Before Uchiha Hiko could even finish speaking, the Blackbeard Pirates erupted in uproar. They had not expected Uchiha Hiko to be this arrogantly ignorant of his own limits. Although Blackbeard had been left in a miserable and highly passive position in this war, he was still far from a crushing defeat. If they truly risked their lives and fought to the death, who would win was still anyone's guess. Yet this man was now spouting such nonsense without restraint.
Blackbeard laughed in fury. "Good, good, good! I really underestimated you before. I never expected you to have not only ambition and guts, but also delusions beyond anyone's level. To be forced into such a state by trash like you—I really am pathetic!"
Not only did the Blackbeard Pirates erupt in thunderous laughter, but even the Red-Haired Pirates farther away wore expressions of disbelief. Though Blackbeard had been tricked today, the ones who had truly played a major role were the Red-Haired Pirates, Marco's forces, and the Buggy Pirates. The Uchiha Alliance had, at most, served as support. Had Uchiha Hiko really been blinded by a few insignificant victories and become so arrogantly full of himself?
Shanks kept a grim face and said nothing, one hand resting on his sword hilt. He, too, disdained Uchiha Hiko's words, but a vague unease stirred within him. He even wondered whether Uchiha Hiko had some deeper scheme.
"What do you think?" Red-Haired asked Beckman beside him.
"Fall back a little farther," Beckman said. "It looks like Uchiha Hiko is about to make some big move. My earlier speculation was probably only the tip of the iceberg. This guy has merely shown us the frightening side of his intelligence. We still don't know what he intends to do, but I think we should put a