Some pirates near the harbor saw Marine warships sailing in one after another. Their jaws dropped, and cold sweat poured down their faces. One of them ran toward Town, shouting, "The Marines are here! The Marines are here!"
His voice was faint amid the din of battle, too faint to reach the pirates caught up in the fighting.
But as he drew closer to the battlefield, his cries finally caught the attention of other pirates. They paused between clashes, bewildered. The Marines?
Word passed from pirate to pirate until it reached the center of this Town's battlefield. "Diamond" Jozu drove back several pirate captains who attacked him at once, then planted his feet.
His breathing had grown a little ragged, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. In his condition, this was pushing him too far.
He heard that the Marines were coming. It was only one warship, but he had a bad feeling, and anxiety rose in him. We haven't moved it yet. Have they found out?
The dozen or so pirate captains fighting him looked even worse than "Diamond" Jozu. Every one of them was covered in dirt. Some had faces caved in by blows, with diamond-shaped marks stamped into them.
They had heard about the Marines too. At first they were startled, but when they learned that only one Marine warship had arrived, they sneered.
Did the Marines think one little warship could get involved in a battle like this? The pirates almost admired their nerve for wading into these troubled waters.
After dodging attacks from her three opponents, the Ice Witch, Xuebai Zhipei, steadied herself. Frowning, she called across the battlefield to "Diamond" Jozu. "Third Division Commander! We need to finish this quickly and withdraw. A Marine warship has arrived, which means Marine Headquarters already has