The victory was bittersweet. As I stood atop the blood-soaked battlefield, the sea around me churned with the wreckage of Blackbeard's fleet. The rumble of cannons and cries of the wounded were replaced by a tense silence that hung heavy in the air. The Marines had fought bravely, but the toll had been steep. The battlefield was littered with the remains of fallen comrades and pirates alike. But what weighed most heavily on my mind wasn't the number of casualties, but the fact that we had only scratched the surface of the storm that was brewing.
"Gojo..." Kong's voice cut through my thoughts, and I turned to see him approaching, his expression grim.
"We won, but it's a hollow victory," I said, my voice low. The adrenaline that had fueled me during the fight had already begun to wear off, leaving only the heavy burden of responsibility. "Rocks is dead, but the pirates are more united than ever. Blackbeard's coalition is still intact, and he's only growing stronger."
Kong nodded somberly. "I'm afraid you're right. Rocks was a force to be reckoned with, but now Blackbeard holds that power. The entire Grand Line is in turmoil. There are whispers of new alliances forming, new threats emerging. This isn't over, Gojo. The next battle will be even harder than the last."
I looked out over the sea, the flames from the wrecked ships casting an eerie glow across the water. The pirates might have been defeated here, but their ideas, their thirst for power, were still alive and well. And in the depths of the Grand Line, there were even darker forces at work—forces that could change the course of history.
"We need to strengthen our position. Gather intelligence, recruit more Marines, and be prepared for the next strike," I said, turning back to Kong.
Kong sighed, rubbing his temples. "We don't have the luxury of time. Blackbeard is already consolidating his power. We've received reports that he's making alliances with some of the most dangerous pirates in the world. And there's word of a new figure rising—someone who could rival even the might of the Rocks Pirates. We have to act fast."
"Then we'll act," I said, my voice filled with resolve. "I'll gather the fleet. It's time we strike at the heart of Blackbeard's operation. The longer we wait, the stronger he gets."
As Kong and I strategized, the Marines began to regroup and tend to the wounded. I watched as Zoro and Luffy moved among the soldiers, offering words of encouragement. Despite the heavy toll, the spirits of the Marines remained high. They knew the battle was far from over.
But as we moved to prepare for the next stage of the war, I couldn't shake the feeling that something far more sinister was waiting just beyond the horizon. The aftershocks of Rocks' death were still rippling through the world, and with Blackbeard's rise, the balance of power was shifting. The seas were no longer a place of simple piracy and adventure—they had become a battleground for the future of the world.