After the brutal battle on Winterlong Snow Island, the fight ended with the utter defeat of the Blackbeard Pirates.
However, "Blackbeard" Teach and several of his commanders escaped the island using the ability of "Sounding Step" Van Augur.
Although the most crucial core members managed to flee, the results of Davy Jones and the Whitebeard Remnants' counterattack were undeniably fruitful.
Nearly all of the forces Teach brought to assault Winterlong Island were annihilated. The Whitebeard Remnants refused surrender or prisoners; an eye for an eye—every last one was cut down.
They swept through the battlefield, not sparing a single member of the Blackbeard Pirates pretending to be dead. Anyone feigning death was made truly dead.
Blood completely stained the entire island and the surrounding sea.
In addition, the head of "Corrupt King" Avalo Pizarro was brought back by Jozu, who knelt on one knee and presented it to Davy Jones.
"Keep it to honor the fallen," Davy Jones said with a glance. Then he lowered his head to his compass and sea chart. "You'd best prepare a box."
Ace couldn't hold back his curiosity. "A box? What for?"
"Hahaha, Ace, you just don't get it," Buggy said, adopting the tone of a seasoned senior—which he indeed had the qualifications for. "The captain means that more heads from Blackbeard's commanders will be coming your way. You'll need a box to hold them all."
Ace, Marco, Jozu, Vista, and the other division commanders brightened, understanding instantly. Their morale surged again, almost hot enough to melt the remaining snow on Winterlong Island.
"So Captain Davy Jones means…" Marco probed cautiously, "we're going to pursue the Blackbeard Pirates?"
"But…" Ace frowned. "Van Augur's teleportation ability is troublesome. We've lost their trail."
"They might've returned to their main base," Vista said, gripping his twin blades, "or they could be hiding on any island they've seized, waiting for a chance to strike."
Ace and Vista both believed that pursuit would be difficult.
Jozu stroked his chin with his diamond stump of an arm, agreeing with the idea. "We can't let them breathe. We can't give them a chance to recover."
"They don't have any chance to recover," Crocodile said, adjusting his glasses, speaking sharply. "The captain already has their location."
He had long noticed the compass, chart, and codex Davy Jones possessed, and had made guesses about their functions. By now, he'd mostly figured them out.
One of Davy Jones' tentacles emerged from his black cloak, holding the intact, freshly preserved eyeball of Van Augur. It still looked disturbingly fresh—except for the eerie green glow it emitted.
On the sea chart, a black dot began flashing rapidly. The compass needle spun several times, then pointed directly at it.
Everyone clicked their tongues in amazement. They roughly understood what was happening, and shock was accompanied by a rising bloodlust.
"We're heading to the Isle of Solemn Autumn," Davy Jones said, closing the compass lid. His gray-blue eyes stared coldly toward the horizon.
Whoosh—
Van Augur used his Teleportation Fruit ability to bring Teach, Shiryu, Diamante, Burgess, Lafitte,Devon,Doc Q, and Vasco to this island covered in drifting red maple leaves.
When Teach saw that Pizarro had already died miserably in the siege, and learned that their forces had been slaughtered like livestock, he immediately chose retreat.
Augur, Shiryu, Diamante, Devon, Burgess, Lafitte, Doc Q, and Vascooriginally wanted to fight Davy Jones and the Whitebeard Remnants, but under Teach's decisive command, they reluctantly complied.
Augur would always follow Teach, and his Teleportation Fruit was everyone's escape route.
Teach controlled that escape route, and therefore their hearts.
However, once they arrived on the Isle of Solemn Autumn, voices of doubt arose.
"Blackbeard, we were thinking of having a proper fight. Why'd you order a retreat?" "Big Barrel" Vasco took a swig from his jug, licking his lips with his thick tongue. "Don't tell me seeing Pizarro dead scared you witless?"
He laughed, but no one else echoed him.
Teach's mood was foul, and he spoke sharply. "We were caught completely off guard. And before Davy Jones even made a move, we already lost one man. That is a very bad sign, so I ordered the retreat."
The explanation made several brows tighten, but it was acceptable.
"This Isle of Solemn Autumn is also our territory," Teach explained to the uninformed Diamante. "We have our men here—our ships and weapons."
Sure enough, the stationed forces of the Blackbeard Pirates soon received the message, rushed over, and knelt before them.
Teach ordered these pirates to scout the surrounding waters immediately. Any disturbance was to be reported at once—especially movements beneath the sea. They were not to repeat the mistake of Winterlong Snow Island.
Diamante grinned widely, lips peeling open like a blooming flower. "I see. You plan to regroup here and have a final battle against Davy Jones."
Teach nodded… then shook his head.
"I want you to contact Doflamingo. Have him send reinforcements. This war with Davy Jones and the Whitebeard Remnants is not as easy as we imagined."
"This…" Diamante's eyes darted side to side. He had acted on his own, and didn't want Doflamingo to know. "Distant water can't put out a nearby fire…"
"Diamante." Teach leaned in, suddenly showing a pressure he had never revealed before. Diamante instinctively turned his head aside, unable to withstand his aura. "Tell your 'Doffy' to send reinforcements—at least enough to help us hold off Davy Jones's smaller detachments."
Diamante forced out an awkward nod. "I understand. I'll call him."
His mind was already racing, planning how to spin the story so that Doflamingo wouldn't blame him—making it sound like he had been working tirelessly to forge an alliance all along.
Shiryu lit a cigar. "Blackbeard, you mean we'll be fighting Davy Jones again soon?"
"Of course," Teach growled, scratching his black beard. "We escaped with teleportation. There's no way Davy Jones knows where we went."
"My guess is that he'll have the Whitebeard Remnants rest on the spot, or return to Whitebeard's home island. Then he'll wait for the main forces of the Davy Jones Pirates to arrive before striking our territory."
Shiryu raised a brow beneath his hat. "Doesn't that mean our situation is terrible?"
"Our main forces haven't assembled yet," Teach said, glancing at Diamante. "With Doflamingo's army added in—and as long as we're flexible, relying on raids and harassment—there's no need to face them head-on."
"Indeed." Shiryu recalled the ghostly ships that rose from the sea, glowing with eerie green light. "Judging from that last battle, our odds in a straight naval fight are low."
Teach and Shiryu exchanged comments, but the others stayed silent.
Even Van Augur, who earlier wanted to tear Davy Jones to pieces, was now calm. The fury of losing an eye was long gone—only fear remained.
Teach noticed the heavy atmosphere, his face shifting—then he abruptly burst out laughing.
Everyone stared in confusion. They had just lost a battle, their raiding force wiped out, Pizarro dead—what was Teach so happy about?
Finally, Devon, with her long pointed nose, couldn't help asking, "Blackbeard, what are you laughing at?"
"What am I laughing at?" Teach's laughter died down, though the corners of his mouth remained raised. "I'm laughing at Davy Jones' lack of strategy, and Ace and Marco's lack of wit."
"If it were me—during that battle, I would've ignored everyone else and gone straight for Van Augur. Kill him, and you cut off our escape route."
Van Augur froze slightly.
Teach continued.
"Too bad they never thought of it. Davy Jones must've been infected by Ace and Marco—acting nothing like a pirate at all…"
Everyone found his reasoning sound. They were about to nod—when suddenly they heard an unnatural noise.
They turned toward the harbor of Solemn Autumn Island—and saw the sea bulging upward in a strange way. Then the waters split apart on both sides, revealing eleven tattered, ghost-like ships.
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL
Please drop some power stones support me at my Patreon