"Watch closely! The Rocks Pirates are going down today. Get ready to celebrate!" Brownie turned his head, his face adorned with a confident smile as he encouraged the Marines.
"That makes sense," Kong responded, forcing a smile.
"When the battleships run out of shells, that's when we step in," Zephyr added.
Although they had deployed more than a dozen Marine warships directly from Naval Headquarters, they all understood one thing—cannon fire could only clear out the weaker pirates. Against those with bounties exceeding 100 million berries, artillery alone would not suffice.
Once their ammunition was depleted, every Marine present would swarm the island, ensuring the complete eradication of all pirates occupying Hive Island.
"I hope we can finally wipe out the Rocks Pirates this time," Tsuru muttered under her breath, gripping the ship's railing as she gazed toward the island.
"Hahaha! What are you talking about, Tsuru?" Garp laughed heartily. "We've brought overwhelming force this time! There's no way we lose!"
"Let's hope so," Tsuru nodded, though an unsettling premonition gnawed at her mind. However, she chose to keep her concerns to herself, unwilling to lower morale.
"Garp." Sengoku approached, his face unusually stern.
"Hm? What's up, Sengoku?" Garp asked, puzzled by his serious tone.
"I know you want to fight Ayr, but… this mission is different from anything we've ever faced. It's the most dangerous operation we've undertaken since becoming Marines. You must follow orders this time!"
Ayr was already on Hive Island, and Sengoku feared that Garp, in his usual reckless manner, would abandon the mission to seek out a fight. That couldn't be allowed.
"Of course, I know that!" Garp replied, nodding firmly.
He understood full well—this was not the time for impulsiveness. The scale of this battle guaranteed massive casualties. Under these circumstances, even he wouldn't act rashly.
Moments Later…
Tap! Tap! Tap!
A few Marines emerged from below deck and saluted.
"Marshal, the battleships have exhausted their current supply of ammunition."
Brownie nodded. "Understood. Reload the reserve shells and continue bombardment toward the center of Hive Island!"
Hive Island was vast, and despite deploying more than a dozen warships, a full-scale bombardment was impossible. That's why they had prepared additional reserves to sustain the assault.
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines hurried back inside to reload and resume the shelling.
"Alright, it's time for us to move in!" Brownie declared, leaping ashore.
Their strategy was simple—attack from the outskirts of Hive Island, systematically pushing inward while surrounding and eliminating every pirate in their path.
With the reserve shells aimed at the island's core, they had no reason to fear friendly fire at the perimeter.
Kong, Sabertooth, Shinmu, Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, Tsuru, and an army of elite Marines followed Brownie onto the shores of Hive Island.
Behind them, countless artillery shells continued raining down, marking the start of their all-out assault.
---
At the Auction Site
Crash!
Ayr emerged from beneath the debris, brushing dust off his black robe as he lifted the rubble covering his head. He looked around, momentarily puzzled.
"What the hell just happened?"
He had been ready to fight Byrnndi Wald, yet before their battle even began, the entire auction house had collapsed.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a faint whistling sound echoed from above. Ayr instinctively glanced upward—only to see countless artillery shells streaking toward him.
"Cannon fire? Could it be… the Marines?" Ayr furrowed his brows.
There were thousands of pirates on Hive Island, but no pirate crew would be foolish enough to bombard their own stronghold.
That left only one possibility.
Marine Headquarters had arrived.
Shing!
Without hesitation, Ayr gripped his sword and unleashed a devastating slash, sending a wave of sword energy skyward. The attack effortlessly disintegrated every shell above him.
---
Elsewhere at the Auction Ruins
Crash!
Byrnndi Wald, his remaining crew, Kaido, and thousands of pirates who had attended the auction crawled out from the rubble.
Most of the individuals present were powerful figures in the New World. A simple building collapse wasn't enough to kill them.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi on Byrnndi Wald's waist rang.
"Blu…Blu…Blu…Blu…Blu…"
He quickly answered, still shaken by what had just happened.
"Captain Byrnndi Wald! The Marines are here!"
"There are too many of them, Captain! It's an all-out invasion!"
"Listen to me! Marshal Brownie is here! Marine Admirals are here too! RUN! CAPTAIN, RUN!!!"
"KRRRK—!"
The connection abruptly cut off.
Byrnndi Wald's grip on the receiver tightened. He froze.
"Marshal Brownie?! Marine Admirals too?!"
He had only come to Hive Island for an auction, to steal a few treasures.
Now, half of the Marine's top brass was here?!
At first, he assumed the Marines were after him, but then reality dawned—he wasn't important enough for an operation of this scale.
Slowly, Byrnndi Wald turned his gaze toward Ayr.
At the beginning, he suspected the Rocks Pirates were involved. But now, with this many Marines arriving at once…
There was no doubt.
The Rocks Pirates were here.
Byrnndi Wald clenched his fists and cursed under his breath.
"Damn it! Not only did I get nothing today, but I lost so many of my men for nothing!"
At this point, fighting Ayr was no longer an option.
With the entire Rocks Pirates on the island and Marine Headquarters mobilizing all their top forces…
Fighting here meant suicide.
Right now, Byrnndi Wald had only one priority—
Escape.
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