-tier Combatants.
However, they were completely powerless to resist against the Rocks Pirates.
The entire Kingdom was plundered.
At the very first moment, the Croydia Kingdom requested aid from the World Government.
However, the Marines took no action, or rather, only made superficial gestures.
Originally, they wanted to present the Son of Jaeger as an explanation to the World Government and the Member Nations.
In the current situation, they didn't even have an explanation.
It should be known that he had given his guarantee to the Five Elders; now he just felt his face burning.
Fortunately, the Royal Family of the Croydia Kingdom had already fled the Croydia Kingdom, taking the Croydia Kingdom's elite and some Treasure with them.
No Faction with good Intelligence in the New World was unaware of how terrifying the Rocks Pirates were, as there were simply too many typical cases.
After receiving the news, the Royal Family of the Croydia Kingdom issued the order to flee.
They sent out ordinary Soldiers to buy time, and finally escaped to the Red Line with the assistance of the Marines and the Red Line Army.
As for the rest, the Royal Family of the Croydia Kingdom didn't care; as long as they were still here, the Croydia Kingdom would still exist.
The Kingdom's important combat strength was also not damaged.
In the future, the World Government would naturally help the Croydia Kingdom restore its nation.
This was something the World Government had to do, and it was their proper obligation.
Losing every World Government Member Nation was a heavy loss for the World Government, equivalent to losing a portion of the Heavenly Tribute.
And the losses and trauma inflicted upon the Member Nations were difficult to compensate for.
Moreover, what was the point of joining a World Government that couldn't even protect its Member Nations?
Now everyone was watching.
Black could already imagine the protests from the Member Nations against the Marines and the World Government.
The Marines' inaction would definitely become their target of attack.
No one would believe in Marines who were afraid of Pirates.
Yes, in the eyes of others, this was the Marines' fear of the Rocks Pirates.
But could he say that was the case?
Over the years, as the Marines faced disadvantages against the Rocks Pirates, the Member Nations had consistently distrusted the Marines.
Although they hadn't left the World Government, they had been secretly and openly arming their own forces.
They were heavily purchasing high-end Munitions produced by the Hephaestus Company and the Aeolus Company, strengthening their ties with the Kronos Kingdom.
They even invited some retired Marines to train Powerful Individuals for their Kingdoms.
All these actions to enhance their own Strength represented their distrust of the Marines.
People have a sense of crisis.
This was still the effect of the Great Sea being relatively calm in recent years.
As the Rocks Pirates became more active, this situation would only worsen.
When the trust crisis among the Member Nations reached a certain level, the World Government would lose its reason for existence.
The Croydia Kingdom was a Powerhouse Nation in the New World, and also had considerable Influence throughout the World.
Among the many Member Nations, it was also one of the top-ranking ones in terms of national strength.
If even such a Kingdom could be destroyed, what about the other Kingdoms? What would they think?
The Rocks Pirates' range of activity had never been limited to just the New World; the Four Seas and the First Half of the Grand Line had all been invaded by the Rocks Pirates.
If the Marines and the World Government surrendered, then the entire World would be unable to stop the advance of the Rocks Pirates.
Now that such a thing had happened again, it completely shattered Black's original plans.
Just then, a confidential Den Den Mushi on Black's desk rang.
Black's expression immediately turned very serious, and he felt a sense of tension inside.
Because this Den Den Mushi was connected directly to the Holy Land Mariejois, specifically to the Hall of Authority where the highest Authority was concentrated, the office of the Five Elders.
(end of chapter)