When Revolutionary Army leader Dragon declared war on the World Government from the Calm Belt, the confrontation in the New World escalated once again.
In the New World, the third defensive chain of the Big Mom Family's territory was locked in a tense standoff.
The Marines had been lingering on the surrounding sea for a long time.
Using their artillery advantage, they continuously bombarded the pirates stationed there under the Big Mom Pirates.
Charlotte Katakuri, who had been injured in the battle against the Marines a few days earlier, was wrapped in bandages as he patrolled the island.
The Marines' constant forward pressure infuriated him, yet there was nothing he could do.
Over the years, their mother, Charlotte Linlin, had almost completely abandoned the pursuit of technology and focused instead on indulgence and pleasure.
Because of that, the Charlotte Family was now being crushed by the Marines in terms of equipment.
The Marine fleet was like a pack of hungry wolves.
The moment they saw an opening in the pirates' defenses, they would rush forward and tear into it.
During this period, the Charlotte Family's pirates had continued suffering losses.
If Katakuri had not forcibly suppressed them, many pirates would have already abandoned the third defensive chain.
"Damn it. The Marines have launched another artillery attack."
Inside an underground cave used to defend against artillery fire, Katakuri slammed his hand hard against the table.
Several days had already passed, but he still could not accept the news of Cracker's death.
If Charlotte Linlin had not forcibly held him back and prevented him from losing his head, Katakuri might have chosen to fight the Marines to the death the moment he returned to Whole Cake Island.
"Brother Katakuri, the Marines' offensive is growing stronger and stronger. The pirates on the front line are almost unable to hold on. They are requesting permission to retreat and reorganize."
A girl from the Charlotte Family spoke.
Katakuri's face was filled with cold ruthlessness.
"Tell them that pirates have no option to retreat. Either they withstand the Marines' pressure, or they die by my hand."
"The Marines will never spare any pirate. Every one of them has countless lives on their hands. Even if they leave this place, the Marines will drag them out and execute them."
That was the reality.
This was why the pirates would not retreat no matter how severe their losses became, because the Marines truly left no survivors.
For those forced into a dead end, no matter how insane the choice was, they would not give up their only hope.
That hope was that the Three Emperors-level pirates led by Charlotte Linlin could unite the pirates of the New World, defeat the Marines, and drive them out of the New World's sphere of influence once more.
Otherwise, every pirate would be finished together.
At that moment, aboard the Marine warship.
Zephyr sat on the deck covered in bandages, looking speechlessly at the old friend in front of him.
"I thought you no longer cared about this matter. Why did you come?"
Zephyr looked curiously at the white-haired old man before him.
Because the man sitting opposite him was the former Marine Vice Admiral, the legendary Marine, the Marine hero—Monkey D. Garp.
A helpless expression also appeared on Garp's face.
"No choice. A long time ago, I owed Raleigh a favor. Now Raleigh is using it to exchange for my help in dealing with Charlotte Linlin."
Zephyr nodded.
For someone like Garp, who did whatever came to mind, only something like a personal debt could still restrain him a little.
"Speaking of which, Dragon has declared war on the World Government just like that. Is that really all right?"
As a high-ranking Marine, even in a semi-retired state, Zephyr knew more than ordinary people.
At the very least, he knew perfectly well that Revolutionary Army leader Dragon was Garp's son.
"I don't understand Dragon's thoughts. He has already grown up and chosen his own path. Right or wrong no longer matters, because Dragon will not listen to us."
Garp sighed.
Speaking of Dragon, he had once been the person Garp placed the greatest hope in, because Dragon's talent was extremely high, and his intelligence was exceptional as well.
During his time in the Marines, Dragon's performance had been outstanding.
Back then, Garp had been very optimistic.
He had even thought that if Dragon continued steadily along that path, there was a great chance he might one day reach the position of Fleet Admiral.
Who would have known that after carrying out a mission in Mary Geoise, Dragon suddenly lost trust in the Marines and withdrew from them without hesitation.
At the time, Garp had truly been furious. He had originally thought he could persuade Dragon to turn back.
But Dragon's determination gave him a tremendous shock, and in the end, Garp could only let him go and try his own path.
He had simply never expected that after so many years, Dragon would truly challenge the World Government.
Now, Garp could only place his remaining hope on his grandson, who had not yet grown up.
What he did not know was that his final hope was currently drifting across the East Blue in a small boat, having already sworn to become the Pirate King.
"Let us not talk about that first. Raleigh had me bring an order for a direct assault. He believes there are still some conditions between Charlotte Linlin and Shanks that have not been finalized, so he wants us to seize the time. At the very least, we must severely injure Charlotte Linlin and disrupt the alliance between the two Emperors."
The reason was simple.
Among the Three Emperors, Charlotte Linlin's strength was also in the middle-to-upper range.
Her terrifying defense and power made even the Marines' top combatants wary.
However, Charlotte Linlin's weaknesses were also greater than Shanks', and in terms of intelligence, she was somewhat inferior to Shanks as well.
Therefore, within the Marines' assessment, her danger level was lower than Red-Haired Shanks'.
"No problem. After several days of artillery consumption, the pirates' morale is low. We can launch a strong assault and shatter the third defensive chain."
Zephyr nodded and quickly agreed.
For this reason, he specifically communicated with Borsalino, asking Borsalino to cooperate with him in a supporting attack to hold back the Red Hair Pirates' reaction time.
After receiving Borsalino's promise, Zephyr began making preparations before battle.
When the sun rose again, the entire Marine fleet had already completed all preparations.
There were no blood-stirring slogans.
No pre-battle mobilization.
They silently boarded the warships docked at the harbor and launched a swift attack against the third defensive chain.
...
"Lord Katakuri, the Marines have committed all their forces!"
Katakuri, who had just woken up and was still eating, saw a pirate rush into his palace in panic, only for that pirate to see Katakuri's gaping, terrifying mouth.
"Lord Katakuri… I… I did not mean to…"
After seeing Katakuri's frightening side, the pirate spoke in panic.
Katakuri put down the doughnut in his hand, picked up his spear, and threw it, pinning the pirate to the ground.
Then he swallowed the remaining doughnuts in one bite and walked out of the palace.
When he passed the pirate's corpse, Katakuri casually pulled the spear out of the ground.
"Has the Marines' general assault begun?"
As he walked outside, Katakuri thought silently.
Boom!
The Marines' artillery seemed as if it intended to blast the entire island apart. Cannonballs flew everywhere across the sky.
Every shell that fell into the fortifications would always randomly take away a few unlucky pirates.
The remaining pirates carried all kinds of injuries and shrank tightly into whatever places they believed were safest, waiting for the artillery fire to stop.
The Marine warships stopped one nautical mile away from the island and began attacking from there.
Some warships had already lowered assault boats for the Marine soldiers preparing to land.
Under the cover of artillery fire, the Marine soldiers landed on the island with almost no danger.
However, they understood in their hearts that this was only the beginning.
The truly dangerous part was still ahead.
Behind countless bunkers hid dense groups of pirates, ready to attack them at any moment.
The instant the Marines were careless, those pirates would strike without mercy.
Time passed bit by bit.
As the sun rose to its highest point, the Marines' artillery had long since stopped.
The high-intensity bombardment had already warped the cannons aboard the warships, making them unable to continue firing.
Close combat and gunfights became the main methods of battle.
Large stretches of land were dyed red with blood, and the corpses of Marines and pirates lay tangled together.
When the sun once again sank toward the sea, almost no pirates remained alive on the island's front line.
The setting sun was as red as blood, casting its light over the land.
At the center of the island, inside the solid fortifications, Katakuri's mood was extremely low.
During the day, he had once intended to use his ability to stop the Marines' offensive.
But the moment he appeared, more than a dozen Marine Vice Admirals immediately abandoned their current targets without a word and moved to surround and eliminate him.
If Katakuri's Observation Haki had not sharply detected the danger, he might truly have been killed by those Marine Vice Admirals.
Just like his younger brother Cracker, without any chance to fight back.
"Has Mama's reinforcement still not arrived?"
Katakuri asked the younger sister beside him.
His sister's face was also extremely ugly, pale and full of terror.
"Mama's eating disorder has flared up again. I could only pass the message to the ministers."
"As for when Mama will recover, I do not know."
Bang!
Katakuri's iron fist slammed into the table.
If not for Mama's eating disorder, the Charlotte Family would never have reached this point.
"Brother Katakuri, what should we do now?"
Looking at his younger sister, whose face was streaked with tears, Katakuri gently touched her head.
"Do not be afraid. As long as I am here, you will not be harmed."
The battle between Marines and pirates temporarily entered a state of rest.
After attacking for an entire day, the Marines were now extremely exhausted. The pirates who had fought with everything they had were equally tired.
Right now, they only wanted to sleep properly. As for whether they would wake up again, they did not want to think about it.
The leaders of both sides tacitly accepted that there would be no attack tonight. Without speaking, they both looked toward the next day.
After all, the vast majority of those participating in the battle were ordinary people. They did not have enough stamina to fight for an entire day and night.
Those with powerful strength were still only a small minority.
However, even during rest, they did not leave at all.
The Marines pitched their tents directly five li away from the pirates' fortifications.
Because this was the limit of the pirates' artillery range, it was very safe.
Even if Katakuri wanted to launch a sneak attack on the Marines, there was no need to be afraid.
With more than a dozen Vice Admirals and two quasi-Admiral-level fighters present, if Katakuri dared to come, they could tear him apart completely.
Katakuri was naturally not that foolish.
But his thoughts were different from others.
When the night was deepest, while all the Marines and pirates who had fought during the day were sleeping heavily, Katakuri directed several Charlotte Family children to move some things onto a small boat.
"Brother Katakuri, are you not leaving with us?"
The Charlotte Family children on the boat spoke reluctantly.
Katakuri shook his head.
"Mama's order to me was to hold the third defensive chain. Before Mama gives a new order, I must remain here."
"Besides, the third defensive chain is already very close to Whole Cake Island. If this place is taken by the Marines, even returning to Whole Cake Island will be useless for me."
"I am an important figure of the Charlotte Family. The Marines will never spare me. Even if I escape this place and leave Whole Cake Island, they will eventually find me on some nameless island and kill me."
Katakuri understood the situation very clearly.
If this island could be defended, then the Marines' momentum would most likely be fiercely blunted.
His earlier conversation with Red-Haired Shanks would then take effect.
But if the island beneath his feet could not be defended and the Marines truly began attacking Whole Cake Island, then Red-Haired Shanks would most likely abandon his proposal.
"It is getting late. Leave quickly. Don't let the Marines discover you."
Katakuri gently pushed the small boat with his hand, quietly sending it out of the harbor.
...
Inside the Marines' temporary meeting room, several Marine Vice Admirals, along with Zephyr and Garp, were holding a meeting when Issho pushed open the door and walked in.
"Issho, you are here."
"This is former Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp."
Zephyr gave a simple introduction.
Issho nodded and politely said, "I heard Vice Admiral Garp's name long ago. As expected of the man who chased Pirate King Roger across the seas."
Garp merely gave a brief hum in response.
Issho spoke.
"Chief Instructor Zephyr, Charlotte Linlin seems to have fallen into a strange illness. When I was scouting above Whole Cake Island, I found that she seemed to have lost her normal way of thinking and only knew how to keep eating."
"During that process, no one else on Whole Cake Island dared approach her."
"If I had not been worried that it was a trap laid by Whole Cake Island, I would have acted to test whether Charlotte Linlin's condition was real."
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Zephyr's face. He coughed twice before saying, "Mr. Issho, I forgot to tell you about that."
"Charlotte Linlin does indeed suffer from a strange illness, which the Charlotte Family calls her eating disorder. When this illness flares up, if there is not enough food, Charlotte Linlin will enter a berserk state and madly destroy everything around her."
"In the past, within the Charlotte Family, only Katakuri could temporarily resist Charlotte Linlin's rampage until the others brought food and resolved the crisis."
Issho nodded as if he understood.
"So that is the case. Next time, Chief Instructor Zephyr, you can tell me this kind of intelligence in advance."
"Then when Charlotte Linlin's eating disorder flares up, does her strength decline?"
Zephyr looked at Issho with a serious expression.
"That is exactly what I wanted to tell you. When Charlotte Linlin's eating disorder erupts, although she cannot think properly, with her powerful body, she still possesses the strength of a Three Emperors-level pirate. She is not someone who can be dealt with easily."