Chapter 100: Chapter 101 : Navy G2 Base!!
In the first half of the Grand Line, at Navy G2 Base:
Due to the great war at Marineford, most of the elite forces stationed at G2 Base had been transferred and ultimately perished in the battle. Even the base commander, Vice Admiral Comil, sacrificed his life during the war.
The Navy Headquarters also suffered severe losses, leaving them without the manpower to replenish the G2 Base. As a result, the current situation at G2 Base is dire. The highest-ranking officer is now Rear Admiral Kadar, the deputy base commander.
Because of this, the atmosphere at G2 Base is tense and filled with anxiety—every movement and sound is treated as a potential threat.
Everyone knows that pirates, eager to exploit the Navy's weakened state, will soon come looking to make a name for themselves by attacking the base.
The defense forces at G2 Base remain constantly on high alert, always bracing for a pirate assault.
"Drip~Drip~Drip~Drip."
Suddenly, a piercing alarm echoed across the base. Panic immediately spread as the soldiers quickly abandoned their tasks and rushed to the fortifications on the base's perimeter.
At that same moment, a figure shot out from the base commander's office like a blur, his swift movements leaving an afterimage in the air as he raced toward a watchtower on the outer edge of the base.
"Rear Admiral Kadar!"
The lookout stationed in the tower saluted as Kadar arrived.
Kadar, with a serious expression, scanned the sea and asked, "What's happening? Are pirates approaching? How many ships? Where are they?"
His eyes swept over the water, but he saw no sign of any pirate vessels, which made him frown.
The lookout pointed ahead and to the right, exclaiming, "Rear Admiral Kadar, over there!"
Kadar followed the lookout's finger and squinted. In the distance, he saw a faint black dot on the horizon.
"Rear Admiral, use the telescope!"
The lookout handed Kadar a telescope. Peering through it, Kadar could clearly make out a small-to-medium-sized brig heading straight toward the base.
The lookout explained, "Although the ship isn't flying a pirate flag, look at the emblem on its sails. This is the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates. Their captain is Straw Hat Luffy—Monkey D. Luffy. He has a bounty of 300 million Berries, and he's one of this year's pirate supernovas!"
Buggy and the others had left the Sabaody Archipelago after stealing the Thousand Sunny, so they only removed the Straw Hat Pirates' flag. They hadn't had time to change the sail's design or paint their own pirate emblem yet.
After pinpointing the location of the Sunny, Kadar grabbed his binoculars and scanned the surroundings, muttering in confusion, "It's just the Straw Hats and their pirate crew? No one else?"
The lookout nodded and confirmed, "Yes, sir. Only that pirate ship has appeared so far."
Upon hearing this, Kadar lowered his binoculars. Although he felt a sense of relief, anger quickly boiled up within him. "Damn it! Are we really seen as such easy targets now? A lone supernova dares to breach a Navy base on his own?"
At first, Kadar had assumed a large-scale pirate attack, prompting him to rush outside in a panic. But to his surprise, it was just this newly emerging pirate crew!
If word of this got out, how could he, Kadar, ever show his face again? The thought made his blood boil even further, and he roared, "Don't hold back on the cannons! Target the Straw Hat Pirates and fire! I want them to be sunk before they even get close!"
"Wait, wait!" Suddenly, the lookout looked terrified and stammered, "C-Captain Kadar, sir, something's not right with that ship!"
Kadar blinked in confusion, irritation creeping into his voice. "What do you mean something's wrong? Stop stammering and speak clearly!"
The lookout swallowed hard and replied, "R-Rear Admiral Kadar, sir, you should see for yourself. I might be mistaken, but..."
Frowning with annoyance, Kadar took the binoculars and peered at the Thousand Sunny once again.
By this time, the Sunny had drawn much closer, and he could make out vague figures standing on the deck.
"Heh, only a handful of people dare to challenge a Navy base? They've bitten off more than they can chew!"
Kadar quickly counted the figures on the deck—no more than twenty or thirty. Even factoring in those inside the ship, the total number couldn't exceed a hundred.
With this number of troops, it's estimated they won't even be able to withstand a single round of artillery fire!
Kadar froze, lifting his telescope to focus on the figure standing at the bow of the Thousand Sunny. If nothing else, that should be the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates—Straw Hat Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy!
Wait. Why isn't Straw Hat Luffy wearing his straw hat? He doesn't look quite the same as in the wanted posters, but this face... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before!
As Kadar stood there in shock, the figure on the bow of the Sunny seemed to sense his gaze and smiled back at him!
"F-Four Emperors... B-Buggy the Clown?! Why is he here?!"
Kadar felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He couldn't believe what he was seeing!
The lookout next to him added, "Next to him—there's Blackbeard Teach, the Shiryu of the Rain, and the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock! All of them are notorious pirates with bounties over a billion!"
Kadar's eyes darted to the figures the lookout mentioned. After a moment of disbelief, a sudden realization struck him like a flash of lightning.
"This is bad! They're here for the Golden Lion Shiki held in the prison!"
Kadar's mind raced. The only thing in their base that could attract the attention of Buggy and the others was the legendary pirate—Golden Lion Shiki!
Snapping back to his senses, Kadar quickly shouted to the surrounding navy, "Open fire! Fire! We can't let them take the Golden Lion! Stop them at all costs!"
With that, Kadar pulled a transponder snail from his coat and dialed a number.
He had received a notice from the Navy Headquarters: Admiral Akainu was now patrolling the first half of the Grand Line, and all naval bases in the area were fully cooperating with his actions.
Now, he could only hope that Akainu wasn't too far from them.
"Boom~Boom~Boom! Rumble! Boom!"
Buggy stood at the bow of the Thousand Sunny, watching as a barrage of cannon fire rained down toward them, narrowly missing the ship as several shells exploded nearby.
In a calm voice, Buggy said, "We can't let them have all the fun. Mr. 3, give them a taste of the Lion Roar Cannon!"
Mr. 3, who was at the helm, nodded, casually handing the rudder to the crew member next to him. He then made his way to the control room for the Lion Roar Cannon.
After a moment, the lion figurehead at the bow of the Sunny opened its mouth, and a metal cannon barrel slowly extended from within.
Following a brief energy conversion, the barrel inside the lion's mouth began to glow with a soft light.
"Boom!!"
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