The battlefield was covered in blood, staining the earth red. Severed limbs and corpses lay everywhere. This was war. Beneath this meat grinder, no one could emerge unscathed—not even figures as powerful as Whitebeard and Akainu.
And the fighting continued. Every moment, someone bled or was wounded. As time passed, the sky gradually darkened.
The sunlight cast by the Sun Tree Eve, which grew near Fish-Man Island, vanished as well.
Though faint lights remained, the battlefield had begun to feel somewhat eerie. At times, both sides could not even see their opponents clearly and struck the wrong people.
Sengoku looked at the scene before him and knew they should not continue fighting.
Night battles put the side with superior numbers at a disadvantage. Besides, Whitebeard Pirates reinforcements arrived from time to time.
The change in Sengoku's expression was noticed by Ryan across from him. After pondering briefly, Ryan said, "Let's call a truce. We'll fight again tomorrow!"
"Alright!" Ryan's words made Sengoku, who had already intended to cease fighting, make up his mind. He immediately shouted in a deep voice, "Brave Marines, rest for the night. We will fight again tomorrow!"
Whitebeard looked at Namur being taken away by the Marines, then at the wounded members of the Whitebeard Pirates. Finally, he turned his gaze to Ryan and saw him nod.
Thus, Whitebeard spoke in perfect understanding, "Retreat!"
Hearing Sengoku's order, the Marines did not question it. They gathered the bodies of their fallen comrades, helped up their injured comrades, and retreated into the ranks of their headquarters forces.
While the Marines collected their comrades' bodies, the Whitebeard Pirates watched with unfriendly eyes but did not attack. Though they were enemies, they would not stop such actions. It was an unspoken rule of the battlefield.
Compared with the Marines' orderly