Chapter 515: Arrangements Before the War
"Yes, sir!"
After hearing Sengoku's words, Kuzan understood that time was running out. It would be difficult to get the army organized in just a few short days. Fortunately, these kingdom armies had some foundation, and with a little training, they could be sent to the battlefield. Simply firing cannons shouldn't be a problem. Being able to tie up a portion of the pirates' forces would already be a great achievement.
Time passed quickly.
Both the Marines and the pirates rapidly integrated their own forces. It wasn't just the Marines who were organizing; the pirates were also coordinating with each other.
At the Edd War sea, all the members of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Rockefeller Pirates, and the Big Mom Pirates gathered to discuss how to attack the Marines.
"I think we should focus on defense. This can greatly reduce casualties. As long as we drag it out, the Marines will inevitably be unable to last for long," Marco said, looking at Esdeath and Katakuri with his arms crossed.
Bang!
Esdeath slammed her hand on the table.
"What's the use of defending? We have so many people, over a hundred thousand pirates gathered here. Is it just for defense? Such an open sea area is perfect for a naval battle. Let's have a glorious naval battle and let the Marines know that the New World belongs to us, the three great pirate crews!" Esdeath said, looking at Marco and Katakuri. Her tone was extremely aggressive.
The argument between the two had been going on since the discussion began. Their views were completely different. One advocated for defense, the other for offense, and each had their own reasons. Marco naturally hoped for a defensive strategy, as it would reduce the casualties for the Whitebeard Pirates. Esdeath, on the other hand, wanted to take this opportunity to eliminate more Marines, so that her Rockefeller Pirates would face less pressure from them in the future. After all, among the three great pirate crews of the New World, their Rockefeller Pirates shared the longest border with the Marines.
However, what she didn't know was that after this battle, Charlotte had already ceded a part of that border to the Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, so they could jointly resist the threat from the Marines.
"I think it's better if we are each responsible for our own sector!"
At this moment, Katakuri spoke up. He had a different idea about joining forces. Cooperation was fine, but each should manage their own affairs. This was Katakuri's idea.
And as soon as this idea was proposed, Marco smiled and nodded.
"I also think it's better for each of us to be responsible for a sector. Our three pirate crews have never coordinated with each other before. It's almost impossible to achieve coordination in just a few short days. It's better to be responsible for our own areas so that we don't end up in a panic on the battlefield."
The reason Marco did this was to prevent the Whitebeard Pirates from becoming a knife in the hands of the other two great pirate crews, especially the Rockefeller Pirates. Esdeath's aggressiveness had given Marco a fright.
Counter-attack the Marines? How was that possible?
According to his understanding over the past few days, after occupying the first half of the New World, the Marines had frantically drafted armies from the kingdoms there to act as cannon fodder to solve their manpower shortage. In just a few days, their numbers had swelled from less than fifty thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand, more than the pirates had.
With such a massive force, to still want to take the initiative to attack... how many of the Whitebeard Pirates would die? To deal with the Marines' invasion this time, the Whitebeard Pirates had already drafted all the personnel from their subordinate crews. After a great battle, who knew how many of their forty-thousand-plus members would die?
Then he looked at the Rockefeller Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates. The Rockefeller Pirates also had a force of forty thousand, but most of them had been hastily drafted recently. Only ten thousand of them were the true elites of the Rockefeller Pirates. The other thirty thousand were just there to make up the numbers; Marco didn't think they could accomplish much.
As for the Big Mom Pirates, Marco wasn't looking down on them, but apart from the children of the Charlotte family, those grunts were completely insignificant in his eyes. They were a total rabble. If they had to coordinate with them to resist the Marines, he was afraid they would disband before the Marines even arrived. It was better for each to be responsible for their own sector.
Esdeath looked at Marco and Katakuri. It was obvious that these two each had their own ulterior motives. Providing support was a pretense; taking benefits was their real goal.
Such a good opportunity. The Marines were on a long and arduous expedition, and the three great pirate crews had gathered together in an unprecedented alliance. What terrifying power. Just look at the surrounding sea. A sky-blotting number of ships covered the waters in all directions, a dense and massive fleet.
With such a good opportunity, they weren't working together to deal with the Marines, but were instead thinking of preserving their own strength. As expected, pirates were pirates, with no sense of the bigger picture. They needed to remember that the Marines were the greatest threat to all pirates.
The Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates quickly reached a consensus. Even if Esdeath objected, it was useless. She immediately began to arrange the area the Rockefeller Pirates would be responsible for. She absolutely could not let the Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates choose the best positions.
Whitebeard Edward Newgate, Rockefeller Charlotte, and Charlotte Linlin had been sitting together drinking ever since they signed the alliance. They had left all the matters to their subordinates.
Seeing that their subordinates had finished dividing things up, Whitebeard Edward Newgate and Charlotte Linlin both smiled slightly. Only Charlotte's expression was a bit unpleasant. Esdeath's expression clearly showed that she had lost out in the previous discussion. But with a great enemy at their doorstep, now was not the time to be concerned with this.
"Since the children have come to an agreement, we adults can't slack off either. There are many high-ranking Marine officers deployed this time," Whitebeard said, raising his wine bowl to look at Charlotte and Linlin.
"Mamamamama! Then let's each find an opponent. I want Sengoku's head!" When Charlotte Linlin mentioned Sengoku, a murderous intent appeared in her eyes. That guy had relentlessly targeted her Big Mom Pirates in the past. Charlotte Linlin had not forgotten that grudge.
Whitebeard nodded upon hearing this.
"The Fleet Admiral is mine. He and I are old rivals," Charlotte followed up, directly choosing the Marines' Fleet Admiral.
Whitebeard nodded as well.
"Then I'll take Garp. As for Zephyr?" Whitebeard hesitated for a moment.
"I'll take Zephyr!" Bullet stepped out and said to Whitebeard.
Whitebeard's pupils shrank. A look of caution flashed in his eyes as he looked at Bullet, but he nodded.
"Then the remaining officers can be left to the commanders under our command!" Whitebeard arranged.
Here, Whitebeard's seniority, strength, and influence were all at the top. No one would question his arrangements. Charlotte and Charlotte Linlin nodded in agreement.
The final battle was about to begin. A naval battle of magnificent scale was about to break out in the Edd War sea of the New World.
---
Read up to 35 Chapters ahead on patreon.com/Fanglin
[Please leave a 5 Star review and power stone for this novel]
*Thank you*