One piece: Establishing a Pirate Family

Chapter 504: Everyone's Thoughts Before the War (Part 3)

Kong looked at Sengoku's exhausted expression and breathed a small sigh of relief.

"You've worked hard, Sengoku."

Kong said, patting Sengoku's shoulder.

"For the sake of justice, I will stop at nothing."

Sengoku immediately puffed out his chest and declared.

"Good. This time, regardless of success or failure, prepare for the handover when we return. The Marines must be entrusted to you young people."

Even though Sengoku was already in his fifties or sixties, in Kong's eyes, he was still incredibly young.

"Fleet Admiral, you...!"

Sengoku's face showed a flicker of emotion upon hearing this.

"I have been in the top position of the Marines for a very long time. I can't sit here any longer, you understand!"

Kong gave a slight smile.

From his time as an Admiral, Kong had always been the top figure in the Marines.

As the pirates on the sea grew stronger, the strength of the Marines also grew continuously each year.

He had been the number one for so many years.

Of course, Kong knew what those at the top were thinking. If he continued to sit in this position, wouldn't the Marines become his private army?

Those at the top would never agree to that.

For this large-scale Marine operation, Kong wasn't fully prepared in his heart, but time was no longer on his side.

He had to produce a satisfactory retirement report in his final few years.

From the very beginning, this war was in service of politics—a confrontation between the Marines and the World Government. He was merely the one pushing it forward.

If he won, he would retire with honor. If he lost, he would leave it to Sengoku and the next generation to solve.

Kong looked out at the port of Marineford.

The warships were lined up neatly on the sea.

Banners fluttered, the seagull flag representing justice dancing valiantly in the sky.

Garp, Zephyr, Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru stood at the port, commanding the scene.

Marine soldiers, one after another, were loading ammunition onto the warships.

Everyone's expression was so solemn and serious.

These were the last of the Marines' elite forces.

Sengoku stood behind Kong, watching this scene.

"Fleet Admiral, we've received news from the New World. There are signs that the Rockefeller Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, and the Big Mom Pirates are joining forces. However, the Whitebeard and Big Mom crews haven't made a move yet. It seems they are waiting for something."

Tsuru said as she walked over, holding a document from the New World.

Kong's face immediately darkened upon hearing this.

"Hmph, they have a good plan. They want to wait for us to blunt the Rockefeller Pirates' edge before they make a move to fish in troubled waters. But they've miscalculated. This time, we Marines will completely eliminate all pirates in the New World."

A unique霸气 (Haki) belonging only to the Fleet Admiral instantly radiated from Kong, causing Tsuru and Sengoku to stand up straight.

"Victory is certain!" the two said in unison.

And this sound quickly spread.

All the Marines who heard the words "Victory is certain" began to shout.

"Victory is certain!"

The shouts echoed through the heavens, shaking the entire Marine Headquarters.

Kong's fists tightened.

"Victory is certain," he slowly uttered the two words.

The Marines set out.

The massive fleet of warships headed towards the passage connecting to the New World.

On such a large scale, the Marines couldn't hide it even if they wanted to.

Kong simply decided to openly declare their intentions with great fanfare: To reclaim the New World.

On the Sabaody Archipelago, Rayleigh, dressed in shabby clothes, held a coating tool in his hand. He watched the distant warships, his eyes flashing slightly.

Aboard a Marine warship, Garp seemed to sense something. He glanced towards the Sabaody Archipelago's direction but didn't see anything.

"Garp, will the Marines succeed this time?"

Zephyr walked over with his arms crossed, looking at the vast sea in the distance. Having been forcibly dragged along by the Fleet Admiral, Zephyr was not optimistic about this attack.

It would have been better to wait a few more years. Once Aokiji, Akainu, and the others had fully matured, the chances of reclaiming the New World might have been greater.

"Puhahahaha! How would I know? Who cares? When I see a pirate, I'll take them down with one punch."

Garp was clearly playing dumb again, stuffing donuts from his hand into his mouth.

"Sigh, I wonder how many will make it back this time."

Zephyr looked around. He recognized the officers on every warship; most of them were his students.

If all the soldiers of Marine Headquarters looked up to Garp, aiming to be like the Marine Hero, then almost all the mid-to-low-ranking officers, and even some of the top brass, bore Zephyr's mark.

The bond between a teacher and his students was not so easily erased.

The news of the Marines entering the New World on a large scale instantly caused a worldwide sensation.

Previously, the massive assembly of Marines had only caused some tension within the New World. Other regions didn't know what was happening. But the Marines entering the New World on such a scale was no longer just a New World affair.

Following the report by the World Economic News Paper, it instantly shocked the entire world.

"Are the Marines preparing to reclaim the New World?"

The first reaction of everyone who saw this news was that the Marines were going to retake the New World. After all, it had been decades since the Marines lost it.

The appearance of the Rocks Pirates had torn apart the facade of the Marines' control over the New World. After the Rocks Pirates disbanded, Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Charlotte, and others had step-by-step beaten back the Marines from their important strongholds, gradually clearing out their influence.

Although they had reclaimed some territory in the interim, the great pirates of the New World took it back as soon as they reacted.

The impression the Marines had given the world over the past decade was that they couldn't defeat the pirates of the New World. This had caused many to complain.

Now, the Marines entering the New World on a massive scale gave the people of the world immense hope.

The words Roger shouted before his death were not only difficult for the Marines and the great pirates of the New World to bear; the common people suffered as well. Over the years, with the daily increase in pirates, almost every region had suffered from pirate invasions and massacres. This made all the ordinary people of the world despise pirates. They also resented the incompetence of the Marines.

But now, the Marines' actions gave them hope of defeating the pirates.

"They must succeed."

This time, countless people from regions suffering under the scourge of piracy blessed them after seeing the news.

From the perspective of civilians, pirates were indeed villains who committed all kinds of evil, detested by countless people. And the existence of the Marines was precisely the guardian deity for these civilians.

Far away in the South Blue, Dragon fell into deep thought after seeing this.

In contrast to the thoughts of the civilians in the Four Blues and the Grand Line, the New World descended into complete chaos.

The merchants and nobles who had been watching from the sidelines hurriedly packed their belongings and sought ships, wanting to leave the powder keg that was the New World.

Only the innocent civilians were left behind, waiting in despair for their fate to arrive.

At this moment, the principle that weakness is a sin was displayed to its fullest. War does not care for these innocent people.

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