"Hm?"
Sakazuki's movements paused.
Even Tianzheng beside him looked somewhat surprised.
Sengoku had only just made this decision and told Cyrik, having him inform Sakazuki first so he could prepare.
That was why they had not known about it.
They did, however, know that Hades was coming to Mary Geoise.
They had assumed Borsalino would escort him again. As the leader of the Neutral Faction, he would have no political bias.
Even now, the Marines faced considerable risks when entering the New World.
Most pirates were not actually a concern. No one would go out of their way to provoke the Marines for no reason. They would gain nothing and suffer considerable losses instead.
Pirates pursued profit. They would not waste their efforts on something pointless.
Besides, they were no match for the power the World Government and the Marines had displayed.
The lesson of the Monster Legion's destruction remained fresh in everyone's minds.
The World Government had suffered considerable losses in that battle. It had even lost the Ancient Weapon Uranus, a national treasure passed down within the World Government for over eight hundred years.
But the battle had also intimidated the pirates.
The Marines' position in the New World had improved considerably. Several Marine Bases had been rebuilt, and operating within limited areas was no problem.
The only potential concern was the Flying Pirates.
After all, everyone knew of the Flying Pirates' ambitions.
They had already lost one of their leader's most trusted lieutenants. If they discovered a top Marine combatant alone, they would not mind weakening the Marines further.
Anyone would think that way.
Still, nothing was certain. If the Flying Pirates did that, the World Government and the Marines could retaliate in kind.
The Flying Pirates had far fewer top combatants than the World Government.
The