New world, an unknown sea.
"Jihahahaha! So, old man, you finally couldn't sit still?"
In the depths of a deserted island, Teach, who now had only one arm, one leg, and one eye, looked at the newspaper in his hand and laughed manically and madly.
Van Augur, biting into roast meat with his beloved Maxim rifle in hand, shuddered at Teach's wild laughter. Since being ambushed by Soryu and becoming a pariah in the New World, the man Augur had once held in high esteem had grown increasingly insane and ruthless.
Teach had even killed his loyal lieutenant Burgess on a mere suspicion. Van Augur deeply understood the saying, "Serving a king is like serving a tiger.
Van Augur was relieved that the relentless targeting of the underground world had repeatedly thwarted Teach. If Teach had found the opportunity to destroy the [End Point], their fate would have been grim.
"Being an enemy of the world" might sound exciting and fulfilling, but without the power to oppose it, it's sheer folly! Now Van Augur could only hope that the Sacrifice-Sacrifice Fruit would soon claim Teach's life, so that he could escape this dangerous man and find new companions.
"Let's go, Van!" Teach's call snapped Van Augur out of his thoughts.
"Huh? Go where?" Van Augur looked up, confused.
Their bounty from the black market still hadn't been collected. Why go looking for trouble?
"The old man is going to fight the Marines. How can such a big event happen without me?" Teach laughed maniacally. "Jihahahaha!"
Van Augur looked at Teach's growing beard and clicked his tongue. You really can't forget him.
---
New World, on the edge of Whitebeard's sea territory.
Dozens of battleships and pirate ships had gathered, each side occupying one side of the sea, facing each other.
A terrible sense of oppression hung over the sea. Flags hung from masts, cannonballs lay ready beside cannons, and war was about to break out.
"Hey, hey, marines, isn't this a bit much?" Fifth Division Commander "Flower Sword" Vista, one of the highest ranking member of the Whitebeard Pirates present, stood alone in a small boat, his face displeased. "You kill our crew members on our territory, and somehow it's our fault?"
"Don't try to intimidate me with Whitebeard, Vista!" On the other side, also in a small boat, Mozambia, the G-5 Base Head Vice Admiral, who had been extensively modified, stood nearly four meters tall, his body radiating a completely technological steel aura. His voice was magnetic and raspy, like an electric tremor.
With electronic eyes locked on targets, Mozambia looked scornful. "A pirate is still a pirate. Beat the little ones, the old ones come; beat the old ones, the even older ones come. Just a bunch of trash!"
"Isn't it the same with your Marine wolf pack tactics? How many times has it been now? Dozens?" Vista sneered, smiling mockingly. "These are clearly fights between pirates, but you Marines swoop in and claim the credit."
Vista grinned sarcastically. "I hear you Marines value military merit highly. But you're just a pack of hyenas scavenging for bones."
"You're right, Vista." Mozambia suddenly nodded in admiration. "We are indeed hyenas."
Marine: "..."
"And you are the bones that attract us!" Mozambia's face, capable of scaring children into nightmares, grinned coldly. "We will... devour you!"
"Hā hā hā hā hā! Well said, Vice Admiral!"
"If we are hyenas, then you are the bones! We will devour you!"
"Give the order, Vice Admiral! Let's crush them!"
The Marines' morale soared while Vista's expression darkened.
It wasn't uncommon for them to argue before a battle, but to be backed into a corner was a considerable embarrassment.
Taking a deep breath to control his anger, Vista asked, "So there's no room for negotiation?"
"Hmm? You weren't here to trade insults?" Mozambia replied, feigning surprise.
One had to admit that Vegapunk's technology was extraordinary. Mozambia's expression, once simple and honest, had become much more vivid after the mechanization.
Under the perfect coordination of the control chips, every detail of his face was spot on, infuriating Vista to the point of spitting blood.
"All right, let's see the real thing!"
With an angry remark, Vista swung his oar and headed for the pirate ship.
Mozambia stayed where she was and pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
"Vice Admiral, shall we open fire now?"
At the other end of the Den Den Mushi, the Marine Colonel assisting him asked eagerly.
As the commander of the Fifth Division, "Flower Sword" Vista's achievements were not insignificant!
"No, that's not necessary."
Mozambia shook his head. "You all need to be more confident. This isn't like before."
"We need to get into a fair fight and crush them!"
Mozambia was well aware of Admiral Kizaru's intentions in sending him here; he didn't want a localized conflict to escalate into a full-scale war.
As the saying goes, don't bite off more than you can chew.
The Marines needed time to deal with the remnants of BIG-MOM Pirates in Totto Landsea. Even if they managed to defeat the Whitebeard Pirates, the New World would rebel hard, causing even more chaos.
Therefore, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages, and now was not a good time for external military action.
"Unless... the pirates refuse to play by the rules." Mozambia added casually.
The colonel seemed to understand and nodded. "Understood!"
Meanwhile, back on his flagship, Vista picked up a Den Den Mushi and made a call.
"Sorry, Oyaji, it was my incompetence that caused you trouble."
The pirates involved were from the Fifth Division. They had discovered a Devil's Fruit on a deserted island a long time ago but had refrained from taking action because of the threat from the Guardian creatures.
However, in the few days they had gathered their forces to return, New World marine scouts had also arrived on the island and, relying on their advantage in firepower, took the Devil's Fruit directly. One step too late, conflict broke out between the two sides.
On one side was a carefully assembled pirate force, and on the other, sporadic Marine scouts. Despite their advantage in firepower, the outcome was clear.
Bastille had received a distress call and arrived on the deserted island, leading to the current situation of armed conflict.
"Gūrararara, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"You've done nothing wrong!"
Whitebeard's hearty laugh reassured Vista. "Besides, if my son makes a mistake, only I can punish him. Who does the Marine think he is?"
"Go ahead, Vista! I've already sent Ace and Jozu, and Thatch is not far from your location. They'll be there soon."
With the top commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates gathered, even if Admiral Kizaru were to appear in person, their combined strength would be formidable.
Understanding Whitebeard's protective attitude, Vista replied calmly. "Oyaji, this is a matter for our Fifth Division. Please allow us to handle it ourselves."
He also understood that now was not the time to provoke the Marines, so he would not allow Whitebeard to confront them on his behalf.
It would be a disgrace as a member of the Whitebeard Pirates!
In response, Whitebeard was silent for two seconds before speaking.
"It's already too late, Vista."
"Just by preventing you from confronting them, I've already signaled my intention to wage war."
In the pirate world, sometimes one's actions are beyond one's control.
This incident wasn't about who was right or wrong. No one said that what belonged to Whitebeard's territory couldn't be sought by others.
So would Whitebeard stop Vista from taking revenge on the Marines?
Absolutely not.
So he had to step forward and stand up for his sons.
Even if it meant starting a war!
(End of this chapter)
You can read ahead up to 90 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
As long as I reach 200 dollars on my Patreon, I will post 10 extra bonus chapters per month in batches of 5 for that month. If I reach 300 dollars then I will post 15 extra bonus chapters in batches of 5 for that month. If I reach 400 dollars then I will post 20 extra bonus chapters in batches of 5 for that month. So come and support me.