aircannonsinc Chapter 45 The Destruction of Roguetown, the Shaking of Justice
Chapter 45 The Destruction of Roguetown, the Shaking of Justice
After shouting loudly to no avail, Garp lowered his voice.
"L...Luffy?!" Garp's voice trembled without him even realizing it.
He never imagined that Luffy would be willing to sacrifice his own life force to sustain this battle! And just now, he was attacking Roger with all his might.
Looking back now, it feels like I was about to kill my own grandson!
Aokiji's eyes also flickered violently, and the icy chill became unstable again.
He looked at Roger, who seemed to be struggling even to stand. The fragments of information about "Master's physical strength supply" instantly connected.
No wonder Roger's momentum weakened; it turns out Luffy's condition was the key!
He almost pushed the naval hero, who was also his master's grandson, into a desperate situation. Although the other party was a pirate, he was still a living person, and Aokiji couldn't help but be moved.
It was during this brief moment of silence caused by shock and Luffy's condition that things fell into a state of shock.
Ughh ...
The bugle call, symbolizing the Navy's supreme will to destroy, was like a death knell, suddenly tearing apart the brief silence and resounding throughout the entire waters off Loguetown!
Immediately afterwards, the communications soldier's voice, filled with extreme terror, rang throughout the entire battlefield via a loudspeaker Den Den Mushi.
"Vice Admiral Garp! Admiral Aokiji!! Urgent military intelligence!!"
"Marshal Sengoku's order! The highest-level Buster Order has been activated! 100 warships! Commanded by five Vice Admirals! Target—the central area of Loguetown! Indiscriminate destructive bombardment!!"
"Artillery fire will cover this area in thirty seconds! Repeat! Artillery fire will cover this area in thirty seconds! Evacuate immediately!!"
The series of heavy blows stunned Garp, his clenched fist loosening for a moment.
"What? The Buster Call? In Loguetown?"
His fist clenched suddenly, and he shouted into the Den Den Mushi, "Sengoku! Who gave the order?!"
He understands the Warring States period! His old friend, who fought alongside him, shared the same sense of justice, and dedicated his life to the navy!
It's impossible for someone from the Warring States period to issue such an inhumane order so easily! It must be... pressure from higher levels!
Sengoku's trembling voice came through the Den Den Mushi, along with his fist that was about to be crushed.
"Garp... listen! This wasn't my intention! The order came from the Holy Land! The Five Elders gave the direct order! Roger and his associates must be eliminated at all costs, all destabilizing factors must be removed! They... they used their highest authority! I... I cannot disobey!"
Ughh ...
The deep, somber sound of the horn was like a death knell to the common people of Rogge!
"The...the Buster Order?! It's the Buster Order's horn!!" A tavern owner hiding behind a half-collapsed counter turned ashen-faced, and the bottle in his hand crashed to the ground and shattered.
"Mommy! Mommy! What was that sound? It's scary!"
In a crevice of the ruins, a little girl with a dirty face clung tightly to her mother, trembling with fear.
"It's over...it's all over..." An old man leaning on a cane looked at the sky in despair, tears streaming down his face. "The Navy...is the Navy going to...destroy us all?"
"Why?! What did we do wrong?! We just live here!!" A young mother, holding her swaddled baby, cried out in heart-wrenching sobs, her voice drowned out by the whistling of approaching shells.
Panic erupted instantly, like a plague! The residents, who were still under the protection of the navy, were now completely plunged into hysterical despair!
They cried and shoved each other, swarming out of their hiding place like headless flies, trying to escape this area that was about to be wiped off the map, but they didn't know where to go!
The port is blockaded by warships, the town is surrounded, and destruction is about to fall from the sky. There is nowhere to escape!
Sanji and Zoro worked together to send Smoker flying, then stared blankly at the distant barrage of artillery fire.
"Have the Navy gone mad?! Are they really going to drag the entire Loguetown down with them just to kill us?!"
"Damn it!!" A roar filled with boundless rage exploded forth!
Smoker struggled to emerge from the rubble buried by the shockwave! He didn't attack Zoro and Sanji again, but just stood there stunned.
His white hair and cloak of justice were stained with filth, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his ten hands were clenched so tightly they cracked.
That was Rogue Town, which he had protected for many years! Those were the civilians he had sworn to protect!
The town is now being destroyed, and civilians are fleeing in panic and crying.
The Navy Headquarters, the highest authority he served, actually issued a decree for indiscriminate destruction!
They don't even care about this town, the innocent civilians inside, and... their colleagues who might still be here, and they're going to order its destruction?!
"Marshal Sengoku! Have you gone mad?!" Smoker roared like a wild beast, his voice hoarse with extreme anger.
"This is Loguetown! Not a no-man's-land! There are tens of thousands of innocent civilians here!! And Vice Admiral Garp! Admiral Aokiji might also be within the coverage area! Stop the Buster Call immediately!!!"
The only response he received was the cold, mechanical sound of warships adjusting their cannons on the distant sea.
Despair and a furious anger at being utterly betrayed instantly engulfed Smoker.
He suddenly looked up at the hundred Demonbusters warships on the sea, which resembled steel behemoths, his eyes burning with an unprecedented flame.
His body was enveloped in billowing smoke as he rushed towards the harbor, determined to stop them! Even if it meant risking his life to shield himself from cannon fire!
At that very moment, he himself did not notice how intense the incomparable burning pain was reflected on the back of his hand by the bright red light, but it was still not as intense as the grief and indignation in his heart at that moment!
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!
The first wave of test-fired, massive shells, accompanied by a piercing shriek, crashed like meteorites onto the edge of a residential area a little further from the central square!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A deafening explosion! Towering flames instantly engulfed the already crumbling house!
A scorching wave of air, carrying pebbles and wood chips, swept across the street. The agonizing screams abruptly ceased, and thick smoke and dust, mixed with the stench of blood, rose into the sky.
"No—!! My shop! My home!!" The tavern owner watched as his life's work vanished in the flames, letting out a desperate wail.
"My child! My child is still inside!!" A man frantically tried to rush into the sea of fire, but was violently thrown away by the blast wave.
"Navy...aren't you supposed to be righteous?! Why are you killing us?!" The old man coughed up blood in the smoke and dust, his eyes filled with resentment and incomprehension.
This bloody scene struck the hearts of every naval soldier who witnessed it like a heavy hammer.
Those soldiers, some of whom were local troops stationed in Loguetown, who had just struggled to their feet from the aftermath of the battle, watched as the civilians they were supposed to protect wailed under the navy's own gunfire, and everything was engulfed in flames...
"The Buster Call... is it really going to destroy everything?"
"What...what exactly are we protecting?"
"Vice Admiral Garp... Admiral Aokiji... they're still inside!"
Such a heated scene was like a bucket of ice water poured on Garp's heart. His eyes flashed with a fierce light, a furious rage against the supreme power of the World Government!
The supreme power of the World Government, which is high above and can trample on life at will, is infuriating, but who can stop the will of the Celestial Dragons?
A small boat approached the town of Rogue, which was engulfed in flames, and Sabo, at the bow, was filled with rage.
Beside him stood a man wearing a tricorn hat and a red cloak, who also had a serious expression.
"Master...we can't direct our fire on civilians..."