Chapter 282: [282] : The Chess Master! Saturn’s Move!

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“FIRE! DESTROY EVERYTHING ON EGGHEAD!”

At this moment, over fifty warships had completely surrounded Egghead.

Marine Headquarters had deployed its full might. Not only was Fleet Admiral Akainu personally on the battlefield, but every Marine HQ Vice Admiral was also present.

A Buster Call, too, had its tiers.

The version with five Marine HQ Vice Admirals and ten of the Navy’s strongest warships was just the most basic. As a special summons authorized by the World Government, once the signal was given, everything at the signal’s location had to be completely destroyed.

But such a force was often insufficient for the task.

The Buster Call they encountered at Enies Lobby, for example, was personally led by the then-Admiral Akainu. And the one launched during the war against the Big Mom and Beasts Pirates involved all three Marine Admirals.

AND BOTH OF THOSE BUSTER CALLS… HAD ENDED IN TOTAL DEFEAT.

Both were defeated by the same man.

The myth of the Buster Call had been completely shattered by Rowen—the World Government’s Absolute Justice no longer deserved the title ’Absolute’.

And now, the Buster Call once again faced the same opponent.

And this time, it was initiated by the world’s highest authority—St. Jaygarcia Saturn.

All the Marines and officers knew very well what this meant: this time, the Buster Call’s military force would have no upper limit!

Not just the Navy, but the World Government would also commit its full strength. And with one of the Five Elders, Saturn Saint, personally overseeing the battle, it also signified the absolute finality of this war.

SUCCESS, OR DEATH!

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WHOOSH!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Countless massive cannons began to roar, launching a terrifying barrage towards Egghead—the Island of the Future, one of the government’s most important islands.

The moment the Buster Call was activated, this island was deemed by the World Government as something that must be erased from the map.

Similarly, the Navy was also prepared.

“Is Sky Sovereign on this island? BE WARY OF THE DOOR-DOOR FRUIT’S ABILITY!” Akainu bit down on his cigar, his eyes fixed on Egghead.

Akainu would never forget… back then, when he was still an Admiral, confidently leading the Buster Call to annihilate Sky Sovereign Rowen and the Straw Hat crew at Enies Lobby—when he used his signature ability, Meteor Volcano—

—Countless Air Doors had suddenly opened, swallowing all his volcanic bombs, then turning them against the Buster Call fleet.

That had resulted in the immediate destruction of five of the ten warships that had no Vice Admirals on board.

And he had been distracted by this Door-Door Fruit ability—which led to the deaths of Vice Admirals Doberman and Strawberry by the combined power of the Door-Door and Rumble-Rumble Fruits.

This had triggered a series of chain effects, ultimately leading to the crushing defeat of the Buster Call he led.

How could Akainu forget such a painful lesson?

Even now, not all the warships surrounding Egghead had opened fire immediately.

Only twenty of them were bombarding Egghead.

This number, even if the Door-Door Fruit ability was used to turn the cannonballs against them, the Navy had the ability to handle it.

If all fifty warships fired at once, and if Sky Sovereign Rowen was on Egghead and deployed his Door-Door Fruit ability—then even with the Navy’s full force here, they couldn’t possibly intercept all the cannonballs and would surely suffer heavy losses.

These twenty warships’ barrage was also Akainu’s way of testing whether Sky Sovereign Rowen was actually on Egghead—

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“WHY HAVEN’T ALL SHIPS OPENED FIRE??? THE BUSTER CALL HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. DESTROY EVERYTHING ON EGGHEAD!” Saturn leaned on his cane, his eyes chillingly cold.

“Y-Yes, Saint Saturn! Sky Sovereign has the Door-Door Fruit ability, which can swallow long-range attacks and turn them against us. The Fleet Admiral is using twenty warships to test if Sky Sovereign is on Egghead,” Marine HQ Vice Admiral Maynard saluted nervously.

“HMMM??? So what if we suffer losses?”

Saturn’s eyes were like a demon’s. The combination of his supreme authority and his eerie aura made Maynard break out in a cold sweat.

“THEY’RE JUST INSECTS. IF THEY DIE, WE’LL JUST BREED MORE—”

Saturn’s voice was icy and devoid of all emotion.

The Navy were just one of the World Government’s instruments of violence. In Saturn’s eyes, a Marine, even a Vice Admiral, was no different from an insect.

Death??

The only thing about insects that he could praise was their reproductive ability. When this batch died, after a while, they could naturally conscript enough troops again.

In the Navy, the only ones Saturn and the Five Elders didn’t see as insects were the Marine HQ Admirals.

An Admiral, in any era, was an absolute peak combatant. For such powerful fighters, though the Five Elders wouldn’t treat them as equals, they also wouldn’t completely see them as insects.

As for Marine HQ Vice Admirals? In Saturn and the other Five Elders’ eyes, they were no different from ordinary insects.

Completing Imu-sama’s command was the top priority.

They had to completely bury Nika on Egghead.

They had to bring Vivi back to the Holy Land Mariejois.

And incidentally, erase Vegapunk, who dared to pry into the forbidden Void Century—this was Saturn’s mission order.

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“Saint Saturn… th-this…” Maynard’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

Was this how the world’s highest authority treated their Navy?? How chilling!

More terrifyingly, this Elder’s tone was cold and ruthless, without a hint of emotional fluctuation. As if calling them insects was a matter of course.

What kind of monster were they, the Navy, fighting for??

“Hmm??” Saturn looked at Maynard.

SHING!

A strange energy instantly burst from Saturn’s eyes.

POP!!!

Maynard’s head instantly exploded.

Evil Eye!

One of Saturn’s abilities.

With one strike, he had erased a Marine HQ Vice Admiral. This was the cold ruthlessness of the world’s highest authority.

Any sign of disrespect, even from a Vice Admiral, would be met with instant annihilation.

“ALL WARSHIPS, OPEN FIRE,” Saturn said emotionlessly.

“Y-Yes!” A female Vice Admiral beside him, Doll, her forehead beaded with cold sweat, could only salute.

“FIRE! SAINT SATURN OF THE FIVE ELDERS COMMANDS! ALL WARSHIPS, OPEN FIRE IMMEDIATELY!”

The command spread throughout the entire Buster Call fleet.

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“WHAT???” Veins throbbed on Akainu’s forehead. He bit down hard on his cigar.

Akainu wasn’t particularly fond of his soldiers. The Akainu who upheld iron-blooded justice could accept sacrifices for victory.

But now, without confirming if Sky Sovereign was on Egghead, to launch such a large-scale attack—if it was countered by Sky Sovereign’s Door-Door Fruit ability, it could create a huge loophole in their encirclement.

And on a battlefield where he, the supreme commander of the Navy, was in command—for the Five Elders to directly bypass him and issue commands, changing his strategy, also damaged his authority.

If they weren’t on the battlefield, Akainu would have already charged up to Saturn and questioned him.

Where was his authority as Fleet Admiral of the Navy??

But no matter what Akainu thought, the Five Elders’ order had been given, and it could not be changed.

Whether it was control over the Seraphim and Pacifistas or command of the Navy, the Five Elders held the highest authority. Once they gave an order, not even the Fleet Admiral could alter it.

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BOOOOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

WHOOOOOOOOSH!

All the warships immediately began to roar.

Countless cannonballs were simultaneously unleashed towards Egghead.

“FIRE FIST——!!!”

A powerful laugh echoed.

Then, a terrifying pillar of flame formed a massive flame net, swallowing all the incoming cannonballs.

“Sky Sovereign’s subordinate, Fire Fist, Portgas D. Ace!”

“The man with a bounty of 2,855,000,000 Beri!”

“The sinful bloodline of the Pirate King!”

Numerous Marines’ foreheads broke out in cold sweat.

What a terrifying ability! The top-tier Flare-Flare Fruit ability among Logias. Normal cannonball attacks couldn’t break through this man’s flame attack at all.

“HEAVY SANDSTORM——!!!”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A terrifying sandstorm began to roar at the Buster Call fleet.

Countless Marines screamed as they were blown into the sky. Even the Marine HQ warships began to capsize in this terrifying sandstorm.

“You think we’ll let you destroy this place? This place is now Rowen’s territory,”

Vivi’s figure began to coalesce. Looking at the Navy’s massive fleet, Vivi showed a villainous smile.

“’Desert Princess’ Vivi, one of the four main combatants closest to Sky Sovereign! User of the Sand-Sand Fruit ability—With a bounty of 1 billion Beri!”

The moment Vivi appeared, many Vice Admirals’ foreheads began to sweat.

“The Desert Princess’s Sand-Sand Fruit has already surpassed the former Warlord, Crocodile!” Gion said, her expression grave. She had no confidence she could win against such power.

And in a war… a Logia user was a merciless force of nature.

The combination of the Flare-Flare Fruit and the Sand-Sand Fruit abilities—even the Buster Call’s massive fleet of over fifty warships couldn’t break through for a time.

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“The Desert Princess has appeared, has she?” A demonic light flashed in Saturn’s eyes.

One of the mission objectives… had appeared.

“How is it?” Saturn looked at a figure hidden in the shadows beside him.

“No signs of the Door-Door Fruit or Paw-Paw Fruit abilities being activated,” replied Gunko, a member of the God’s Knights, her voice flat.

Her eyes were even more bizarre than Saturn’s demonic ones.

“Not planning to leave with his Devil Fruit ability? It seems he’s deliberately letting us surround this place. Arrogant brat,” Saturn’s eyes shone with an even stronger demonic light.

Sky Sovereign Rowen not only possessed the Door-Door Fruit ability, but also the Paw-Paw Fruit’s ability. Even if they used the method of a surprise attack from under the sea to surround Egghead—this man had multiple ways to leave this place from within the encirclement.

On this point, Saturn and the others were, of course, prepared.

Though Gunko was an ordinary member of the God’s Knights, at a critical moment, Imu-sama could take over her body, letting Imu-sama’s power descend upon Egghead.

The moment they detected signs of the Door-Door Fruit or Paw-Paw Fruit abilities being activated, Imu-sama would immediately take over Gunko’s body and release an incredibly powerful Conqueror’s Haki.

Even if Imu’s Haki couldn’t completely overpower Sky Sovereign’s, under its immense pressure, both the Door-Door and Paw-Paw Fruit abilities would be completely nullified.

From the moment he successfully arrived at Egghead, no one on Egghead could think of leaving smoothly.

Of course, from Saturn’s perspective, Imu’s existence was an absolute secret, only known to them, the Five Elders, and the God’s Knights.

The Empty Throne was created by the twenty kings who founded the World Government 800 years ago, and it was stipulated that it was a throne no one could sit on, representing equality between countries and an eternal vow against dictatorship. The meaning of the throne was in its emptiness.

The outside world had no knowledge of Imu’s existence.

Under these circumstances, for Sky Sovereign Rowen not to release the Door-Door Fruit or Paw-Paw Fruit abilities to take the people on Egghead and leave, there was only one possibility.

That this man was deliberately letting them surround him.

Though Saturn saw the world’s people as insects, he was sufficiently wary of a monster at Sky Sovereign Rowen’s level of Haki and combat strength.

He wouldn’t foolishly believe that Sky Sovereign Rowen—who possessed the Human-Human Fruit ability and the intellect of an Ultimate Human, would, without any purpose, let the Straw Hat Pirates and the core commanders of the Sky Sovereign Grand Fleet fall into their encirclement.

At this moment, Saturn felt as if he was looking at a chessboard. He was on one side, and on the other—was Rowen.

“WANT TO PLAY CHESS WITH ME??”

Saturn’s entire body began to writhe.

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