The moment Hammond said that, not only the three CP0 fighters around him, but even their opponents, Kuma, Elder Nyon, Ivankov, and Judge, froze. They almost wondered if they had misheard him.
The three CP0 agents nearby were panting heavily, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"Hey, Hammond, what are you saying? Sengoku hasn't given the order yet!"
Without even turning his head, Hammond said, "Can't you still see it? The Marines have already lost this war. Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku is no match for Fire Dragon Yemu. Add these monsters on top of that, and do you really want to bury us CP agents in this war too?"
After saying that, he gritted his teeth and spoke as if venting his anger.
"This is all Sengoku's fault. If not for his strategic failures, this war never would have fallen into this state... Once the fighting over there ends, do you think we'll still be able to escape? Our duty as CP0 is only to protect the Celestial Dragons..."
In an instant, the other three CP0 agents understood.
That was right. No matter how anyone looked at it, the Marines were the main force on this battlefield. CP0 had only come to assist them. There was no need for CP to be buried alongside the Marines.
Besides, the Marines and CP had always been separate systems that competed with each other. Once the Marines became the main reason for this war's defeat, CP could use the opportunity to rise.
As for whatever consequences might come from retreating, it was just as Hammond had said. Other CP agents might be one thing, but the four of them served the Celestial Dragons directly. They had no need to worry about any real danger.
Moreover, CP, which answered directly to the World Government, was far more important in the eyes of the Five Elders than the Marines.
With that thought, they made their decision.
"I understand!"
"Everyone, board the ships!"
This CP officer was clever. The order he gave was to board the ships, not to retreat.
But under these circumstances, what that meant was obvious.
Once the order was given, the CP soldiers fighting nearby were stunned.
In truth, from the very beginning, they had held the advantage in both numbers and position on the battlefield.
These warriors of the Transgender Kingdom and the Kuja female warriors were certainly powerful. Their physical techniques and Haki were terrifying, especially those women, who had each mastered Haki. But the CP forces had an overwhelming advantage in numbers.
The Sky Pirates' side was doing well if they had ten thousand people, while CP had forty thousand.
Only after the six enormous Awakened monsters joined the battle had the situation on the battlefield completely changed.
Even then, it had only become evenly matched.
Yet their leader had actually given the order to retreat.
Not a single CP soldier refused.
War meant people died. If they could retreat, why keep fighting?
So, under their commander's orders, the CP soldiers began to withdraw.
This left the warriors of the Transgender Kingdom and the Kuja female warriors of Kuja Island, who had been caught in a bitter fight, completely baffled.
"What's going on? Why are the enemies retreating?"
"Did we win?"
Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene before them.
Bartholomew Kuma watched silently.
Ivankov was dumbstruck.
"What... what is going on...?"
She could not understand it at all.
Judge, however, was a king and understood the Marines and the World Government quite well. He saw the reason clearly and gave a simple explanation.
"It looks like CP is ignoring the front battlefield and retreating on its own."
"Huh... They can do that?"
Ivankov found it hard to believe.
"Yes. Within the World Government, the Marines and CP have never gotten along."
After hearing this, Elder Nyon sighed.
"I never thought the World Government, which has ruled this world for 800 years, had rotted to this extent."
Elder Nyon's words made everyone present pause. Then those who had not had much confidence about opposing the World Government in the future suddenly realized that this seemingly enormous enemy might not be as terrifying as they had imagined.
Only Lina looked delighted.
Elder Nyon also began to seriously consider it for the first time.
Perhaps Kuja becoming an ally of the Sky Pirates and joining this war was not such a bad thing after all.
Because at least in this moment, it seemed the Sky Pirates truly had the power to overthrow the World Government.
She quickly came back to herself and said to Bartholomew Kuma, "You're Kuma, right? Once we confirm this side is safe, use your ability to send those six to the front battlefield."
Those six Awakened Ones could still fight for a long time. They could not be wasted.
"Mm."
Bartholomew Kuma quietly agreed to Elder Nyon's words.
...
Because the front and rear battlefields were very far apart, with the huge Golden Crow Island between them, the CP retreat in the rear was not noticed at first. It was only when the Marines, who were fighting with all their strength while fleeing for their lives in the chaos, heard cheers ringing out from far away that everyone sensed something was wrong.
Those cheers were mixed with all sorts of strange voices and women's shouts. They clearly did not belong to their own allies.
And right then, they saw something even harder to accept.
The CP warships were actually retreating.
Before they could react, a huge monster swept in like an evil wind and appeared before them.
"Boom..."
The Marines were already suffering terribly under the terrifying giant-like Awakened Ones, and before they had dealt with the enemies in front of them, another group of monsters had arrived.
At that moment, the answer was obvious.
CP had abandoned the Marines and run.
The chain reaction that followed was that the CP soldiers who had still been fighting on the Marines' side began to flee as well.
Their own commanders had run. What was the point of them staying here?
At first, only scattered groups of a few hundred or a thousand had collapsed on the front battlefield. But now, the chain reaction caused by the CP soldiers fleeing led to tens of thousands of people running at once.
At that moment, the Marines' defeat was set.
Watching this scene, even Yemu had not expected that the true deciding factor in this war would not be him, the enemy, but the World Government's own people.
"What a shame. In that case, it looks like there's no need for me to reveal the rest of my trump cards, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
At that moment, Sengoku was completely stunned. His face twisted with anger, disbelief, and unease.
"How could this happen?"
It was something he would never understand.
If the Marines had truly lost this war because they lacked the strength, then no matter how unwilling or angry he felt, he could have accepted it. But now...
"What the hell are you doing, Hammond? Without my order, why are you retreating?"
Hammond's unyielding voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
"Don't misunderstand, Sengoku. You have no right to command us CP. We only follow the orders of the Five Elders. I'm only preserving CP's strength for the future."
Sengoku's face darkened as he gripped the Den Den Mushi tightly.
"The Marines haven't lost yet..."
"Don't be naive, Sengoku. Say that after you can defeat Fire Dragon Yemu..."
As his words fell, the Den Den Mushi was cut off directly...
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