Boom! Boom!
Boom!
The thunderous roar of cannons echoed across the open sea, like a dry thunderstorm, alarming Grove 7 and several surrounding numbered islands.
"What's going on?"
"Thunder? Or cannons?"
"Sounds like artillery fire!"
"Go see what's happening!"
"..."
The outlaws in this lawless land felt a tremor in their hearts. Many of those who had long roamed the seas quickly distinguished the continuous booming as cannon fire, specifically the sound of heavy ship-mounted guns.
To be firing so brazenly in the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago, it could only be the World Nobles, the Marines, or a madman from the Pirate King's crew.
"Dinelli-sama, it's bad! Our ship's been attacked by Marine warships!"
Outside a large warehouse on the edge of the town, a pirate scrambled over, screaming in terror.
Dinelli, resembling a mummy wrapped in bandages, emerged from the warehouse. He grabbed the pirate by the collar and chuckled sinisterly, "Hehehe~ So we really were discovered. Looks like Dingman-san's going to have a headache... Marines, how many are there?"
"I-I don't know, but there are two warships!" the reporting pirate stammered.
"Go inform Dingman-san. It looks like we might have a fight with the Marines right here in the Sabaody Archipelago, kakaka~ How thrilling!" Dinelli became excited, and the burn scars on his face twisted, making him look even more terrifying.
"No need, I'm already back!"
Just then, Dingman, dressed in a striking crimson tailcoat, walked over from outside, followed by over a hundred of his subordinates.
"When I heard the cannon fire in town, I knew something was wrong. I didn't expect it to actually be the Marines... No, it must be World Government agents!" Dingman's face was grim as he spoke solemnly, "We were probably discovered by those ubiquitous bastards the moment we landed on Sabaody Archipelago, which is why the Marines are attacking us so quickly!"
"Dingman-sama, our ship has been heavily damaged! Two of the coating masters who were helping us were killed by Marine cannonballs!" the reporting pirate urgently added.
"What about Marley? I remember he was supposed to be on standby on the ship. With his strength, deflecting cannonballs shouldn't be difficult, should it?" Dingman narrowed his eyes, suppressing his anger as he questioned.
"Uh..." The pirate looked troubled, hesitating for a few seconds before saying, "Well... Marley-sama drank too much and has been sleeping on the ship. We haven't been able to wake him up!"
Upon hearing this, Dingman's facial muscles twitched. He gritted his teeth and fumed, "That bastard... does he want me to drain his blood and turn him into a husk?"
Pereperepere... Pereperepere...
Suddenly, the distinct sound of a Den Den Mushi emanated from Dingman's pocket, drawing the attention of the Blood pirates. Dingman frowned, reaching into his pocket to pull out a chubby, pointy-chinned Den Den Mushi.
Click~
"Knox, where are you?"
"Dingman-sama, I'm on Grove 8, but it looks like you're cornered on Grove 7! I see a lot of Marines on the bridge connecting Grove 7 and Grove 8! My goodness! They've blocked the bridge, no one's allowed in or out! I also heard cannon fire, have we been discovered? Oh, damn it, me and dozens of brothers are still on Grove 8, should we rush over to find you...?" The Den Den Mushi, once activated, rambled on like a chatterbox.
"Shut up! Let me gather my thoughts!" Dingman felt a headache coming on and couldn't help but snap.
"Okay, Dingman-sama. It seems we've been discovered. What a headache..."
"Damn it, shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!"
"Alright, I'm shutting up!"
"Stop talking!"
"..."
Hearing the chatterbox on the other end of the Den Den Mushi finally fall silent, Dingman let out a long sigh of relief, rubbing his throbbing temples. Though Knox was a chatterbox, Dingman had still gleaned important information from him.
Clearly, the Marines had come prepared, launching an attack not only from the sea but also deploying troops on land.
"Since the Marines have blocked the bridge connecting Grove 7 and Grove 8, then the bridges from Grove 7 to other islands are probably also blocked. Plus, the Marine warships attacked our ship as soon as they arrived on the sea... They've decided to wipe us out completely on Grove 7 of the Sabaody Archipelago!" Dingman muttered to himself, deep in thought.
Upon hearing their captain's words, the faces of the Blood pirates changed drastically. With Marines surrounding them on both land and sea, wouldn't they be trapped and killed here?
"Heheheh~ The Marines sure have a big appetite! Aren't they afraid of overeating with just the Sabaody Archipelago garrison?" Dinelli scoffed, "Who doesn't know the Marines' attention is all on the monsters in the New World now? Could it be Kong himself has made a move? But, I guess we don't have that much pull, do we?"
"Don't underestimate the Marines!"
Dingman's face was ashen as he spoke seriously, "As the army of justice, the Marines are the sole overlords of the seas! Moreover, I've heard that a powerful new rookie has recently emerged at Marine Headquarters, marked by riding a giant silver eagle, coming and going like the wind. There are many discussions in taverns, saying that during the 'Mariejois Attack Incident,' that rookie, by himself, quelled the chaos on dozens of islands in one night! Maybe we'll encounter them this time!"
"Heheheh~ Then I'd love to have a good meeting with them!" Dinelli sneered, extending his tongue with interest to lick the blade of the long-handled dagger in his hand.
"Knox, don't make any moves yet. Stay hidden and wait for my signal!"
Click~
Then, Dingman spoke to the Den Den Mushi, which he hadn't yet hung up, and without waiting for the chatterbox Knox to reply, he decisively ended the call.
"Dingman-san, do you have a plan? Heheheh~" Dinelli inquired.
"The Marines attacking our ship from the sea probably want to destroy or capture the Blooddrop to cut off our escape route. So, we'll counterattack, defeat the Marines on the sea, and try to retake the Blooddrop. If the Blooddrop is destroyed, we'll figure out a way to seize a Marine warship, then loop around to pick up Knox!" Dingman replied.
"I have no problem with the plan, but..."
Dinelli turned his head to look at the dozens of large iron crates piled inside the warehouse, asking again, "What about these things? If we abandon them here, the Marines or World Government agents might take them back!"
Hearing Dinelli's words, Dingman also felt a surge of irritation and grumbled, "Then what? We can't very well carry them into battle, can we?"
"Wait, I have an idea!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he thought of a solution and said to Dinelli, "I'll leave you with 50 men. You're responsible for guarding these! The rest will come with me to take back the ship. And while we're at it, have Knox cause some trouble on Grove 8; the bigger, the better. We need to attract the attention of the Marines on land!"
"Once I defeat the Marines at sea, I'll notify you. Then we'll gather the goods and retreat together!"
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