Bab 45: The Ohara Incident! Conflict! Conqueror's Haki!
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The arrival of the Great Pirate Era had a massive impact, making the marines the most overworked people in the world as they struggled to keep peace everywhere.
Pirates who ventured out to sea were less concerned with the rules. Lacking a legitimate way to support their desired lifestyles, they resorted to looting, leading to gunfire and smoke in various places all over the world.
During this time, the New World was surprisingly the calmest area. Unlike the greedy rookie pirates, the New World pirates had a better understanding of what it took for Roger to become the Pirate King.
Another factor was the presence of powerful pirates in the New World. Even after Roger's death, Whitebeard's crew remained the strongest, a fact acknowledged even during Roger's time. Known as the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard's title was unquestioned.
The Marines, wise enough to avoid direct conflict with these powerful pirates, focused on eliminating the newer, smaller threats.
By extinguishing these budding dangers, they hoped to free up resources to take care of other issues.
...
When the Vice-Admirals returned to base, Brontes also set sail. His destination was the Four Seas, specifically to oversee the West Sea for some time.
The New World was left in the care of others, which was deemed sufficient.
The Four Seas were in turmoil, requiring a significant number of troops to restore order. The West Blue, in particular, had seen a dramatic increase in pirate activity.
The marines needed a strong leader to stabilize the situation, and after careful consideration, Vice-Admiral Trusu recommended Brontes for the role.
Sengoku agreed that Brontes was the ideal candidate and assigned him to the West Blue.
...
Upon his arrival, Brontes made an immediate impact by destroying a pirate ship with just a coin, astonishing the local marines.
He continued his expedition, taking down new pirate groups one by one.
However, Gecko Moria's crew managed to slip away. Brontes wasn't surprised by their escape, given the peculiar and elusive powers of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
After somewhat stabilizing the West Blue, Brontes reduced his sea patrols and began training the new marine recruits.
In the face of the Great Pirate Era, increasing the number of Marines was crucial. Relying solely on himself and the current marines would be insufficient for the challenges of this new era, the duration of which was unknown.
...
Time flew by, and two years after Roger's death, Brontes received a message from Marineford.
Vice-Admiral Saul had defected, releasing Nico Olvia, a key member of the historical research team.
"Saul, I understand." Brontes acknowledged with a nod.
It was around the time when Ohara was facing destruction.
Brontes wasn't in his marine coat but wore a simple ice-blue suit as he left the base.
As he left the base, the World Government also learned that Ohara was studying the Poneglyphs.
The World Government, feeling their authority challenged, would not tolerate the study of the Poneglyphs. They strictly prohibited such research and, to keep the findings from becoming public, they decided to eliminate all the scholars of Ohara.
...
"Buster Call..." Sengoku muttered after receiving the order from the World Government.
To obliterate an entire country, to erase an island from existence, only the Marines' dreaded Buster Call could accomplish such a task.
Five Vice-Admirals, including Saul, were ready for the mission, but Saul had ultimately turned his back on the Marine.
Sengoku, unable to lead the operation himself, delegated the execution of the Buster Call to Spandine, the head of CP9, who would determine the timing of the attack.
The Marineford quickly assembled five Vice-Admirals, among them Sakazuki and Kuzan, and three others who traveled from the Grand Line to the West Blue.
Together with ten Rear-Admirals, thousands of commissioned Commanders, Warrant Officers, and regular soldiers—amounting to a force of ten thousand—the marines, armed with the formidable firepower of their warships, were ready.
The Buster Call warships had extraordinary destructive capabilities, and once initiated, the order was irrevocable.
It took seven days for the marines to travel from the New World. Saul had reached Ohara before them; his ship had been wrecked by a storm, and he had washed ashore on Ohara by chance.
Brontes received the report on the fourth day, indicating that the Buster Call was already in motion, and they even requested his input.
However, they did not anticipate that Brontes had already set out for Ohara on his own.
...
Upon his arrival at Ohara, Brontes encountered Saul, who was constructing a ship.
"Saul." Roy called out to him.
"Who?"
Saul, surprised to hear someone call his name on Ohara, spun around, his face tensing at the sight of Brontes.
"Commander!!" Saul broke into a cold sweat, staring at Brontes with a look of dread.
"Commander? Who is he, Saul?" A little girl with black hair, clutching a book, asked with curiosity.
"Robin, run! Get out of here!" Saul yelled urgently.
"Calm down, I'm not here to arrest you. But think about it, is what you're doing truly worth it? You've abandoned the Marine and the justice you stood for, all for some strangers." Brontes spoke calmly.
"Commander, this is my choice. It has nothing to do with them. I know what I'm doing. But why must they be targeted? They're just scholars, they haven't harmed the world. Why do the Marine want to eliminate them? They are innocent!" Saul's voice was heavy with sorrow.
"They've meddled with things they shouldn't have. Their actions have deeply angered the World Government and the World Nobles. My only advice to you is not to throw your life away for nothing." Brontes said with a sigh.
"Commander, even if I die here, I'll have no regrets. But they are truly innocent. They were simply seeking the truth of history. Why must the Marines eliminate them? They're not pirates or criminals...." Saul insisted, shaking his head.
"I understand your point, but your decision will cost you your life." Brontes said seriously.
"I don't know, but my instincts tells me they're right, they're not the bad guys here." Saul said with conviction.
Brontes sighed, shaking his head; perhaps it was Saul's surname that had led to this situation, the Will of D.
"Get out of here, go as far as you can." Brontes advised before he turned and walked deeper into the island, leaving Saul behind without another word.
Saul watched Brontes go, understanding that Brontes was giving him a chance to escape, even though Saul was ready to leave this place.
...
The following day, the agents of the World Government arrived.
Brontes stood atop the Tree of Knowledge, witnessing the separation of Robin and her mother, and saw Saul, who had come to rescue Robin out of concern.
They were just about to set sail when the Buster Call was executed, and the warships closed in.
Once the Buster Call was initiated, it was irreversible, and not even Brontes could stop it unless the order came from the Fleet-Admiral or the World Government itself.
"Boom!! Boom!!"
Brontes observed as Saul took down the warships, and then he watched as Sakazuki destroyed the ship carrying the civilians, and Kuzan intervened to freeze Saul but spared Robin.
"Bang!"
As the Tree of Knowledge collapsed, Brontes left the scene and headed to the shore.
There, Kuzan used his ice powers to create a path for Robin. If she kept moving, she could reach the next island and safety.
"You're letting her go? You realize you're going against the World Government's orders?"
Kuzan was at the shore when a voice suddenly spoke from behind, startling him. He spun around, ready for confrontation, but instead, he saw Brontes.
"Vice-Admiral Brontes... Commander!!" Kuzan was taken aback.
Like Saul, Kuzan held a deep respect for Brontes, even calling him Commander.
"Surprised to see me? This is the West Blue, and as the top officer here, I would know what's happening even if Sengoku-san didn't tell me. How does it feel to have played a part in your friend's death, Kuzan?" Brontes asked calmly.
"It's a matter of duty." Kuzan replied, his eyes closed, the pain evident in his voice.
"I get it. You let the girl escape. Whether that's a mistake or not, only time will tell."
"You've got other duties; I'll head out first. Sakazuki's reckless actions could destroy the whole island if he's not stopped." Brontes said before vanishing from sight.
Kuzan looked up to see a warship breaking away from the fleet, pursuing Robin. He clenched his teeth and moved toward the sea.
...
Meanwhile, the Tree of Knowledge had been reduced to ashes, and yet eight warships continued to bombard Ohara, as if intent on sinking the entire island to the ocean floor.
Brontes appeared on one of the warships, his sudden presence on the deck taking the marines by surprise.
"Who's there?!"
In an instant, guns were drawn and pointed at him, and the marines quickly encircled Brontes.
"Why did you do this, Sakazuki?" Brontes asked, his voice calm but with an underlying edge of ice.
"Ah!"
"It's Vice-Admiral Brontes!"
"What are you doing? Lower your weapons at once!"
Sakazuki raised his eyes to meet Roy's gaze. He understood the implications of what Brontes had hinted at and spoke with a frosty tone: "That ship might have been hiding scholars, so..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a loud "Bang!" echoed through the air.
Sakazuki was abruptly interrupted as Brontes's fist connected with him, sending him flying into the cabin walls.
"Vice-Admiral Brontes!" A marine shouted in disbelief.
The sudden attack on Sakazuki by Brontes took everyone by surprise. The officers at Marineford were well aware of the friendly terms between the two, and no one could have imagined Brontes attacking Sakazuki, let alone in public.
"Brontes, you..." The other three Vice-Admirals hurried over, their faces filled with shock.
"Damn it! Do you have a death wish, Brontes?!" The temperature around them soared as Sakazuki, now steaming with the heat of magma, emerged from the cabin, his teeth clenched in anger.
"Hamp!"
Brontes simply snorted in response, a cold, dismissive sound.
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed dramatically. A powerful aura descended from the sky, and in an instant, numerous marine soldiers collapsed to the ground, rendered unconscious by the overwhelming force. The expressions on Sakazuki's and the three Vice-Admirals' faces morphed into sheer disbelief.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"
The sound of soldiers hitting the deck filled the air as they fell, their eyes rolling back, completely knocked out.
"Conqueror's Haki!!"
Exclaimed one of the Rear-Admirals from a warship, his voice laced with shock.
"How is this possible?!" The disbelief was evident in their faces.
Sakazuki, stood in his place, could only stare at Brontes in shock. There had always been a gap between them, not large but certainly not negligible, particularly in the mastery of their devil fruit abilities.
Now, with Brontes's awakening of the Conqueror's Haki, Sakazuki realized that the gap had just widened even further.
"ZliZli!!"
Brontes gave Sakazuki a chilling look before transforming into a bolt of lightning and vanishing from the warship.
He didn't head to the other ships but instead left the sea area, returning to Marineford.
...
Meanwhile, at Marineford, Sengoku awaited the outcome of the events.
The following day, five Vice-Admirals and Spandine gathered at Marineford for a briefing.
When Sengoku learned of Sakazuki's actions in destroying a civilian ship, his gaze fell upon him with a trace of disappointment.
"Brontes was there too, right? Did he say anything?" Sengoku asked, a note of surprise in his voice upon hearing of Brontes's presence there.
"There was some conflict between him and Sakazuki, and then he left." One of the Vice-Admirals reported.
"Don't worry about him. This time the fault is mine; I should have informed him beforehand. However, we have a survivor from the Buster Call, so we need to issue a wanted order." Sengoku stated, shaking his head slightly.
The news of Brontes using Conqueror's Haki against Sakazuki left Sengoku stunned, struggling to grasp the reality of the situation, and for a long moment, he even questioned whether he had heard correctly.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone