Not only on Sengoku's side, but on every warship, a marine was loudly reporting the information about these pirate crews to the highest-ranking officer on board.
It took them nearly two minutes to finish, and not a single pirate captain had a bounty lower than 50 million Beli. In fact, there were even two pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million.
This made the atmosphere of the entire fleet grow tense.
These pirates from the 'New World' all had a certain boldness that came with their skills.
Each of them was strong, so they were truly capable of doing anything, as long as they felt it was necessary or the target was attractive enough, they were willing to take risks! The Grand Treasure ONE-PIECE left by the Pirate King Gol D. Roger was undoubtedly a huge temptation.
In truth, the captains of these pirate crews had only come to take a look, after all, with ten warships, plus the presence of a Marine Admiral and a Marine Hero, there was plenty of deterrent power.
But when they noticed more and more pirate ships around them, each with a considerable reputation, they suddenly felt a sense of opportunity! If they joined forces, they might be able to seize the immense wealth of a cargo ship amidst the chaos!
As for which lucky one would succeed and which unlucky one would end up at the bottom of the sea, it would all depend on their own skills and luck!
Thus, Den Den Mushi began to communicate between the pirate ships, and they shamelessly discussed the details of their joint operations, completely unconcerned about whether the Marines might be eavesdropping.
Of course, even if they were concerned, there was nothing they could do, as the White Den Den Mushi that could prevent eavesdropping was extremely rare, and they simply didn't have it.
Meanwhile, the Marines were indeed using Black Den Den Mushi to intercept the conversations between these pirate crews!
"Pass the order, form up, prepare for battle!"
Upon receiving the intelligence, Sengoku immediately issued the command. Soon, the two large cargo ships slowed down, and the ten warships around them divided into inner and outer layers, beginning to rotate around the center, always keeping their most powerful broadsides facing outward.
"We must make these pirates suffer here, cripple them, only then can we deter the pirates that follow. Pass the order, no prisoners this time, annihilate them all!"
The decisive and cold command of the current sole active Marine Admiral at Marine Headquarters was also transmitted without delay to countless civilians across various countries and islands through the Image Snails in the hands of the nearby Publicity Department personnel.
This made many people instinctively clench their fists, their faces tense as they watched the terrifying pirate ships appearing on the screen.
Go, Marines!
For the majority of the populace, the Marines represented justice, the shield that protected the world's order, while pirates were synonymous with evil, slaughter, tyranny, and plunder.
This was also why, in the original story, when the news of 'Whitebeard' Newgate's death spread, it caused cheers among the people everywhere.
On Shiryu's side, as soon as he heard the marine relay Sengoku's command, his mood improved even more. He stuck out his tongue to lick his lips, which had become dry from the sea breeze, and smiled, "It's really great, this Marine place."
He found himself liking being a Marine more and more, it was much more exhilarating than the dark and boring Impel Down, but... he secretly glanced at Akainu, who had his back turned to him.
If only I could change my superior, or get promoted to Vice Admiral as soon as possible, then no one would be able to control me!
"This damn weather really sets the mood. Looks like a heavy storm is coming," grumbled Vice Admiral Palms, who was only fifty years old, as he looked up at the rapidly gathering dark clouds above.
Naval battles, cannons, slaughter, dark clouds, wind, and rain—it was indeed a perfect match of scenes, but it also added a lot of risks and uncertainties. Who knows how severe the waves could get?
The magnetic field chaos in the 'New World' sea area was far greater than that in the first half of the 'Paradise'. This was evident from the fact that the latter only required one Log Pose to navigate, while the former needed three!
Suddenly, there was a big commotion on the pirates' side!
Nearly thirty pirate ships of various sizes and decorations spread out and began to rotate around the ten Marine warships, but in the opposite direction.
"So that's it..."
Sengoku narrowed his eyes and quickly understood the pirates' strategy. Their approach was simple: use their numerical advantage to surround the entire Marine fleet and then charge from different directions simultaneously.
Then, it would be a boarding battle!
This method was fair to all pirate crews.
Moreover, their cannons, whether in number, range, or power, were simply not qualified to engage in a cannon duel with the Marines, even though they had more ships.
So they had to get close—hand-to-hand combat! Indeed.
When all the pirate ships maintained a similar distance from each other, through the communication of Den Den Mushi, they almost simultaneously charged at full speed toward the Marine fleet! Like a group of sharks smelling blood, they surged with thick malice and greed toward a group of giant whales! This scene was naturally broadcasted live to all corners of the world, and everyone, young and old, fell silent, staring dumbfounded at the famous pirate ships.
"ONE PIECE has attracted so many great pirates..."
A newspaper reporter with a small filming Den Den Mushi hanging around his neck muttered unconsciously.
[Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!]
As the pirate ships entered the range of the Marine cannons, the Marines showed no mercy. Under the command of Marine Admiral Sengoku, they immediately opened fire.
The Marine warships, sailing in an arc with their broadsides facing outward, revealed their fiery 'fangs'. Hollow Burst Shells, with power comparable to the Tomahawk missiles from Imu's previous life, flew in all directions toward the enemy ships, carrying scorching heat.
It could be said that the power of the naval cannons in this world, while extremely backward in terms of range and accuracy, was terrifyingly advanced in terms of explosive power, almost like black technology.
"Intercept them!!!"
Captain Queller of the White Knight Pirates roared, lifting his conical knight's lance and pointing it high into the sky.
[Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!]
At his command, three figures clad in white knight armor and white capes turned into blurs as they flew out, slicing three incoming black cannonballs in half, causing them to fall into the sea on either side of the ship and explode into towering columns of water.
The violent explosion's shockwave forcefully pushed the air, transforming it into a surging blast that swept across the deck. However, the Pirate Knights on the deck stood as steady as mountains. Most of them, though, lacked capes on their backs, which likely signified the difference in their ranks.
Although the Navy Battleship's cannonballs were powerful, this sea was not short of fighters capable of slicing or punching them apart. Explosive attacks like these held little lethality against targets whose physical strength surpassed human limits.
For instance, Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, or those whose Dials reached 500, according to Cipher Pol's internal standards.
However, this didn't mean the pirates could completely ignore the repeated volleys from the ship's cannons.
As the distance between the two sides closed, the accuracy and density of the Navy Battleship's artillery fire increased. Cannonballs continuously struck the pirate ship, causing massive explosions and flames, inevitably resulting in casualties.
Although the pirates also began to return fire, since they were charging head-on toward the fleet, they couldn't use the broadside where the cannons were located for a full volley, significantly reducing their firepower.
Moreover, the latter, relying on their sturdy steel armor, largely ignored the former's weaker cannonballs.
Unless a cannonball was about to land on the deck, only then would an officer step forward to deal with it.
This was the reason the Navy could dominate the four seas.
Strong Ships and Cannons! A gathering of elite fighters! "Great Eruption————"
Suddenly, the temperature skyrocketed.