Carlo suddenly remembered something.
"On Admiral Kuzan's side, Knox has already retreated. For now, all four Emperors have pulled back. What should we arrange next, Fleet Admiral?"
Sakazuki's calm voice sounded. "So it's over. Issue the order.
"From Kuzan and Enel's forces, withdraw one third of the vice admirals and half of the fleet. If Red Hair and Knox organize an attack later and the offensive is too strong, they may abandon their positions.
"Transfer the withdrawn vice admirals and fleets to Garp and Borsalino. Continue the assault toward Whole Cake Island and Wano."
Ever since he was promoted to Fleet Admiral and declared war, Sakazuki's actions had been difficult to understand.
First he used the Red Line to form a half circle defensive perimeter. Then he kept pouring troops into the New World, with the main targets being Big Mom and Kaido at the center of that arc.
This time it was like a blade stabbing straight into the heart of their territory.
Around Whole Cake Island, five outer defensive lines had been set up. The Marines had already broken through three. Only the last two remained, along with the ruined island itself and five more defensive lines behind it.
At Wano, three routes had been launched to form an encirclement, but Kaido's sudden interference destroyed one of the fleets. With that route gone, the Marines and pirates were now facing each other at the gap in a tense standoff.
Now even more forces were being pulled back and thrown into the central battlefield. The pressure on both flanks would be immense.
Yet no one dared to question it.
The pirates did not act recklessly either. The forces on both flanks had always been thin. It was as if Sakazuki were openly telling them, 'This is a trap.'
After suffering heavy losses at his hands several times, Knox and Shanks would not move without full confidence. In the end, reason held them back.
But as more troops were withdrawn over time, sooner or later someone would lose patience.
Up to this point, no one could see what Sakazuki truly wanted. The cost of this war was too high. Many within the Marines racked their brains and still could not understand why they were fighting this way. The sacrifices were enormous.
If this continued, even if they won in the end, there would not be many soldiers left.
The truth was simple. Everyone in the world was limited by their perspective. They could only see the battle in front of them. They could not step outside it and think from the world's point of view.
If one looked from above, Sakazuki's goal had always been clear.
He wanted every pirate in the New World to move.
There were too many of them. The four Emperors alone commanded over a hundred thousand pirates. If the Emperors were destroyed, those pirates would scatter across the New World. They would not gather again, and no one would be able to control them.
There would never be another chance to wipe out so many at once.
Until those hundred thousand pirates were reduced enough, Sakazuki would not "ignite" the islands on both sides of the New World and force them all into the center to eliminate them in one sweep.
* * *
New World. Wano. Onigashima.
Kaido was wrapped in bandages. One of his dragon horns was broken, leaving only one and making him look almost ridiculous. His subordinates trembled as they dressed his wounds, yet none of it stopped him from drinking.
He sat cross legged on the floor of the hall, lifting a huge jug of sake and drinking deeply.
Thud!
The sound of the jug hitting the ground echoed through the hall.
"Ha…"
Kaido let out a long breath as the alcohol began to rise to his head.
"I was really played this time. We were all fooled by that bastard Sakazuki."
In the past he had crushed others with his body and Devil Fruit power, but this time it was different.
When did the Marines produce someone like that?
He had heard Bullet's name before. It was not unknown. Still, his reputation had never stood out. His most famous feats were killing Rayleigh and Mihawk. The rest were just rumors and news about his brutality. Compared to everything Sakazuki had done over the years, it seemed minor.
Yet no one expected this man, who had almost risen out of nowhere, to be this terrifying.
His ferocity was on par with Kaido's. If not for that blind man who controlled gravity, he would not have stopped fighting.
Tap, tap, tap…
The sound of boots echoed.
King walked in. His black armor looked battered, but his spirit remained steady.
"Kaido-san."
He turned his head. "How's the battle?"
King replied, "The losses are not too heavy. The Marines failed to complete the encirclement. Our reinforcements kept arriving, and the Marines had already retreated."
The Marines had attacked one of the Beasts Pirates' garrison bases. Their plan was to surround it from three sides and cut off the escape route. But one of their fleets was destroyed by Kaido. After that, the encirclement became impossible, so they switched to a direct assault. From the way they fought, it was clear they meant to kill as many as possible.
King's injuries came from that battle. Many of the Marines' vice admirals were average in strength, but there were too many of them. Among them were a few powerful ones, such as Admiral candidate Momousagi.
Kaido nodded and picked up another jug of sake. "What about that old hag?"
King's voice turned serious. "Big Mom suffered heavy losses. Whole Cake Island has been shattered, and the Road Poneglyph she possessed was taken by the Marines. They've announced it to the entire world."
This was more than humiliation.
It was disgrace.
With Big Mom's pride, she must be furious by now.
Thud!
The jug slammed onto the ground as Kaido's wild laughter echoed through the hall.
"Wororororo! So the old hag has a day like this too. This is interesting. Where's the Den Den Mushi?"
A cruel grin spread across his face. "I want to properly greet that old hag. Wouldn't want her to die from anger because of Sakazuki."
* * *
New World. Whole Cake Island.
Boom!
Big Mom's Conqueror's Haki burst outward, and the sky darkened.
"Kaido!"
Her roar, filled with killing intent, spread across the island.
She glared at the Den Den Mushi in her hand. "Do you want to die! I don't need you mocking me!"
The snail's face twisted into a wicked grin as Kaido's voice came through.
"Wororororo. I'm just checking on you. No need to get so worked up. Let's cooperate."
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