Sakazuki listened to the Navy's report in front of him, raising his head slightly as he bit down on a cigar, exhaling a puff of smoke from his mouth.
The hand clenched into a fist on the table flashed a bright crimson, causing smoke to rise from the table and melt a hole in it.
"Even after Whitebeard's death, are these guys still causing chaos..."
"Oh~ so scary, are two Great Pirates about to go to war?"
Kizaru, on the sofa beside them, pursed his lips and, after expressing a hint of surprise, said, "Should I head over there...?"
"No need, Borsalino."
Sakazuki said in a deep voice, "Let them cause trouble for now, no matter who wins, it won't be easy for them..."
As he spoke, the crimson on his fist intensified, enlarging the molten hole on the table while flames emerged at its edges.
"What's urgent now is our World Recruitment!"
As he said this, he was almost gritting his teeth.
"Puff!"
At the doorway, an old man with white hair and a goat poked their heads in and out.
Sengoku covered his mouth, stifling a laugh as he said, "Fleet Marshal, it's tough, isn't it?"
Sakazuki's eye twitched, and he shouted, "Shut up, you semi-retired man!"
"Baa."
The goat bleated as if mocking him, then retracted its head with Sengoku, disappearing from the doorway.
"Sengoku-san..."
Kizaru chuckled, "He's a lot more cheerful now, is it because there's no pressure?"
Sakazuki took a deep breath, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
"Every single one of them is like this! And Kuzan, that idiot, disregarding justice, if he were here, we wouldn't be this passive now!"
The Navy is like this, they just need to execute orders, but the Fleet Marshal has a lot more to consider.
Is it difficult being the Fleet Marshal... you really don't know until you're in the position; some things are completely different than being an Admiral.
Sakazuki, who upholds 'absolute justice,' when he heard Sage was going to war with Big Mom, his first reaction was to personally lead a team there and kill them in the frenzy.
The second reaction was that those above him would never agree.
His first act as Fleet Marshal wasn't World Recruitment, but proposing an all-out war against the Pirates, which was denied.
Besides, he's aggressive, but not brainless.
Without the Navy, the Pirates would fight among themselves; with the Navy, they might redirect their cannons.
Furthermore, due to insufficient manpower, the loss of many elite forces in the Summit War, and Komei's failed attempt to capture Sage during the Celent incident resulting in more losses.
Combined with Kuzan leaving, even after defeating Whitebeard, the Navy's focus remained on consolidating and stabilizing.
Now, all they can do is watch them fight in the New World...
Sizzle!
Just as he was thinking about this, the table melted further, disappearing by half in an instant.
Sakazuki stood up and said to the Navy, "Prepare the ship, I'm heading to Mary Geoise!"
No matter what, he has to give it a try!
...
Under the clear, cloudless sky was a fleet sailing forward in a triangular formation.
At the back were small pirate ships, about twenty or so, each group of four led by a larger two-masted pirate ship, lacking specific flags or signature.
Only the Disaster Pirates' Starry Sky Skull Flag was displayed on the sails and pirate flags.
In the middle were two much larger three-masted pirate ships, one of which was round, resembling a miniature island.
The other was a regular design, but with a figurehead featuring a circular scarecrow head.
Leading the way was a colossal Black Ship, overshadowing the rest.
The jet-black hull bore a Skull Flag with starry eyes ablaze, and its figurehead depicted an expansive dragon beast's maw.
On this vast sea of the New World, any pirate would recognize this ship.
The Disaster Pirates' captain, 'Disaster' Norton Sage's Death Star!
Inside the captain's cabin, Lily was fully armed, donned in a battle armor skirt, with matching armor on her arms and legs.
She glanced out the window with a solemn expression, "Not a drop of rain has fallen."
Beside her, Marika also opened her eyes, no longer maintaining her gentle, smiling demeanor, but equally serious.
Even Renedia, just a child, sensed the gravity of the situation, occasionally glancing at Sage, who sat in a chair with a constant smile, sipping wine.
By now, everyone understood.
On an island, the fixed island climate might not bring storms, understandable.
But at sea, rain is inevitable; even if it's sunny, it should come after rain.
Since leaving the base, there hasn't even been any rainfall or change in the weather.
This means... extreme danger!
Sage downed his glass of wine in one gulp and with irritation said:
"Either way, rain or no rain, you guys are still blaming me... so both outcomes are problematic."
"But that's Big Mom, aren't you worried at all?" Lily couldn't help asking.
She can charge boldly forward, but that doesn't mean she won't plan tactically.
The Four Emperors' forces and influence far surpass theirs; that's a fact.
This time going to war, they're putting everything they have on the line.
On the affiliated islands, there are pirates stationed who can fight.
All the officers, even three members of CP9, except for Sipher and Misty who are the last line of defense, are all going into battle.
Currently, at the back are those pirates who joined with their crews, each ship has slightly over a hundred people, followed by captains like Bellamy.
Adding on Jabra, Owl, and Kumadori on one ship, there are a total of six ships, each carrying around three hundred people.
Then there are Moriah and Hawkins' ships, each with a thousand people.
The largest is the Death Star, with two thousand subordinates, including three female officers.
In total, a little over eight thousand, which is all the Disaster Pirates can muster right now.
But this force is clearly not enough to deal with Big Mom.
The forces under a Pirate Emperor start at least at thirty thousand.
The Whitebeard Pirates had a force of fifty thousand during the Summit War.
In terms of manpower, Sage is no match for a Pirate Emperor.
In terms of power...
You can't know without fighting.
But it's definitely not going to be easy.
No one isn't worried about such a perilous battle.
"Don't worry, didn't old Hawkins do a divination? We've got a 30% chance of winning," Sage said nonchalantly.
Lily sighed, "That's exactly why it's dangerous enough."
Before the battle, Lily had done extensive intelligence gathering. In this area, they had CP9 and Doflamingo from the Underworld.
In such a big event, it might not be known to everyone at sea, but it's certainly spreading widely, with all sides collecting intelligence.
Lily directly called Doflamingo, and with the intel CP9 got from Lucci, it was alarming.
Big Mom did not underestimate Sage at all and personally showed up, the battle force reaching twenty thousand!
And those core members...
They definitely outnumber Sage's side.
Plus, Hawkins' given odds...
His divination ability isn't a matter of accuracy, but about probability.
A 30% chance of success means a 70% chance of failure!
"Dangerous..."
Sage bared his teeth, "Are you afraid?"
Lily's eyes turned cold, grasping the hilt at her waist, "Don't joke around, Sage. Probability is probability, fear is fear, we are your officers!"
"Let's crush them!" Renedia raised her tiny fist, revealing little fangs, "I'll use the cannon to blow their arses wide open!"
"Well, if the captain's not afraid, how can the crew be?"
Marika chuckled, "However, if my cooking changes after the taste of blood in my hands, don't blame me."
"We will definitely blame you. You're the chef; you can only get better, not worse."
Sage laughed, glancing at the three, grinning fiercely, "Let's do it!"
Lily slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then suddenly opened them and said, "Let's talk about the ones to watch on the opposing side first..."
"First, the Four Commanders. Urouge is currently recovering on Scope Island. One of the Four Commanders, Snack, left injured, his whereabouts unknown. Based on the battle conditions, we have one less to fight."
"So, three Commanders remain. The most notable is Katakuri. In the Big Mom Pirates, besides Charlotte Linlin, he has the highest bounty of 1.057 billion Belly."
"According to intel, Katakuri is 45 years old, the second child of Big Mom, and has never lost as a pirate for so many years. With a bounty higher than Moriah's, he must be a formidable foe."
Lily paused, resolute, "I'll handle him!"
Urouge could defeat one of the Four Commanders, and Lily isn't any less than him. The toughest one... she'll take on!
"Oh? I thought you'd have Moriah battle him," Sage laughed.
"Our main force is lacking. Moriah can fight against the remaining forces; he's an old pirate, previously one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and experienced. To maximize results and preserve strength, those people are best left to him."
Lily analyzed, "The remaining ones, the Three Commanders, include Smoothie and Cracker, with bounties of 932 million Belly and 860 million Belly respectively... We don't have many to fight against them. Marika, you pick one."
"Then I'll choose the one with 932 million."
Marika's beautiful eyes showed a desire for battle, "I'll take on a bit more too, Sage."
"So, I get Cracker?" Renedia pouted, unsatisfied, "I wanted a higher one!"
"No, Renedia, leave Cracker to Hawkins."
Lily advised, "You're too young. Let us handle the main force; your role is to assist Moriah and try to blast those guys away!"
The upcoming battle will undoubtedly be intense. Renedia isn't quite suitable; she's just an ordinary person, still young, and physically unable to withstand much damage.
No matter her talent or how well her fruit ability is developed, she can't handle excessive damage.
Choosing an opponent recklessly could harm her. For Renedia, some things are still too early.
Leaving it to Hawkins is appropriate.
With that, she gripped the hilt at her waist firmly, her expression ever more resolute.
It's about time they carried some of the weight for Sage!
Just as Sage needs to fight Big Mom to gain fame, they also need these formidable opponents, lest they fall too far behind Sage.
Now... it's time for trial!