Unfortunately, Whitebeard's moment of temptation was fleeting.
Soon, reason regained control of his mind, suppressing that flicker of desire.
"Not realistic."
"The fact that Tengu and Kappa were taken down so easily by Brian and Linlin ultimately came down to some clever tactics."
"That entire combo only worked so quickly because they were already heavily injured and advanced in years."
"There are too many factors here that can't be replicated."
After some thought, Whitebeard shook his head and spoke.
Old bodies + prior injuries + the element of surprise.
It took a full three layers of negative buffs stacked together to achieve such an absurd result.
One could only say that Tengu and Kappa were truly unlucky to encounter opponents like Brian and Charlotte Linlin.
Their deaths were somewhat unjust, but upon closer consideration, not entirely undeserved.
"But the situation with Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr is completely different."
"They're all still young, yet their strength has already reached admiral level, capable of sustaining prolonged battles."
"More than an hour has passed since the fight began. I believe Marine Headquarters' reinforcements are already on their way. We don't have enough time."
"Not to mention, those CP0 agents in the distance are no pushovers either."
Whitebeard looked toward the distant warships, his words carrying implied meaning.
After the exchange of the Celestial Dragon, the presence of CP0 had been openly revealed.
Although they remained by the Celestial Dragon's side, paying no attention to the other battles.
Not even the deaths of two admirals had stirred them into action.
But that didn't mean they would remain indifferent if Sengoku and the others fell into dire straits.
Simply put, even if their sole mission was to protect the Celestial Dragon,
They would understand that if Sengoku and the others died, they wouldn't be able to safely escort the Celestial Dragon back.
Should special circumstances arise, those CP0 agents would undoubtedly join the fight.
Two Beast Girls would struggle to hold them off; delaying them would be the best outcome.
Influenced by multiple factors, Whitebeard ultimately rejected Shiki's proposal.
"Damn it, you make a valid point."
Shiki nodded helplessly; it truly was a difficult situation.
What a shame.
Whoosh~
Whoosh~
"What's a shame?"
Just then, two figures landed beside them, and Brian's voice rang out.
Whitebeard and Shiki looked up to see Brian and Linlin appearing with pleased expressions.
Each held or clutched the severed head of an admiral, still dripping with blood.
Gripping their trophies, the two could only say one thing about this battle: satisfying.
"Oh, it's like this. Shiki here…"
After Whitebeard briefly explained the situation, Brian also felt tempted but shook his head in resignation.
"Indeed, it's not very feasible."
"At this point, we've achieved our goal for today's battle. Let's prepare to leave."
"Dragging it out further won't serve much purpose."
"Mamamamama, I have no objections. For me, today's battle has already paid for itself."
Charlotte Linlin was the first to respond upon hearing Brian's words.
Shaking the severed head in her hand, she felt satisfied.
All Linlin wanted now was to return quickly and have Longbread whip up a new batch of cakes for her to enjoy properly.
"Gurararara, this old man has no objections either."
Whitebeard also agreed to retreat.
Since completely cutting off the Navy's future path was no longer feasible, continuing to fight indeed held little meaning.
Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr weren't easy opponents either—they clung like stubborn plaster.
"Shiki, what do you say?"
With three in agreement, only the Golden Lion remained. What else could he say?
Helplessly, Shiki also gave his consent.
"I agree, but I want one final grand move."
"Even if we can't finish off these Navy dogs, we should at least give them one last spectacular blow."
"By the way, Brian, where are the Video Transponder Snails we arranged for this battle?"
Shiki suddenly remembered something and inquired.
This concerned his upcoming grand display of prowess—it couldn't be overlooked.
"Here~"
"Right here."
Brian pulled out a Video Transponder Snail from his person and tossed it to Shiki.
This was one of them; the rest were either on the pirate ships or in Linlin's possession.
They had no choice—for proper propaganda, visuals were essential.
Only with images could they deliver the truth effectively.
Although Morgans' World Economic News had eyes everywhere...
The sea today was saturated with too much Conqueror's Haki, making the news-gathering seagulls too terrified to approach.
After careful consideration, Brian and the others had ultimately decided to record the footage themselves.
They could hand it over to Morgans afterward.
"Jehahaha, good, excellent."
"You all prepare to leave first. Leave the rest to me."
Shiki was immensely pleased after receiving the Video Transponder Snail.
With those words, his figure rapidly ascended into the sky and flew away.
"That guy really acts on whims."
"Let's leave first. When he goes wild, the aftermath can indeed become quite troublesome."
As Brian spoke, he, along with a nodding Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin, used Moonwalk to depart from the skies.
The three swiftly flew toward the distant pirate ships.
Tap
Tap
Tap
"Master, you've returned."
"Griffin, give the order. Set sail and leave this place."
"This battle is over."
"Yes, Master."
At Brian's command, their pirate ship quickly started and sailed into the distance.
Nearby, the pirate ships of Whitebeard, Linlin, and even Shiki similarly departed from the waters.
The original battlefield now held only Shiki facing the entire Navy force alone.
The great Golden Lion, turning his back on the world, decisive across eternity.
He was about to begin his grand performance!
"Jehahaha, Navy scum! I alone will handle the coming battle!"
Shiki arrogantly gazed at the trio of Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr before him, his expression dripping with disdain.
Even though all three possessed strength no lesser than his own.
Even as the remaining eight warships rapidly approached through the waters behind them.
Shiki remained utterly unshaken—his desire to show off had peaked.
If he didn't pull off this grand spectacle, he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
Even if it meant crashing headfirst into disaster for the sake of his performance, he'd have no regrets.
A real man lives for the thrill!
"Damn pirates, you're way too arrogant."
"Watch out or we'll beat you into a dead dog. All you pirates deserve to die."
Sengoku gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered as he faced Shiki's arrogant posturing.
He had clearly seen Brian and the other two leaving, but he no longer had any intention of stopping them.
Today's battle was undoubtedly another defeat for their Navy.
Just over a week ago, they had suffered a major defeat against the Rocks Pirates in the New World.
And now, just over a week later, they had been decisively defeated by the Rocks Pirates again in the New World.
Two consecutive defeats, each more devastating than the last.
This time was even more disastrous—they had lost two of their three veteran admirals.
Sengoku had no idea how he would face Fleet Admiral Kong, the remaining admirals, or the entire Navy forces upon returning.
Under these circumstances, Shiki's deliberate provocation made him the perfect target for the three of them to vent their frustration.
The final chapter of the battle—Lord Shiki's arrogant showdown—was about to begin.
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