Wolf also saw the four pirate ships, led by Squard, rushing to reinforce Whitebeard.
But after hearing Sandersonia's command, he scratched his chin in a daze and said hesitantly, "But... I only take orders from the Captain. You joined after me, so you have no right to command me..."
Sandersonia was so frustrated she nearly died of anger. With such a major enemy in front of them, who cared about the order of joining?
Meanwhile, the four pirate ships led by Squard were speeding toward them. Seeing Wolf's massive body, Squard swung his great sword forward. "Aim for that big guy! Fire!"
The command was given, and the cannons lining the four pirate ships' sides were all aimed at Wolf.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Instantly, countless cannonballs exploded on Wolf's body. The powerful barrage slowly forced his giant frame backward.
Even if he could use it, his control of Armament Haki was still rudimentary. Coupled with a full day of fighting nearly half of the Whitebeard Pirates' crew, Wolf was not in his initial state.
Under the fierce assault from Squard and the others, he was forced to retreat.
"Damn it! If they get to shore, we'll be in trouble. But we don't have anyone to stop them..." Sandersonia gritted her teeth.
Dealing with the remaining half of Whitebeard's crew was already a huge challenge for the Kuja. Now, with four more pirate crews joining the fight, the situation would turn completely against them.
McGuy, one of the four arriving captains with a zigzag beard, saw this and shouted, "The road- blocking Wolf has been blown back! Full speed ahead! We'll land on the island in three minutes!"
"OHHH!!!" the other pirates behind him roared with excitement. BOOM!
In that very instant, the mast of McGuy's pirate ship was blown apart by a cannonball from an unknown direction.
Amid the fierce explosion, the top half of the mast crashed down. Amid the crew's screams, everyone—from the Whitebeard Pirates to the Kuja—was confused.
Who? Who fired that shot?
A few miles away from the island, the Marines responsible for monitoring the battle were also stunned. Where did that cannonball come from?
When they used their binoculars to look in the direction the shot came from, they saw five more pirate ships rushing toward the battlefield between the Kuja and the Whitebeard Pirates. The reconnaissance Marine looked at the flags on the ships.
At first glance, they seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite remember them. When Tsuru asked, he stammered, unable to answer.
Tsuru took the binoculars herself. With just one look, she recognized the symbols.
"It's them. I didn't see this coming at all," Tsuru said, lowering the binoculars with a deep gaze. Shirokitsune came up and asked, "Vice Admiral Tsuru, who are these intruders?"
Tsuru's expression was grim. "Iron Mask Matthew, Blade-Sword Stragus, and Iron Arm Urdaha."
Shirokitsune couldn't immediately place the names, but Momousagi's expression instantly tensed. "I didn't think they'd get involved. Judging by that last attack, they're against Whitebeard, right?"
Another female Marine with a greatsword on her back couldn't stand the suspense and asked, "Momousagi-senpai, who are they? Please tell us!"
Momousagi's beauty mark at the corner of her lips quirked slightly. "Do you remember a few years ago when Golden Lion Shiki and Alucard the Immortal attacked Marineford and the World Government from two directions?"
"Of course," the female Marines nodded. It was a major event they could never forget.
"During that battle, not all of Shiki's great fleet was arrested. A portion of them managed to escape from our forces in the final stages."
If the other Marines couldn't understand her meaning after she'd said that much, they'd be complete idiots.
Shirokitsune and the others squinted at the battle, vaguely making out the flashes of cannon fire.
"I've heard that Shiki's fleet is still wandering around. I never expected them to get involved in this," Tsuru said, frowning. This was the only thing that had gone beyond her predictions.
It was something that was simply impossible to predict.
"What should we do, Tsuru-nee? Should we call for reinforcements as well?" Momousagi asked, moving closer to Tsuru.
"Don't be rash. Even if Matthew's group comes, they'll just neutralize Squard's group at most."
Tsuru kept her head clear. "The main characters of this war are still Alucard and Whitebeard. As long as they don't change their positions, we shouldn't make any rash moves."
"Understood!"
On the battlefield, because of the interference of Matthew, Stragus, and the others, Squard's group failed to seize their golden opportunity to land on the island.
McGuy and the commander of the seventh division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Rakuyo, clearly recognized Stragus. Golden Lion and Whitebeard had fought many times in the past, so they immediately recognized each other. McGuy shouted, "Stragus! Urdaha! What is the meaning of this?!"
Stragus stood at the bow of one of the ships with his crew. He held a large katana in one hand and a giant sword in the other, which was why he was known as "Blade-Sword Stragus."
Hearing McGuy's shout, he laughed back loudly, "McGuy, we, the former Golden Lion fleet, have a long history with you Whitebeard Pirates. Do we need to waste so many words? The reason we came here is to finish you off!"
Poot. Poot. Poot. Poot.
Suddenly, a sound like flatulence came from a man dressed like a circus clown in a blue suit. Alucard recognized this man: the former scientist of Golden Lion's fleet, Shiki's right-hand man, Dr. Indigo.
As if performing a mime act, Dr. Indigo made several gestures before finally speaking, much to the confusion of the others. "According to my latest invention, the battle between Alucard and Whitebeard is likely nearing its end."
"You can talk!" Stragus and the other former members of the Golden Lion crew complained.
Stragus cleared his throat, his eyes narrowed. "In that case, we can't delay this battle any longer. We have to show off our formidable strength!"
With that in mind, Stragus waved his hand and roared, "Get 'em, boys! Full-out assault!"
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