One Piece: Surrounded at Marineford? Just kidding!

Chapter 554: Departing on Time!

The dragon's gaze was fixed on Chen Ye's face, then it took half a step forward.

He walked up to the huge holographic projection, raised his right hand, and pressed his rough index finger heavily onto the light screen.

These are the coordinates of Elbaf.

"It's not about letting him broaden his horizons," the dragon said, his voice as heavy as iron. "I want him to be tempered once again."

Dragon intends to personally push the second-in-command of the revolutionary army into the cruelest meat grinder.

But everyone knows very well what Elbaf means.

That place will soon become a graveyard for burying gods.

But Long insisted on sending his most valued heir into the prison.

Chen Ye didn't reply immediately, but leaned against the edge of the control panel and quietly watched the dragon.

The dragon withdrew its finger and continued speaking.

"Sabo is talented." His voice was deep and steady. "He has conviction and the courage to fight."

Sabo has fought his way to where he is today, experiencing countless bloody battles; he has withstood the pressure of Marine Admirals and the pursuit of the World Government's top brass; he once fought his way out of the flames of Mary Geoise, and has never retreated a single step in front of any truly powerful enemy.

But that's not enough.

The dragon's eyes gradually sharpened, like a blade slowly being drawn from its sheath.

"He hasn't truly stepped onto the main battlefield yet."

He emphasized this sentence.

"He had never seen a global war in which the world's top powers acted simultaneously."

And Elbaf is precisely that kind of place.

The Knights of God will commit their entire force. The true forms of the Five Elders could appear at any moment. Even Im himself might intervene!

Sabo must experience it firsthand.

"So that when he takes over the revolutionary army, he won't be filled with nothing but ideals." A cruel clarity shone in Long's eyes. "He needs to know just how powerful the real opponents are."

If you've never seen despair, you can't bear the weight of overthrowing the world.

A fire raised in a greenhouse cannot burn through eight hundred years of darkness.

The dragon paused for a moment, the wind pressure around it completely subsided, and then it added the last layer, a more personal and heavier reason.

"While I can still cover for him."

His voice finally revealed a very slight hoarseness.

"Take advantage of the fact that he fell down now, while he can still get back up."

This is the ruthlessness of a leader.

It's also the cruelty of a mentor.

"Let him see first what kind of power currently rules this world."

At this point, there's no more hiding anything.

Everyone present had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Therefore, they know better than anyone how weighty these words are.

This is no longer a simple temporary transfer, nor is it about giving a younger generation a chance to gain experience. Dragon is personally sending his heir into a fire pit, pushing him to the brink of death; yet, ironically, it is also the one he most hopes Sabo can emerge alive from there.

True inheritance is never a gentle breeze or a light rain.

It's a path that's been built step by step.

The silence lasted for more than ten seconds.

Finally, it was Whitebeard who spoke first.

"That kid's got a fiery temper."

He was clearly reminded of Sabo's ferocity on the battlefield.

"They've got guts."

The white-bearded man spoke slowly, acknowledging Sabo's unwavering spirit when facing the admiral head-on.

"As long as you don't get carried away and bring it along, it'll be fine."

These words were tantamount to a formal nod of approval to Sabo's combat prowess. Whitebeard had seen too many young men fall on the battlefield; he knew very well what kind of person could survive the meat grinder and what kind would be crushed on the spot.

Shanks chimed in with a comment.

"I've seen him fight." Shanks' gaze was incredibly sharp. "His speed and reaction time are both excellent."

"Give him another tough battle of this caliber." A slight smile played on his lips, but there was no hint of relief. "When he comes back alive, he'll be completely ravaged."

With two Yonko-level powerhouses expressing their opinions, Sabo's eligibility to participate in the war has been completely confirmed.

They all know that real trees can't grow in a greenhouse.

Only the fiercest battles can forge a true king.

In the conference room, all eyes turned back to Chen Ye.

Chen Ye didn't delay. He looked at the dragon and uttered two words crisply.

"Can."

"Sabo, come with me."

"But he's going to be part of the regular combat force."

He is not someone who needs protection.

Chen Ye's gaze swept over the crowd, and a hidden yet extremely oppressive aura slowly emanated from him. It wasn't a deliberately released domineering presence, but rather the absolute coldness and hardness possessed by someone who truly commands the battlefield.

"Disengage from formation once."

By the time he finished speaking, his tone had become completely flat.

"I'll kick him straight back to Future Island."

The words left a lasting impression.

This wasn't meant to embarrass the dragon, nor was it an attempt to establish authority. Chen Ye was using the strictest military orders to tell everyone present that Sabo was allowed to go because he was qualified, not because of his special relationship with the dragon.

There are no greenhouses on the battlefield.

Only life and death.

Any sliver of luck could ultimately lead to the annihilation of the entire team. Chen Ye would never approach the Divine Knights with a burden that required his attention.

What he was going to bring was a knife.

A knife capable of piercing an enemy's heart.

After hearing these almost harsh conditions, Long didn't even frown; he simply nodded.

He didn't say thank you.

He only replied with one word.

"it is good."

This answer says it all.

What truly satisfied Long was never whether Chen Ye agreed or not, but rather the role Chen Ye assigned to Sabo.

What Chen Ye gave him was a real combat position.

It wasn't a caregiver spot that was just casually included.

This is more important than anything else.

Dragon knew that Sabo might die in Elbaf.

But he also knew that if he didn't go, Sabo would never truly grow into the kind of person the Revolutionary Army should be in the future.

If you want a spark to ignite, you have to throw it into the fiercest wind.

Chen Ye's coldness is precisely the greatest respect he can show to Sabo.

The moment the decision was made, the entire control room was on high alert.

Chen Ye turned around, his fingers swiftly tracing patterns on the control panel. The holographic projection flashed, instantly switching to a densely packed task list.

He began issuing military orders.

"The Whitebeard Pirates".

Whitebeard immediately looked up.

"Complete the modification of all naval guns within twelve hours." Chen Ye spoke extremely quickly, giving almost no one a chance to interrupt. "All sea stone armor will be installed, and all supplies and ammunition will be loaded onto the ship."

The white-bearded man grinned.

"no problem."

The Red-Haired Pirates.

Chen Ye turned his gaze to Shanks.

"The installation of the high-mobility module was completed simultaneously. All auto-aiming electromagnetic rifles were distributed, and the fleet's fuel was replenished to the maximum."

Shanks nodded, readily agreeing. His newborn left hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of the knife, the knuckles slightly tense.

"dragon."

Chenye finally looked at the leader of the revolutionary army.

"Immediately take control of the Future Island ground defenses. The storage area, the outer sentry posts, and communication filtering permissions are all under your control."

This is tantamount to handing over the entire rear core directly to the dragon.

Long responded in a deep voice, without uttering a single unnecessary word.

"You will personally inform Sabo," Chen Ye continued. "Ivankov and Kera will take full control of the Revolutionary Army's defense of the island."

Orders were issued one after another, and the massive war machine finally began to mesh and start turning.

No one raised any objections.

Because everyone knows that time is running out.

Vegapunk immediately took over the deployment. He rushed to the main control panel with the data board in hand, his fingers almost blurring the virtual keyboard. On the screen, data streamed down like a waterfall.

"The quantum communication network is beginning to be split up!"

As soon as he announced this, two different colored light tracks lit up instantly above the control room.

Blue represents the front line.

Green represents the rear.

"The frontline combat channel and the future island defense channel have been officially separated," Vegapunk explained quickly. "The two links are completely independent and will not interfere with each other."

He adjusted his glasses and continued with the operation.

"All Seraphim are switched to the highest island defense mode."

Vegapunk once again unveiled the entire ocean map.

A massive light screen stretched out completely in the center of the main control room, and four glaring arrows appeared simultaneously.

The crimson arrow coming from the direction of Mary Geoise signifies the Knights of God's inevitable defeat.

The dark blue arrow coming from the direction of the Navy Headquarters represents the massive fleet that was forced to deploy.

The straw-green arrow pointing towards the Straw Hat Pirates' flight path is recklessly closing in.

And, the Black Route that Future Island is about to embark on.

Four forces are moving from different directions, all pointing towards the same destination.

Elbaf.

We're about to become the target of everyone's criticism!

Then, Chen Ye turned around and left behind his last words.

"Notify all teams."

His voice wasn't loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Set sail in twelve hours."

The countdown has officially begun.

Whitebeard hoisted Murakumogiri onto his shoulder, turned and left first, his laughter echoing through the corridor, his heavy footsteps resounding. Shanks patted Dragon on the shoulder, said nothing, and turned to follow.

The dragon did not linger.

He turned and walked toward the communications station.

He was going to call Sabo to make preparations.

The eve of the Battle of Elbaf has finally arrived.