Chapter 194: All-Out War
As Whitebeard's voice fell, Marco, who had been waiting for a long time, instantly erupted in azure flames. He spread his arms wide, transforming them into flame-wreathed wings, and soared across the sea.
At the bow of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's thick hand gripped his Supreme Grade Blade, Murakumogiri, his eyes flashing with an unshakable sorrow.
"Squard..."
As the great azure bird burst forth from the main ship, flying straight for the island, the pirates on the dozens of ships seemed to have received the signal to attack, and the flames of their anger instantly ignited.
"The bastards who killed Brother Squard must still be here! Flatten this place and find them!"
"There were some suspicious guys on the beach just now! They disappeared in the blink of an eye! It must have been them who killed Squard!"
"..."
With one angry roar after another, the pirate ships raised their sails, broke through the wind and waves, and charged straight in the direction their blades were pointing.
On the deck of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard watched this scene and did not speak to stop them, but let them act. Squard was dead. He no longer had the mind to care about right or wrong. Right now, he just wanted the one who did it to pay the price.
Soon, the great azure bird returned, gently placing the corpse from its claws on the deck before reverting to human form.
Whitebeard looked at Squard—his arm severed, his body covered in hideous wounds, and stained red with blood—and the sorrow in his eyes grew even deeper.
"..."
But soon, Whitebeard raised his head again. Under the watchful eyes of the 16 division members and their commanders, Whitebeard's gaze fell on the distant island. He spoke in a deep voice.
"Vista, Jozu, Thatch—you few, go ashore and take a look. Don't let them fall into a trap."
"Yes, Pops!!"
The group of division commanders heard him and did not hesitate. They decisively leaped from the Moby Dick, treading on the railings of the sailing ships and the masts, moving quickly. The members of the sixteen divisions saw this and also quickly jumped from the deck, following the steps of their respective commanders.
In just a moment, the only ones left on the massive Moby Dick were Whitebeard and Marco the Phoenix.
Marco first glanced at the pirate ships that were still arriving in a steady stream from behind, then looked up at Whitebeard's burly figure. "Pops, I should go over too," Marco said. He considered his own strength and extremely strong self-preservation ability; it was most appropriate for him to be the first to charge.
"Go. Be careful." Whitebeard's eyes flickered with an indescribable light as he replied in a deep voice.
The next second, Marco's body erupted in azure flames again. He once more transformed into the great bird wreathed in flames, flapped his wings, and streaked across the sea.
In a very short instant, the dozen or so division commanders had already bypassed the first pirate ship and landed quickly on the beach. They first swept their gaze over the blood-stained sand, then stepped into the dense forest.
More than a dozen figures moved quickly through the forest, heading straight for the places where traps might exist. However, no matter how hard they searched, they did not find a single trap. In the end, after a brief exchange, the group continued deeper into the island.
On the other side of the beach, the sixteen divisions of the Whitebeard Pirates and the twenty-odd allied pirate crews who had arrived first all set foot on the shore. After leaving some people behind to collect the bodies on the beach, they all rushed to follow the steps of the sixteen commanders, heading deep into the island.
After a long while, the Moby Dick docked at the beach. Whitebeard leaped down from the bow, landed steadily on the sand, and strode into the forest.
Soon, the dense vegetation gradually thinned out, and a dazzling light entered the eyes of the sixteen commanders.
Marco and the others saw this, silently raised their guard, and then charged straight out of the forest, landing one after another in the boundless grassland. However, the next moment, the group led by Marco was briefly stunned.
On the other side of the grassland stood four tall giants. Around them, scattered, stood tall and burly figures and extremely ferocious beasts. Among them, a group of figures with jet-black wings, white hair, brown skin, and flames burning on their backs was particularly conspicuous.
"Those people... why do they look so much like King the Conflagration of the Beasts Pirates?"
"Are they from his race?"
"It's the Lunarian race. A powerful race that once lived on the Red Line," Marco explained in a deep voice, an unshakable confusion and caution in his eyes. "Be careful. According to rumors, they have the ability to manipulate flames and possess an indestructible defense."
"Indestructible defense?" Diamond Jozu's gaze became even colder, and he subconsciously clenched his fists.
Flower Sword Vista, holding his twin swords, looked at the figures, whose upper bodies were robust and lower bodies relatively slender, and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes. "Those people—are very tall, almost every one of them can rival Pops."
"Where did that Archangel find such a group of people?!"
On the other side, the eighth division commander, the fish-man Namur, looked at the figures in the distance, his gaze complicated. The group on the other side had saved his kinsmen and had such a deep connection with the royal family of Fish-Man Island. But in the blink of an eye, they had become his enemies. This couldn't help but make a wave of sadness rise in his heart. But soon, he collected his thoughts, his gaze becoming firm once again. Today, he only represented the Whitebeard Pirates.
Soon, the sound of trampling beasts, shaking trees, and falling trees came from behind the sixteen commanders, causing the entire land to tremble slightly. The sixteen division members, along with dozens of allied pirate crews and tens of thousands of pirates, poured out of the forest like a flood, stepping onto the boundless grassland.
The next moment, one after another, angry gazes landed on the enemy in the distance, who numbered only just over a hundred. Dozens of pirate captains gritted their teeth, their eyes filled with endless killing intent.
"Are those the bastards?!"
"They actually killed Brother Squard!"
"With only a few dozen people, they actually dare to make a move on the Whitebeard Pirates?!"
On the other side of the grassland, Hajrudin slowly took off the giant steel helmet on his head and threw it to the ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust and grass. Then, he slowly exhaled a turbid breath and looked at the black mass of pirates in the distance.
"Tens of thousands against a few hundred?"
Nearby, Goldberg slowly shouldered his heavy shield and kanabō, a slightly comical smile on his face. "In that case, we just have to kill these tens of thousands!"
Beside the two of them, Gerd and Road said nothing, their gazes focused on the heavily armored figure at the front of the crowd, awaiting her decision.
Gradually, the Buccaneers and Lunarians also focused their gazes on Yelena, awaiting her command.
Then, under everyone's gaze, Yelena spoke in a calm tone. "Buccaneers. The pirate crews under the Whitebeard flag are yours to handle."
"We understand." The white-haired, but still incomparably burly, man nodded.
Immediately after, Yelena shifted her gaze to Asmodai and Artemis. "The sixteen division members of the Whitebeard Pirates and some of the division commanders are yours," she said.
The two nodded one after another, indicating they understood.
After a tense standoff, the pirates of the Whitebeard Pirates brazenly launched their attack.
"Get them!"
"Whether it's the Lunarian race or the Giant race, since they've killed someone from the Whitebeard Pirates, they must pay the price!"
Marco the Phoenix took the lead. He instantly transformed into his half-man, half-bird form and flew toward Yelena. Behind him, the sixteen division commanders followed without showing any weakness. The sixteen commanders fanned out with Marco at the peak, forming an unstoppable spearhead, vowing to pierce through the enemy in front.
"Avenge Captain Squard!!"
Behind them, dozens of pirate captains and a pirate army of tens of thousands followed, stomping across the grassland, roaring as they charged the enemy.
Facing the sixteen powerful commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, dozens of famous pirate captains, and their tens of thousands of pirates, the fully armed Yelena regarded the tens of thousands of seas as nothing. She calmly raised the World-Breaker war hammer in her hand and pointed it straight at the thousands of troops before her.
Her originally gentle and peaceful voice became incomparably cold, passing through her gas mask to everyone's ears.
"Break them."
The next second, one by one, giant dogs with yellow fur instantly leaped out, charging quickly against the dense barrage of bullets.
Then, the Buccaneers, their blood boiling, also swung their heavy spears and halberds and charged forward. Their extremely tyrannical bodies accelerated to a rather fast speed. Every step they took on the ground created a deep pit, kicking up a piercing whistle in the air.
The Lunarians flapped their black wings and rose into the air, launching a diving attack from the sky toward the endless sea of people.
In the front ranks of the Whitebeard Pirates' formation, the sixteen division commanders and dozens of pirate captains looked at the tall figures charging toward them like a herd of mammoths, and their faces instantly changed.
"What are those things?!"
"Such terrifying physiques... they're almost as strong as giants, aren't they?!"
Marco and the others couldn't imagine what would happen when dozens of monsters, whose size was far less than that of a giant, but whose strength and physique were not in the least inferior, crashed into the ordinary pirates behind them.
The strength of giants, but with speed far greater than giants... and what was more terrifying was that there were dozens of such monsters!
Then, the dozen or so commanders exchanged glances mid-charge, conveying the message that they had to stop these monsters here.
"..."
However, the next moment, a series of terrifying roars sounded from behind these monsters.
The terrifying roars instantly attracted the attention of everyone present, and they subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound.
In the place where the Archangel Pirates had originally been standing, a cloud of dust had swept up at some unknown point, obscuring the sky. In the rolling dust, mountain-sized dark shadows swayed, and pairs of scarlet eyes pierced through the dust, radiating a chilling wildness and killing intent.
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!