Due to their severe injuries, Raleigh and Rayleigh finally chose to withdraw.
They returned to their own ships to heal.
Only Garp and Roger remained, their eternal rivalry continuing in fierce combat.
Whoosh!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battle at the G-5 Branch was intense, and the fighting in the surrounding waters was just as brutal.
Cannonballs roared endlessly
Some exploded into massive sprays of water on the sea surface, while others blasted giant holes in enemy ships.
The broken pirate vessels burned brightly across the water, covering the area in thick, black smoke.
Marine soldiers constantly carried fresh water from the ship's lower decks to cool down the overheating cannon barrels.
Using the new artillery designed by Vegapunk, the Marines easily crushed the disorganized pirate crews with their overwhelming firepower.
Meanwhile, Marine officers of all ranks from Headquarters and the Four Blues had gone into a combat frenzy.
The pirates lacked the Marines' strict discipline.
They were brutal when they were winning, but when they had to fight tough, losing battles, they were quickly crushed by the Marines because they valued their own lives too much.
Right now, the large fleet originally made up of dozens of pirate ships had already been scattered.
If it were not for Kaido and his Beast Pirates, this group of pirates would have been completely wiped out by now.
Currently, Kaido alone was holding back four or five Marine rear-admirals.
"Kaido-san, the divisions of the Whitebeard Pirates have arrived," King said.
After punching Tokikake backward, Kaido quickly flew to King's side.
He glared furiously at the Marine officers across from him.
In terms of pure strength, none of these Marines could handle his attacks.
But there were just so many of them!
To the Marines, Kaido's attacks were large movements they could dodge.
Even if they could not dodge, they could take turns blocking them together.
For now, simply holding Kaido back and stopping him from joining the main battle was already a huge success for the Navy.
The final outcome of this war did not depend on the low- and mid-level fighters.
It depended entirely on the top-tier combatants. So far, neither the pirates nor the Marines had lost any of their top-tier fighters.
However, Fleet Admiral Kong had already secretly arrived at a position less than a hundred nautical miles away.
Unnoticed by anyone, he was quickly speeding toward the battlefield.
....
Night fell, and everyone temporarily stopped fighting.
After a full day of intense battle, most people on both sides were completely exhausted.
Many did not even bother eating a proper meal.
They simply chewed a few bites of dried meat before collapsing into a deep sleep.
On the largest Marine warship, all the high-ranking officers gathered together.
Among them, the three most severely injured men were eating large mouthfuls of energy-rich food, while the others ate normally.
One was Garp, who had fought desperately against Roger.
The second was Sakazuki, who had clashed fiercely with Whitebeard.
The third was Raleigh, who had faced both Roger and Whitebeard sides.
Sengoku adjusted his glasses and looked at the men around him.
"Right now, the pirates' combat strength is clearly dropping, while we hold a massive advantage," Sengoku said.
"Raleigh is too severely injured, and so is Sakazuki. They will not be fighting tomorrow."
"Over these past few days of non-stop combat, we have greatly weakened the pirates' forces. Whitebeard has already been seriously wounded in his battle with Sakazuki. We must eliminate Whitebeard during tomorrow's battle. At the same time, if we get the chance, we should strike to kill the other major pirates too."
After a short pause, Sengoku continued. "Tomorrow, Garp will keep Roger busy. Kuzan will suppress Wendell Wickliffe. I will handle Whitebeard, and Borsalino will help me take him down."
Everyone nodded.
Just as they were about to stand up, a voice rang out.
"Sengoku, your arrangements are excellent."
A tall, muscular man wearing a Marine Fleet Admiral's cloak walked into the room.
Seeing the man, everyone stood up in surprise and saluted.
"Fleet Admiral Kong!"
Sengoku was deeply surprised to see Kong here.
Kong casually waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit down.
Sengoku quickly offered up the central seat at the table.
Kong sat down without hesitation and spoke directly. "I will not waste words. Many pirates in the New World have started to make their move."
"You may not know this, but the remaining members of the Rocks Pirates have all gathered here, except for Golden Lion Shiki, who was already defeated. Kaido has been blocked on the outer edges, but Charlotte Linlin is expected to arrive here tomorrow."
"At the same time, several large pirate crews have formed a massive fleet under the command of some mysterious force, and they are heading right for us. We need to end this quickly."
Hearing Kong's words, the Marine officers' expressions turned very serious.
Fortunately, Fleet Admiral Kong had arrived early and brought this crucial information.
Otherwise, when they fought the pirates tomorrow and tried to kill Whitebeard, they would have been ambushed by Big Mom.
That would have turned the battle into another endless war of survival.
Kong waited until all the officers had processed the news before he spoke again.
"The plans we just discussed will not change, but I will personally handle Charlotte Linlin. If she does not attack, neither will I."
"Sengoku, eliminate Whitebeard as quickly as possible. Then, we will gather our forces and see if we can take out the other major pirates before they escape."
Top-tier fighters were extremely difficult to kill, unless two fighters of the same level teamed up.
But Whitebeard was different right now.
He was already severely injured from days of brutal fighting, barely hanging on by a thread.
With Sengoku and Borsalino both in relatively good condition, teaming up meant they were almost guaranteed to succeed tomorrow.
At that moment, Sakazuki and Raleigh, who had been busy absorbing their food's life energy, opened their eyes at the exact same time.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, I can still fight!"
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Whitebeard is my prey!"
The two spoke together, begging Kong for the chance to fight.
Kong frowned.
He did not want to let Sakazuki and Raleigh fight while they were this injured.
But seeing the pure determination in their eyes, and knowing how close they were to winning after days of struggle, Kong found it impossible to say no.
Sakazuki, especially, had fought incredibly hard.
He deserved a share of the credit for defeating Whitebeard.
Kong finally nodded. "Do not push yourselves past your limits."
...
On the pirate ship, the mood was heavy.
"Newgate, since we cannot gain any advantage this time, let us think about how to retreat," Roger said.
Whitebeard responded with a bitter smile. "Roger, it will not be that easy. The Marines have us completely surrounded. Their constant attacks these past few days were meant to wear us down. Their main goal is to trap me in these waters and kill me."
A determined flash appeared in Whitebeard's eyes as he continued.
"Kaido will help us break through the Marines' outer blockade. I have also contacted Charlotte Linlin. Starting tomorrow, I will hold off Garp and Sengoku while you all retreat under Charlotte Linlin's cover."
Roger and Rayleigh nodded in agreement, accepting the plan calmly.
However, Wendell Wickliffe looked completely shocked and angry.
"Hey, Whitebeard! Are you planning to sacrifice yourself with this plan? Bullshit! If you die, who am I supposed to get my reward from?"
Whitebeard showed a guilty expression. "My apologies, Wendell Wickliffe, but I will not let your hard work go unrewarded. After you escape, find Marco. He knows where I have hidden a massive treasure trove."
Then, turning to Roger with complete seriousness, Whitebeard said, "Roger, out of all my sons, Marco worries me the most. If it does not mess up your own plans, I would appreciate it if you could look after him."
Seeing Whitebeard's deadly serious expression, Roger understood.
This was his last request.
Even though Whitebeard and the Roger Pirates were rivals who had clashed many times on the high seas, facing death made them put aside their small differences.
Trusting your child to a rival was the highest level of respect a pirate could show.
Roger could not help but wonder—if he ever needed to trust someone with his own child someday, who would he choose?
The Marines' Zephyr or Garp?
A fellow pirate like Charlotte Linlin?
Or maybe Wendell Wickliffe?
Roger suddenly chuckled to himself.
His goals were far from finished.
He did not even have a wife yet, so how could he think about leaving behind an heir?
"No problem, Newgate," Roger smiled warmly. "After we get out of here, I will find Marco and ask him. If he wants to, he can start as an apprentice on our ship until he is strong enough to sail out on his own."