Chapter 201: Beckman, Use Your Unbeatable Brain!
Chapter 201: Beckman, Use Your Unbeatable Brain!
Kuro stared wide-eyed at Lida after hearing about Kas's transformation. "So that... thing is Kas after his Acceleration?"
When both nodded, Kuro's face twisted into an expression of disbelief.
Damn, was this a Group Fivefold Acceleration?! He'd seen Frank do Group Triple Acceleration before, but Kas had only eaten his Devil Fruit recently.
What's more, the sheer power radiating from that white mass was far stronger than before. Even Kuro had to mutter in awe: "What the hell is that thing?"
Indeed, what the hell. That enormous white specter moved like a ghost across the battlefield, swallowing pirates in an instant before spitting them back out - battered and bleeding.
The speed, power, and sheer numbers made these Navy soldiers remarkably efficient.
This actually made Kuro's job easier. He had wanted to free himself up to deal with these pirates, though he always believed that once someone took a stance, they'd inevitably have to pay a price.
Navy, pirates, Revolutionary Army, King's Army - these were all positions that demanded sacrifice. Dying to kill pirates was simply part of the job.
Kuro was Navy, and even if he preferred coasting through, he still considered positions and casualties.
The Navy's losses hadn't been that heavy before, allowing him to coast. But now the situation had changed.
The top brass were all occupied. While Sengoku and Garp had the upper hand against Shanks, the outcome wouldn't be decided soon. Even if they won, the Navy would be crippled.
High-level combat power didn't die easily, but the Navy couldn't function on just top brass alone.
The real foundation of the Navy lay in its middle and lower ranks. If those were compromised, the entire world order would collapse.
If raw combat power was all that mattered, they wouldn't need such a large Navy. Sengoku and Garp could just roam the world with the Three Admirals and Vice Admirals. Even Rocks wouldn't have needed so many elite fighters back then.
The world didn't work that way. Even Whitebeard, once called the strongest, couldn't do everything he wanted.
If they didn't stop the losses, once the war ended, the Navy wouldn't be able to stabilize the world in time. That would create endless problems later.
Kuro wanted safe and comfortable, not trouble or danger.
"Scatter!"
Kuro gripped his sword, turning toward the blonde swordsman lying in a pool of blood. Before he could move, a golden-haired pirate wearing dark sunglasses and a black pirate headband broke away from his fight with a Vice Admiral to block Kuro's path.
Another major Red Hair Pirate officer, his face grim as he fixed his gaze on Kuro while glancing sideways at the monstrous Navy group led by Kas that was tearing through the battlefield like a meat grinder.
"Beckman, use your unbeatable brain and think of something!" the golden-haired pirate suddenly shouted.
Beckman exchanged several blows with Lucius Kro before retreating a few steps, his expression darkening.
The situation was starting to change, and it was deadly serious now.
The previous stalemate had begun tipping one-sided after that grotesque white mass entered the fight. Especially now that the troublesome Kuro Navy had broken free from Blackbeard's entanglement.
They had come here initially to stop the war and ensure Marco and the others could return to the New World without the New World's balance being destroyed.
According to Beckman and their captain's original plan, even after Whitebeard's death, Marine Headquarters should have suffered significant casualties. That would have bought time for Marco to return to the New World while the Navy, reeling from losses, would be less likely to act recklessly. The world's balance would remain intact.
But things hadn't gone as expected. The Navy's casualties were far lighter than anticipated. Beckman had figured out why - that Kuro Navy who could manipulate seawater was the main reason.
So their goal of stopping the war had shifted to continuing the battle, at least until the Navy suffered enough casualties to meet their threshold before they could withdraw.
Fortunately, Kuro had been intercepted by Marshall D. Teach. They still had a chance.
Though he hadn't expected Marshall D. Teach to run so fast, allowing Kuro to return. But that wasn't too bad. Their officers weren't weak either. The fight between them would take time to decide.
That troublesome Kuro Navy would be held back by their officer, and everything else would depend on their captain. The longer their captain could hold out, the greater their achievements would be.
What he hadn't expected was that those grotesque white-clad Navy would go this far.
Even in battles at their level, if many Navy tried to interfere, they would still have the advantage - it would just take time to settle. Actually, this fit Beckman's plan perfectly.
They could use this opportunity to slaughter Navy, weakening their growing influence.
But now those things were acting strangely. This wasn't just interference - they weren't acting like individual Navy members at all. Their coordinated fighting style was something unheard of. Together, they possessed the strength of a Vice Admiral.
They weren't just hindering their officers - they had created an opening for Kuro.
This meant the Navy now had another significant combat power free to act, while their own high-level fighters were at risk of being overwhelmed. Combine this with those strange Navy soldiers entering the battlefield, and their casualties would increase dramatically.
While they themselves might survive, their lower-ranking pirates would suffer enormous losses, making their mission even more difficult to accomplish.
That's how battlefields worked - once the slightest disadvantage was seized, it could trigger a domino effect.
The most threatening presence on the battlefield wasn't Kuro, who could manipulate seawater with his wide-area attacks, but that strange group of Navy soldiers. If they weren't dealt with first, all their goals would be meaningless.
Their captain's Conqueror's Haki was useless right now. There were already many Navy and pirates knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki on the battlefield. Everyone still fighting now had extraordinary willpower.
"Abandon the fight with the Vice Admirals and deal with that strange Navy group first!"
Beckman shouted as he disengaged from Lucius Kro and rushed toward Kas.
They might take injuries, but eliminating that group capable of disrupting the battlefield balance would achieve their mission despite the cost.
"Understood!"
The golden-haired man ran in the same direction, though his movements remained wary of Kuro.
This signal also reached the officers fighting the Vice Admirals, and they all turned toward Kas.
"That won't do at all!"
Aokiji, biting his cigar, shouted as he pursued them: "If I let you deal with them so easily, where would the Navy's honor be!"
He greatly admired those passionate Navy soldiers. This was exactly how the Navy should be - resilient, unyielding, and never retreating.
They seemed to be under Kuro's command.
That man, Admiral Sarquiss, had praised him highly, but Aokiji didn't know him well and had always felt something was off.
He didn't seem as ruthless toward pirates as Sarquiss claimed. His style was more similar to Vice Admirals Borsalino and Kuzan.
Now it seemed he had been mistaken.
Someone capable of cultivating such Navy soldiers couldn't be like them. Obviously, Admiral Sarquiss had better judgment than they did.
By nature, he wouldn't normally do rescue missions. The Navy's casualties were the Navy's responsibility - their goal was simply killing pirates. He should take this chance to break through to Sarquiss's battlefield and eliminate Whitebeard Pirates' officers while these high-ranking officers were distracted.
But since these were Kuro's subordinates, he should at least show goodwill. As comrades in the same faction, this was the proper thing to do.
Unluckily, there were many Vice Admirals with similar thoughts.
Storbery also pursued them. The reason was simple - he was Lucius Kro's former subordinate, while Kuro was Lucius Kro's current subordinate. Out of loyalty, he had to provide support.
As for some of the more moderate Vice Admirals like Borsalino, this was simply about fulfilling their basic responsibility - they couldn't allow pirates to kill Navy soldiers.
(End of Chapter)
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