Chapter 533: The Whitebeard Pirates Suffer a Crushing Blow
The Whitebeard Pirates finally had a moment to breathe. The Marines' relentless, day-and-night assault, while not breaking them, had left them shaken to the core. Nearly half of their forty-thousand-strong crew now lay dead, and those who remained were in a state of panic.
The arrival of the Rockefeller and Big Mom Pirates as reinforcements gave them a much-needed respite.
"Brother Jozu, it's the Rockefeller Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates! They're here to help us!" a sharp-eyed pirate shouted, pointing to the distant pirate crews charging the Marine formation.
Jozu looked and indeed saw the banners of the Rockefeller and Big Mom Pirates. Their commanders were already on the attack.
"Brothers, let's go! We'll hit the Marines from both sides with the Rockefeller and Big Mom crews!" Jozu roared. This was a golden opportunity! With the Marines' attention focused on their rear, the Whitebeard Pirates could finally have their moment of glory.
At Jozu's cry, the scattered Whitebeard Pirates began to regroup, rallying around Jozu and Vista. With Jozu at the front, a massive horde of pirates charged towards the Marines' rear.
But did they really think the Marines, knowing they were surrounded, wouldn't have a defense prepared for the Whitebeard Pirates?
Vice Admiral Momonga's plan had succeeded.
First, he had used Onigumo and the other high-ranking officers, along with a portion of the routed troops, to engage the Rockefeller and Big Mom Pirates. This successfully drew the attention of the Whitebeard Pirates, luring their scattered crews out from their hiding places. By making them think they had an opening, he had drawn them into his trap.
As the Whitebeard Pirates reached the foot of the Marine formation, they were met with only scattered, sporadic attacks that had no real effect. This boosted their confidence immensely.
"Kill them! Avenge our fallen brothers!" someone yelled, and the surrounding Whitebeard Pirates, as if injected with adrenaline, surged forward, some even outrunning Jozu.
No one, not even the commanders who were shouting excitedly and brandishing their weapons, noticed anything amiss with the Marine formation ahead.
Hidden in his command room, a contemptuous smirk played on Momonga's lips.
"Vice Admiral, half of the pirates are in our trap. Do we open fire?" his aide asked excitedly, watching the slaughter outside.
"Fire! Open fire immediately!" Momonga ordered without a moment's hesitation. Wiping out the entire Whitebeard crew was impossible, but if he could eliminate half of their remaining twenty thousand, it would be a success. His current goal was to open an escape route for the Marines. Compared to the Rockefeller and Big Mom Pirates who were fiercely assaulting their front, the Whitebeard Pirates' formation was an easier breakthrough point.
From the moment Onigumo and his men had fled back, Momonga knew the battle was lost. He had to preserve this contingent of elite Marine soldiers and lead them back to safety.
As the Whitebeard Pirates charged forward, they suddenly felt the ice beneath their feet begin to tremble.
"What's going on?"
The more cautious ones stopped and looked down. But countless others continued their charge.
Suddenly, the cautious pirate saw a bright flash of light ahead. Before he could react, a tremendous roar erupted.
BOOM!
The explosions were continuous. Cannons hidden within the hulls of the ships were rolled out.
Ignite, fire.
Countless cannonballs shot from their muzzles, hurtling towards the exhilarated faces of the Whitebeard Pirates.
BOOM!
The ice beneath their feet shattered. The pirates at the very front vanished from the surface of the sea without even a chance to scream.
"This...!"
The pirates who had stopped watched this scene with their mouths agape.
"It's a trap!" one of them finally realized.
"Run! It's a trap! It's a trap!" he screamed.
But the roar of the cannons had deafened countless pirates, who now stared blankly at the ever-expanding cracks in the ice.
"Fire!"
The naval bombardment didn't stop. Vice Admiral Momonga, his face flushed, continued to roar the command. The sea that Vice Admiral Aokiji had frozen had now become an obstacle to the Marines' retreat. To ensure his men could escape safely, Momonga had to break the ice. But while breaking it was easy, it would also immediately reveal his intentions to the pirates.
Using Onigumo and his men as bait, Momonga had successfully outmaneuvered all three pirate crews—Rockefeller, Big Mom, and Whitebeard—and opened a path of retreat to the open sea.
RUMBLE!
The ice continued to break apart, and pirates fell into the sea. But the cannonballs falling from the sky exploded upon hitting the water, and the shockwaves caused the pirates in the water to bleed from every orifice, killing them instantly from the concussion.
"Run!" Jozu screamed, turning and fleeing as he saw the cracking ice about to reach his feet. He ran, shouting for the others, his heart filled with relief that he hadn't been running at the front. But the ice beneath him was already breaking apart. He could only rely on his agile movements, leaping from one ice floe to another to escape into the distance.
The explosions drew the attention of everyone, including the Rockefeller and Big Mom Pirates who were currently assaulting the Marine formation.
"What the hell are the Whitebeard Pirates doing?" Esdeath demanded, displeased as she saw the chaos erupting in the formation that was supposed to be blocking the Marines' retreat.
"Sister, it looks like the Whitebeard Pirates are about to suffer a major blow," Tesla said, walking up beside her with a hint of schadenfreude in his voice.
For the past half-month, the three pirate crews had been stationed here to fight the Marines. During that time, there had been no small amount of friction between them. But with a common enemy, they had all exercised restraint. Any disagreements were kept to private complaints and grumbling.
However, none of this escaped Tesla's Observation Haki. He had heard every word of the Whitebeard Pirates' unguarded mouths, their disdainful and abusive remarks about the other two crews. The condescending tone in their voices, in particular, had made Tesla's teeth itch with anger.
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