Chapter 961 A Soldier's Duty

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waters near the Sabaody Archipelago

"Boom!"

The surging waves forcibly separated dozens of warships from the opposing Navy and NEO Navy. In the center, magma versus flames, ice versus ocean currents, and scorching heat versus deadly poison were locked in fierce battle with terrifying explosions echoing continuously!

On the deck of the Naval Buster Call fleet, soldiers and a group of mid-level officers stood ready, but they had no right to interfere in this super melee organized by six "Naval Admirals".

The bow of a warship.

A female general wearing a coat of justice is observing the battle in the distance through binoculars. She is wearing a tight-fitting short-sleeved shirt, black leather pants and black boots, a spiked choker around her neck, large earrings on her earlobes, and tattoos on both arms. Her attire is very distinctive.

"Damn it! This level of fighting..."

The woman reluctantly put down her binoculars. Her neat, dark short hair was disheveled in the strong wind, and beneath her curved eyelashes, her blue eyes were filled with a solemn expression.

"No, we're still too close. Even a flagship-level warship could be wiped out if it gets caught in the aftermath of the battle. Pass on my order to retreat another five nautical miles away from the battle! At the same time, request coordination from other warships."

"Yes, Lieutenant General Dor!"

Just as the messenger picked up the communication phone to relay the order to the control room, the cabin door was suddenly pushed open, and several soldiers carrying video Den Den Mushi (digital phone sticks) rushed out in a panic.

"Lieutenant General! Your Excellency Lieutenant General! Something terrible has happened! Please come and see this!"

“You are all elite veterans who have experienced the Battle of Marineford. You have seen a lot of big scenes. How can you still be so panicked when faced with a crisis? It’s really unacceptable.”

Seeing the fear on the faces of the soldiers, Dor frowned and reprimanded them with his hands on his hips.

"But a lieutenant general..."

"okay."

Several people were about to argue when Dor waved his hand to interrupt them.

"Tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"

"Yes, Lieutenant General Dor."

"Our...the signal from all the Den Den Mushi on our warships has been hacked by the World Economic News Agency! And...they're currently...live-streaming their attack on the Holy Land Mary Geoise!!"

"Nani!"

Dole was startled by what he heard, and didn't even notice that the cigarette in his mouth had fallen out.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

The other vice admirals in charge of command on the other warships all came to the deck to assemble, their faces ashen, clearly having also seen Morgans's masterpiece.

"The situation is urgent! We must recall our three generals immediately!"

"Lieutenant General Doberman said in a deep voice."

Everyone nodded immediately. Faced with such a serious emergency, they were not qualified to make a decision at their level.

"Emergency! General!"

While Aokiji, Akainu, and Green Bull were fighting, they suddenly heard an emergency retreat signal coming from the warships behind them. All three turned around with surprised expressions.

"Oh my, has the order to cease hostilities finally arrived?"

Kuzan and Aramaki, who had been slacking off for a while, left the battlefield without hesitation. Jack and Reiju did not stop them. Their purpose was only to prevent the Navy from launching a Buster Call against the Golden City, and they did not want to fight the Navy to the death.

"It seems our battle has to end here."

Seeing that Sakazuki had stopped, Jhin did not take the opportunity to continue his attack. He flicked his sword lightly, and the blazing flames on the blade were instantly extinguished before he slowly sheathed the sword.

Although Sakazuki was very unhappy, he had to admit that defeating the gods, who were completely immune to high temperatures, was no easy task.

"Humph!"

Sakazuki let out a loud snort, then turned and left without looking back.

...

"Da da da!"

"What on earth happened!"

The three had just returned to the warship when the irritable Sakazuki was the first to speak, his tone filled with dissatisfaction at the interruption of the battle.

However, before anyone could answer, the prominent live stream screen had already provided the answer.

"This is?!"

"Your Excellency, just now, the Holy Land of Mary Geoise is suffering an unprecedented terrorist attack! This is footage from the scene taken by the World Economic News Agency."

Lieutenant General Doberman said solemnly.

"Hey, hey, hey, a terrorist attack? Isn't the World Government besieging the Golden City?"

Green Bull slid his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose, widened his eyes, and peered closer in disbelief. Aokiji and Akainu also frowned and quickly stepped forward to examine him.

The scene shows the Five Elders, forced to take to the field themselves, locked in a fierce battle.

"Bilibili..."

Lieutenant General Dol pulled a Den Den Mushi (a type of electric scooter) that was continuously making a call from his pocket.

"The Den Den Mushi's signal is severely interfered with, and we have not yet been able to contact headquarters. Should we terminate the mission and immediately proceed to support Mary Geoise? Please give us your instructions, Generals!"

All the naval soldiers on the deck of the warship immediately stood at attention and saluted the three admirals.

"Please advise!"

Akainu stared thoughtfully at the battle on the screen without saying a word.

"This is really bad... shouldn't we head to their aid? After all, Sabaody Archipelago is just ahead, and the Holy Land isn't too far away... and the enemy is so brazenly broadcasting this all over the world..."

Green Bull asked tentatively.

"I agree."

Aokiji raised his right hand in agreement.

"We must stop this live stream immediately! Continuing the Buster Call mission to the Golden City is less important now! Besides, the NEO Navy is blocking our way..."

The lieutenant generals nodded silently. They had never wanted to fight their former mentor, Zephyr, nor did they want to launch a Buster Call against the civilians of the Golden City. They had been unable to disobey orders before, but now that they had a valid reason, they naturally chose to abandon the mission.

"No!"

The sudden voice of opposition startled everyone on deck, who then turned their gazes toward the source of the voice.

"Hmph! As soldiers, our duty is to obey orders! Since we haven't received orders to retreat, we should continue the mission of launching the Demon Buster on the Golden City! I will not allow anyone to back down halfway!"

Akainu looked at everyone with a serious expression.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop joking, Sakazuki! The Holy Land of Mary Geoise is under unprecedented attack. Don't you realize how serious this is?"

Aokiji questioned loudly.

"If the World Government fails—no, it doesn't even need to fail. Right now, in front of everyone, the World Government's authority is rapidly crumbling. If this continues, the order of the seas will surely collapse, and how many innocent people will be dragged into it and pay the ultimate price..."

"Hmph, I don't have time for jokes like that, Kuzan."

Akainu surveyed the crowd and said decisively.

"I'll say it again: before receiving any new orders from the Marshal, our primary task is to launch the Demon Slayer Order against the Golden City! Nothing else is our concern! Anyone who dares to disobey orders will be treated as a deserter!!"

As Akainu finished speaking, the lava on his arm began to radiate intense heat.

"What exactly do you want to do... Sakazuki?"

Aokiji squinted and looked at Akainu with a puzzled expression.

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