Successive Calls for Help!

Ring ring...

Ring ring...

In the office of Marine Headquarters Marshal Steel Bone Kong, Den Den Mushi rang incessantly. They were all distress calls from Marines attacking Golden Lion's islands, requesting reinforcements.

This operation was directly commanded by Admiral Sengoku on the front lines.

Yet, the distress calls were coming to Marine Headquarters!

The reason was simple: Sengoku had no time to deal with those distress calls. The battlefield he was on directly faced the flagship of Golden Lion's Flying Pirates!

Golden Lion and his high-ranking executives had all assembled.

"Damn it, where did so many pirates come from!"

Steel Bone Kong smashed his fist through the office, staring grimly at the Den Den Mushi.

Since just now, he had already received five distress calls from naval vessels attacking islands under Golden Lion's banner in the first half of the Grand Line, requesting support.

Marine Headquarters' tactic was not complicated. Six warships, carrying fifty thousand elite troops, were dispatched to attack several of Golden Lion's islands in Paradise.

Meanwhile, the main fleet, led by Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp, waited for Golden Lion in a crucial sea area.

Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit allowed him to control his fleet through the sky, so he could choose to bypass the main Marine force and deal with the scattered warships.

But that man wouldn't do that, because he was Golden Lion!

Therefore, Marine Headquarters confidently formulated this battle plan.

If you don't come, we'll uproot your forces in Paradise.

If you do come, we'll be ready to fight you to the death.

Because you are Golden Lion, you absolutely won't avoid battle!

"What's the situation with Sengoku?"

Steel Bone Kong put down the Den Den Mushi, asking with a grim expression.

The adjutant immediately reported, "Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp are engaging Golden Lion's flagship in the Bor Sea. They are likely unable to spare any troops to rescue other areas at the moment."

This was also why the distress calls were directly reaching Marine Headquarters.

The situation on the main battlefield was not optimistic either. Although Golden Lion chose to confront the main Marine force head-on, he wouldn't give up his advantage in air superiority.

In aerial combat, the situation for the Marines could only be imagined as difficult.

Sengoku wanted to request more troops from Marine Headquarters to support him. How could he possibly spare anyone to support other battlefields?

"Dispatch five warships, each with a crew of five hundred men, led by a Captain, to reinforce the five islands in the Bor Sea."

Steel Bone Kong couldn't send everyone out from the start. Leaving a reserve force in wartime was standard procedure.

Currently, Marine Headquarters still had a reserve force of five thousand men.

With one order, he had dispatched half of his soldiers!

"Yes!"

The adjutant was about to carry out the order when Steel Bone Kong suddenly called out to him.

"Wait, I remember we dispatched six warships to attack the Bor Sea. Golden Lion should have six islands in that sea area, right?"

"Yes!" the adjutant replied.

"Meaning one island didn't send a distress call?"

Steel Bone Kong's heart skipped a beat.

There could only be two reasons why no call was made: either the Den Den Mushi couldn't connect, or there was no need to connect.

An inability to connect could mean signal interference, or that the entire force had been annihilated.

As for the other reason, not needing to connect, could it be an advantage?

"Which island didn't send a distress call?" Steel Bone Kong quickly asked.

The adjutant checked the records and quickly found the answer.

Frances Island, Vice Admiral Akita's unit.

"It's Frances Island, led by Vice Admiral Akita. The enemy is the Bourne Pirates, one of the Flying Pirates' main fleets."

"The captain is the dual-wielding Bourne, with a bounty of 290 million Beli."

The adjutant finished relaying the intelligence in one breath.

Steel Bone Kong fell into thought. Akita was a veteran Vice Admiral, powerful, calm, and steady in his actions, never seeking quick success.

If he were told that Vice Admiral Akita's unit had been wiped out, he absolutely wouldn't believe it.

This meant that the situation on Frances Island was likely an advantage for the Marines!

"Quick, connect me to Akita's Den Den Mushi!" Steel Bone Kong was eager to know the situation on Frances Island, or more accurately, he wanted to hear good news.

"Yes!"

The adjutant immediately dialed the Den Den Mushi.

Frances Island, the port battlefield.

Thousands of civilians, armed with flintlock guns, surged like a dark mass towards the Marine positions.

The Marines, relying on their superior equipment and well-trained tactics, barely held their ground.

"Colonel Doug ordered us not to harm these civilians, but these guys are pushing their luck and rushing us."

"We can't keep this up; we can't stay on the defensive forever."

"Are you suggesting we attack these civilians?"

"..."

The native inhabitants of Frances Island naturally couldn't match the combat power of the regular Marines, especially elite Marine soldiers.

However, they had numbers on their side, thousands of them. Even if they fired blindly forward, a hail of bullets would rain down.

Under the cover of widespread, indiscriminate attacks, they were bound to hit a few people, right?

The two sides clashed for over half an hour. While the port positions remained in Marine hands, there were already quite a few casualties among the Marines.

Especially with Colonel Doug's order not to harm civilians, the Marines were even more on the defensive.

"Can't do this, can't do that, are we just going to sacrifice our soldiers for nothing?"

"Just hold on a little longer. As long as Vice Admiral Akita takes down Bourne, we'll win."

Two Second Lieutenants in charge of command argued fiercely.

Although the former was persuaded by the latter and decided to hold on a bit longer, neither of them felt confident.

Just as everyone was in a predicament, a large crowd suddenly poured out from the intersection towards the town.

The crowd was dense and packed.

A group of Marine soldiers immediately tensed up. Did the Bourne Pirates have reinforcements?

It was already difficult to hold their ground; if reinforcements arrived, they would have to temporarily retreat to their warships!

However, these people were not enemies, but the native inhabitants of Frances Island.

Apart from the dozens of Marines at the very front, the remaining thousands of people were all the old, weak, women, and children of Frances Island.

Second Lieutenant Jimmy, who had recovered significantly, quickly moved to the front.

He climbed onto a tall building at the intersection.

It was an old clock tower.

The clock tower was originally built to warn of pirate arrivals. Ever since Golden Lion occupied Frances Island, it had been abandoned.

But now, it played a crucial role!

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The bell rang, deafeningly loud.

Deep and resonant.

The entire battlefield was bathed in the rich, ancient sound of the bell. Marines, pirates, and civilians alike turned their heads towards the clock tower.

"Everyone on Frances Island, your families have been rescued!"

"Use your weapons to drive those pirates out!"

There were no flowery declarations, just two simple sentences that struck directly at the heart.

Your families are safe.

Now, let's drive out the wicked pirates together!

Instantly, the tide of the battle turned. Thousands of young men turned their guns to aim at the pirates of the Bourne Pirates.

In fact, these civilians weren't even needed. As long as they didn't interfere, the Marines could have wiped out the remnants of the Bourne Pirates on their own.

Over six hundred Marines against a little over a hundred pirates.

The disparity in strength was immense, and the scales of victory instantly tipped in favor of the Marines.