The pirates sat and forgot, and they really believed the nine truths and one lie.

Chapter 1713 Naval Flag

The situation has developed to this point, leaving the pirates with no way out, and the navy with no way out either.

Sengoku looked up at the moon hanging high in the night sky, its desolate and cold light pouring down on every inch of Marineford.

Under the moonlight, this military fortress bleeds every single second.

Even with Artoria's leadership aura, it only reduces the pain, not that one won't die from a fatal wound.

Swords, guns, and abilities... continue to mercilessly claim countless lives.

The baton of the old and new eras has now undoubtedly fallen into the hands of Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Whether the navy wins or loses will determine the course of history for decades to come, or even longer.

This burden, as heavy as a mountain, can only be borne by him, the admiral of the navy.

Those admirals who held different views and had their own plans could not win people's hearts. Artoria was still too inexperienced. In the end, the navy would still need this veteran to take the helm.

A look of undisguised melancholy appeared on Zhan Guo's face. Sometimes, if you live too long, you have to endure the relentless erosion of time.

Those painful and regretful memories would relentlessly attack him on nights like these, gnawing at his sanity.

As people get older, they tend to become more sentimental. Suddenly, Zhan Guo felt that he was surrounded by people.

It wasn't the aura of a living person, but a more ethereal and heavy presence, yet one that carried a certain warmth.

He couldn't help but slowly look back.

At the point where the moonlight met the shadow of the city tower, he saw countless familiar faces.

There are martyrs who bravely sacrificed their lives on the front lines, and there are nameless heroes who disappeared silently on the unknown battlefields behind the scenes, perhaps without even leaving their names behind.

Their figures were somewhat blurry, somewhat transparent, but the expressions on their faces were so clear, firm, and unwavering.

He saw Rosinante, the adopted son he had raised with his own hands but who had died at the hands of Doflamingo, smiling at him now. Rosinante was a young man who always had a silly smile but was incredibly kind at heart.

He saw that the former marshal Ganggu Kong, who had just died in battle not long ago, was also quietly watching him. This old superior, who was serious and set an example throughout his life, was also watching him quietly.

These people are giving their lives to uphold the naval justice they believe in.

Sengoku thought he was seeing some kind of hallucination caused by excessive fatigue and stress. He even saw Rosinante, standing in the shadows behind Kisame, giving his adoptive father an encouraging smile.

Even the usually stern and unsmiling Steelbone Kong gave his former subordinate, now his successor, an affirmative nod.

The Warring States period was stunned.

A moment later, he suddenly turned his gaze back to the battlefield in front of him. For a moment, he really hoped that he was seeing things.

He truly hoped that his former comrades could rest in peace and never be drawn into the eternal war between the Navy and pirates again.

"Marshal."

A clear and firm girl's voice rang out beside him; it was Artoria.

She held the holy sword high, her body radiating a gentle and pure golden light, like a burning torch dispelling the surrounding darkness and bloodshed.

Tiny specks of light shone on her silver armor and golden hair, making the knight king's heroic and extraordinary temperament even more dazzling.

Artoria looked calmly ahead, but spoke to Sengoku, "Make a decision. The heroic spirits you see are real, and so can I."

Sengoku's face showed surprise. He turned his head abruptly to look at the young female knight beside him. "You can also see those old faces behind me?"

Artoria nodded without hesitation, explaining that one reason was the influence of my Holy Sword, but the other half was because of Marshal Sengoku.

"If those heroic spirits did not agree with you, did not agree with the path you uphold at this moment, they would not appear behind you, and would not choose to be with you at this moment."

The memory of the Warring States marshal was suddenly stirred by this sentence.

He recalled Artoria's explanation of "why Excalibur is so powerful."

It is not only because of its own power, but also because it can inspire the heroic souls of those who died on this land, who were filled with justice and ideals.

Today, perhaps influenced by Artoria's powerful leadership and pure ideals, the heroic souls of these fallen naval warriors have gradually coalesced from their intangible will into a spirit that can be seen even by certain individuals.

These heroic souls are only a part of their obsessions in life, a reflection of the purest and most essential part of naval justice.

It was the shared will of Artoria and Sengoku that, to some extent, drew them to their presence.

In this seemingly endless war between the Navy and pirates, how many Navy personnel have actually died?

How many comrades have gone missing? It's impossible to count.

Marineford's ability to survive to this day and remain a bastion of justice is, in a sense, due to the bones of generations of naval veterans.

Only by building up the moat by force could it withstand wave after wave of pirate attacks to this day.

After a moment of silence, the last trace of hesitation in the eyes of the Warring States Marshal completely vanished.

"Kisame, go to the inner building and get the largest flag of the Navy. I'll need it later."

As the last admiral to join the Navy, Kisame doesn't currently have a strong sense of belonging to the Navy.

But at this moment, he also clearly felt the indescribable heavy atmosphere around him. When you are part of a group, you will be affected by the overall atmosphere of that group.

"Yes," Kisame replied briefly, and then vanished from the spot in a flash.

Before long, he reappeared, carrying in his arms a huge flag rolled into a long tube and wrapped in a thick, dark blue canvas.

This flag is very heavy, weighing at least several hundred kilograms.

If fully unfurled, it would surely be a colossal banner that blots out the sky; it must be the largest and most symbolic banner in the navy.

"Kisame, could you use your Water Release ninjutsu to create a flagpole that will never fall and put this flag on it?"

Sengoku turned around, raised his finger high, stretched his arm straight, and pointed to the very top of the city tower behind him, the highest and most conspicuous spot in Marineford.

"Plant our navy's largest flag on it!"

"Is it possible?"

Kisame nodded solemnly, "Yes."

This maneuver was far too easy for him, a powerful figure who could wield water-style techniques to an unparalleled level.

"Let's do it now."

Kisame gave a standard naval salute, then, holding the heavy flag in one hand, he lightly touched the ground with both feet and his body floated into the air as if weightless.

Transparent water droplets gathered beneath his feet, serving as his footing.

In just a few steps, he had already lightly leaped to the very top of the city gate, the very tip of the spire.

Standing atop this high point in Marineford, the night wind howled, and below lay the raging flames of war and the carnage of countless lives. Ghosts.

With a low shout, a stream of crystal-clear water gushed from his mouth as if it were alive.

The water did not disperse in the air, but under his exquisite control, it quickly condensed and shaped.

In the blink of an eye, a tall, thick, and upright mast, made entirely of high-pressure water jets, standing majestically atop the city gate tower, reached a height of over ten meters.

The water circulates rapidly within it, emitting a faint blue light and remaining exceptionally stable, as if it were truly a colossal pillar that would never collapse.

Kisame didn't stop. He grabbed one end of the huge banner and hurled it forcefully into the night sky.

"Whoosh—!"

The heavy canvas flag suddenly unfurled in the air.

A massive, breathtaking naval flag, illuminated by the moonlight and the flames of war, stood out prominently before everyone's eyes.

The deep blue background represents the vast ocean and night sky, while the huge naval emblem in the center, composed of seagulls and scales, gleams with a solemn and majestic luster under the moonlight.

The flag's edges were even embroidered with gold trim representing naval honor and combat achievements.

This flag seems to bear witness to the navy's centuries-long history and bloodshed.

With a flick of his arm, Kisame accurately slipped the enormous flag onto the water mast.

Under the gaze of everyone—navies, pirates, and hundreds of millions of viewers around the world watching on screens—that enormous flag, representing the navy's highest will and determination, stood tall.

At the highest point of Marineford, it flutters in the night wind, proudly swaying in the breeze.

At this moment, the raising of the naval flag is no longer just a symbol, it is a declaration.