Chương 403: Chapter 403: Whitebeard's Fleet Assembles!
"Captain, why such a grim face? Did something happen?" a crew member of the Red-Haired Pirates curiously asked Shanks.
Another crew member laughed heartily without a care: "Hahaha, maybe our red-haired captain got so drunk last night that he's still not sobered up!"
"The captain's tolerance can't be that bad, can it?"
"Hahaha!"
Amidst the pirates' raucous laughter, Shanks put down the Den Den Mushi and said, "Some of our friends in the New World have shared a piece of intelligence with us."
Shanks spoke with a hint of gravity, and as soon as he said this, everyone sensed that something was amiss.
"What intelligence?" Beckman asked, cigarette pinched between his fingers, frowning.
Shanks slowly stood up: "The World Government has mobilized tens of thousands of elite forces into the New World, and the person leading them... is one of the Five Elders."
Beckman's pupils shrank: "Tens of thousands of troops? The Five Elders?!"
Shanks gazed at the distant sea and said, "Their purpose is definitely not simple. Perhaps, they've set their sights on the Whitebeard Pirates."
Currently, the Whitebeard Pirates are the most renowned on the seas.
With the World Government's sudden intrusion into the New World, Shanks could only think that they were after Whitebeard.
Beckman exhaled a puff of smoke and asked again, "What do you want to do? Give the order!"
Shanks' remaining hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his eyes clouded with layers of somberness: "The Red-Haired Pirates will mediate this impending war."
...
It was impossible to hide the World Government's massive troop movement, especially with those conspicuous warships.
Not only did the Red-Haired Pirates get the news, but the Whitebeard Pirates also quickly received related intelligence.
"Pops, they must be coming for us, right?" Marco said, "The Five Elders... the World Government really holds us in high regard!"
Kakashi stroked his chin and said, "The Five Elders? Aren't they the highest leaders of the World Government you mentioned?"
Marco nodded and replied, "Yeah, although we've never seen them, I've heard they've lived for a very long time."
"The Marines must be coming too, right?" Jozu clenched his fists, grinding his teeth, "That Marine admiral who can control ice, he broke my arm, I must have my revenge!"
But Marco shook his head, "That's the strangest part of the intelligence; we haven't seen any Marines."
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.
"The Marines didn't come? But the Five Elders did? What's the situation? It's a bit illogical, isn't it? Could it be because the Marines suffered too much during the Summit War? So much so that... they no longer have the power to start another large-scale war?"
"Gurarararararara!" Whitebeard's eyes flashed with a hint of seriousness, but he still laughed heartily: "Why bother with so much! If the World Government wants to wage war against the Whitebeard Pirates, then let them come!"
"This is the New World, after all. The World Government's lackeys, wanting to stretch their hands into the New World, will have to see if their teeth are sharp enough! Gurararararara!"
"Marco!" Whitebeard commanded Marco: "It's time to gather the people of the big fleet again."
Marco immediately nodded: "Okay, Pops!"
"Nagato, Kakashi, Naruto, Kisame..." Then, Whitebeard asked the "new Whitebeard Pirates" and others: "How many forces can we gather from the ninja world?"
Nagato replied with a calm demeanor: "Pops, all members of the Akatsuki organization can be called upon at any time. And all the ninjas in the Land of Rain, I can summon them all."
Kisame grinned: "No need to mention Kirigakure Village. Just a word from Pops, and the entire village, even a Genin, will come to support the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Kakashi took a deep breath and said: "The elite from Kusagakure Village... I mean, the Chunin and above, about forty or fifty people, and about the same from Otogakure. Together, these two villages could bring nearly a hundred people."
Naruto wiped his nose and said seriously: "Pops, I can ask Hinata and Neji to call the Hyuga clan, and then I'll call the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans."
Naruto grinned confidently: "They'll definitely come!" Kakashi suddenly realized: "I almost forgot about Konohagakure... Maybe, I can get Guy to come."
Orochimaru smirked darkly, licking his lips with excitement: "A great battle, is it? Whitebeard, if you don't mind, could you provide some legendary figures' bodies as materials?"
"By then... perhaps through Edo Tensei, I can turn them into temporary powerful forces. Plus, from the ninja world, I also have quite a few important figures' bodies as materials."
...
At the Revolutionary Army's base.
"Dragon, the World Government is surely aiming at the Whitebeard Pirates, we can't just sit by and do nothing!"
Sabo said anxiously: "Although the Whitebeard Pirates are a group of pirates, the enemy of our enemy is our friend! And with the Whitebeard Pirates' immense strength, if we could cooperate with them..."
"Then our work in the New World would progress smoothly. Moreover, if the Whitebeard Pirates go to war with the World Government, we, the Revolutionary Army, could strike a painful blow to the World Government!"
"As long as the World Government suffers heavy casualties in this war, they won't have the time to deal with us, the Revolutionary Army!"
Dragon pondered, glancing at Sabo: "Sabo, you're in such a hurry because of your sworn brother, aren't you?"
Sabo was startled, then scratched his head sheepishly, admitting: "That's part of the reason."
Dragon is weighing the pros and cons of such a move for the Revolutionary Army.
A crushing blow to the World Government would be a huge boost for the Revolutionary Army's cause.
It would show the whole world that the Revolutionary Army has the power to free everyone.
But the problem is, the World Government has amassed too many troops.
Getting involved in this big battle would mean heavy casualties for the Revolutionary Army.
Obviously, it's a risky gamble.
"The Five Elders, the World Government, seventy thousand elites..."
Dragon frowned in thought for several minutes, then slowly exhaled, "Sabo, I'll stay behind to guard our base. You can freely command the armies of the Revolutionary Army."
"Remember... try to bring everyone back alive."
Sabo's face lit up with joy, and he nodded solemnly, "Yes!"
It's not surprising that Dragon would make such a decision. After all, kicking the World Government when they're down, taking advantage of their weakness, and going for the kill...
He has the guts to do it.
...
"The Five Elders, Whitebeard..."
Inside a tavern on an island in the New World, a tall and burly man poured a bottle of strong liquor into his mouth.
The smile on his face was like that of a terrifying demon, "Ha! The former has the highest power in the world, the latter has the strongest force in the world. If I, Douglas Bullet, defeat them all by myself, wouldn't I be the most powerful man in the world?"
He casually tossed the empty bottle aside.
Bullet sneered, "After being in the underwater prison for so long, I finally get out, and what do I find? A grand spectacle like this."
...
Sabaody Archipelago. Shakky elegantly held a lady's cigarette, watching Rayleigh jump onto a coated boat, she asked, "You're so old, do you really want to get involved in this mess?"
Shakky gently blew a smoke ring and continued, "Besides, haven't you retired already? Wasn't meddling with that Straw Hat kid enough, now you want to get involved with the Whitebeard Pirates too?"
Rayleigh paused, then laughed, "If Roger were still here, he'd make the exact same decision as me."
"The Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates, there's a bit of a bond there, isn't there?"
"Moreover..."
Rayleigh said with emotion, "Starting such a big war with the World Government, even Roger never did such a thing. As remnants of the old era, how can we not go and lend a hand?"
"Really..." Shakky rolled her eyes, "You men, why are you all like this?"
"Take me with you! I'm going too."
...
Marine Headquarters.
The Marine Headquarters is still under repair, and the massive, towering building is covered in dense cracks, not yet fully fixed.
"Kuzan, do you think what you're doing... is right?"
Today, Sengoku came to see Kuzan.
But Sengoku's current attire was very casual, wearing big floral shorts, not looking like the former Marine Fleet Admiral at all.
"I think it's right," Kuzan said confidently. "Sengoku, the Marines need to change. If the Marines remain as they were, then in my eyes... such Marines are not truly just."
"Sengoku, do you think justice would strike a place like Ohara with destruction? Do you think justice should bow and scrape to the Celestial Dragons?"
Sengoku was silent.
He sighed heavily, his expression complex as he reminded Kuzan, "Kuzan, the path you're choosing is harder than any other."
Sengoku didn't try to dissuade Kuzan from taking a dangerous path.
Any adult knows that it's nearly impossible to change another adult's decision with words.
"Be careful, Kuzan."
Sengoku spoke with a heavy heart, "You are the Fleet Admiral candidate I strongly recommended. I don't want to one day... see not a living you, but your body."
He hinted at something deeper.
"I understand," Kuzan nodded. "I'm well aware of their tactics."
...
New World.
The World Government's fleet set out to subdue the Whitebeard Pirates, each ship brimming with elite soldiers, five of which led the forefront.
Saint Nusjuro, Saint Saturn, Saint Mars, Saint Warcury, and Saint Peter were each on different ships, communicating via Den Den Mushi.
"Not a single Warlord is willing to fight," Saint Nusjuro held the Den Den Mushi, his expression ugly. "Even that scoundrel Doflamingo dared to refuse us outright."
With only a few Warlords left, none were willing to join the battle against the Whitebeard Pirates.
The Warlords seemed like mere decorations! "Damn it..." Saint Saturn clenched his teeth. "Empress Hancock, Hawkeye Mihawk, they're also unwilling? Damn it, after we deal with the Whitebeard Pirates, we'll settle the score with the Warlords!"
This feeling, as if nothing was under their control, was very displeasing to the Five Elders.
"Have we made too much noise?" Saint Mars worried. "The Whitebeard Pirates must have known in advance that we're going to move against them. Under these circumstances, they might have set traps in the New World ahead of time."
"There's no helping it," Saint Warcury spoke into the Den Den Mushi. "Do you have a way to sneak over seventy thousand elite soldiers into the New World unnoticed?"
"How far are we from the Whitebeard Pirates? How many days until we get there?" Saint Peter asked.
After a moment of thought, Saint Warcury responded, "Within five days."
"We cannot disappoint Imu-sama" Saint Warcury emphasized. "Even if we can't completely dismantle the Whitebeard Pirates, we must kill that man Whitebeard!"
"Understood." ×4...
As days passed, the shadow of war loomed over the entire New World, as if suffocating everyone.
The Whitebeard Pirates' territory had gathered a massive number of pirates.
And there were even a great number of ninjas! "It seems Shikamaru wasn't lying to me... The Whitebeard Pirates really are from another world," Nara Shikaku felt like he was truly stuck on a thief's ship, unable to come down. Faced with an invitation from the Whitebeard Pirates, he didn't know how to refuse.
After all, having decided to bind with the Whitebeard Pirates, whenever the Whitebeard Pirates needed help, his Nara clan had to step up.
Yamanaka Inoichi looked around and said, "This large island must be the upcoming battlefield, right? The combined forces here... are nearly a hundred thousand strong."
The Whitebeard Pirates, the Whitebeard Grand Fleet, the ninja army, the Big Mom Pirates, half of the Beasts Pirates that were subjugated, the Akatsuki organization...
One after another, these forces were now tied together.
It was indeed a colossal force.
Nearly a hundred thousand was no exaggeration.
"Mama mama mama! Whitebeard, you really know how to stir things up!" Big Mom grumbled. "To think you'd start a war with the World Government, and you dragged my Totto Land into this mess too."
"Gurarara!" Whitebeard laughed heartily. "You agreed to join forces with the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Suddenly.
Both Whitebeard and Big Mom sensed something, their Observation Haki giving them a premonition.
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed.
"They're here."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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