Chapter 252: Third Declaration Of War
“What’s with that guy Sengoku anyway?!”
“Why is he always stopping and going?”
At the tail end of the Navy fleet, the pirates, who were completely unaware of the situation due to a lack of information, began to grow restless.
They were originally people who had made enemies with Wald due to his tyranny, and knowing that they had no hope of revenge on their own, they happened to be approached by the Navy with an offer to ally and eliminate Wald, thus forming the loose alliance they were currently in.
While they understood they might be used by the Navy, these pirates weren’t fools.
They had maintained a distance from the Navy fleet, ensuring they could disengage at the slightest sign of trouble.
However, the current situation had exceeded their expectations; after sailing with the Navy for so long, they hadn’t seen Wald, but enemies who could fly had appeared one after another.
Although the distance prevented them from clearly seeing what the attackers looked like, they could not ignore the previous scene of wind and thunder.
“Are these Navy guys trying to trick us? I don’t recall Wald’s ship having anyone who could fly.”
“And with that display earlier, the wind and thunder… could Sengoku have some other plan!”
“Hmm, I’ve heard people say that Sengoku is a sly one, carrying an extra pound of cunning for every pound of flesh~ I think it’s best we leave as soon as possible.”
“Elder Abiao is right.”
…
“Admiral, the ones in the rear are reporting that those pirates are getting restless and seem to be considering retreating.”
The soldier in charge of communications crawled forward from the communication room to the deck to report to Sengoku.
“Hmm… so they’re finally starting to stir.”
“Pass down the order. Tell those pirates the truth about our situation. Say that Wald has died in a conflict with the Beasts Pirates, and Kaido himself is severely wounded and near death.”
“We were just fighting Beasts Pirates executives and achieved a great victory. We are now pursuing the remaining forces of the Beasts Pirates for a final sweep.”
“Admiral, this…”
The deputy officer beside him still had doubts, believing that if the news of Wald’s death was leaked to those pirates, they would most likely scatter and go their separate ways.
“It’s fine, tell them exactly that.”
“Those pirates will make a choice befitting their nature.”
“Go.”
“Yes!”
The messenger once again crawled back to the communication room with practiced movements, relaying Sengoku’s orders.
…
“I knew it!”
“Sengoku definitely had a hidden hand.”
On several pirate ships gathered together, the captains of the pirate crews were discussing the information sent by Sengoku.
“But for Wald that scoundrel to die just like that, it’s a shame I didn’t get to see it with my own eyes.”
“Elder Abiao, so should we… go back now?”
“Go back? Why?”
“With such a great opportunity, of course, we should go raid the Beasts Pirates’ territory! I heard these guys are swimming in money lately from dealing arms!”
“If what Sengoku said is true, then the territory of Fenrir will become no man’s land. Whoever gets there first claims it!”
“And what if it’s a lie?”
“Then we just turn around and run. Anyway, with the Navy there, I don’t believe the Beasts Pirates will ignore the Navy to come after us pirates.”
…
Such conversations were constantly heard throughout the pirate fleet.
Sengoku had a very accurate grasp of the psychology of these disorganized ruffians; pirates were essentially desperate individuals driven by desire.
If a bloody piece of raw meat were placed before these starving wolves, even if they suspected a trap, as long as one wolf stepped forward, the rest would inevitably swarm.
…
“Admiral, those pirates are moving! They seem to be crossing us and heading directly into the Beasts Pirates’ territory!”
“Excellent!”
“Let them scout the way for us first.”
Sengoku, who had been standing on the deck for a while, noticed that the snipers opposite seemed to have lost interest in attacking, likely realizing he was fishing. Thus, he decided to use the pirates he had brought as catfish and drive them into the water to force the opponent’s hand.
“Everyone, continue to hide, don’t reveal…?!”
Before Sengoku’s warning was finished, his peripheral vision suddenly caught a sight that forced him to pause.
On the sea surface, the two small figures that had been floating earlier had, at some unknown time, begun to ascend, as if being lifted by two invisible hands.
From their spinning eyes and their limbs swaying in the wind, Sengoku could confirm that Aoxi and the others were definitely still unconscious, truly being held aloft by some external force.
『What is this… huh? 』
A beam of light shone on Sengoku’s face, interrupting his thoughts.
Not only he, but everyone else also noticed this sudden downward-shining light and looked up.
What pierced their eyes were – a second, a third… countless golden sunbeams, like sacred swords, slicing open gaps in the oppressive dark clouds.
Following this, these sunbeams gradually converged, forming a pale golden torrent that, with irresistible force, broke through all remaining barriers of the black clouds, cleansing the sky and revealing a blue as pure as the sea.
The sky cleared.
Everyone looked up, staring blankly at this sudden, world-altering spectacle… until they noticed the discordant object floating above their heads.
It was something that utterly clashed with the warm sunlight and the clear sky – a battle-scarred, ferocious fleet.
“A flying fleet! It’s the Golden Lion!!”
“Why is the Golden Lion here!”
Panic immediately spread among both the Navy and the pirates below.
In the New World, the Golden Lion Shiki and his infamous floating fleet were so renowned that they instilled widespread fear.
“No, that’s not right.”
“That’s not the Golden Lion’s fleet.”
Sengoku, who had faced Shiki many times, quickly spotted the anomaly – the style of the flagship and the flag were incorrect.
“Everyone, calm down.”
“That’s not the Flying Pirates’ fleet, that’s… the Beasts Pirates?!”
An answer that was both logical and unexpected, even Sengoku himself couldn’t remain calm this time.
Beasts Pirates, a floating fleet, so they can all fly, huh!
Just as everyone was overcome with shock and fear regarding the Beasts Pirates’ floating fleet, a light and graceful voice rang out from the ship’s bow of the flagship:
“Welcome, my impudent guests.”
The Golden Girl stood at the ship’s bow, looking down at everyone. Beside her floated two small red and blue orbs, recently retrieved from the sea.
“May I ask if you are here to declare war by intruding into the Beasts Pirates’ territory without announcement?”
The familiar words reached Sengoku’s ears for the third time, causing him to involuntarily shiver.
Although the Beasts Pirates in the air numbered less than ten partially damaged ships, and his side still had nearly forty intact warships, Sengoku felt no sense of security.
The opposite side felt like ten lions baring their fangs at a flock of sheep that had trespassed into their territory.
And he was merely a shepherd holding a bamboo pole.
