Engagement

"What you all say makes a lot of sense."

Buggy nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, appearing at the right time yields far greater benefits than appearing at the wrong time... As for that time, we can plan it out."

"Hmm..."

Bos, who had been listening nearby, hesitated and fell silent.

Everyone looked at Buggy, waiting for his explanation.

"Since the people of Ritual Town are currently in a state of panic, we can take advantage of this and spread rumors."

"Using Amber Village as a starting point for rumors, although there are only a few casualties in the village now, we can exaggerate the number of casualties, increasing it tenfold or even a hundredfold. Then we can send people to spread the news of the casualties in the Ritual Town, making the situation seem even more tragic, such as 90% of the villagers in Amber Village dying in the riot of the Rainbow Bug!"

The statements should be similar; uniformity is unnecessary. This would actually make them seem more authentic. If the news spreads properly, the residents of the Ritual Town will inevitably feel insecure. Radicals will want to change the status quo, and some may even rebel, turning their attention to the esteemed national priest. Weak individuals will lose trust in their superiors. In this way, the disintegration of the Ritual Town should be accelerated even faster..."

If even the most basic survival cannot be guaranteed, rebellion will inevitably become the trend, especially since the state sacrifice ignores the threat posed by the Rainbow Bug.

"You'll have to cooperate with us to ensure the plan succeeds, okay?"

Buggy glanced at Bos, the village leader, who pondered for a moment before agreeing. For the sake of the entire village's lives, the only option now was to do as Buggy suggested.

"Next, we need to spread the word in Ritual Town to expose the existence and purpose of us 'outsiders'."

Louis stroked the upturned tip of his mustache. "Why would you do that, Captain Buggy?"

"I don't understand." Jass raised an eyebrow. "Are we going to fight head-on?"

"As you said, what we need is the attitude of the island's inhabitants. If they don't welcome us and instead resist us, our subsequent actions will face much greater resistance... What we need to do is present ourselves as saviors who have rescued them from their suffering, rather than having them ultimately only know that a group of usurpers killed their king."

"The opposite of darkness must be the righteous [hero], and that is the role we must play..."

Buggy thought for a moment and said, "When the heroes saw the ruins and mutilated bodies of Amber Village after it was attacked by the Rainbow Bug, they were filled with compassion. In order to help the wronged souls of the islanders, they eradicated the pests around them. However, the pests could not be eradicated, and many heroes fell down instead. They knew that this could not go on, so they investigated the source of the Rainbow Bug riot."

Finally, they inadvertently learned that the source was that mineral vein. In order to stop the national priest from mining M Ore, the heroes decided to go to the priest's Ritual Hall to negotiate, but they failed to reach an agreement. So they made up their minds to storm the Ritual Hall, eliminate the national priest, and save the people on the island...

Buggy made the final decision, saying solemnly, "Yes... this is our mission!"

"I see." Daoer nodded in understanding.

"To uphold righteousness..." Jass murmured, a cigar dangling from his lips.

Moses August spread his arms wide in praise, "That's wonderful, Buggy! You're now on par with Lord Satan!"

Jody Lane lowered her half-beast arm. "Looks like we can stretch our muscles soon."

"Then when did the second message spread?" Lilina asked Buggy.

"Let's set the date two days after the first message is released. Hope born after despair is all the more precious," Buggy said. "Next, let's prepare for the attack on the Ritual Hall, including the arrangement and deployment of manpower."

The Ritual Hall located in the center of the island. Although it is called a town, the uneven streets and the high-roofed houses with thatched roofs all indicate that it is just a slightly larger village.

However, in contrast, there is the winding mine vein visible beside the town, the extravagantly large and impressive mechanical waterwheel by the lake, and the magnificent building in the center.

The weapons carried by the patrolling soldiers in the town were quite peculiar. The heads were shaped like the javelin-like plants that Buggy had seen before, and the grips were made of refined iron, combined together to resemble a mace.

In addition to their weapons, they also carried shields on their backs that were roughly enough to cover their backs. These hard-shelled shields were peeled off from the crab creatures on the island and were extremely tough, so much so that ordinary swords and spears could not penetrate them.

The number of patrolling soldiers has increased significantly in the past few days, because bad news has spread from somewhere, but they all convey the same message: Amber Village has been attacked by Rainbow Bug, suffering heavy casualties, and will soon become a nest for the Rainbow Bug.

In light of recent events, the town's residents began to panic. The news instilled a deep fear in them, and they didn't know when the nightmare would quietly descend upon them, their despair growing ever stronger.

Therefore, some people stepped forward to Sengoku sacrifice.

However, the corpse was quickly thrown out and hung on the tower to dry in the sun. To this day, a chilling stench of decay still occasionally assaults the nerves of passersby.

Is resisting the rule of state sacrifices even useful?

Without a doubt, no.

But then news spread from who knows where that a group of righteous people from afar were willing to overthrow the rule of the state and save the people on the island.

The news spread throughout the streets and alleys, and the townspeople excitedly shared the news, hoping it was true.

As for the island's ruler, he knew that several suspicious figures had appeared in the town these days, spreading negative rumors. So he increased patrols to prevent any potential riots or attacks from unknown enemies.

Thus, a tense and somewhat suffocating atmosphere spread throughout the town, filled with a chilling sense of impending doom. The townspeople, already uneasy due to the infestation of the Rainbow Bug, feared the iron-fisted methods of the state sacrifice, yet also hoped for the arrival of [the righteous].

Finally, that day arrived.

Pirates from all directions poured into the Ritual Hall. The townspeople panicked and rushed back to their homes, locking their windows and doors. They did not help the soldiers fight them, hoping that these pirates would rescue them from their predicament. If even the right to live could be taken away, what was the point of having a king?

Upon seeing the enemy's invasion, the soldiers of the Ritual Hall drew their hard-shelled shields and picked up their spears, engaging the pirates in fierce combat.

The guards' ranks were also determined by the number of feathers on their waists. Ordinary soldiers had only two or three feathers on their waists, while squad leaders had four feathers, centurions had five feathers, and above them were chiliarchs with six feathers, imperial guards with seven feathers, and generals with eight feathers.

After all, this is the New World, and the elite soldiers on this island are on a completely different level compared to those in the other four seas and the countries in the first half of the Grand Line.

A centurion with five feathers can almost fight a pirate with a bounty of 30 million without showing any signs of defeat, while a chiliarch with six feathers can already use Armament Haki and Observation Haki, and can steadily suppress a pirate with a bounty of 50 million.

The twenty-man elite guards of the Seven Feathers did not appear. Instead, three Eight Feathers Generals, wearing red-tasseled iron helmets and clothing with black eyes etched on them, appeared in three different locations in the town, directing the war against the pirates and personally suppressing them.

General Hachirin's strength is no less than that of Vice Admiral in the Marine Headquarters. He is not afraid to deal with captains with bounties of hundreds of millions. He only falls into a disadvantageous position when fighting two opponents at once.

The sounds of clashing weapons echoed from every corner of the town; the war was fierce and bloody.

Although these elite soldiers were formidable, they were no match for the large fleet led by Buggy. Despite having a large number of soldiers, the difference in the number of high-level combatants between the two sides was too great.

With the assistance of the captains and officers, the battle was won around the smoke-filled town, and the defenders were forced into retreat, revealing their utter defeat.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!!"

Louis Carl shouted at the pirates blocking his way, leaped up, and kicked at the soldiers with three feathers hanging from their waists along the way, his feet wrapped in Armament Haki. Each kick shattered the soldiers' breastbones and left a dented footprint on their chests.

He has killed or wounded nearly a hundred soldiers, but his attacks rarely kill them outright. Instead, he renders them unconscious and incapacitated, which is also a resource for him, a former king.

Soon, four centurions with six plumes hanging from their waists surrounded Louis Carl, eager to eliminate this terrible threat as quickly as possible.

"What a delightful bow!"

Stelly his superhuman speed, Moses August weaved through the ranks of soldiers, using the Sticky-Sticky Fruit to stick them to his hands. He then raised his knee, aimed it at the spine of one of the soldiers, and snapped it. With a "crack," another soldier collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

Mohji August, however, looked quite pleased. He had been in Impel Down for far too long and hadn't had such a satisfying fight in a long time, even more so than the battle he had fought in Fish-Man Street.

"Let's join forces, Hedgehog, just like we did on Little Sabaody Island..."

Jass had transformed into his crocodile form and was engaged in a fierce battle with the Eight-Feathered General before him. "We need to deal with this trouble quickly!!"

"Is it very troublesome...?"

Tink pushed his hands out to the sides, and the black energy extended into a thorn, with black specks of light appearing around it.

He weighed it in his hand briefly and said coldly, "Get out of the way."

As soon as he finished speaking, he hurled the black thorn in his hand like a javelin.

Jass knew exactly what was going on and instinctively dodged aside in an instant, while the eight-feathered general had no idea of this situation and could only try his best to move his body aside.

Whoosh!!

The black thorn pierced the general's right shoulder, sending him flying backward for more than ten meters.

Immediately, the black thorns disintegrated into specks of black light and disappeared, leaving only a bloody hole in the general's right shoulder from which blood gushed. Without giving him any chance to catch his breath, Jass's powerful fist attacked again.

General Ba Ling had no choice but to endure the pain and prepare for Jass's attack.

Clang clang clang--

The sound of metal clashing rang out continuously, and the fierce battle between the two on the battlefield created a turbulent wind that prevented anyone nearby from getting close.

But despite appearing calm and collected, he was actually in a panic. Daoer was completely overwhelmed by the Eight-Feathered General in front of him, whose superb swordsmanship was unleashed in an orderly manner. Doyle dared not breathe for a moment, fearing that a single misstep would put him in the opponent's rhythm.

"Iai. Hidden Slash!"

Daoer leaped up, transforming into a blur as he broke through the opponent's attack. In an instant, a flash of white light appeared in his palm, and when he landed, he was already ten meters away from where he had been. With his back to the general, his right hand was held horizontally at his waist. He sheathed the slender knife in his cane, then drew it again and turned to block.

Clang!!

The immense force sent him flying, and in his haste, he almost dropped his dagger but clenched it again. Seeing the Eight-Feathered General hurtling towards him, he knew something was wrong. His body was flying through the air, without any foothold. Without knowing how his opponent would attack, if he misjudged the situation... he might be killed right there!

At that moment, a powerful fist came down from the sky. General Ba Ling was startled and abandoned his attack on Daoer. Instead, he thrust his sword upwards!

The longsword and the fist collided, but the longsword was no match for the fist's power. Under the onslaught of the immense force, the longsword shattered into countless fragments that scattered in all directions.

The fist, still powerful, slammed down, crushing the general's body as his pupils dilated, finally creating a crater more than ten meters in diameter.

The owner of the fist leaped into the air, landing on a nearby high-rise building beside Nilek. Nilek looked at Spar beside him and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Really, I'm not a combatant..."

After saying that, he looked at Daoer below and said, "Let me do this."

"This level of combat power..."

Once he recovered, Daoer could hardly believe what he had just witnessed. The reclusive [doll] Nilek was actually able to control such an obedient and powerful servant, crushing the enemy who had been suppressing him with a single, overwhelming blow...

So it was also a major fighting force of the main ship...?

Daoer quickly concealed his embarrassment and nodded to Nilek, "Then it's yours!"

Running away into the distance, he looked back and saw the general, who had climbed out of the pit again, locked in combat with Spar once more.

Boom!

Jody Lane had already transformed into Man-Eating Bee, and her spiked arms slammed into a bungalow, shattering the entire building into pieces!

The attack was originally intended to strike one of the eight-feathered generals in front of him, but he dodged it with a wary look.

"Don't even think about running!"

Jody Lane coldly watched her opponent, her body blurring as she charged forward, unleashing a furious barrage of attacks that forced the Eight-Feathered General to defend himself in a sorry state, leaving him powerless to retaliate.

If we were to choose the strongest among the six captains of the Buggy Grand Fleet, it would undoubtedly be Captain Jody Lane of the First Ship. His explosive power and attack strength far surpass the other five, and he is the only one among the six who can contend with the captains of the main ship.

If these six captains were just sparring on ordinary days, it would be difficult to determine a true winner in a short time. However, if it came to a life-or-death duel, Jody Lane would be the most troublesome enemy. He was a true berserker, and the longer the battle lasted, the more brutal his attacks became, just like his title, extremely aggressive.

The war is still ongoing.