Despite the Red-Haired Pirates appearing to have vanished over the last few months, the truth was quite different.
Their overall strength had grown significantly.
A good half of the Whitebeard Division Commanders they had rescued had ultimately decided to stay with the Red-Haired Pirates. Furthermore, they had been scouring the world for powerful warriors and high-potential recruits to join their ranks. Consequently, their mid-to-high-level combat power had increased drastically.
However, the peak power of the crew still rested solely with Shanks and Ben Beckman.
While Beckman's strength hadn't quite reached the Emperor-level, he was the closest to that peak among all the first mates of the Four Emperors. More importantly, Beckman's true asset was never just raw power—it was his intellect.
In a previous life, many had regarded him as one of the eight most intelligent people in the world of pirates. It could be said that a large part of Shanks' success was due to Ben Beckman's guidance and support.
"Shanks, we certainly need to intervene in the current situation, but we must be careful about the extent of our involvement," Beckman stated.
"You have to realize that the New World Marine isn't the same as the original Headquarters Marine. They have at least seven combatants with Admiral-level strength. In my estimation, Sean might even possess the capability to fight two Emperors simultaneously."
"While Sean might not necessarily win a fight against two Emperors, he wouldn't necessarily lose either. At the very least, he wouldn't be defeated in a short amount of time."
"This presents us with a serious problem. If we remove two Emperor-level fighters from the equation, can the remaining Emperor and the other executives take down six Admiral-level combatants, two Admiral Candidates, and a massive number of Vice Admirals?"
"And don't forget, the reason Sean's subordinates are so strong is largely due to the power of his ordinary marines!"
"Based on the strength those ordinary marines displayed during the Paramount War, even the most conservative estimate suggests that hundreds of them have a Doriki of over a thousand. Even the weakest among them are likely around three or four hundred."
As the crew members were gradually being woken up, Beckman provided this detailed analysis to Shanks.
Indeed, even if three Emperors worked together, they might not necessarily gain an advantage against Sean. Therefore, while Beckman supported immediate intervention, he opposed an all-out conflict.
The critical issue now was how to intervene and how to control the scale of the conflict.
Hearing this, Shanks frowned deeply.
Though he usually acted carefree and laid-back, he was far from stupid. In fact, among the Four Emperors, Shanks was undoubtedly the most calculating and strategic.
Though he hated to admit it, everything Beckman said was flawless.
Without even realizing it, the balance of power between the pirates and the marine had shifted so drastically that it felt as though the roles had been completely reversed. The change had been so abrupt that Shanks hadn't even had time to process it.
He was right... an all-out conflict was out of the question.
This world didn't just consist of the Marine and the Pirates. If the three Emperors and the New World Marine fought to a standstill and exhausted their strength, other forces would inevitably step in to reap the rewards.
For instance, the rulers of the Underground World, or perhaps... the Revolutionary Army?
That was not an outcome Shanks wanted to see.
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"According to current intelligence, the weakest of the Marine's three fleets is the one commanded by Akainu. He is currently sweeping through various islands to clear out the garrisons left behind by the other two Emperor crews. After all, he is the only Admiral-level fighter in that fleet."
"So, we launch a surprise attack on Akainu's fleet?"
"Exactly. Since Sean used the tactic of hitting the rear to force the main forces of two Emperor crews to return for defense, allowing Akainu to sweep and occupy the islands, we can do the same!"
"I see," Shanks nodded. "You mean we pull a 'backdoor strike' to force Sean's other two fleets to return and defend. Then, we contact Kaido and Big Mom to form an alliance and create a stalemate with Sean."
Shanks understood Beckman's plan. It was essentially a direct copy of the tactics Sean had employed.
First, they would resolve the crises in Totto Land and Wano Country, then bring in the other two Emperor crews to face off against the New World Marine. Once that was achieved, Sean would likely stop his offensive and be forced to end the war.
After all, mutual destruction wasn't an outcome Sean wanted either.
"Let's do it. We set sail immediately!"
'''
The outer seas of Wano Country.
The New World Marine's First Fleet had been using the advanced weaponry on their warships to hold off Kaido for seven full minutes, preventing him from ever reaching the fleet.
However, as time passed, the drawbacks of conventional heat-based weaponry began to surface. Because all weapons had been firing at maximum rate, many of the autocannons had to stop attacking due to overheating barrels.
Even the large-caliber anti-aircraft guns could not sustain the barrage for much longer.
Meanwhile, although Kaido had a few scratches on his body, none of them were serious. In fact, if the fleet stopped firing and gave Kaido a few minutes to recover, he would likely heal completely. His physical resilience was simply absurd.
"Usopp, cease fire!"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
Upon receiving the order, Usopp wiped the sweat from his forehead. For those seven minutes, his nerves had been stretched to the limit; a single mistake would have allowed Kaido to breach the line.
If Kaido ever charged into the heart of the fleet, it would become a massacre. At that range, the main ship cannons would be useless—not only because they risked hitting allied ships, but because the turret rotation speed couldn't keep up with Kaido's movement.
Using only the secondary batteries and small-caliber rapid-fire guns wouldn't be enough to stop him.
"Hawkeye, care to test your skills against Kaido?"
"Leave it to me!"
Hawkeye's eyes lit up at the invitation, and he immediately stepped forward to meet the enemy.
The reason Sean sent Hawkeye was that he was genuinely curious about what kind of Zanpakutō the man had acquired. Although Hawkeye had used a Zanpakutō during the battle at Impel Down while fighting Dragon and several Revolutionary Army executives, Sean had been unable to watch the fight because he had to rush to Marineford.
It had always been a regret of his.
"Sean, Admiral Akainu has sent the latest report. Just as we expected, the bulk of the Beast Pirates' and Big Mom's main forces have already withdrawn and are heading toward Wano Country and Totto Land at full speed."
"Furthermore, according to Princess Violet's surveillance, that man has begun to move!"
That man... Red-Haired Shanks!
He was the one Sean had instructed Princess Violet to monitor with the utmost priority.
Had it not been for his concerns regarding the chaos that man might cause, Sean's objective wouldn't have been merely seizing territory; he would have sought to completely annihilate the crews of both Kaido and Big Mom.
Given the current overwhelming power of the Marines in the New World, they certainly weren't afraid to wage war against three Emperor crews simultaneously.
However... just as Beckman had analyzed, a pyrrhic victory—or a situation where both sides were crippled—was not the outcome Sean desired.
Because Sean's ultimate goal in this world had never been these pirate emperors. It was...
The World Government! And the Celestial Dragons!!