Chapter 328: The War Approaches, Whitebeard's Resolve!
"Seems like she's got an upset stomach. She went to see Chopper."
Kuina blinked. "That's not important, is it? What's important is… my lord, when did you meet the Pirate Empress? I had no idea."
Hmm? Aokiji immediately clasped his hands together, his ears perking up. As a man who had seen it all, he instantly smelled jealousy. There's a story here. Gossip radar, activate!
"We're not acquaintances," Shane said, completely oblivious to Aokiji's expression. He stroked his chin, frowning in analysis. "She just has a terrible temper and looked like she needed a beating, so I gave her one."
"It's unlikely she'd use false information for revenge. That woman, although not very bright, was once a slave of the Celestial Dragons. She hates them to the bone."
"And since we just put a bounty on the Celestial Dragons, even if she has a grudge against me, she wouldn't choose this time to take revenge. It's highly likely that she's sincere."
Eh? The Pirate Empress Hancock used to be a slave of the Celestial Dragons? Aokiji and Kuina were both stunned.
"So the information is true?" Kuina quickly recovered, her expression turning grave. "If the Marines really have summoned the Warlords, then the scale of this war could be unprecedented. We must prepare immediately."
The previous operations had been proactive strikes by the Curtain Call, exploiting weaknesses to deal heavy blows to the World Government and the Marines. But objectively speaking, in terms of overall strength, the enemy still had the advantage. They couldn't afford to be careless.
"We can only say that's what Hancock believes. We can't be sure what Marine Headquarters is planning," Shane thought for a moment. "Kuina, call Jinbe. Ask him if he's received the summons."
"Yes," Kuina nodded and took out a Den Den Mushi to dial.
"Eh?" Aokiji was dumbfounded. "Jinbe? The Warlord, Knight of the Sea Jinbe? Is he… wait, is he one of us?"
"Yes, he's also a top officer," Shane smiled. "But he's operating in the shadows. Even within the Curtain Call, only a few people know about this."
Aokiji opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. Of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, whom the Marines considered allies, two were already known to be on the side of the Curtain Call. And Marine Headquarters had no idea. Is this what they mean by 'a just cause attracts much support'? The so-called balance has long been quietly broken…
"My lord, Jinbe replied that he hasn't received any summons. The Marines haven't contacted him at all," Kuina reported, putting down the Den Den Mushi. "Strange. Has his cover been blown?"
"If his cover was blown, Jinbe would have been thrown into Impel Down long ago, not just excluded from this meeting," Shane shook his head. Just as he was pondering this, the Den Den Mushi in his coat rang.
Purupurupuru~
"My lord," Victor's steady voice came from the other end. "We just received heavy news from the underworld. A man known as the 'Fiesta Peddler' is preparing to hold a Pirate Fest, and the grand prize is an Eternal Pose to Laugh Tale."
"An Eternal Pose?" Shane's eyes narrowed. The timing was too coincidental. "Is the information reliable?"
"Basically confirmed," Victor said gravely. "The current rumor is that it will be held in about ten days. The exact location hasn't been announced yet, but it will definitely be on an island deep in the New World."
"I understand. Keep me updated on any further developments."
After hanging up, Shane frowned slightly, looking out at the distant sea. The appearance of the Eternal Pose, the Marines' quiet summoning of the Warlords, and the Pirate Fest being held deep in the New World… These events seemed coincidental, but upon closer inspection, there was likely an invisible hand pushing things behind the scenes.
"If you had to pick one of the Yonko who is least interested in the One Piece, who would it be?" he asked the two in front of him.
"You, of course, my lord," Kuina said matter-of-factly. She knew her captain's ambitions were far higher, and he was already very close to achieving them. As for finding the One Piece, inheriting Roger's will, becoming the Pirate King… he would only scoff at such things.
"But Marine Headquarters won't think that way," Aokiji's voice drifted over. "They'll only think that Whitebeard is the least interested."
Aokiji habitually pushed up his sunglasses, but pushed air, coughing awkwardly. He analyzed in a deep voice, "That old man Whitebeard talks about family and sons all day long. The whole world knows he doesn't care about the One Piece. So if the Marines really want to start a war without alerting the other Yonko…"
"This Pirate Fest is the perfect bait."
Shane narrowed his eyes and met Aokiji's gaze. They spoke in unison: "Feint in the east, strike in the west!"
Kuina also realized it. "Use the Eternal Pose to attract the attention of the other three Yonko, then concentrate their forces to take out the Whitebeard Pirates first?"
No wonder Jinbe hadn't received a summons. Everyone knew that Fish-Man Island had been protected by the Whitebeard Pirates for decades, and Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, frequented Whitebeard's ship, making no secret of his respect and closeness to Whitebeard.
"I'm afraid it's more than that," Aokiji rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Whitebeard's territory is the gateway to the heart of the New World. If the Marines take it, they'll advance a step forward, establishing a frontline base between the Curtain Call and Marine Headquarters."
"Furthermore…" He looked up at Shane, his tone solemn. "Whitebeard is the temporary first target, but by no means the final target. This is the prelude to the World Government's full-scale invasion of the New World. Destroy Whitebeard first, then use that as a springboard. The ultimate target is still the Curtain Call."
"Hmph, quite the calculation," a cold light flashed in Kuina's eyes. "If that woman hadn't leaked the intel, we might have really been kept in the dark until the war with the Whitebeard Pirates had already started."
"Yeah," Shane grinned. "But since we know about it in advance, this play can't follow their script."
Just as Aokiji had analyzed. Whether for public or private reasons, he couldn't sit back and watch the Whitebeard Pirates be destroyed by the World Government!
"Send out my orders!"
"Immediately summon all top officers to Dawn Island for a meeting! Also, order all corps to go on high alert. The intelligence department is to operate at full capacity. Since they want to play big, we'll play along to the end!"
"Yes, my lord!" Kuina accepted the order gravely and turned to leave. She always knew what was important. Although she still had some doubts about what kind of feelings the Pirate Empress harbored for Lord Shane to proactively warn him, she would never let her personal feelings interfere with business.
"Should we notify Whitebeard as well?" Aokiji scratched his head as he watched Kuina leave. "But that old man is notoriously stubborn. Even worse than Garp-san and Master Z combined. Even if he believes the intel for your sake, Captain, he probably won't deign to ask us for help or ally with us."
"I know that, of course," Shane looked towards the end of the sea again. Without his own beliefs and pride, one could not become a world-class powerhouse.
But that pride could often become a shackle. If Whitebeard, at his age, could really swallow his pride, then in the original timeline, Red-Hair wouldn't have wasted a trip trying to persuade him to recall Ace, and it wouldn't have been just his own crew attacking Marineford in the Summit War.
"Just contact them and let them know. As for whether we intervene or not, hmph, that's not for them to decide," Shane grinned.
The old man didn't want help? What a coincidence. I just happen to want to fight the World Government and the Marines. Do I need your permission, Whitebeard?
Where this war would be fought and how it would be fought was for him to decide! No one could stop him. Besides, the strength of the Whitebeard Pirates was nothing more than a speed bump in front of the World Government's full-scale assault. His Curtain Call was the protagonist of this war, the key to deciding the final victory!
New World. A certain sea area, with a light rain falling.
Aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' flagship, the Moby Dick.
Whitebeard's massive body sat on his special chair, hooked up to an IV drip. His gaze was calm as he looked out at the gray sea in the distance.
"Pops, it's getting a bit chilly. Why don't we move this meeting inside?" Marco brought a cup of hot tea, advising with concern.
"GURARARARARA!!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, taking the cup and draining it in one gulp. "A little rain is nothing! I'm not so old that I need to hide from the rain! But you brat, I told you to bring hot sake, and you sneakily switched it for this stuff!"
"You've already finished your quota for the week," Marco shrugged. "As the ship's doctor, I can't be too lenient with you, Pops."
"Tsk, stingy," Whitebeard pouted, putting down the cup. His gaze swept over his sons gathered on the deck. It had been a long time since these young faces had been gathered so completely. It reminded him of himself decades ago, when he roamed the seas with Roger and Rocks. Time flew. Now, his old friends were gone, and he was the only remnant of the old era left…
"But in the end, the World Government couldn't hold back any longer," Whitebeard chuckled low. "Gurararara… but if they want to start with me, they'd better see if they have the ability!"
Marco's expression turned serious. "Pops, you called us here and said that… did you receive some news?"
"Yeah. Shane, that kid, called me personally just now," Whitebeard handed the empty cup to Marco and said gravely. "The World Government has secretly summoned the Warlords and is preparing to launch an all-out war on the New World. And their first target is to destroy our Whitebeard Pirates."
"What?" The Tenth Division Commander, Curiel, turned pale. "Is… is this news true? We haven't heard a whisper!"
"That's normal. After all, that brat has focused on building his intelligence network since he took over his territory. His information is much better than us old folks," Whitebeard said with a smile. There was no comparison. He still had to learn about many events from the newspaper. In contrast, the Curtain Call had directly acquired the entire World Economic Journal. The gap was obvious.
"If it came from Shane himself, it's undoubtedly trustworthy," Marco's expression became solemn, stroking his chin and frowning.
"That's right. It can't be fake. That's the man named Shane!" Vista the Flower Sword said decisively. Unlike some of the commanders who had never interacted with Shane, these few had absolute faith in his character.
"If you all say so, then it must be true. Damn those Marine bastards! Pops, give the order! Summon all our allied crews! Let's show them the price of underestimating the Whitebeard Pirates!" Curiel shouted angrily.
"That's right, Pops!"
"They dare to invade us! They really don't take us seriously!"
"Let those Marines know who the master of the New World is!"
The other commanders also chimed in, their blood boiling. They were the Whitebeard Pirates! In addition to the sixteen divisions of the main crew, over 1,600 elites, they had 43 pirate crews under their banner, ready to answer the call at any time! Their total force exceeded fifty thousand! Even the Curtain Call couldn't compare to them in this regard!
"But…" Marco still frowned. He looked at his spirited brothers, then went to Whitebeard's side and whispered, "Pops, you said the World Government is launching an all-out attack, not just Marine Headquarters, right? Against an enemy of this magnitude, should we consider teaming up with Shane and the others…"
"Don't be silly, Marco," Whitebeard waved a hand. "This is the Whitebeard Pirates' battle. We don't need outsiders to intervene. Besides, the Curtain Call has stolen the spotlight enough in the past year. And now…" He looked at the gloomy sky in the distance and laughed heroically. "GURARARARA! It's just the right time to show the world that the remnants of the old era can still make waves!"
"Pops…" Marco wanted to persuade him further, but seeing the determination in Whitebeard's eyes, he knew he couldn't change his mind. He sighed. His father was a loyal fan of Whitebeard, and he had followed Whitebeard since he was a child. No one in the world dared to say they knew Pops better than him. But precisely because of that, he alone could vaguely see a hint of something wrong in Pops's mood…
The enemy's weight was definitely more terrifying than everyone thought. At a time like this, he should have been the one to propose an alliance, so Pops wouldn't lose face. But he had refused in the end…
Pops, oh Pops.
Marco took a deep breath. "In that case, Pops, we'll go notify everyone to return and prepare for battle."
"Go!" Whitebeard nodded. "But try to keep it quiet. The Marines think they can catch us off guard, but we'll turn the tables on them!"
"Yes, Pops!"
With the order given, the Moby Dick became a hive of activity. The division commanders used their Den Den Mushis to contact the pirate crews loyal to Pops.
The war was approaching. The entire Whitebeard Pirates, like a precise war machine, rumbled into action!
The rain grew heavier, and the wind howled. Whitebeard suddenly stood up, ripped the IV needle from his arm, and walked alone to the prow. He gazed at the blurry horizon, his white coat flapping in the wind.
"The tide of the new era has finally crashed down on us old folks' heads…" he muttered to himself, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "Gurararara, Roger, do you see this? This war might be my last dance."
But then, Whitebeard grinned, his gaze becoming resolute and firm. No matter what, even if he had to bet his life, he would do his utmost to protect the name of the Whitebeard Pirates, to protect these sons he loved as his own. This was his resolve as Whitebeard, as Edward Newgate!
Also.
That Shane brat probably didn't know what kind of terrifying monster was hiding behind the World Government. Hmph, good. If this battle could force that monster to reveal itself… it would serve as a warning to that arrogant brat, so he wouldn't think he was invincible and could rest easy just because he had beaten up the Marines a few times…
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you