Meanwhile, far away on the sea, a small warship was also sailing.
Onboard, a tall old man with a long, braided white beard sat on a small stool, slurping noodles.
"Mmm… well, no matter how you look at it, this is a good thing. And besides, you have to give the new Fleet Admiral some face. It's the first time that Sakazuki fellow has ever asked me for anything, after all, hahahaha!" He mumbled to himself as he ate, laughing from time to time at some private thought.
"But isn't Admiral Kizaru over there?" his adjutant, who had accompanied him, asked in confusion.
"Mah… well, you know, you have to worry about what tricks the other party might have up their sleeve. We're talking about a Yonko, and a menopausal woman at that. Taking her territory… hahahaha! No matter what, you have to worry she might just go crazy, hahahaha!"
Since stepping down, Sengoku's mood had improved day by day. His hair may have turned white, but his spirits were higher than ever.
"Besides, I'm just going over to take a look since I have nothing better to do. There's no way I'm getting involved, hahahaha!"
His adjutant stared at him speechlessly. Was this old man, laughing one moment and talking the next, really the Fleet Admiral Sengoku he knew…?
Time ticked by. In the blink of an eye, nearly a day had passed.
On the prow of the warship, Kizaru lay on a deck chair with a small teapot next to him, occasionally pouring himself a cup and taking a light sip.
Just then, a large ship appeared on the horizon.
"Big Mom Pirates' flagship spotted ahead," a Marine on lookout immediately reported to Kizaru.
"My, my… so soon," Kizaru said, leisurely getting to his feet. He walked to the prow and took the binoculars handed to him by a nearby Marine.
"There they are. Charlotte Linlin's Enraged Army and one of the Sweet Commanders, Charlotte Cracker. How terrifying."
"All hands, prepare for battle. We can't let them cross the military boundary line."
"Yes, sir!"
The warship slowly moved forward. At the same time, the Big Mom Pirates' ship naturally spotted the warship as well.
"Brother Cracker, it's Kizaru."
On the ship, Charlotte Amande lowered her binoculars and spoke calmly. She held a ladies' cigarette between her lips, her body strangely slender. She wore an absurdly wide, flat hat and carried a long sword—the famous blade, Shirauo.
Biscuit Minister Cracker's face darkened. "Kizaru… so the Marines really have teamed up with Wilder? That means he's here to stop us."
"Dammit…!" Cracker's tone turned sinister. "Do the Marines want to go to war with us?"
"Everyone, get ready!"
"Yes, sir!"
In this tense moment, the eyes of the world were focused here.
Soon, the two sides met. Kizaru stood at the prow of his ship, locking eyes with Cracker. After a moment, Kizaru's sleazy expression appeared, and he spoke in that infuriatingly slow tone of his, "Well, well… everyone from the Big Mom Pirates. You're all looking so menacing and scary. Are you here to invade a Marine military fortress?"
"…"
What-tress?
The pirates blinked. A silence fell over the ship.
Did we hear that right? Isn't this Mama's territory? Since when was there a military fortress here?
Only Cracker understood what Kizaru meant, and his face became as dark as water.
"Kizaru…! You want to…" He opened his bloodshot eyes, his gaze fixed on Kizaru, and ground out each word:
"Are you looking to die?"
Kizaru's expression shifted slightly, but not because of Cracker's words. His gaze drifted to the sea further in the distance. Another of Big Mom's pirate ships had appeared.
Yes, it was the ship Charlotte Linlin herself was on.
From a great distance, an icy, bloodthirsty aura rushed towards them. At the prow of the ship, a massive, obese figure slowly, step by step, climbed up and finally stood at the very front.
A pair of blood-red eyes stared at Kizaru from afar, a crazed and bloodthirsty smile spreading across her face.
"BO… RU… SA… LI… NO!"
...
In the Kingdom of Morass, on the massive island, the trenches along the shore had been dug. It was now the second day, and all deployments were complete.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense and solemn.
Everyone knew that the Yonko, Big Mom, had dispatched her Enraged Army and the Sweet Commander, Cracker, to attack them. And, judging by the time, they weren't far off.
Behind the earthen slope where the Mark II cannons were positioned, in a temporarily erected camp, Wilder had gathered all officers of officer rank and above to prepare for the coming battle.
First was the analysis of the enemy's strength. Needless to say, besides Wilder, no one present could fight Cracker one-on-one.
That left the Enraged Army.
Within the Enraged Army, three individuals required special attention: "Demon Lady" Amande, Bobbin the Disposer, and Charlotte Mont-d'Or, the Minister of Books!
These three were likely the most troublesome members of the Enraged Army. Bobbin's combat strength probably wasn't too high, but he possessed a strange, hypnosis-like ability.
Then there were a few others to watch out for, including Charlotte Galette and the Minister of Whipped Cream, Charlotte Opera.
Wilder didn't know the specifics of Charlotte Galette's abilities, only that she could create something resembling blobs of water to restrain opponents and control their movement without direct contact.
"When the battle begins, no matter who it is, you must not get caught by that ability. Claire, she's yours. With your current strength, you should be able to end the fight quickly and then help the others."
"Yes, sir," Claire replied with a serious expression.
"Mont-d'Or's ability allows him to drag people's minds or bodies into the world of his books. The former traps them in an illusion, while for the latter, there is no escape unless the book is burned. He can also fly and carries a special pistol. When fighting him, you must be careful not to fall into his books. Bica and Yves, you two will handle him."
"Yes, sir," the two of them nodded in unison. They knew this was a precautionary measure. Bica would attack with his slashing techniques to avoid physical contact, while Yves would use his abilities to provide support and restrain their opponent.
"Charlotte Amande shouldn't have any special abilities, but her swordsmanship is superb. Kuchiel, you're in charge of her."
"Yes, sir." Kuchiel, with his massive greatsword on his back, gave a heavy nod.
"Charlotte Opera can release cream to restrain his enemies and can heat it to create flames. Three officers will handle him."
"The other officers and Senior Executives will act as needed and deal with the rest."
"Yes, sir."
This meeting was just for assigning personnel, but in a real battle, one couldn't pick and choose their opponents. When the fighting started, they could only try their best to stick to the plan. Everything else would have to be handled on the fly.
"This is the worst-case scenario. If the trap at the shore works, the battle will be over before it even begins," Wilder said, looking at everyone. With a wave of his hand, he stood up. "Meeting dismissed."
"Yes, sir." The group left the camp and began to watch the sea.
Although Wilder knew the Marines were getting involved, he didn't want to leave everything in their hands. Relying on himself was always the most dependable option. That was why he had made these preparations.
And it turned out his preparedness was justified. Just as everyone had left, Wilder's Den Den Mushi rang. He looked at the caller ID and frowned, but answered it nonetheless.
"Sorry about this, Wilder-kun. It looks like you'll have to hold off the Enraged Army on your own this time. Which is to say… they're already heading your way."
"Why?" Wilder asked, his face cold, his voice deep.
"Because… Big Mom is here."
The calm, slow voice made Wilder's heart leap. Needless to say, Kizaru was now doing everything he could to hold back Big Mom.
Though he hadn't expected Big Mom to be so direct, and his heart was slightly unsettled, Wilder's expression didn't change. After a moment of silence, he said in a heavy voice, "I understand."
He didn't say anything else and hung up.
"It seems what's coming can't be avoided."
If it couldn't be avoided, then it was time to fight!
Wilder walked out of the tent, his expression icy.
Soon, all the members of Wilder's faction were in motion. With Wilder at the head, followed by the Senior Executives, and then the officers, they formed a human wall in front of the landing zone, each with a solemn expression, ready for battle.
Time ticked by. When the sun was at its highest point in the sky, a pirate ship appeared on the distant horizon.
They're here.
Everyone narrowed their eyes, staring at the pirate ship, trying to get a clear view of the situation.
As the ship drew closer, the people on board also spotted the formation on the island's shore.
"So that's the guy who made Mama angry, huh?" A group of important members of the Charlotte family stood at the prow, their auras fierce and bloodthirsty. Cracker was at the lead. Next to him stood a sexy woman with small devil horns on her head and wearing a hip-hugging skirt. Her gaze pierced the considerable distance to the shore and fixed on Wilder, her expression immediately turning vicious.
She was Charlotte Galette, one of the few beauties in the Big Mom Pirates, and one of the few with a normal physique.
"Later, I'll use Shirauo to slowly slice his body apart," a voice, utterly devoid of emotion, added. It was Charlotte Amande.
"Don't be careless, Amande. That guy isn't someone you can handle. Although in Mama's eyes he's just an ant that can be crushed at will, he is still a famous Warlord."
The tall Biscuit General, standing at the very front with his back to the others, spoke coldly. He was Charlotte Cracker.
However, anyone could hear the disdain and mockery in his tone. They could almost picture the cold smirk on his face inside the armor.
The group looked at the people standing on the shore and, in unison, broke into vicious, vicious smiles.
And just as they were saying this, on the island…
"Prepare the cannons," Wilder said coldly from the shore. "Calculate the range. The moment they enter it, fire."
"Yes, sir." The order was quickly relayed to the rear.
On the earthen slope, dozens of brand-new Mark II cannons were already prepared, having been on standby from the start. Upon receiving Wilder's order, the cannoneers immediately took aim.
"Fifty meters to enter range."
"Roger."
"Forty meters."
"Roger."
"Thirty meters."
"Twenty meters…"
"Ten meters…"
"Five meters…"
"Ready!"
"FIRE!"
Swish, swish, swish…! A dense volley of sharp, piercing shrieks tore through the calm sea, shattering the peace.
On the pirate ship, the group that had been so menacing moments before suddenly changed their expressions. They all looked ahead as dozens of small black dots grew larger in their vision, expanding just like their pupils.
"How is that possible!!" Everyone's face was filled with disbelief and ugliness. That range…
"Evasive maneuvers, now!" Cracker was the first to react. No matter how ugly his expression, and no matter how powerful he was, these cannonballs made his scalp tingle. He turned and roared at the helmsman. He himself leaped into the air, and seeing the approaching cannonballs, a cold, killing intent flashed in his eyes. He swung his double-edged broadsword in front of him.
The ship didn't have time to turn. The next second, a massive roar impacted everyone's eardrums.
"Pretzel!" Two slashes shot out from the ship simultaneously, one high and one low, instantly slicing through ten of the speeding cannonballs in mid-air. However, many more landed around the ship. Some even landed just a hair's breadth from the hull, the massive explosions sending waves high into the air and rocking the ship violently.
"Gah!" The shockwave from the explosions made some of the crew spit up blood and faint. Others were thrown overboard into the sea.
"Ugh!" Galette's back slammed into the mast. She frowned in pain, then looked up, gritting her teeth as she stared at the island.
"Dammit!" The others also swayed, unable to keep their footing. Only a few managed to stay steady and began to use their own methods to deal with the remaining cannonballs.
But it wasn't over. More cannonballs were fired from the island.
The sharp, piercing sound of them tearing through the air made everyone's faces change completely.
"How can you… just keep doing this!" The Minister of Whipped Cream's face was flushed with anger. With a gurgling sound, a large amount of cream erupted from his body. He twisted his waist and flung it out with great force. A large net of cream shot out, flying beyond the ship and colliding with twenty-something cannonballs in the sky.
Then Galette also made her move. Purple, water-like blobs appeared in her hands. She tossed them out lightly, and they flew rapidly to envelop the incoming cannonballs one by one.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Violent explosions and intense fire lit up the sky. The shockwave rocked the ship, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open.
One unlucky soul was scalded by a glob of hot cream and jumped into the sea, screaming.
"Full speed ahead!" Cracker's face was as black as coal. He stared at the figure on the shore with blood-red eyes, the killing intent emanating from him so strong it made even his own family tremble.
A sinister, teeth-grinding voice rang out:
"Wi…l…der! You're dead!"
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