The Capture of Thatch

Three months had passed. At last, the Marines, who had been busy for so long, could finally get some proper rest.

But they still couldn't let their guard down. This was merely preparation for the major operation that might happen next.

"Your target should be clear: the Whitebeard Pirates."

"You'll work together and capture one of their division commanders without letting the Whitebeard Pirates find out."

Sengoku was secretly giving orders to Novoya and Borsalino.

The operation itself was simple: capture an important member of the Whitebeard Pirates, then draw them to Marine Headquarters by executing him publicly.

They would make Marine Headquarters the battlefield, use their home-field advantage, and wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates in one fell swoop.

"Wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates" was an exaggeration. If they truly tried to do that, the Marines would suffer enormous losses, which they couldn't afford.

From the beginning, Sengoku and the others had only one target: kill the backbone of the Whitebeard Pirates—Whitebeard.

Once Whitebeard fell, the Whitebeard Pirates would collapse completely.

The New World would also descend into chaos. Without Whitebeard's deterrence, his vast territory would become the prize in fierce contests among countless pirates.

Even if the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates survived, the crew itself would cease to exist. Without Whitebeard, they simply couldn't hold such a vast territory.

Much of what would happen next was predictable, but they also had to guard against unforeseen variables. That was crucial, especially since there had been far too many of them in recent years.

"Don't worry. Leave it to us." Novoya nodded, seeming almost like a proper soldier.

"This is terrifying. We're talking about the Whitebeard Pirates, after all."

Borsalino sounded somewhat rueful. Whitebeard had already started needing IV drips, and the operation against him had originally been planned for