The terrifying explosion lasted for a long time.
Konan didn't stay to watch it finish. She was confident that at least 90% of those present would die.
And over 90% was enough.
Taking advantage of the absence of the three major pirate crews and the main force of the Marines, she needed to go to the base, completely occupy a sea area, and divide the world.
As for the survivors, they might be powerful, they might unite to seek revenge on the Ninja Pirate Crew, but it didn't matter. Konan and the others already had a plan.
Kizaru attempted to stop Konan from leaving, but after being injured again by one of Konan's genjutsu, he didn't dare to act rashly.
He could only watch Konan leave, as the explosions continued below, his fists clenched.
When the explosion finally ended, Kizaru looked at the turbulent sea below, where seawater had rushed back in, feeling lost.
Because across the vast sea, he didn't see a single person.
Until a certain moment, someone emerged from the sea.
It was Garp, holding the limp and unconscious Sengoku in one hand, and the barely alive Tsuru in the other.
Sengoku was weak because he had come into contact with seawater. As a Devil Fruit user, seawater robbed him of his strength.
Tsuru, on the other hand, was severely injured by the explosion.
Crack, crack, crack.
Freezing sounds rang out as a patch of ice slowly formed on the sea surface, and then Aokiji emerged from it. Although he was also a Devil Fruit user, his ice powers could effectively isolate him from seawater.
Seeing the ice, Garp quickly swam over, placed Sengoku and Tsuru on it, and without a word, plunged back into the sea.
Because there were still many people in the water below waiting for his rescue.
And during this time, more people slowly appeared in the sea.
They were all powerful Marines or pirates, all of whom hadn't eaten Devil Fruits.
After they surfaced, ice formed near them, allowing them to stand on the surface.
Whether Marine or pirate, there was ice for them to stand on.
Among them was Zephyr, who was also looking lost, but his expression quickly changed as he hurriedly swam towards the sea.
Not long after, Garp surfaced again, pulling several people with him, all Marines. He placed these Marines on the ice and then dived down again.
Zephyr also appeared, rescuing people as well.
Seeing this, the surviving Marines and pirates also started to jump into the sea to save people.
Soon, more and more people were placed on the ice.
Sengoku, Tsuru, other Marine Vice Admirals, a few Rear Admirals. Whitebeard, Marco, Jozu...
Kaido, Charlotte Linlin...
When Garp, who had been underwater for possibly half an hour, returned to the ice surface empty-handed, he didn't go down again.
His fists were tightly clenched, and he remained silent.
Aokiji stood beside him, his face pale, his expression gloomy.
In the distance, warships appeared.
From the World Government, as well as from Marine Headquarters and branches.
Soon, doctors arrived and began treating those who were still unconscious. The World Government was attracted by the intense explosion, while the people from Marine Headquarters and branches were called by Kizaru.
"What...what happened here?" A high-ranking World Government official asked Sengoku, who had regained consciousness.
However, Sengoku just sat blankly on the ice, staring at the seawater in a daze.
Not only him, but Whitebeard, who had also recovered, had lost his usual domineering and imposing aura.
He clenched his fists, looking at the seawater below as if searching for his crew members.
Drip, drip, drip.
The sound of water droplets falling into the sea.
This strongest man in the New World was now covered in tears, streaming down his face and dripping into the water.
Marco and the others stood beside Whitebeard, also with tears streaming down their faces, looking at the sea below, sobbing uncontrollably.
Even Charlotte Linlin and Kaido had lost their usual imposing manner. Their spirits seemed to have left them.
Because their crew members, the crew members who had followed them here, were almost all dead.
They died in that explosion.
In fact, during that explosion, every one of them had tried their best to resist, to defend. But it was useless.
Firstly, because it was in the sea, 70% of those with enough strength were Devil Fruit users. Once they came into contact with seawater, they would lose their strength.
Secondly, the explosion lasted too long.
If it had only been for an instant, they might have been able to save many people.
But the prolonged explosion eventually caused even Whitebeard, Kaido, and the others to be soaked by seawater, their bodies becoming limp and losing all their strength.
Moreover, the majority of the Marines and pirates here were those with average strength. Facing that continuous explosion, they met only one fate: death in the depths of the sea.
"Damn it!!!" Garp slammed his fist on the ice, tears streaming down his face.
This time, too many people had died.
Nearly 40,000 troops had gathered here, and the three major pirate crews had over 30,000 combined. Now, less than 100 survived.
So this wasn't just a 90% mortality rate, but 99.8%...
Countless outstanding Marines, countless outstanding pirates.
All perished in this battle, buried in the sea.
Hoshi and his two companions were not among them. They had quietly left beforehand and then quietly returned, rescued by Garp, becoming among the very few survivors.
It was imaginable how much their status within the Marines would rise after this battle. After all, after this battle, there were far too many vacant positions in the Marines.
"Ninja Pirates!" Whitebeard gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.
It was originally a matter of revenge for one of his "sons," but now, 90% of his "family" had perished in this battle.
This filled him with regret and intense hatred.
It was conceivable that between Whitebeard and the Ninja Pirate Crew, only one could survive.
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were the same, both looking distraught, as if in a dream.
Especially Charlotte Linlin. Before coming here, she had considered many interests, calculating what she could gain.
But now, after this war, she had lost almost 99% of everything.
Her entire crew was almost gone, with only a dozen or so survivors. That was tens of thousands of subordinates, now almost all gone.
"Ninja Pirate Crew!!!" Charlotte Linlin roared in a low voice, her eyes blood red, her face hidious.
This grudge, was irreconcilable!
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