"Gurararara, don't worry, there aren't any fish-men beneath the waves now. I just never imagined that Kaido brat recruited Fish-Men for his crew in this manner—sabotaging ships from below the waterline. Not a bad tactic at all," Newgate laughed heartily.
First Mate Whitby walked up to Whitebeard, voicing a slight concern. "Pops, should we recruit some Fish-Men too? Attacks from the seafloor are indeed hard to guard against." Her words drew agreement from many crew members.
Hearing this, Whitebeard's laughter boomed even louder. "Gurararara! No need! I am Whitebeard!" He swept his gaze over every crew member on the deck, his eyes shining with paternal affection. "On this ship, everyone is my family. I won't just recruit anyone to deal with an enemy."
"That's right! Pops is invincible!" The pirates on the ship shouted in unison.
For years, the Whitebeard Pirates had swept through the Grand Line unchallenged. Under Whitebeard's protection, even the most ordinary crew member rarely met with misfortune. This sense of security had fostered an almost blind worship of Whitebeard throughout the crew.
At that moment, their ship had just crested Wano's spectacular waterfall and was sailing into the calm waters of the inner sea.
Whitebeard gazed into the distance but did not see the expected azure dragon. "Gurararara, seems the Kaido brat isn't home." He tightened his grip on the great sword Murakumogiri in his hand, its blade glinting coldly in the sunlight.
"Listen up! Full speed ahead!" Whitebeard pointed his blade toward the direction of Wano Country, his voice thundering. "Let's go see what the Beasts Pirates' officers are made of!"
"Aye, Pops!" the crew chorused. The helmsman immediately adjusted the course, the lookout in the crow's nest redoubled his focus, and the gunners checked each cannon.
Meanwhile, at Port Idate in Kuri.
All the core officers of the Beasts Pirates had gathered. The sea wind, carrying a salty, briny scent, whipped at everyone's clothing. The atmosphere at the port was heavy and murderous. Everyone understood that what they were about to face might be an unprecedented, brutal battle.
Standing at the front of the formation were the three Mythical Zoan users: King, wielder of the Kōmori Kōmori no Mi, Model: Vampire; Bullet, master of the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami, his fists clenched; and Queen, possessor of the Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi, wearing his signature grin. Behind them were several other powerful officers: Urouge, user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daidarabotchi; Moria, user of the Paramecia Kage Kage no Mi; Commodore Gavin, wielder of the Zoan Type, Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Brachiosaurus; the master swordsman Nour Morris; and two Ordinary Zoan users—Cedric (Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Gray Wolf) and Nixon (Uma Uma no Mi user).
As for those who had pledged allegiance, like Hyogoro and Fukurokuju, King had decided after careful consideration to have them remain and guard the Flower Capital.
"All hands, board the ships!" King said coldly.
He was the first to stride aboard a pirate ship. Bullet and Queen, seeing King give the orders, curled their lips in dissatisfaction. However, with a powerful enemy at their gates, now wasn't the time for internal strife. They each boarded a different ship.
Thus, the officers left behind by the Beasts Pirates boarded three large three-masted sailing ships, each meticulously crafted recently by Wano's finest artisans.
Each ship was 157 meters long, 39 meters wide, and 31 meters tall, with a draft of 8 meters. They each featured three large sails: the foresail, mainsail, and mizzen, all made from the branches of the Adam Tree. In total, they were equipped with 64 cannons: 42 eighteen-pounders, 18 twenty-four-pounders, and 4 thirty-two-pounders.
Both the bow and stern featured a triple-gun turret, each housing one thirty-two-pounder and two twenty-four-pounders. Each broadside had 21 eighteen-pounders, 6 twenty-four-pounders, and 1 thirty-two-pounder. Their firepower could be said to be extremely formidable. While it couldn't match the sheer power of the large-caliber cannons on Buster Call battleships, they surpassed them in the sheer number of guns.
"Set sail!" At King's command, the three warships flying the Beasts Pirates' Jolly Roger cut through the waves, heading straight for the outer sea. The sea wind roared, causing the sails to flap with a heavy sound. The pirates on the decks all wore grim expressions, gripping their weapons tightly.
In an open expanse of Wano's inner sea, the three warships fanned out, surrounding the majestic, whale-like Moby Dick. King stood at the prow of the flagship, his black wings shimmering with a metallic luster under the sun. Looking down from his vantage point at Whitebeard seated on his throne-chair on the deck, his voice was icy. "Whitebeard! These are the waters of the Beasts Pirates. No passage permitted!"
"Gurararara!" Newgate's boisterous laughter echoed across the sea. He rose slowly, Murakumogiri scraping a shallow groove on the deck. Although he hadn't released his Haoshoku Haki, every step taken by this "World's Strongest Man" made the ordinary pirates on the opposing ships feel short of breath, cold sweat breaking out on their brows.
"Brat, you're not qualified to talk to me," Whitebeard said, looking down on King, his voice like muffled thunder. "Send Kaido out!"
King's pupils constricted, his hand instinctively moving to the hilt of Enma. "Big Brother Kaido isn't here. Right now, Wano is under my command."
Clang! Murakumogiri was planted heavily on the deck with an earsplitting sound. Whitebeard laughed. "Gurararara! Forget that Kaido isn't here. Even if he were, he couldn't stop my ship!"
"Well said! Pops goes wherever he wants!"
"Who does the Beasts Pirates think they are, trying to stop us?"
The Whitebeard Pirates' crew members were fired up. Marco stood at the front, hands in his pockets, bluish-green flames dancing at the tips of his hair. Jozu flexed his diamond-hardened arms, producing crackling sounds.
King's gaze turned completely cold. He slowly drew Enma, its black blade shimmering with a sinister purple light. "If that's the case, then words are useless." At his command, the gun ports on all three warships simultaneously lit up with fire.
"Fire!"
Deafening cannon roars rang out in succession. Over a hundred cannonballs tore across the sky, casting dense shadows on the blue sea below. At such close range, with such concentrated firepower, even a massive ship like the Moby Dick had nowhere to dodge.
Yet, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates remained utterly composed. Their gazes, filled with unwavering faith, were fixed on that tall, broad back. With the World's Strongest Man here, what were a few cannonballs?
Newgate clenched his right fist, a transparent spherical aura condensing around it. He swung it forward with a casual, almost dismissive motion.
Crack—Crack—Crack
The air shattered like a mirror. A terrifying tremor shockwave spread outward with overwhelming force. The incoming cannonballs exploded mid-air one after another, transforming into a fiery rain. The sea surface convulsed violently, churning up waves several meters high. The Beasts Pirates' warships rocked fiercely in the swells, many pirates losing their footing and tumbling onto the decks.
***
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