A heart-pounding scene unfolded.
Nine Marine warships fired simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of over a hundred shells onto the island in a single volley.
In an instant, deafening explosions filled the air. Before the echoes of the first barrage had even faded, another round of shells followed, erupting with terrifying force.
The entire world seemed to be consumed by these earth-shattering explosions—nothing else could be heard.
From a distance, one could only see endless firelight and thick clouds of smoke—a result of the relentless bombardment.
Wave after wave of shelling tore the island to pieces, rendering it completely barren, not a single blade of grass left standing.
After several rounds of bombardment, the nine warships split up and circled the island, continuing their full-scale attack.
The Buster Call was meant to annihilate everything—not just a single target, but the complete destruction of the island from all directions, until nothing remained.
Jon silently watched this unfold. He had been a Marine for nearly ten years, but he had never witnessed anything like this. Pure, continuous artillery bombardment—powerful enough to sink an entire island.
Ordinary shells might not match a single strike from a powerful fighter, but when nine warships bombarded together, it was a different story.
Jon could only think of two individuals who could match this level of destruction: Sakazuki and Borsalino. One wielded magma blasts, the other laser beams—if unleashed without limit, they could rival this effect.
The bombardment went on without pause. The pirates trailing behind the Marines—hoping to exploit the chaos—were struck with terror.
Pirates were certainly ruthless killers, but scenes like this, where the Navy was intent on sinking an entire island, were rare. After all, no ordinary pirate crew could afford to waste ammunition in endless bombardments like the Marines.
Many pirates started to back off. Their original goal was to take revenge on Barrett, but seeing the Navy's overwhelming firepower, they realized their help wasn't needed.
On the contrary, if they acted rashly and angered the Navy, their fate might be even worse than that of the island.
Only after the entire island was engulfed in fire and smoke did the shelling begin to slow.
Some people on the island had reacted quickly and fled by boat, but they were the minority. Most were engulfed in the barrage.
The Navy paid no attention to the fleeing civilians—their target, Barrett, was still on the island.
"There's movement on the island!"
Someone soon noticed unusual activity—like a giant creature stirring—but then everything fell silent again.
"Is it him?" Garp asked Jon.
Jon nodded. "Yes, it's likely his power. Looks like he's really preparing to face us head-on."
"Vice Admiral Garp, let me go. I know him better than anyone," Jon volunteered.
But Garp shook his head. "Jon, not everything will go your way. You want to defeat him—but so does everyone else. Everyone needs their chance. I can't just hand everything over to you."
Jon's expression darkened. He understood Garp's meaning—defeating and capturing Barrett would bring massive merit.
He wanted that, but so did many others. And with his rank still just a rear admiral, there were many higher-ranking officers present. It wasn't his turn to claim the prize.
"But Barrett won't go down easily. One misstep and—"
Garp didn't respond this time. Instead, he picked up a Den Den Mushi and began issuing orders—he wasn't planning to fight personally.
Several warships approached the shore, and from one of them, a squad disembarked and entered the smoke-covered island to search for Barrett.
Jon watched solemnly. The leader of the unit was Vice Admiral Saul, the giant.
Because of the thick smoke and flames, those on the outside couldn't see anything inside the island. They had to rely on Den Den Mushi for updates.
"Jon, can you locate Barrett?" Garp asked.
Jon used his Observation Haki to sense—but quickly frowned. "Something's wrong. I could sense him clearly before, but now, somehow, I can't pinpoint his aura. Still, I'm sure he hasn't left the island."
Jon had always been confident in his Observation Haki. But now, not being able to detect Barrett's presence puzzled him. What method had Barrett used to conceal himself?
Garp, however, wasn't too surprised. "Observation Haki isn't invincible. If it exists, then so must methods to counter it. But I agree with you—he's still there."
Jon gave Garp a surprised look. Did Garp also know how to avoid detection by Observation Haki?
"Seems like I'll need to develop that ability soon... Otherwise, Observation Haki alone won't cut it in certain situations."
Jon understood Observation Haki wasn't perfect. Its long-range detection only sensed presence, not specific actions or status. He had already been seeking ways to improve it.
He had a rough idea of how—but developing it fully would take time. For now, he couldn't use it properly yet.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion echoed from the island, drawing the attention of every Marine.
"He's appeared—it's Barrett's aura. He's attacking our forces!"
Jon immediately sensed Barrett and was shocked to find he had surfaced right in the middle of the Marine unit.
From the sounds alone, it was clear Barrett was launching a brutal assault on Vice Admiral Saul's unit.
Because of the distance and the thick smoke, they couldn't see the battle clearly—but Jon could feel many auras disappearing one after another. Barrett was slaughtering Marines.
With his experience, Garp quickly picked up the Den Den Mushi and ordered, "Send more troops. If they can't handle him, fall back immediately!"
"I'll go,"
The elder Vice Admiral Dominoque volunteered before Sakazuki could speak.
Hearing Dominoque's request, Garp frowned slightly. Truth be told, he would've preferred Sakazuki or Borsalino—both Logia users, one a fierce warrior, the other an expert in disruption.
By comparison, the older Dominoque was weaker.
But since Dominoque volunteered, Garp didn't want to crush his confidence. "Be careful, Vice Admiral Dominoque. Barrett is a Devil Fruit user. If anything goes wrong, contact us immediately."
"Understood."
Dominoque accepted the order and led his men onto the island, heading straight toward the ongoing battle.
After Dominoque left, Garp turned to Jon. "You'll go in next—but don't act just yet. If Saul and Dominoque can't beat Barrett, that's when you'll step in. Got it?"
If it had been Sakazuki or Borsalino, Garp wouldn't have been so concerned. But with Dominoque in the field, he needed Jon to be ready.
Jon didn't argue—this was his chance. "Understood, Vice Admiral."
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