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Marine Headquarters!
The Silver Transponder Snail shrieked piercingly.
Its sole function: receive signals from a Golden Transponder Snail.
Regardless of the Golden Snail's location, the Silver Snail would accurately receive its signal and pinpoint its origin.
Once the Silver Snail received a signal, it meant only one thing:
EMERGENCY SUMMONS! BUSTER CALL—ACTIVATED!
"Buster Call activated! It's Admiral Aokiji's signal!" Marine HQ instantly erupted into a flurry of activity.
Countless Marine soldiers, hearing the alarm, grabbed their weapons and began to assemble.
"Location??" The officer in charge of Marine HQ intelligence communications demanded, his voice cold as he issued orders.
"It's Enies Lobby, sir!" a communications soldier immediately reported.
"Immediately notify the five nearest Marine HQ Vice Admirals! They are to proceed to Enies Lobby and raze it to the ground!"
Ruthless! Cold-blooded! Utter destruction!
Once a Buster Call was initiated, even if the target was Enies Lobby—the seat of the World Government's own judiciary—it was to be completely destroyed!
The Buster Call symbolized the World Government's Absolute Justice!
"Given the distance, mobilizing from HQ will be fastest!" a Marine HQ staff officer quickly announced.
"Time estimate?" the communications officer demanded.
"Approximately thirty minutes, sir!" the staff officer reported.
"Prepare ten warships immediately! Fully crewed! Depart at maximum speed!"
Buster Call warships were entirely different from standard vessels.
All were top-of-the-line battleships constructed in Water 7—even giant Calm Belt Sea Kings couldn't contend with such sea-behemoths.
They were naval superweapons exclusive to Marine HQ.
Each carried a thousand elite Marine HQ soldiers, led by five elite Marine HQ Vice Admirals. Once deployed, their mission was absolute: Obliterate everything at the signal's origin.
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Fleet Admiral's Office.
"Buster Call?" Sengoku and Aokiji stared at each other, dumbfounded.
Aokiji was currently covered in bandages.
Though recovering well under the care of Marine HQ doctors, he was far from peak condition. His severed leg, especially, drastically impacted his combat ability.
"Aokiji! Who did you give your Golden Transponder Snail to?" Sengoku demanded gravely, looking at Aokiji.
Only four individuals at Marine HQ had the authority to activate a Golden Snail: himself as Fleet Admiral, and the three Admirals.
However, they could authorize others to use it...
Once activated, regardless of who pressed the button, the signal's origin had to be annihilated.
"Mah... Spandam of CP9," Aokiji replied, scratching his head.
"Spandam? Activated a Buster Call on Enies Lobby??"
Sengoku immediately grabbed a Transponder Snail and began confirming the intel.
"BASTARD!" Sengoku slammed his fist on the desk, his eyes bloodshot.
"IT'S SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN AGAIN! HE ATTACKED ENIES LOBBY!" Sengoku's face was incredibly grim. Time and time again! This man was turning the entire sea upside down—
"Facing that man... it's not surprising Spandam activated the Buster Call. CP9 is no match for him," Aokiji commented, his pupils instinctively constricting at the mention of Rowen's name.
Nearly being killed by that man—even a powerhouse of Aokiji's caliber felt a chill hearing his name.
That horrifying attack combining lightning and fire—Aokiji still shuddered thinking about it... If not for his Ice-Ice Fruit absorbing a massive amount of the initial explosive energy, the cost would have been far more than just a leg; he likely would have died on the spot!
If Rowen attacked Enies Lobby, Spandam had no recourse but the Buster Call.
CP9 and the island's ten thousand troops were utterly powerless against an Emperor-level threat—especially one who wielded the disaster-level Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Destroying the place would be too easy for him.
"Because CP9 snatched his target from under his nose, he deemed it a provocation and decided to raze Enies Lobby to the ground?? How arrogant!"
From intel received from Enies Lobby, Sengoku quickly pieced together the events.
"A display of an Emperor's Might?" Aokiji murmured thoughtfully. Such incidents weren't unprecedented. The Emperors had done similar things before.
Sky Sovereign Rowen was clearly using Enies Lobby to establish his authority before the entire world, to display his might.
"The enemy is Sky Sovereign Rowen! A standard Buster Call deployment won't be enough!" Sengoku declared grimly.
The Buster Call was now irreversible—regardless of the enemy, it had to proceed, and the target location had to be obliterated.
This was Absolute Justice.
What did 'Absolute' mean?? No reasons, no excuses—no matter who the opponent, the Buster Call must succeed!
But against Sky Sovereign Rowen, a man capable of defeating Aokiji—Five Vice Admirals and ten thousand elite soldiers? That was a suicide mission!
Forget razing the location, it would be a miracle if even a few warships returned!
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"Sky Sovereign Rowen... Did he know Spandam had my Golden Transponder Snail?" Aokiji suddenly asked.
"Hm?" Sengoku frowned.
Initially distracted by the Red Hair and Whitebeard situation, Aokiji's question now made Sengoku realize something was terribly wrong.
"Sky Sovereign Rowen is a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user. His Observation Haki range is absurdly vast. He can intercept communications via electric waves... and he's also an an Ultimate Human. He possesses fully mastered Haōshoku Coating—and Observation Haki that can see the future! With Rowen's power—if he wanted to destroy Enies Lobby, Spandam wouldn't even have had the chance to activate the Buster Call..." Aokiji stated gravely.
He had fought Rowen firsthand; he knew how terrifying that man was.
Aokiji's only recourse against Rowen's final, devastating attack was because Rowen, using his Human-Human Fruit enhanced intellect, had found his weakness, forcing him to take the hit directly...
Even someone of his caliber faced such a situation against Rowen—a mere Spandam was like an ant before him...
If Rowen hadn't wanted it, Spandam wouldn't have even completed the action of pressing the Golden Snail button—Rowen's Haki would have incapacitated him long before—
Unless—that man deliberately ALLOWED the Buster Call to be activated!
"Nico Robin is under his protection... Twenty years ago, Fleet Admiral, your Golden Transponder Snail activated the Buster Call on Ohara—leaving Nico Robin with extreme psychological trauma. Is this man trying to destroy the Buster Call itself—to erase the shadow in Nico Robin's heart??" Aokiji mused.
Even though Aokiji practiced Lazy Justice and felt conflicted, Sengoku still held him in high regard. Aokiji's actual combat power, among the current three Admirals, was arguably the lowest due to his fruit's limitations.
But Aokiji's strategic mind was highly valued by Sengoku.
From his brief interactions with Rowen and the Straw Hats, Aokiji sensed Robin had found a true home there—Rowen and his crew treated her as a genuine comrade, not just a tool for deciphering Poneglyphs.
And during those brief encounters, before his Haki was overwhelmed by Rowen's Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Aokiji also sensed Robin's reliance on, and affection for, Rowen.
Given Rowen's audacity and strategic brilliance, such a decision was plausible—not only displaying his 'Might' but also deliberately allowing the Buster Call to be activated to heal Robin's trauma...
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"AUDACIOUS!!" Sengoku roared.
The Buster Call, symbol of Absolute Justice, being treated like this? Even the Four Emperors had never shown such contempt for it.
Officially, a Buster Call involved five Vice Admirals and ten warships. But in reality, depending on the target's strength, the deployment could be adjusted. The Buster Call they launched against Bullet, for instance, was led by Garp and himself!
"But that man has the Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability!" Aokiji reminded them grimly.
That was the most troublesome part.
From Garp's rescue attempt, they saw how astonishingly vast Rowen's Haki-enhanced sensory range was. If he sensed an unfavorable battle situation, he could retreat at top speed.
Their traditional tactic of deploying two or more Admiral-level fighters against a single target like Rowen... was impossible!
"What an annoying ability... That bastard only started showing off his power wantonly after obtaining the Rumble-Rumble Fruit—" Sengoku also felt a massive headache. Not only was his power immense, but his strategic acumen was also absolutely top-tier.
But once a Buster Call was activated, Enies Lobby had to be completely destroyed. This was non-negotiable. Even if they couldn't capture Rowen, this mission had to be completed.
This was Absolute Justice, decreed the moment the Buster Call system was established! If they backed down just because the opponent was Rowen, what would become of Absolute Justice??
BAAANG!
"Enough talk. I alone will suffice." The office door opened, and a man with a Marine cap, an Admiral's 'Justice' coat draped over his shoulders, wearing a red floral shirt underneath, and a corsage, entered, his expression grim.
"SAKAZUKI," Sengoku looked up at Akainu, then paused thoughtfully.
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As Fleet Admiral, he certainly couldn't deploy himself, especially with the Red Hair and Whitebeard situation needing his attention.
Garp was currently not at HQ, still in the waters around Water 7.
The other Admiral, Kizaru, was currently at Mariejois and couldn't return quickly.
Besides, Kizaru's greatest strength was his Glint-Glint Fruit's speed—which offered no absolute advantage against Rowen, another Logia user with incredible speed via the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Akainu, however, was different...
User of the Magma-Magma Fruit, hailed as possessing the strongest offensive power among all Devil Fruits—Akainu's combat strength was undoubtedly above Aokiji's.
Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit granted him localized destructive power easily comparable to an Emperor's Haōshoku Coating, perhaps even more terrifying due to magma's properties.
With Sengoku needing to command from HQ, Aokiji severely injured, and Garp unavailable—the only Admiral-level (or higher) combatant available for deployment was Akainu—
"I leave it to you, Sakazuki! Sky Sovereign Rowen's arrogance is boundless, he's even incorporated the Buster Call into his schemes! If you get the chance—arrest him! And the Straw Hat Pirates! Nico Robin too! ARREST THEM ALL!" Sengoku was truly infuriated by Rowen's step-by-step manipulation.
"Hmph! I will show him what true Justice is—!" Akainu declared, swishing his 'Justice' coat dramatically as he strode towards the waiting warships.
Ten warships! Five Marine HQ Vice Admirals! Led by Marine HQ Admiral Akainu!
A SUPER BUSTER CALL!
Akainu stood resolutely on the deck of a warship, his eyes incredibly cold, his terrifying presence making many Marine soldiers swallow hard.
"Justice tolerates no blemish! The target of this Buster Call—is the complete annihilation of the Straw Hat Pirates! And the capture of Sky Sovereign Rowen! Uphold Justice—at this very moment. This—IS ALL-OUT WAR!"
Akainu's cold, booming voice thundered across the decks of the warships.
"OHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Akainu was the leader of the 'Hawk' faction, possessing immense prestige.
His ruthless execution of Absolute Justice inspired countless young, hardline Marine soldiers—and on the battlefield, such an extremist figure could galvanize the troops' morale like no other.
Numerous elite Marine soldiers raised their weapons, letting out deafening roars!
The five Vice Admirals, Momonga, Yamakaji, Doberman, Onigumo, Strawberry—all wore grim, resolute expressions.
This was all-out war—against the Fifth Emperor of the Sea!
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