“Boss El, Sally has sent word—the Wover has made its move!”

  That afternoon—

  As El, Linlin, the Blood Demon Irene, a Oka returo Cake Isnd, Griffin Moss hurried over to deliver the news.

  “Have we firmed the specifics of their forces?” El's expression grew serious as he immediately inquired.

  If the Wover was indeed mobilizing, their stro forces could likely arrive in Totto Land’s waters and un assault on Cake Isnd, the capital of the Totto Land Kingdom, as early as the following midday. To anticipate their movements, El had deployed Sally and Lillian to their secret base hidden in the Sabaody Archipego to closely monitor Navy headquarters and activities along the Red Line.

  “Acc to Sally’s intelligence,” Moss reported gravely, “after Fleet Admiral Hammons William returo Navy Headquarters from Mary Geoise, he immediately vened a rge group of Vice Admirals. These include himself as Fleet Admiral, Steel Bone Kong as the active Admiral, and even the rising stars Buddha Sengoku and Iron Fist Garp—all of whom have vanished from Navy Headquarters. It’s highly likely they’ve already mobilized.”

  Moss tinued, “It’s suspected that Vice Admiral ‘Earth Dragon’ Freed Neil, a Logia-type S-S Fruit user, has used his s space ability to secretly tain them. From there, the flying-capable ‘Blood Mane’ Bays is likely transp Neil and the hidden forces teoise. As for the retired Admiral Ross, whose strength has diminished with age, he appears to be staying back to hold the fort at Navy Headquarters. Half of the Holy Knights are expected to deploy, and there are likely about tee agents from CP0 participating as well.”

  Moss reyed the ey of Sally’s covertly transmitted intelligen one breath. The crew had developed a specialized batch of Homie-imbued Den Den Mushi, stationed in the Mirror World to ensure secure unication. Each operative carried a small, reinforced, nearly iructible mirror marked by Barry’s Mirror-Mirror Fruit ability. Ihe Mirror World, Homie Den Den Mushi stationed hese mirrors could instantly rey messages without risk of interception.

  This system ehat signals stayed fio the Mirror World, preventing eavesdropping by the Navy or d mitigating the risk of leaks.

  “Mamamama,” Linlin’s sinister ughter filled the room. “If they pn to annihite us entirely—especially to take you down, El Onii—I wouldn’t be surprised if Saint Mars, the flight-capable Five Elder, leads the charge himself. If they find our forces too overwhelming, Saint Mars might even call for the rest of the Five Elders to join him!”

  “Let them e,” El said coldly. “We’ll be ready.”

  El let out a sharp ugh. This time, he had prepared thhly.

  With the Five Elders’ nearly unkilble "meical cheat" nature, it was unrealistic to expect a plete wipeout of the Wover's forces. But if they refused to promise and if Totto Land fell, El repared for mutual destru.

  If his kingdom was destroyed, he would turn Navy Headquarters, the Fortress of Justice, and Mary Geoise—the Wover’s tral seat of power—into rubble. He was fident that he could lead the Fallen Angel Pirates to retreat unscathed, even if it meant sacrifig some Homie forces and deying their pns by a few years. After all, he never expected to topple the turies-old Wover in just three to five years. Patience was key.

  “Has everyone been evacuated?” El asked as he walked into the grand hall.

  “Following your orders, Boss El, all non-batants have beely evacuated,” Moss replied. “Ten thousand Aroops ahousand Sky Knights are standing by across nearby isnds. The moment the battle begins, they’ll swarm in and encircle the Wover’s forces.”

  The rger Homie army wasn’t necessary for this operation. Only the airborroops, like the Fallen Angel Homies, Pterodactyl Knights, and Pegasus Knights, were suited to harass and support El in bat against the Wover’s elite. Other Homie troops, while durable and resilient, could easily be ralized by specifiqueror’s Haki teiques or specialized Devil Fruit abilities.

  Given the Fallen Angel Pirates’ dual-yered tingens, they would not risk all their resources on a single fight.

  “Mamamama, the’s wait for them to e knog!” Linlin grinned, barieeth. “Tonight, let Saul use his Paramecia Stoone Fruit ability to trahe entire pace to Atntis.”

  The battle was bound to reduce Cake Isnd to ruins, but the grand pace—two and a half years in the making, requiring vast resources and manpower—was too valuable to leave behind.

  “Saul, huh?” Moss chuckled with admiration. “Every time I see his abilities, I ’t help but marvel at how ridiculous they are.”

  Retly, the Fallen Angel Pirates had been proactively recruiting from Elbaf and giant s across the globe. Thanks to El’s speech during the Totto Land Kingdom’s founding, which had earned him goodwill among giants, and his mixed heritage—being half-giant—he had built strong ties with the race. bined with the allure of Devil Fruits, their efforts had yielded signifit results.

  They had even recruited several giant Vice Admirals who had resigned from the Navy after the Elder Giants exposed the Wover’s deception, which had eheir people. Jaguar D. Saul was one such warrior.

  El had granted him the Paramecia Stoone Fruit ability, taken from an Impel Down ihis power allowed Saul to assimite any rock he touched, taking on its properties, including its hardness aure, as his own strength. Fiant like Saul, this ability lified to araordinary degree.

  It was nothing short of spectacur.

  Bleam