Chapter 180: An Unforeseen Plan
Chapter 180: An Unforeseen Plan
The ships sank, the bridge collapsed, and countless lives were lost.
With the shockwaves from Whitebeard's punch, no more than fifty people on each ship could remain standing. And when Blackbeard delivered his first punch, despite the interference of the vice admirals, those who were still standing couldn't withstand the force and fell.
By the second punch, even the vice admirals couldn't hold their ground. Three vice admirals lost consciousness, leaving only two who could barely stay conscious.
They landed on the wreckage of the ships, staring in shock at the thousands of Marines sinking into the sea.
"What just happened?"
"Why did it turn out like this?!"
Fukuro shot out of the water, his eyes bloodshot, not even pausing to catch his breath. Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed to help, swimming through the water.
"Save them! Contact the people on Justice Island and get them to send a rescue team immediately! Hurry, we don't have much time!"
Kazan had already taken the initiative to start rescuing people while Fukuro was speaking.
The two vice admirals on the ship wreckage also sprang into action, jumping into the water to help.
On the other hand, Onigumo and Doberman emerged from the sea, landing on the remaining half of the broken bridge. One of them had his helmet shattered, while the other, Scarface, continued to bleed from the scars on his face.
Strawberry was slower to react, not because his injuries were more severe, but because he hesitated, torn between helping with the rescue and facing the threat in the air. Eventually, he rushed out of the water and joined Onigumo's side.
Blackbeard slowly descended from the air, his feet gently touching down on the intact half of the bridge. The sea breeze blew, lifting his white hair and adding to the ferocity of his sinister face.
"You!" Doberman roared. "Do you know what you've done?!"
Out of the twenty thousand Marines, at least ten thousand had fallen into the sea. Only seven were still standing, and even if they all pitched in, they couldn't save everyone.
Even with the high caliber of Marine personnel, when they were unconscious and sinking into the sea, constantly assaulted by the waves, most would perish within twenty minutes.
Twenty minutes?
Even if they were given two hours, the few of them here couldn't possibly save ten thousand people!
But the more Doberman thought about it, the angrier he became.
The headquarters didn't have many troops to spare, to begin with. Losing ten thousand combat-ready Marines was a devastating blow!
And all of this was due to the man before them, Blackbeard!
"What have I done?" Blackbeard laughed softly. "The Marines fight pirates, and pirates fight the Marines. That's how it is on the high seas. So what if a few more people died? Is that so surprising?"
Blackbeard pointed at them, his voice low and menacing. "If you want to save them, go ahead. But first, you'll withdraw the Marine forces from the Seven Waters Capital. Let me see you make this desperate move."
He clenched his fist, and his Conqueror's Haki once again enveloped his arm, taking on the same formidable posture as before.
The three people on the bridge paled in fear as they felt the Haki swirling around Blackbeard's arm.
"He can do it again?!" Strawberry exclaimed in disbelief.
The fact that Blackbeard could strike a second time was shocking enough.
But now, the intensity of his Haki was exactly the same as before, without any sign of weakening!
However, they couldn't deny the strength of his Haki!
If Blackbeard had an abundant supply of Haki, he could have easily overwhelmed them with his first strike!
Was he toying with them?!
"Five seconds," Blackbeard said, holding up his Haki-clad hand and counting down with his fingers. "I'll give you five seconds to make a choice. If I don't receive news that the Marine forces in the Seven Waters Capital are withdrawing within five seconds, I'll ensure that the remaining half of your forces sink to the bottom of the sea. Two thousand Marines will perish here, and that's certainly something you can't afford."
The Marine forces were indeed numerous, but they were spread out across various locations. A single headquarters didn't have such a large number of troops. Losing two thousand lives, including ten vice admirals, would be a significant blow to the Marines.
"You..." Blackbeard was capable of doing it!
Among these vice admirals, the elites were quite powerful. Especially these five, who had withstood the Galaxy Punch and seemed to be relatively unscathed, although they wouldn't last much longer—perhaps three punches at most.
In their current state, Blackbeard could annihilate everything within three punches!
"Justice will never compromise with evil!" Onigumo declared firmly. "If we surrender to pirates to survive, then justice is no longer justice! If my subordinates die, I can recruit new ones. If I die, so be it!"
"Oh? Truly the righteous Marines," Blackbeard said with a sneer. "But you don't have the final say here, do you? What about the others? Do they agree with you?"
Blackbeard lowered one finger, continuing the countdown. "Four."
Strawberry didn't wait for him to finish counting. He turned to the ship wreckage and shouted, "See if you can find a Den Den Mushi!"
Fukuro, who had just helped rescue some people, quickly searched through the wreckage and found an intact Den Den Mushi. He threw it to Strawberry.
"Strawberry!" Doberman glared at him.
"The Buster Call must be carried out," Strawberry replied. He picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed a number, waiting for the connection to be established.
"This is Strawberry, vice admiral. The Buster Call is being obstructed by the 'Natural Disaster' Blackbeard. We have suffered heavy losses. Requesting further support. This time, mobilize the Marine forces from the Seven Waters Capital for immediate reinforcement. Also, inform Justice Island to send a rescue team to Hesitation Bridge immediately. They must arrive within ten minutes!"
"The Buster Call is..."
The Den Den Mushi on the other end echoed with a surprised voice, but the person quickly recovered and acknowledged the order. "Yes, Vice Admiral Strawberry!"
As a vice admiral, Strawberry had considerable authority within the Marines, so he didn't need to make requests or wait for approval. He could directly issue orders.
Strawberry was not as aggressive as Onigumo and Doberman, nor as benevolent as Fukuro and Kazan. He had his own style of handling matters.
Using the Demon Slayer Order as a lure, no one would find it amiss.
"That's more like it. A wise choice."
Sag released the Haki surrounding his body, his figure returning to its usual state. He picked up his cloak from the ground and draped it back over his shoulders, conveniently retrieving a Den Den Mushi from within its folds. With a flick of his wrist, he dialed a number.
This particular Den Den Mushi had been brought over from the ship for this very moment.
Soon, the Den Den Mushi rang, and on its snail-like face appeared a pair of clear, cold eyes. The entire face transformed into one of seriousness and determination, with a hint of ditz and tsundere.
Yes, it was Lily's look.
"Sag, is it done?" Lily's voice echoed through the Den Den Mushi.
"Almost. Keep an eye out and see if the Navy around the Seven Waters Capital makes any moves." Sag replied.
"Understood."
It only took about two minutes before the Den Den Mushi spoke up again, "The ships have started to evacuate, heading in the direction the Marine train took. They seem to be making their way to Justice Island."
"What about Garp?" Sag continued his inquiry.
This was his primary concern.
Robbery and combat were two different matters. The Navy ships guarding the Seven Waters Capital—once they spotted him, they would undoubtedly hinder his robbery plans. As powerful as his Conqueror's Haki was, it still fell short of covering the entire Seven Waters Capital, and with so many people around, finding the Navy personnel would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Furthermore,
"If I were to do that, wouldn't I be their babysitter?"
Besides, that wasn't his main objective.
The most important thing was Garp.
The Demon Slayer Order was something he had concocted to attract troublesome individuals like Garp.
That old geezer would surely show up if he were around!
He had to use twenty thousand lives as bait, but he was confident that old man wouldn't be able to resist taking the bait.
He wasn't going to be a Pirate King and cause ten vice admirals to be at his mercy without encountering some obstacles along the way!
"I see him. Garp's ship is among those that are departing." Lily responded.
"Excellent! Once his ship is out of sight, wait half an hour, then commence the robbery!"
Sag grinned, then hung up the call and tucked the Den Den Mushi back into his cloak.
"Done!"
He flashed a smile at the vice admirals, "I won't bother you any further as you carry out your orders here!"
With that, his body shot up into the air, and without lingering, he created wave after wave of smoke rings in the air as he sped towards the main entrance of Justice Island.
The groundwork for his plan had been thoroughly laid, and now, he simply had to backtrack along the Marine train's tracks.
As for those vice admirals, they had served their purpose, and there was no need to waste time tangling with them any further.
Those guys wouldn't bother him either; they were focused on carrying out the Demon Slayer Order.
The Navy operated in a hierarchical manner, with orders taking precedence over everything else. As long as they weren't hindered in carrying out the Demon Slayer Order, they wouldn't bother about anything else.
Compared to them,
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The smoke rings left ripples of sound in their wake, stretching all the way to the tracks in front of the main entrance. Sag descended, the seawater reaching his ankles, and he stood firmly, surveying his surroundings.
This bit of seawater wasn't enough to cause any issues unless it rose above the waist.
He craned his neck towards the main entrance, and at that moment, the doors were wide open, with the sounds of activity still audible from within.
"The Marine train is gone. Seems like the Demon Slayer Order has caused quite a few people to flee via the Marine train."
"Guess we're walking then!"
Sag took off, his strides carrying him along the tracks towards the entrance.
His original plan had been to deal with the Demon Slayer Order and then ride the Marine train to the Seven Waters Capital. That way, he would have a time difference with the Navy ships.
While the Marine Headquarters was relatively close to Justice Island, the Seven Waters Capital was still quite a distance away.
Even with the Marine train, it would take two to three hours to make the trip. For pure naval vessels, it would take at least half a day to cover the same distance.
If he took the Marine train, by the time they arrived at the Seven Waters Capital, the Navy ships would likely only be halfway through their journey, and even if Garp wanted to turn back, it would be too late.
But on foot...
Well, his running speed far exceeded that of any naval vessel.
He was confident that he could accurately time their encounter and still have enough leeway.
It all depended on Lily's robbery progress.
...
In the vicinity of the Seven Waters Capital.
After witnessing the flotilla of Navy ships departing alongside the dog-headed ship, Lily waited for half an hour to ensure that there were no more Navy personnel in the area. With a crisp sound, she unsheathed her rapier, its tip aimed squarely at the Seven Waters Capital.
"Let's go!"
"Ohh!"
Her excited subordinates brandished their weapons, their faces alight with fervor and ferocity.
Such a massive place would surely yield a trove of treasures!
Hawkins quietly drew a few Tarot cards, studying them before murmuring, "99% chance of a successful robbery. It seems our plan won't encounter any unforeseen hiccups."
(End of Chapter)
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