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"Please don't plant flags casually."
"What does flying the flag mean?" Gaban looked confused.
"Well, planting a flag means setting a goal for yourself first, but the result is exactly what you thought."
"Then it's better not to plant the flag," Gaban said with lingering fear.
Larson breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this whole thing seemed too ominous. Sometimes it's hard not to believe it, especially since he had witnessed a lot in his previous life. Generally, after someone sets a goal, sudden and unexpected accidents always seem to strike, disrupting everything.
Larson had also watched too many movies and TV series, and now he was left with lasting effects from those experiences.
Gaban didn't chat with Larson for long, as he still had everyone to gather. Once everyone was assembled in front of him, Larson joined. He looked at the crew of the Whitebeard Pirates and said, "Everyone listen up, all actions for this retreat must be strictly according to orders. If anyone dares to disobey Gaban's command, then stop calling yourself a member of the Whitebeard Pirates."
Hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the Whitebeard Pirates crew members became serious.
Gaban smiled and said, "Don't be so tense, everyone. We can go back the same way we came. Don't forget who we are. A small forest like this won't trap us if something goes wrong."
"All right," Rayleigh added, "Don't waste time. Let's move quickly."
The ominous black tide was getting closer to them. If they didn't move soon, they would be completely surrounded and unable to escape.
"Understood," Gaban nodded. He looked at Roger and Whitebeard, then at Larson and Rayleigh, and finally, with a determined expression, he said, "You must help me find out what's going on here!"
"Don't worry, I'll tie it up right in front of you, and you can do whatever you want with it," Larson replied with a grin.
"Hey, let's go!" Gaban raised his hand. "Brothers, we retreat!"
"Oh!" The pirates responded with enthusiasm. Although they were retreating, their spirits were at an all-time high due to what Larson and Rayleigh had said earlier.
Everyone held their heads high, following Gaban and running at full speed.
Larson and Rayleigh only looked away once the backs of their comrades were completely out of sight. Larson glanced at the black tide, which was now less than 50 meters away, and then looked towards Whitebeard and Roger. "Let's move quickly," he urged.
If these ominous shadows caught up, it would be a major problem.
"Understood," Rayleigh nodded, and everyone started sprinting deeper into the forest.
The black tide continued to chase after them. To Larson's relief, it seemed that the tide wasn't spreading towards the route Gaban and the others had taken. Instead, it focused solely on Larson and his group.
This situation relieved Larson but also gave him a headache. How much resentment did this tide harbor against them?
Why did it seem to only target Larson and his group? Logically, Gaban and the others had more people and should be more noticeable to the tide, yet it seemed oblivious to them.
Could it be that it remembered who had killed the most shadows?
Larson felt a little worried. If that was the case, it could be bad. Among so many people, he had slain the most shadows. Whitebeard and Roger followed closely behind, with Rayleigh next. Among the captains of the two ships, Gaban had killed the least. That might explain why the tide ignored him.
After all, with four large fish here, losing one small one like Gaban didn't seem to matter.
With that thought, an idea struck Larson.
He turned to Roger and Whitebeard and said, "We should split up later. Old Bai, you'll come with me, while Captain Roger and Rayleigh go together."
Although no one fully understood Larson's reasoning, they still nodded in agreement.
"Okay, it's settled then. Follow my instructions later. When I give the signal, we split!" Larson ordered.
"Understood," they responded.
They kept running for a while longer until Larson suddenly yelled, "Now, run!"
Roger and Rayleigh immediately darted in one direction, while Larson and Whitebeard rushed in the opposite direction.
As Larson ran, his attention was fixed on the black tide behind him. He noticed that the moment they split up, the black tide behind him divided itself from the middle, splitting into two separate currents that pursued both groups.
Larson's eyelids twitched. It was exactly as he suspected. These things recognized who had killed more shadows.
The tide hadn't bothered chasing Gaban before, likely because the few shadows Gaban defeated weren't worth its special effort. But Larson and his companions were a different matter.
In the eyes of the shadows, they were the big fish, and to catch them, the black tide continued its relentless chase even after the groups separated.
"Well!" Larson took a deep breath, relieved that his plan had worked.
He also noticed something else: after splitting, the black tide's speed had noticeably slowed. Within a short time, Larson and Whitebeard had managed to open a considerable distance between themselves and the tide.
Of course, they had experienced this before. Even with this distance, it wouldn't be long before the tide would inevitably catch up.
"Old Bai, I've realized something else..." Larson shared his observations with Whitebeard.
Whitebeard looked a bit resigned. "You and I both know that even if you tell me these things, it won't change much. I can't think of a solution."
Larson patted Whitebeard on the shoulder with a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I'm just trying to remind you I'm still here."
Whitebeard: "..."
"There's someone ahead!" Whitebeard suddenly focused on the jungle before them, sensing two powerful auras. Larson sensed it as well.
Larson narrowed his eyes. "Let's go check it out."
Whitebeard roughly pushed through the dense leaves. When he and Larson saw the figures beyond, both were momentarily stunned.
Four pairs of eyes locked onto each other, and the air suddenly turned silent, thick with an awkward tension. No one spoke for several seconds.
"What are you doing here?" Sengoku frowned, breaking the silence.
Indeed, it was Sengoku and Garp standing before them.
Larson hadn't expected to encounter them in this place.
Considering their previous positions on the first floor, Sengoku and Garp should have been behind them. However, the time spent fighting the shadows must have allowed Sengoku and Garp to reach the front.
The atmosphere grew tense. Whitebeard tightened his grip on his naginata, eagerness flashing in his eyes. Garp, on the other hand, seemed equally ready, gearing up with a determined stance.
At that moment, an idea formed in Larson's mind.
He subtly tugged on Whitebeard's arm, then stepped forward, past him. Flashing a gentle smile at Sengoku and Garp, Larson spoke up, "Hello there, how about we all get through this together peacefully?"
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