CHAPTER 82: "CHAPTER 82: BUSTER CALL, KARL’S COUNTERMEASURES

In the New World, at the Marines’ G-1 Branch.

As one of the Marines’ only two branches in the New World, G-1—like Marine Headquarters—must always have an admiral stationed to deter New World pirates.

The three Admirals rotate their shifts between Marineford in the Grand Line and the G-1 Branch on a schedule.

When two are on duty at the same time, the remaining one can enjoy a few days of leave.

Such is the daily routine of the Navy’s top combat power.

As with Garp’s way of life.

If one wants freedom, a position too high is unnecessary.

Admirals may be the Marines’ face, second only to the Fleet Admiral.

But the higher the rank, the greater the constraints.

They cannot leave Marineford at will, must rotate guarding Headquarters and the G-1 Branch, handle the affairs of their departments, and deal with messy business like cleaning up after the Celestial Dragons—these are all part of an admiral’s duties.

For example, right now—

One of the three Admirals on duty at G-1, code-named Aokiji, Kuzan, received a call from the Fleet Admiral.

"Kuzan, you must have seen today’s news!"

As the line connected, Sengoku’s helpless voice sounded on its own: "I don’t know how that brat slipped past my eyes and Mary Geoise’s informants to secretly reach the New World."

"But he killed a Celestial Dragon and then Gild Tesoro, which has gravely angered the Five Elders."

"After their deliberation, I have decided to launch a Buster Call on Gran Tesoro."

Finally, Sengoku’s voice turned cold: "You will serve as overall commander for this Buster Call."

"Ara ara... you want me to lead?"

Lying back in a chair as if half-asleep, Aokiji drawled lazily, "That assignment’s a tough one. The opponent is a Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit user; nobody understands that legendary power better than me."

"If even Borsalino couldn’t pin him down, there’s no way I can capture him."

"It’s fine; capture isn’t mandatory."

Sengoku finally revealed the real purpose behind the Buster Call: "Initiating a Buster Call signals Mary Geoise’s stance. Your task, besides intimidating those likewise eyeing Gran Tesoro, is to apprehend the Dragon Knight if possible. If you can’t, then use your ability to protect the gold atop Gran Tesoro so it doesn’t sink under the bombardment."

"So that’s how it is. Understood."

Aokiji blinked, then yawned: "In that case, I’ll make the trip."

After hanging up, Aokiji’s face shed its laziness and turned solemn: "Just as well—let me see whether that companion you chose is worth being relied on... Nico Robin."

The Buster Call came rather suddenly.

When all sides noticed the Marines’ G-1 Branch dispatch ten large battleships—each carrying roughly a thousand marines—heading straight for Gran Tesoro, the news that Mary Geoise had launched a Buster Call against the Dragon Knight Karl quickly spread throughout the New World.

Then, through Big News Morgans’ megaphone, it spread across the entire Grand Line and the Four Seas.

In particular, after Morgans used the News Coo as eyes to gather and sell worldwide the intelligence that five Vice Admirals and Admiral Aokiji would lead the Buster Call, countless fans who admired Karl for slaying a Celestial Dragon began to worry for their hero and idol.

A Buster Call is a military operation authorized by Mary Geoise for Marine Headquarters to assemble.

It is not lightly invoked; once invoked, it unleashes indiscriminate, devastating attacks on a designated area, fully clearing away people and things in regions deemed a threat to Mary Geoise.

Once triggered, it is a doomsday weapon that does not stop attacking even if people remain in the zone.

Neither Mary Geoise nor the Marines employ such a weapon often.

Since the dawn of the Great Pirate Era, it has been launched twice.

Once against Ohara in the West Blue, annihilating a famed archaeological sanctuary; and once against the Pirate King’s former crewmate, the so-called Demon Heir Douglas Bullet, failing to kill him but confining him to Impel Down’s Level 6, Infinite Hell.

The third time is now, against the Dragon Knight Karl.

This shows how enraged Mary Geoise is at Karl, a god-slayer who killed a world noble and then one of Mary Geoise’s lapdogs.

Upon learning the Buster Call was closing in on Gran Tesoro, the pirates who had used Eternal Poses to reach the surrounding waters—whether to watch or to spy—fled in a panic.

They feared becoming cannon fodder for the Marines’ wrath if caught along its advance.

A handful of shrewd ones, however, noticed the key point.

"Fufufufufu... Admiral Aokiji as overall commander, is it?"

On Dressrosa’s King’s Plateau, Donquixote Doflamingo glanced at today’s World Economy News Paper and chuckled with relish: "They didn’t send Kizaru, which means they aren’t confident about capturing the Dragon Knight."

"Fufufufufu... this Buster Call—under the banner of ’Buster Call’—is for intimidating fools who can’t see the truth, venting wrath to restore lost prestige, and seizing that man’s greatest legacy!"

"Well now, that is very much Mary Geoise and the Marines’ style."

"So then... will they get what they want, Dragon Knight... Karl!"

There were many shrewd ones like Doflamingo.

For instance, those who likewise noticed that the Big Mom Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the Revolutionary Army had withdrawn their eyes from Gran Tesoro.

Though the New World is ruled by the Four Emperors’ seas,

The true overlord of the ocean has always been the one that maintains order—the Marines.

The Marines refrain from moving rashly in the New World for the sake of balance.

That balance is forged by Marine Headquarters, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Four Emperors.

Ever since the tripartite balance was set, all three have quietly abided by the rule of "minding one’s own well."

Since the Marines are using a Buster Call to snatch the greatest legacy Tesoro left behind, then if the Four Emperors know what’s good for them, they won’t fight the Marines for it.

Otherwise, whoever takes the initiative to break the balance—

When the time comes, don’t blame the Marines for settling accounts afterward.

Compared with the Golden City and Tesoro’s treasure, Charlotte Linlin and Kaido clearly aren’t prepared for an all-out war with the Marines.

Especially since the Four Emperors are not of one mind; if one side clashes with the Marines and barely forces them back, those few others will pounce and take a bite afterward.

As sea emperors, who wants someone else to share the same renown?

If not for a few years ago, when Red-Haired Shanks, by virtue of unmatched strength and his peerless Red-Hair Pirates, forcibly snatched a slice of cake from the mouths of three monsters.

On the mightiest sea, there were no Four Emperors at all—only a three-way standoff formed by three monsters from the former Rocks Pirates.

Back to the matter at hand.

Karl saw with his own eyes the spies of those powers withdrawing from the waters around Gran Tesoro.

"That loudmouth Morgans actually spread the news that I killed Gild Tesoro."

Carina held two papers—yesterday’s and today’s.

Grinding her teeth at that big-mouthed bird-man, she glanced at Nami and asked, "Cat Burglar, can your ability really not make the Golden City float?"

"I can’t."

Nami shook her head. "With my current stamina, I can only control something up to three times the size of a large three-masted ship. Anything bigger won’t work, much less an island-ship ten kilometers long."

"Maybe I should leave, then?"

For the first time, Robin’s voice trembled as she suggested it.

"Sister Robin..."

Seeing Robin’s pale face, Carina and the others were momentarily stunned.

Recalling Robin’s background, Carina hugged her and soothed her softly: "Don’t be afraid. This isn’t when you were eight. You have us now. Karl and I will protect you."

"...Mm."

Hearing that, looking at Nami and Perona, at Karl and the little dragon chatting not far away with Baccarat, and recalling their time sailing together, Robin felt a bit of safety ebb away some of the fear in her heart.

Yet looking at today’s paper, at that image printed on it—that nightmare that had jolted her awake through so many years on the run—Robin’s graceful body trembled uncontrollably.

"Nami, hand it over."

Just then, Karl and Baccarat walked back.

Passing a set of blueprints to Nami, Karl said, "These are Gran Tesoro’s blueprints. Memorize them as fast as possible, then use the Float-Float Fruit and, together with Little White, dismantle the Golden City."

"D-dismantle Gran Tesoro?!"

For a moment Nami didn’t react, her eyes widening at Karl.

Carina and Perona reacted the same way.

Only Robin—who understood the Float-Float Fruit better than Nami the user herself by studying the Devil Fruit encyclopedia—brightened. "Great idea. Perhaps I won’t have to run, and we can still take the Golden City with us."

"Compared to the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the Paramecia Float-Float Fruit is in no way inferior, and it’s far from as simple as people think."

Karl picked up where Robin left off: "The Float-Float Fruit only consumes stamina when you touch an object and seize control of it."

"But the stamina doesn’t just vanish; it becomes a persistent buoyant force that remains until the user loses consciousness or releases it."

"Any non-living object covered by this floating force remains under the user’s control. The user only expends stamina again when changing the object’s shape or attacking. Otherwise, the objects you’ve already seized stay floating indefinitely without draining you further."

"That’s why Senior Shiki could keep an archipelago aloft and still act like it was nothing."

After finishing, Karl looked at Nami and continued, "So since your current stamina can’t lift the Golden City as one piece, break Gran Tesoro into a hundred pieces, a thousand, ten thousand, then seize control of each bit with your ability. Finally, fuse the dismantled parts back together; the hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of units of buoyancy will combine, and at that point you can control the entire Golden City."

"So that’s how it is..."

"To come up with something like this—impressive, Karl!"

Having heard Karl’s out-of-the-box method for the Float-Float Fruit, the girls lit up with understanding and then grew excited.

"That’s why, with me around, not a single Devil Fruit is wasted."

Karl ruffled Nami’s hair, then added a reminder: "Do not manipulate any machinery while in a liquefied state. Otherwise, when returned to form, most of it won’t function. Study the blueprints carefully, and memorize them thoroughly."

"Mm-hmm..." Nami nodded again and again.

With the method to move the Golden City settled, Karl looked to Carina and Robin and asked, "Where’s the Buster Call now? How long before it reaches us?"

At that, Carina took over the navigator’s job from Nami, spread out a New World chart she’d just prepared, pointed to the G-1 Branch’s position, then to a blank patch that marked their sea area, and said:

"The Buster Call set out from G-1. G-1 is some distance from us, but with the Marines’ excellent warship technology, if I don’t move the city, they can reach these waters in at most three days."

"I’ll have the Island Turtle tow Gran Tesoro, and even then the Marines will need at most three days to catch up to me."

"Three days, huh? That loudmouth Morgans isn’t completely intolerable—at least I’ve got the Marines’ position."

Sensing Gran Tesoro’s scale and its clusters of buildings, and estimating the weight in his mind,

Karl made up his mind and said, "For Nami to fully control this island, she’ll need at least half a month. I’ll go harass them first and try to drag things out for over a week."

"Little White stays here to protect everyone, and clean up anyone who might try to sneak in while I’m gone."

"Graaow..." the little dragon chirped softly.

"Karl, be careful."

Trusting Karl, Carina still didn’t stop his decision. She stepped up to hug his waist and looked up seriously. "That thing we agreed on—don’t push yourself. If it comes to it, I don’t need this Golden City."

"Relax. Nothing will happen to me."

Kissing Carina’s forehead, Karl smiled with confidence. "As long as I set out, no one in this world can stop me."

"Nami, give me a few Cloud Dials."

Letting Nami use Sky Island shells to lift him from the Golden Harbor into the air, Karl took the dials, and his figure turned into lightning and vanished.

With a few flickers, he left Gran Tesoro."

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