Thatch looked at Gion and Sean, his expression flickering with uncertainty. Just then, several pirates came sprinting toward him from the distance.
"Captain! We've spotted three Marine warships heading this way! The Fifth Division is trying to intercept them, but I don't think they can hold them off for long because..."
"Akainu and Kizaru are both there. We've confirmed sightings of both Admirals on those three ships!"
"The Marine has come out in full force. We have to leave immediately!"
Indeed, the Fourth and Fifth Divisions of the Whitebeard Pirates were operating together this time. Ultimately, Vista had taken a ship from the Fourth Division to Volcano Island, while the Fifth Division's ships remained in the open sea on alert.
Although the Marine never interfered with the Swordsmanship Gathering, no one could be entirely certain. Precautions were necessary. However, Thatch had never imagined that the Marine would deploy multiple Admirals for such an operation.
If he stayed any longer, not only would he fail to rescue Vista, but he, his men, and every member of the Fourth and Fifth Divisions would be trapped here.
Thatch forced himself to calm down; now was not the time for impulsive actions. The most rational decision was to return to the New World, inform "Pop" of the situation, and then devise a plan. Furthermore, a Marine raid on the Swordsmanship Gathering would likely incite hostility from swordsmen all over the world.
"You'd better take good care of Vista, or else... we're leaving!"
"Yes, Captain!"
After leaving them with that final threat, Thatch waved his hand and led his pirates back toward the shore.
"Sean, is it really okay to let them go just like that?" Gion asked with a hint of worry as Thatch disappeared into the distance. "If Headquarters decides to hold us accountable..."
"It's fine, Gion. Besides, I never intended to let them go," Sean replied with a smile.
"Huh...?"
"Come on, let's head back to the warship. We still need to tie up some loose ends!" Sean turned to leave, and Gion hurried to follow.
Watching this scene unfold, Hawkeye looked somewhat displeased. "Sean, you're just leaving like that?"
"Dracule Hawkeye, don't be so impatient. I'll be back in two hours at most. Surely you can wait that long?"
"Two hours? Fine. I'll wait."
Hearing that Sean wasn't leaving for good, Hawkeye seemed to consider something, though he didn't particularly care about the Whitebeard Pirates. He nodded and sat back down.
'''
Ten minutes later, aboard Sean's cruiser.
"Vice Admiral, the target has left the shore. Shall we pursue?"
"Follow them. Maintain a distance of one nautical mile. Also, have Usopp coordinate all main batteries to calibrate and await my command."
"Yes, Vice Admiral!" the Marine replied, immediately heading off to execute the order.
At that moment, Sean's Den Den Mushi rang.
'Purupurupuru...'
"Sean speaking!"
"Vice Admiral, this is Blueno. Everything is prepared!"
"Excellent. Ten-minute countdown, then execute!"
"Understood!"
Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sean looked through the bridge window toward the distant pirate ship. Beside him, Gion was becoming increasingly confused.
"Sean, what exactly are you planning?"
"Isn't it obvious? We wait until they're further away before we strike."
"Is that really necessary?" Gion asked, her face clouded with doubt.
"Of course it is!" Sean explained. "Look, the Marine originally wanted to strike directly on Volcano Island. While that would likely have made every swordsman in the world hate the Marine, it would have been worth it for the sake of the grand strategy."
"But now, that hasn't happened. Because you captured Vista, Gion, we can legitimately bring him back to Headquarters. No one can complain, and it won't cause the world's swordsmen to turn against the Marine, right?"
"Given that, why would we return to square one just for the sake of one extra pirate like Thatch?"
"Between four Steel Warships and the majority of Headquarters' top combat power, where could Thatch possibly escape to?"
"What we're doing is simple: let him leave Volcano Island, then strike once we're on the open sea. Then there's no problem."
"See? The Marine is still very respectful of the Swordsmanship Gathering. Even if we're capturing Thatch, we're waiting until he leaves before we do it, right?"
Actually... that sounded quite reasonable.
Gion nodded, though she still felt something was slightly off.
'''
Ten minutes later, aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' Fourth Division ship.
"Captain! That Marine warship is still following us; we can't shake it!"
"Damn that Gion and Sean! Are they hell-bent on starting an all-out war with the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"Captain, what do we do?"
"Inflate the coating immediately! We're diving to evacuate!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The pirate nodded and rushed to obey.
"Quick, inflate the coating and prepare to di—"
'Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!'
Unfortunately, before he could finish his sentence, the sound of a series of shells screaming through the sky erupted, followed by a sequence of crashing impacts.
A distance of one mile might be an issue for the accuracy or reach of standard naval guns of this era, but for the rifled cannons and conical shells on Sean's warship, it was a trivial matter. In fact, they maintained a high hit rate.
Even though only the two forward triple-gun turrets had fired, three of the six shells slammed directly onto the ship. The remaining three were near misses, which were just as dangerous.
However, these were not ordinary pirates; they were a full division of the strongest pirate crew in the world. Intercepting shells was a basic task—not just for Thatch, but for his subordinates as well.
Immediately, a large number of pirates sprang into action. Some slashed with swords, some kicked, some shot with guns, and those with Devil Fruit powers used their strange abilities to intercept.
Soon, all six shells were blocked. To the crew of the Whitebeard Pirates, shells were like toys. They were adults; they didn't play with toys.
However, this time, it wasn't as simple as they thought.
While the six shells had indeed been intercepted, the moment they detonated, the resulting blast flipped everyone over.
The power... the shockwave...
It was more than ten times stronger than standard Marine artillery. The shockwave alone tore several large and small holes in the pirate ship's deck because those who had looked down on the artillery had chosen to intercept the shells far too close to their own bodies.
Of course, people in the world of pirates possess exceptional physical constitutions, and the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were even stronger. Despite their carelessness, everyone on the deck, including Thatch, was knocked flat on their backs.
In reality, only a few crew members had suffered light injuries, and they were all back on their feet in no time.
Realizing the situation was dire, Thatch hurriedly ordered his subordinates to continue inflating the ship's coating, but in the next second... the bad news arrived.
"Captain, the coating is damaged!"
"What? Is there any way to fix it?"
"No, the breach is too large, and we don't have a professional coating technician on board!"
"Damn it..."
'Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!'
Before Thatch had time to think, six more 280mm shells screeched through the air!
Thatch acted personally to intercept them, his twin blades unleashing a series of Swordmaster-level Zanjutsu slashes that detonated the shells hundreds of meters away. However, even pushing himself to the limit, firing four Swordmaster-level Zanjutsu slashes in such a short window was his absolute ceiling.
The remaining two shells continued their trajectory toward the ship, only being intercepted at the last moment by other pirates.
Just as before, a terrifying explosion and a massive shockwave swept across more than half of the pirate ship. Even the main mast developed a deep crack!
But was it over?
Of course not.
Under Sean's orders, Usopp commanded the two triple-barreled main cannons at the bow, raining down shells wave after wave.
Although Thatch could intercept four shells from a distance each time, the rest were only stopped at close range. The repeated close-proximity explosions and violent shockwaves left the ship's deck and superstructure in ruins.
By the time the seventh wave hit, the already fractured main mast finally reached its breaking point...
It snapped!
In the era of sailing ships, what did a broken main mast represent? It meant the vessel had effectively lost its propulsion!
The situation had already been grim, but losing their mobility made it catastrophic. Yet, Sean's onslaught continued.
By the eleventh wave, Thatch—having executed over forty consecutive Swordmaster-level slashes—was beginning to falter. This time, he only managed to intercept three.
By the twelfth wave, he could only stop two.
Despair began to cloud the faces of many of the pirates. But just then, an energy portal materialized out of thin air on the deck, and a figure over two meters tall stepped out. He was draped in a cloak with a hood pulled low, making it impossible to discern his identity.
"Who are you?"
"Don't be nervous, Captain Thatch. I am with the Revolutionary Army. I can save you!"
"The Revolutionary Army?"
"Yes. As you can see, my Devil Fruit ability allows me to traverse space. It would be quite simple to get you out of here, wouldn't it?"
"Why would the Revolutionary Army help us?"
Thatch's eyes lit up. He had just witnessed the man's arrival; a spatial-type Devil Fruit could indeed rescue them in a situation like this. However, there was little overlap between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Revolutionary Army. Why would they offer help? Thatch remained wary.
"Regarding the Marines and the World Government, the Revolutionary Army's interests align with yours, does it not?" the cloaked man replied. "If you continue to hesitate, I will have to leave on my own. This place is far too dangerous!"
'Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!'
At that moment, six more shells roared toward them. Thatch was forced to cut the conversation short and turn to intercept.
Exhausted, he managed only a single Swordmaster-level Zanjutsu slash. Five shells were only stopped by the other pirates at point-blank range. Another terrifying shockwave ripped through the area, knocking even the cloaked man to the ground.
Beneath the hood, the man's lip twitched violently.
Not far away, Thatch dropped to one knee after delivering that lone slash. He knew he had reached his limit; he might not even be able to stop a single shell in the next wave.
"Friend from the Revolutionary Army, please! Help us!"
"Very well. Please hurry; I cannot maintain the spatial gateway for long!"
"Understood!"
Thatch nodded, abandoning further suspicion. In the next instant, a door composed of energy appeared. The cloaked man entered first, followed by Thatch and the other pirates.
Quickly, over forty people rushed through. But just as the remaining pirates prepared to follow, the gateway... closed!
Simultaneously, the whistling sound of incoming shells echoed through the sky. Without Thatch and the strongest members of the 4th Division, only two of the six shells were successfully intercepted.
The remaining four crashed violently into various parts of the ship. The already battered and overburdened vessel was instantaneously blown into several pieces.
'''
At the same time, on an island in the New World.
Thatch stared at the vanished portal, panic rising in his chest. "What happened? Why did the gateway close?"
"Captain Thatch, I told you before that I couldn't maintain it for long. This was the limit!"
Upon hearing this, Thatch's expression turned to one of profound grief. Out of the two hundred members of the 4th Division, only forty-six had made it out. Although the primary combatants had escaped and most of those left behind were low-level lackeys, chores-men, or apprentices, the loss was still devastating. Nearly two hundred men had been left to their fate.
'Damn those Marines!!!'
Then, Thatch suddenly remembered something. "Friend from the Revolutionary Army, our 5th Division is still on another ship being besieged by the Marines. Can you please save them as well?"
"I am sorry. Before I came to rescue you, that ship had already been completely destroyed by Akainu. There were no survivors."
"How... how could this happen!!!"
"Please accept my condolences, Captain Thatch. Since the mission is complete, I shall take my leave!"
After speaking, the cloaked man opened a new spatial portal and stepped through, vanishing instantly.
"Captain, what do we do now?"
"We go back to Pops. The Marines must pay for this!!"
"Yes, Captain!"
'''
Twenty nautical miles away from Volcano Island.
Not far from the Marine fleet, a vast amount of wreckage and pirate corpses floated on the sea—a gruesome sight.
"Those damn pirates delayed us for a full ten minutes! Order the fleet to set sail immediately and pursue the Whitebeard Pirates' 4th Division. Thatch must not escape!"
"Yes, Admiral!!"