After finishing the call, Wang Zhi calmly hung up the phone.
He already knew Marco would never let this matter go.
Fortunately, he had been preparing for this outcome for many years.
Beehive Island, also known as Hachinosu, was an isolated stronghold surrounded on all sides by the former territory of the Whitebeard Pirates.
For decades, it had been a lingering source of unease for Wang Zhi.
He was painfully aware of the enormous gap between himself and Edward Newgate.
In the past, he constantly feared that the Whitebeard Pirates would one day turn their attention toward Beehive Island.
Because of that fear, more than twenty years ago, Wang Zhi began personally overseeing the construction of defensive fortifications across the entire island.
Every wall, bunker, and passageway was designed with one enemy in mind: Whitebeard.
What Wang Zhi never anticipated was that Whitebeard would not only refrain from attacking him, but would also leave Beehive Island untouched until his death.
In hindsight, Wang Zhi realized that he had judged Whitebeard through a narrow and distrustful lens.
Still, those fortifications had not gone to waste.
They simply had a new enemy now.
Standing nearby, Doran could not hide his concern.
His brows were tightly furrowed as he spoke.
"Captain, if they truly launch a full-scale assault, the surface defenses alone may not be enough.
To hold out, we might have to rely on the underground tunnel network.
The Phoenix Pirates have over a dozen division commanders, and none of them are easy opponents."
Most of the core members of the Wang Zhi Pirates were already past their prime.
Many were over fifty years old, veterans of a failed era.
They had long since lost their ambition, choosing instead to follow Wang Zhi and spend their remaining years in quiet survival on Beehive Island.
They had all been defeated before, crushed by monsters like Golden Lion Shiki, Gol D. Roger, and Whitebeard.
Whatever fighting spirit they once possessed had been worn away by time.
All they wanted now was a peaceful retirement.
They never expected that such a catastrophe would still come knocking.
Wang Zhi let out a cold snort, his expression steady and confident.
"When I ordered these defenses built, I never believed they could truly stop Whitebeard.
Their purpose was never victory, only delay.
As long as we can hold for a few months using the tunnels, the enemy will have no choice but to retreat."
To Wang Zhi, the strategy was simple.
If the Phoenix Pirates failed to conquer Beehive Island quickly, he would have enough time to contact both the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates.
Once those two forces began attacking Phoenix territory, Marco would be forced to withdraw.
He continued calmly.
"These structures were reinforced to withstand earthquakes.
Marco is a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, and he is not experienced in siege warfare.
Taking down a fortress that I personally supervised will not be easy."
At the same time, aboard the Moby Dick, Marco's expression was unusually serious.
Vista, standing beside him, spoke in a low voice.
"Marco, if what Wang Zhi said is true, then Beehive Island may not be an easy target."
Marco slowly nodded.
Only now did he realize how little he actually knew about the Wang Zhi Pirates and Beehive Island.
Declaring war without fully understanding the enemy was a rare lapse in judgment on his part.
Since his strength had reached the level of an Emperor's top level, he had unknowingly grown overconfident.
Beehive Island had remained isolated for years, much like Wano Country.
Outsiders rarely entered or left.
That isolation had caused Marco to underestimate it.
However, unlike Wano, Beehive Island lacked natural terrain defenses.
That miscalculation rested on his shoulders.
Marco's gaze hardened as he spoke with resolve.
"Even if it is difficult, we still have to fight.
The declaration has already been made.
If we retreat now, how will the Phoenix Pirates hold their reputation?"
He continued evenly.
"Besides, the Wang Zhi Pirates only have a little over three thousand men.
Our forces outnumber theirs nearly eight to one.
There is nothing to fear."
His calm confidence quickly spread through the crew.
"That's right."
"With our numbers, we can overwhelm them."
"They dared move against us.
They must be wiped out."
"Exactly."
Their morale surged.
Elsewhere in the New World, on Pipi Shrimp Island.
The battle had already ended.
Blackbeard stood amid the ruins, blood staining his face as he let out a raucous laugh.
"Zehahahahaha! So you really were a former Warlord of the Sea.
You had some tricks left after all.
That shadow fusion of yours even startled me for a moment."
He looked down at the unconscious body of Gekko Moriah.
"But you never fully mastered that power.
Otherwise, you would not have lost so easily."
Nearby, Shiryu of the Rain stepped forward, his foot pressing down on a man with a lion-like face.
"Teach, I've made my decision.
I want this man's Devil Fruit."
Blackbeard glanced at Absalom beneath Shiryu's boot and grinned.
"The Clear-Clear Fruit, right?
You vanished so suddenly earlier that even I was caught off guard."
He waved his hand casually.
"No problem.
Leave it to me."
Not long after, the powers of both Gekko Moriah and Absalom had been stripped away.
Blackbeard clenched his fist, staring at the shadow beneath him.
His voice grew excited.
"Shadow… exchange."
In the next instant, his upper body switched places with his shadow.
He stared at the strange sight of himself standing opposite, half shadow and half flesh.
Ideas flooded his mind.
He burst into laughter.
"Zehahahahaha! I see it now.
The true potential of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
What a waste it was in Moriah's hands."
From a distance, Burgess raised his arms.
"Congratulations, Captain!"
Vasco Shot, the heavy drinker, stared in disbelief.
"I never thought you could really become a multiple Devil Fruit user."
Blackbeard lifted his head proudly.
"Wrong.
I am a Triple Devil Fruit user.
And I can still eat one more.
But that final Devil Fruit must be chosen carefully."
Nearby, Shiryu's body gradually became visible again.
He tested his new ability, feeling how easily he could erase his presence and strike without warning.
A satisfied smile crossed his face as he looked at Blackbeard.
"It seems I made the right choice back then, Teach."
Blackbeard laughed loudly.
"Of course you did.
Partner, our time will come.
A little bad luck means nothing.
Reaching the top is inevitable."
At that moment, Doc Q raised his pistol, aiming it at the trembling Hogback.
"Captain, what should we do with this one?"
Hogback panicked immediately.
"Wait!
Please wait!
I'm not a fighter.
I'm just a doctor!"
Blackbeard stepped closer, his grin sharp.
"Zehahahahaha, I know who you are.
Doctor Hogback, the so-called genius surgeon from the West Blue."
He gestured toward the corpses.
"All those stitched bodies.
Your work, right?"
Hogback nodded frantically.
"Yes, yes!
Zombies may be immortal, but their bodies can still be damaged.
I can repair them.
Let me join you.
If you help me revive Cindry, I can help you create an endless army."
Blackbeard's smile widened.
That was exactly why he had taken the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
"Perfect.
The Blackbeard Pirates welcome talented people.
You're in."
Shiryu let out a low snort, clearly unimpressed, but said nothing.
He turned to Blackbeard.
"What's next, Teach?
The Phoenix Pirates recently declared war on Wang Zhi.
Are we getting involved?"
Blackbeard paused briefly before shaking his head.
"Zehahahahaha, not yet.
Now is not the time to clash with the Phoenix Pirates.
Marco would tear us apart the moment we appear.
I have no intention of being surrounded."
Shiryu's lips curved into a cold smile.
"Then we proceed with the original plan."
Blackbeard's laughter echoed across the island.
"I hope it succeeds."
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