A Desperate Flank Attack on the Rear
Compared to the urgency of the allied forces' escape, the pirates seemed rather relaxed.
On the warships and pirate ships, apart from the crew members who were seriously injured and needed to recuperate at the rear, the remaining pirates who were still capable of fighting joined in.
They devoured the compressed food and jerky produced through special methods. These were their main foods during the war, mainly because of their long shelf life. They didn't have time to prepare any delicacies, as time was of the essence.
Members around the world watching the live broadcast via Transponder Snail) couldn't help but feel sorry for the coalition forces upon seeing this scene, as the disparity in treatment among them was too great.
They also knew that although this battle was over, the aftermath was just beginning.
Will the pirates press their advantage and defeat the navy, or will the allied forces withstand the pirates' attack, or even turn the tide?
Meanwhile, some people noticed something strange: several live stream feeds connected to Alex's connection suddenly dropped and disappeared from the platform.
They suspected Alex had taken action, but few noticed and there was no evidence.
Most people's attention was drawn to the battle on the Ice River battlefield, so why would they care about the fourth battlefield where Alex was located? As the live broadcast disappeared, no one paid any attention to it.
Moreover, these soldiers fighting on the front lines did not receive any news from the rear. Since they did not return to provide support, it means that there should be no problem in the rear.
Should?
The headquarters of the World Economic News was in complete chaos. "Is it still not done? Why isn't it working?" Morgans shouted at a maintenance worker, his eyes wide.
He was somewhat anxious. He had been watching Alex's actions closely and was certain that something big was about to happen. However, before the operation could proceed, the live broadcast was abruptly cut off, and he didn't know why.
"I'm very sorry, Lord Morgans. I've tested it many times and there's no problem at all. The image has appeared a few times during this period, but it was in a location far away from the pirates. It must be affected by external factors, causing interference with the Den Den Mushi's bio-radio waves."
The repairman, urged on by Morgans, shook his head. "If they were plotting something in secret, they wouldn't let anyone know. It must be someone among the pirates who secretly interfered with the Den Den Mushi's signals."
"Furthermore, the fact that the Allied forces fighting on the front lines did not receive news of the invasion of their rear is very likely due to interference with communications, causing them to fail."
"What can we do? Such a huge event, we can't bear to see it!" Morgans cried out, clutching his head in anguish.
"Don't worry, President. Since the pirates are using their abilities to influence things, they naturally don't want us to know. Even if it could be broadcast, we can't broadcast it," an editor nearby comforted him.
"Besides, only the bioelectric waves were interfered with; the live video broadcast is still ongoing, and the footage has already been recorded. It should be released later."
"Moreover, the allied forces have already returned, and their objectives should have been achieved. Continuing to interfere is pointless, and we'll see soon enough."
As if his words had taken effect, Alex's image suddenly appeared on the big screen, and the lost Den Den Mushi was reconnected.
The live stream footage reappeared, and the images shocked those who had entered. They immediately came out and called out to others on the forum.
"Quick, check out the live stream! There's a big surprise!" [West Blue Fishing King]
"Oh? How big can it be? How does it compare to the Ice River Battlefield?" [White Pants]
"The allied forces have been raided; the Ice Age War has more to come." [West Blue Fishing King]
"Damn it, why didn't you say so sooner? You wasted my time. I'm leaving." [White pants]
"Going together +1"
"Go together +2"
At the urging of many early adopters, a large wave of viewers flocked to Alex's live stream.
Upon entering, what you see is a shocking scene: the Allied Forces' Base Zero, their most important main base.
The base is now severely damaged, indicating that it has been the site of a major battle, and that the battle is still ongoing.
Corpses were everywhere, mostly the bodies of Allied Forces members, along with large numbers of pirates from various smaller battlefields, who, led by Alex, were slaughtering the Allied Forces at Base Zero.
Without the resistance of the strong, there is no powerlessness.
After the Vulture left, one can imagine Alex unleashing his immense power and decisively defeating the allied forces blocking his path.
Together with the pirates from various smaller battlefields, their combined strength allowed them to rampage through the land as if it were empty, with no one able to stop them, and most becoming their victims.
And they stormed into the rear of the allied forces.
"Oh, you're back?" Alex was naturally keeping a close eye on the situation on the glacial battlefield.
After receiving Rediat's information, he understood his mission and thought it would simply be a raid on the Allied forces' rear.
Now it seems there's a deeper meaning: the joint attack on these defeated remnants of the Ice River battlefield will give them absolutely no room to breathe; on the contrary, the blows they will face will be even stronger.
Using the Plasma-Plasma Fruit's power, Enel combined it with his Observation Haki to develop "Heart Net," Observation Haki with an extremely wide range. He then used this to manipulate electronic interference, disrupting all electronic devices belonging to the Allied Forces, including Den Den Mushi).
This is why the Allied forces lost all communication with their front lines and rear, and were unable to receive news of the invasion of their rear.
The same happened to the Den Den Mushi of the World Economic News, which was directly interfered with by Enel's ability.
Like the abilities of "Mist Killer" Lubite, Enel's abilities played a similar role in the war, completely turning these Allied strongholds into isolated islands.
Now that the overall situation is settled, the few remaining allied forces that were struggling were easily surrounded and killed, and the most important war base in the rear of the allied forces was thus occupied by pirates.
Although they could continue to hide, Alex and his men didn't want to; what they wanted was for the allied forces to experience even deeper despair.
They thought they had escaped with their lives, but unexpectedly, they found themselves in an even more dangerous situation, with wolves in front and tigers behind.
Enel deactivated his ability, and the live video feed from their side could be played, which the Vulture could also see, as well as other battlefields, all of whom looked grim.
Before they knew it, their allied forces' rear area had been ravaged and captured by local forces, a fact they hadn't even noticed beforehand.
More importantly, what should they do next? The Golden Sea isn't very big, and their original target was Base Zero, which they're getting close to now. Even if they change direction, the pirates watching the live stream will know their location, so escape is impossible.
With a large number of combat troops already deployed, the defense forces at other bases are insufficient. Even if reinforcements are provided, they can only alleviate some of the pressure on them. Under the combined attack of the pirates, this will only result in greater casualties.
The pirates watching the battlefield laughed excitedly; the advantage was on their side.
The various forces hostile to the World Government, acting in the interest of the Golden Sea, were equally delighted.
Around the world, civilians and nobles who sided with the navy and were hostile to pirates were somewhat worried.
In their eyes, given this situation, the outcome of the war has already shifted in the favor of the pirates, and they are very likely to win in the end.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the Marine Headquarters, among the other marines, and in the World Government was somewhat heavy. Undoubtedly, this was something they had anticipated; a series of elaborate schemes had dealt them blow after blow.
Rediat, this time, he truly made his move, inspiring deep fear in all who beheld him.
Compared to another leader of the Night Pirates, Ares, the "Fierce God," has made a lot of moves and was already famous before the Night Pirates arrived in the New World. Now stationed in the front part of the New World, he puts tremendous pressure on the Navy.
Not only did they possess formidable strength and potential, but they were also incredibly intelligent, having meticulously planned against the allied forces and completely reversing the balance of power between the two sides.
"Let's go, charge in, and wipe out these allied forces. If we can kill an Admiral, that would be even better." Alex laughed excitedly. Even if he didn't kill him, it would still add a record to his resume.
Their morale was high after the massacres they had carried, and being the dominant force, they were even more confident.
Alex's words made them howl with excitement, waving their weapons, abandoning the useless base, boarding the warship, and heading towards the sea.
Their high morale seemed to herald the dawn of victory.
Currently, neither Vulture nor Kuzan has recovered their fighting strength. In order to prevent them from recovering in a short time, Rediat personally took action, escaping the pursuing pirate force and transforming into a legendary dragon.
Hovering above the defeated army, it neither charged down directly, but simply hung in the air, occasionally releasing a burst of Dragon Breath to inflict severe damage.
The Vulture's injuries are worsening; if you could see its Vivre Card, Vulture would be burning.
Kuzan was unable to recover his strength and suffered considerable injuries in order to withstand Rediat's Dragon Breath. Furthermore, two of his warships were destroyed by Rediat.
Rediat's presence slowed them down, and the pirate fleet was already catching up behind them, its shadow visible.
As their sense of urgency grew, so too did the atmosphere of despair within the Allied fleet.
"What to do?" Even Sengoku was at a loss. The changing situation, Rediat's strength, and Alex's surprise attack were all unpredictable.
Since Alex launched a surprise attack on the Allied rear, the fate of the Vice Admiral who resisted Alex can be imagined; they must have been killed.
These Vice Admiral, whose strength was equivalent to that of the future Marine Vice Admiral Menard, were quite ordinary among Vice Admiral. Naturally, they were no match for the powerful Alex.
There is a chasm-like gap between them.
Alex's fighting strength was also beyond their expectations; they had no prior knowledge of Alex eating Devil Fruit.
"The intelligence gap between the two sides is too great, and we are completely suppressed." Now, only Tsuru is by Sengoku's side. He sighed, "There is no doubt that we have enemy people on our side, but we have nothing about Gaya Island. All the spies, even CP9, have been purged. Now, not even a message has been sent out. Their fate is predictable."
For a long time, their navy and the World Government have had the advantage in intelligence, which has allowed them to counter the plan. Now, they are reaping the consequences.
"Rediat likely inherited Redfield's abilities," Crane said calmly, but his expression was very solemn.
Redfield's Observation Haki is special; there are records within the Navy that this ability to Observation Haki through people's hearts was discovered by former Fleet Admiral Kong during his life-or-death battle with Redfield.
Future Sight and mind reading are two completely different abilities. Although they may appear similar in their manifestation, they are vastly different in the eyes of the powerful.
They hadn't thought of this before, until the spies on Gaya Island were purged. Only then did Tsuru recall that former Marshal Sora had mentioned it briefly. After checking Sora's records of Redfield, Tsuru finally understood.
In the face of Rediat, who possesses the ability to read minds, any spy or infiltrator is meaningless.
"It seems certain that Rediat will grow into the next Redfield."
"Let's not think about that. Let's put this matter aside for now. Kuzan can't be allowed to get into trouble." Sengoku shook his head, his eyes filled with worry. Kuzan, as Marine Admiral, was in very bad shape.
The heavily injured Vulture alone is no match for Rediat; Kuzan needs to shoulder the burden.
Kuzan's Vivre Card has already burned down to one-third. As Marine Admiral with even greater potential, Kuzan is also Rediat's primary target. If he were to sacrifice himself, it would be a huge blow to the Navy's reputation and overall combat power.
It's not uncommon for Marine Admiral to have sacrificed their lives in the past, but these incidents were covered up and remained largely unknown. This time, however, the entire world is watching.
"Don't worry, the World Government won't stand idly by," Tsuru reassured her.
Just as he said, Army Admiral White Ghost has already made his move and is rapidly heading towards the Golden Sea.
Although Admiral Black Pigeon and Admiral Violent Bear could also evacuate to support them, it would be completely not worth it. Evacuating would be tantamount to handing their backs to the enemy for attack, and the price Vulture paid for their evacuation has already proven this point.
Therefore, the best sacrifice is to hold back the pirates on both sides of the battlefield.
"Well, we really can't send anyone." Sengoku sighed. This was his predicament, and he also didn't want to put more of his forces on the Golden Sea.
"Let's keep our sights on the New World. Even with Garp, Zephyr, Sakazuki, and Borsalino, it's still hard to maintain our position. Do they really want to drive the Navy out of the New World again?" Sengoku said, seemingly with some anger.
This is something they won't allow; once you're driven out of the New World, it won't be so easy to come back.
Uranus Rhine will face Admiral Kizaru, Fierce God will face Admiral Akainu Ares, and Big Mom and Kaido will face Zephyr or Garp.
This is more than enough in terms of combat power. Even at full strength, Garp could easily defeat Kaido and Big Mom, completely suppressing them and demonstrating terrifying combat power.
Although some refer to Garp and his crew as belonging to the Old Era, they are actually a more terrifying force, and their displayed power leaves a deep impression on those self-important young pirates.
The name "Iron Fist" resounded throughout the New World. Even with Kaido's regenerative abilities, the bandage around his neck had never been removed since his battle with Garp.
One can imagine the power of Garp's Armament Haki.
However, with other powerful pirate forces closing in, the Navy was completely at a disadvantage.
Furthermore, Garp and Golden Lion Shiki to a duel on the forums, and once they started fighting, it seemed like it would never end. Without a fighter like Garp, the remaining Marines would simply be unable to withstand the attacks from Big Mom and Kaido.
The Navy of the New World was completely at a disadvantage, barely holding on. If Shiki hadn't left after his battle with Garp and returned to the Chaos Sea to confront Whitebeard again, Sengoku would have been prepared to take action himself.
"Yes, I'll also go to the New World to provide support and relieve some of their pressure," Tsuru said earnestly. Staying at Marine Headquarters wouldn't be of much use anyway.
"Okay." Sengoku did not refuse.