The Five Elders on the high platform took in everything, and the leading Five Elder slightly narrowed his eyes, his cold gaze sweeping across the chaotic scene below.
His voice was low and indifferent: "These fools think they still have a choice."
Another Five Elder raised his head slightly, his tone filled with disdain:
"These are the best pawns we have. Although their form is ridiculous, a sufficient number can make up for the lack of quality.
As long as we give them enough fear and temptation, they will obediently obey."
"We have already given the bait of temptation, and now it's time to show them fear," the third Five Elder said with a sneer.
He slowly stood up, looked around at the soldiers below, and then suddenly raised his hand and made a gesture.
With this gesture, several soldiers who had seemed insignificant on the square suddenly moved.
They quickly drew their weapons and aimed at one soldier in the front row of each of their respective teams.
These soldiers fell without warning, blood splattering, causing a burst of exclamations around them.
"What's going on?" someone shouted as they retreated, while more people stared blankly at the corpses, their faces filled with horror and incomprehension.
The Five Elder's voice slowly sounded, echoing throughout the square:
"This is a warning to you all—anyone who dares to disobey or flee will end up like them."
His tone was indifferent and ruthless, as if the few who had just died were just insignificant pieces on a chessboard.
"......"
The commotion below gradually subsided, and all the soldiers were intimidated into silence by this scene.
They began to talk in low voices, and their movements became cautious.
Those originally carefree mercenaries put away their smiles one after another. The one-eyed mercenary slammed the wine pot in his hand heavily on the ground with a gloomy face.
A young soldier gripped his weapon tightly, his palms already covered in cold sweat.
His comrade next to him comforted him in a low voice:
"Don't think too much, we just need to hold on until the end."
"But... can we really win like this?"
The young soldier's voice was weak, and there was a hint of despair in his eyes.
His comrade did not answer, but silently looked at the high platform.
The Five Elders on the platform still stared coldly at the bottom, as if examining a group of ants.
As the mobilization meeting drew to a close, the crowd on the square finally quieted down, but the air was filled with a sense of oppression.
The soldiers were forced to line up neatly, but everyone's expression seemed stiff, even numb.
One of the Five Elders showed a hint of a smile, a smile that made people feel chills:
"Go, offer your loyalty and life, and write a new chapter for the World Government."
Another deafening roar resounded in the square, but this time, the voice was filled with more helplessness and coercion, rather than true fighting spirit.
On the other side of Mary Geoise Square, soldiers in neat naval uniforms were arranged into a blue and white ocean.
However, unlike the armies of various countries who had been coerced, the navy's ranks appeared more silent, even revealing a faint sense of resistance.
At the front of the line, Sengoku, Tsuru, and Garp, legendary figures who had once shaken the seas, stood together.
Although they maintained a straight military posture, they could not hide the deep weariness and complex emotions in their eyes.
Sengoku's hand clenched slightly. Although he wore his usual serious expression, Tsuru, standing beside him, still noticed the hidden anger in the corner of his eye.
"We have actually been reduced to the point of having to be enemies with Jin'an."
Sengoku said in a low voice, with undisguised pain and helplessness in his tone.
Tsuru raised her head slightly and glanced at him, sighing:
"This is an inevitable result, Sengoku.
Our choice to stand on the side of the World Government means that there will be such conflicts.
Jin'an... he is no longer the child he once was."
"......"
Garp stood aside, saying nothing.
He, once known for his boldness, now had tense facial lines, as if he was forcibly suppressing some kind of emotion in his heart.
His hands were in his pockets, his fists clenched, his knuckles faintly white.
"Garp, you've always had a premonition about this situation, right?"
Tsuru said lightly, her tone with a hint of gentleness, but also with an unavoidable sharpness.
Garp slowly raised his head, his gaze passing through the neatly lined up naval soldiers, and landing on the Five Elders on the high platform not far away.
He snorted coldly: "Premonition? No, this is not a premonition.
This is their routine, it has always been like this.
It's just that this time, they chose Jin'an as their opponent, not someone else."
Sengoku frowned, his voice low and powerful:
"Garp, watch your words."
"Watch my words?" Garp suddenly turned his head, his eyes as fiery as fire, lowering his voice but unable to hide the anger in his tone,
"Sengoku, can't you see it yet? We are no longer the navy guarding justice! We are cleaning up the mess for these lying bastards!"
The naval soldiers in the ranks, while maintaining their posture, also found it difficult to hide the fluctuations in their hearts.
The young soldiers looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion and unease.
They once regarded Jin'an as a hero, an existence capable of breaking the decay and realizing true justice.
But now, they were forced to stand on the opposite side of him.
"Are we really going to be enemies with Jin'an?" a low-ranking soldier couldn't help but ask in a low voice, his voice trembling, obviously struggling violently inside.
"Shut up!" his superior reprimanded in a low voice, but his expression was equally grave, "If these words are heard by those people from the World Government, you won't be standing here asking questions, but will be directly dragged away for execution."
The soldier lowered his head, but still couldn't calm the shock in his heart.
He had personally witnessed Jin'an's heroic performance on the battlefield, a kind of great justice that transcended personal interests.
But now, he had to point his weapon at this symbol of justice.
"How ironic," Sengoku murmured in a low voice, his palms slowly clenching into fists.
His voice was almost inaudible, but Tsuru and Garp still heard it clearly.
"We are here for justice, but we must fight against the 'justice' we once placed high hopes on," Tsuru took over his words, her tone full of exhaustion, "But we cannot withdraw, nor can we withdraw.
If the navy collapses, then true justice will no longer be guarded by anyone."
Garp did not argue any further, he just closed his eyes, letting the heavy sense of oppression in his heart strike him.
He understood that the reason he was standing here was because of the still remaining belief—although it was fragmented, he was still unwilling to give up completely.
The Mary Geoise mobilization meeting, on the surface, was a grand assembly for war, but in reality, the internal cracks were already obvious.
The navy's high command was unwilling, and the soldiers were confused and uneasy;
The soldiers of various countries were hostile to each other, and the mercenaries harbored ulterior motives.
Even so, they were still forcibly tied together by the Five Elders with power and fear, forming a team destined not to unite easily.
And this team is gradually advancing towards the battlefield that will determine the future world situation.
...
...
