Naval Headquarters' Decision, North Blue Pirates' Retreat!

"Sea... Marine?!"

"Vice Admiral, the Flying Squirrel? What the hell is going on?!"

"Is it someone from our Marine force?"

All the Vice Admirals on the scene changed their expressions and instinctively looked at the Flying Squirrel.

The Flying Squirrel suddenly felt an unprecedented amount of pressure.

He could only bite the bullet and nod.

"No, that's right. This person was originally a colonel stationed in the North Blue G-64 branch and has been serving in the Marine for forty years," he said.

"However, he formally submitted a decommissioning application to headquarters two days ago, so he is now a civilian with no ties to the Marine."

The Flying Squirrel was clearly trying to distance himself from the incident involving the killing of the Celestial Dragons.

By emphasizing Bai Ye's retired status, he hoped to shield the Marine from any blame. After all, if the outside world learned that the killing of the Celestial Dragons was connected to a Marine, the entire Marine system could face serious repercussions.

He himself certainly couldn't bear the responsibility.

Beads of cold sweat rolled down the Flying Squirrel's forehead, though he did his best to maintain composure.

Fortunately, Vice Admiral Tsuru raised her voice to draw everyone's attention.

"Alright... Since this is about a retired Marine, there's no need to delve into the specifics of how the Celestial Dragons were attacked," she said.

"The most critical issue now is that a Celestial Dragon has been killed. We must resolve this matter as soon as possible, or it could severely impact our efforts to counter the Whitebeard Pirates."

As the brilliant strategist she was, Vice Admiral Tsuru's words carried weight.

Everyone present took a moment to think, then nodded in agreement.

The murder of a Celestial Dragon was a monumental incident, like dropping a bomb on the ears of countless people outside.

But at this critical moment, the Marine could not allow the Whitebeard Pirates to exploit the situation.

Thus, whatever secrets the Flying Squirrel was hiding didn't matter for the time being.

The priority was to address the fallout swiftly, balancing the pressure from the World Government with the Marine's image and ongoing plans.

The quickest solution was to dispatch a Marine Admiral.

However, considering the risk of the Whitebeard Pirates launching a surprise attack on Naval Headquarters, Admirals couldn't be deployed lightly.

Complicating matters further was the identity of the Celestial Dragon who had been killed—a direct heir to the esteemed Rose Holy Family in "Mariejois."

The Rose Holy Family, through the World Government, had issued an order that the murderer should not be killed too easily. Instead, they demanded that the culprit be captured alive and publicly punished to send a chilling message to anyone daring to target the Celestial Dragons.

This unreasonable demand posed a significant challenge to everyone in the room.

After careful deliberation, the Marine decided to issue a wanted notice for the culprit.

At the same time, the Flying Squirrel volunteered for the mission.

After all, if the truth about that day's events were exposed, his career in the Marine would be over.

Secretly, he planned to eliminate Bai Ye—a retired veteran who dared to defy orders—with his own hands.

To the Flying Squirrel, only the dead could keep secrets.

Of course, he wasn't planning to go alone.

Before setting off, the Flying Squirrel requisitioned five warships, not staffed with ordinary Marines but instead equipped with the latest scientific advancements from Admiral Kizaru's division: the Pacifistas.

These weapons, first intended for use against the Whitebeard Pirates in the upcoming Summit War, were powerful autonomous units capable of identifying friend and foe, tracking targets, and unleashing devastating laser attacks.

The Flying Squirrel was confident that such a force was more than sufficient to apprehend a lone individual in the vast North Blue.

It was also a chance to test the Pacifistas' capabilities.

Regardless of how Bai Ye had managed to kill the Celestial Dragons—or whether he had unknown allies backing him—there was no way he could resist this kind of firepower.

The introduction of the Pacifistas was meant to intimidate pirates everywhere, and now the Marine had an ideal opportunity to showcase their might.

And so, in a meeting initially focused on countering the Whitebeard Pirates, Bai Ye's fate was decided.

Meanwhile, in North Blue...

"Gulp... Is this a joke?"

"This... this can't be something a human could do!"

Near the main passage connecting North Blue to the Grand Line, pirates preparing to embark on their journey suddenly froze in their tracks.

Pirates who had once brimmed with ambition and confidence found themselves hesitating.

For the first time, they doubted their dreams, their goals, and even their courage.

Why?

Because of the sight before their eyes.

Under the clear sky and beside the sea passage leading to the Grand Line, an unprecedented sight had appeared.

A brand-new channel, barely wide enough for a small ship, now existed where it had never been before. It was a shortcut to the Grand Line, the ultimate destination of countless pirates.

But what made this channel terrifying wasn't its existence.

It was the fresh, horrifying cut marks along its edges.

A realization began to dawn on them.

This wasn't a natural channel.

It had been cut open.

By someone.

What kind of being could split the Red Line itself?

For the first time, the pirates had an absurd thought:

It was humanly possible to cut through the Red Line.

At that very moment, as the Naval Headquarters decided Bai Ye's fate, the Flying Squirrel was unaware of one crucial fact:

He didn't need to chase Bai Ye.

Bai Ye was already on his way to the Grand Line.