"What?"
The sudden report made the Fleet Admiral widen his eyes in shock as he immediately stood up and grabbed the Transponder snail in his hand.
Bas, however, remained calm. A faint, almost unnoticeable cunning glint flashing across his lips, "Fleet Admiral, it seems the Holy Land's worries have become reality!"
At the same time, Marineford Square.
Due to Elio being imprisoned, the Marine HQ officers took immediate action. Over ten thousand soldiers stood neatly in the square, each with a red ribbon wrapped around their shoulders.
Standing in front of these soldiers were more than ten Rear Admirals and over thirty Commodores.
Facing these Rear Admirals, Commodores and soldiers, stood three Vice Admirals from HQ: Vice Admiral Dalmatian, Vice Admiral Strawberry, and Vice Admiral Bastille.
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian? That's great, I didn't expect Lord Dalmatian to be one of us!"
"Vice Admiral Strawberry? The hero who chased down the Sun Pirates! Why is he here too?"
"Lord Bastille! Are you going to fight for Lord Elio as well? Amazing!"
Despite the voices constantly rising from the soldiers, the three Vice Admirals didn't react much. Dalmatian simply glanced around, then slightly raised his head to look at the night sky.
He was a veteran HQ Vice Admiral. Back when Elio was just an Ensign, he was already a Vice Admiral and had participated in many major operations. He was held in high regard in HQ.
However, due to his rigid personality, even after being promoted to Vice Admiral, he had few close colleagues. He was often ostracized by others because of his overly serious and stiff attitude.
Of course, such exclusion from his colleagues never mattered to him. He didn't joined the Marine for personal favors, but to provide protection and justice to more people.
Thus he poured all his energy into his duties, participating in every major operation, including the Battle of Edd War.
Yet, during one mission away from HQ, his elderly father fell critically ill and wished to see him one last time. When his younger brother called HQ, they didn't immediately pass the message along.
Desperate, his brother heard there was an officer in HQ who never turned down a request. What neither he nor his brother expected was that upon learning of his father's final wish, Elio, who had already been a Rear Admiral, personally took a warship to bring his father to him.
When he saw Elio carrying his father off the ship and walking toward him, he thought he was dreaming. What shocked him more was that Elio not only brought his father, but also brought a medical team to ensure his father could speak a few final words to him.
Although his father eventually passed away, a deep bond of friendship was formed between him and Elio. Whenever they had free time, they would talk about the future of the Marine and discuss the flaws and corruption within the World Government and the Marine.
"Hey hey hey, what are you doing here?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind them.
Turning around, they saw two drunken Vice Admirals, Onigumo and Doberman. The two had clearly drunk a lot, the smell of alcohol wafting through the air before they even arrived, making Dalmatian frown.
"Isn't this Vice Admiral Dalmatian? Ahaha, Strawberry and Bastille are here too? Come, let's go drink!"
With his arm around Doberman's shoulder, Onigumo took one glance at the neat rows of soldiers in the square, then staggered up to Dalmatian, trying to pull him away.
Dalmatian didn't move. Instead, he turned his head toward the HQ prison.
At that moment, lights suddenly turned on in the direction of the prison. A line of officers with red ribbons on their shoulders emerged in order, splitting into two lines.
Seeing this, Dalmatian didn't hesitate, immediately shaking off Onigumo's hand. He turned to face the more than ten thousand soldiers in the square and shouted, "Everyone, our target is the prison gate, march!"
Clatter,
Thousands of soldiers turned in unison and began running toward the prison gate.
"Huh?"
The sudden turn of events made Onigumo and Doberman's expressions change. In unison, they shouted, "Dalmatian, what are you trying to do?"
"Gentlemen, the times have changed."
Before Dalmatian could speak, Bastille, resting a massive cleaver on his shoulder, turned around and said firmly, "The Marine needs a better Fleet Admiral, and that person must be Vice Admiral Elio!"
"What?!"
Onigumo and Doberman exclaimed in unison again.
After a brief pause, both quickly regained their senses. Onigumo immediately stepped back as if facing a mortal enemy, staring at Bastille and growling, "Bastille, how dare you speak such treasonous words!"
"Damn it," Doberman, now fully alert, shouted, "Onigumo, stop them! They're staging a prison break!"
Bang bang bang!
Before Onigumo could react, a series of crisp gunshots rang out unexpectedly. Bullets whizzed through the air, instantly piercing the bodies of Onigumo and Doberman, just as they were reaching for their Transponder Snails.
Moments later, a group of soldiers swarmed in and, without hesitation, emptied their magazines at the two.
However, they were still Vice Admirals.
Even with their bodies riddled with bullets, they didn't die on the spot.
"Damn it, who gave you permission to open fire?!"
Seeing Onigumo and Doberman lying in pools of blood, Dalmatian rushed forward and shouted, "Don't waste time here, go welcome Vice Admiral Elio!"
Bang bang bang,
As soon as he finished speaking, another burst of gunfire rang out.
Two officers had silently approached the wounded Onigumo and Doberman, and without hesitation, emptied their clips into their heads.
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian, this is war."
After executing Onigumo and Doberman, one of the officers, wearing a Rear Admiral's insignia, looked up at Dalmatian with fervent eyes and said, "Anyone who stands in the way of Lord Elio is our enemy, no matter who they are."
With that, he turned and rushed back to the main force, heading full speed toward the prison.
Dalmatian's heart sank as he looked at the lifeless bodies of the two Vice Admirals on the blood-soaked ground, his expression complex.
He certainly supported Vice Admiral Elio, but he never wanted this uprising to result in massive bloodshed among HQ officers.
What he didn't expect most was for powerful Vice Admirals like Doberman and Onigumo to die in such a manner.
Just then, the sound of gunfire erupted again, echoing through the Marine HQ's dormitories and residential areas.
Officers and soldiers loyal to Elio were cleansing the opposition, taking action to ensure Elio's rise to the position of Fleet Admiral.
As the gunfire roared across the skies of Marineford, a shrill alarm was triggered as well.
In an instant, the gunfire and sirens merged into the horn of death, marking the beginning of a coup that had been planned for six years.