One piece: Establishing a Pirate Family

Chapter 509: The Second Line of Defense

"Pops, latest intelligence!"

Aboard the Moby Dick of the Whitebeard Pirates, hundreds of pirate ships flying the Whitebeard flag were docked alongside it. Tens of thousands of pirates from the Whitebeard crew had gathered.

Marco flew through the air, soaring past several pirate ships to land on the Moby Dick in the center, a newspaper in his hand.

"Pops, latest news. The Marines suffered a major loss in their first clash with the Rockefeller Pirates," Marco said, looking at his father.

Whitebeard sat before his many sons on the captain's throne, his tall and imposing figure holding his Murakumogiri in his right hand as he looked at the newspaper in his left.

"Gurarararara! To eliminate three to four thousand Marines, that's truly remarkable!" Whitebeard exclaimed, looking at the newspaper in his hand.

He wasn't marveling at the deaths of the three to four thousand Marines. He was marveling at the fact that Esdeath, Caesar, and Tesla, those three kids, had managed to eliminate that many Marines right under the noses of Kong, Sengoku, and Garp.

Those kids are truly audacious.

That was Whitebeard's first thought. Not only did they dare to think it, but they also succeeded.

The others were also astonished when they saw the newspaper.

"Are the Rockefeller Pirates that strong? Do they still need our support?" many crew members asked after seeing the news.

They had all been summoned by their father, Whitebeard. When they learned they were going to help the Rockefeller Pirates fight the Marines, they were actually quite reluctant in their hearts. But their father had explained the situation.

If they didn't go, once the Rockefeller Pirates were eliminated by the Marines, it would be their turn next. In the New World, they had to present a united front against outsiders. Only then did they unwillingly agree to support the Rockefeller Pirates and jointly fight against the Marines' invasion.

"We go. We must go. Don't be fooled by the fact that the Rockefeller Pirates eliminated three to four thousand elite Marines. The damage to the Marines isn't that great; it hasn't reached the point of crippling them. The Marines still have nearly fifty thousand elites and numerous officers. And the Rockefeller Pirates didn't come out unscathed either.

"I heard that the reason the Rockefeller Pirates were able to eliminate so many Marines was by using themselves as bait, luring the Marines into a trap, and detonating bombs, killing their own people in the explosion, all to exchange for the casualties of those three to four thousand elite Marines," Marco said, pushing up his glasses as he looked at the crowd.

"What? The Rockefeller Pirates used their own comrades as bait? What's going on?"

When the surrounding crowd heard that the Rockefeller Pirates had used their own comrades as bait, they all cried out in shock.

"It was planned by that Esdeath. That woman is truly ruthless!" Marco exclaimed with a sigh.

When everyone heard it was that madwoman Esdeath, they all fell silent.

If you were to ask who the most terrifying woman in the New World was, one would be the captain of the Big Mom Pirates, Charlotte Linlin. The other would be Esdeath of the Rockefeller Pirates. These two women were notoriously ruthless figures in the New World.

Over the years, their commanders had had no shortage of dealings with the Rockefeller Pirates. They were extremely familiar with Esdeath, the sharp blade of the Rockefeller crew.

Seeing that so many people had fallen silent, Whitebeard raised a hand and looked at Marco.

"How are the Rockefeller Pirates doing now? How far have the Marines advanced?" Whitebeard asked.

"The Rockefeller Pirates are not having an easy time either. Since that incident, the Marines have launched a frantic retaliation. Every island is being cleared by an Admiral leading the way. They are about to break through the Rockefeller Pirates' second line of defense and are approaching the third line for the decisive battle," Marco said, looking at his father.

Whitebeard's expression turned grim upon hearing this.

Everyone around him remained silent, waiting for their father's command.

Whitebeard slowly stood up. His six-meter-tall body was so immense in front of his many sons.

Thump!

He slammed his Murakumogiri heavily onto the deck, making a dull sound.

"My sons, we can't let the Marines look down on us! If they want to invade the New World, they have to ask us first! Sons, set out! Target: the great Marine fleet!" Whitebeard shouted to his numerous sons.

They couldn't wait any longer. If they just kept watching, the Marines would enter the heart of the New World. Once the Rockefeller Pirates' third line of defense failed to hold, there would be no defensible positions until the latter half of the New World. Their Whitebeard Pirates would then have to face the threat of the great Marine fleet directly.

"ROAR!"

All the members of the Whitebeard Pirates roared, their morale soaring.

The Whitebeard Pirates were on the move.

At the same time, the Big Mom Pirates also began to act. After reporting to their mother, who was eating cake during the Queen Mama Chanter's song, the Big Mom Pirates entered the territory originally belonging to the Rockefeller Pirates without any obstruction.

No one tried to stop them.

Katakuri directed the various ships to sail towards the front lines of the New World.

A dense mass of pirate ships covered the sea. Hundreds of pirate crews, large and small, most of them small pirate ships under fifty meters, headed towards the designated battlefield.

Their destination: the Edd War Sea.

That's right, the Edd War Sea.

The decisive battle location chosen by Charlotte was the Edd War Sea. This sea area was large enough, and the islands were scattered, with virtually no inhabitants. It was located in the first half of the New World, near its center. Its strategic position was extremely important.

And at the second line of defense, Esdeath, Caesar, Tesla, Bullet, and others were leading tens of thousands of members of the Rockefeller Pirates, composed of prisoners from Impel Down, to block the Marines' advance.

"Hah... Damn it, the firepower is so intense, my ears are about to go deaf!" Robert said angrily, his face covered in grime as he looked at the chaotic battlefield around him.

"What did you say?" Deidara, who was standing beside him, asked when he saw Robert's lips moving up and down but heard no sound.

"I said, did these Marines eat gunpowder or something? Why are they so fierce?" Robert shouted loudly.

The two stood back-to-back, fending off the Marines swarming around them.

"You said I'm fierce? Isn't that a given!" Deidara laughed instantly upon hearing Robert's "praise." For Robert to say something nice was a rare sight indeed.

Robert rolled his eyes.

"If you're deaf, then don't talk."

"What? You said I'm handsome? Hahaha!" Deidara laughed heartily and immediately became more courageous. With a single punch, any Marine soldier he touched exploded.

"Quick, kill them!"

A continuous stream of Marines charged towards the second line of defense. Cannonballs from behind them also kept falling into the Rockefeller Pirates' positions.

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