Hearing River's response, Sengoku nodded, took a deep breath, and spoke again with a solemn expression.
"This war, sparked by using Fire Fist Ace, the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander, as bait..."
"Will be incredibly difficult, and we will pay a tremendous price!"
"Because our enemy is the Whitebeard Pirates, renowned throughout these seas as one of the Four Emperors."
"Their captain, Edward Newgate, once stood alongside Pirate King Roger in fame. He is the World's Strongest Man!"
Sengoku paused, his gaze grave and stern.
"Even though the battlefield will be Marineford, our home ground, none of you here can take this war lightly or let your guard slip for even an instant!"
Around the long conference table, all the officers nodded solemnly.
Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!
Anyone facing a man like him would feel a weight pressing on their heart, a sense of tension, dread, and fear.
The title of World's Strongest was no hollow distinction. It alone exerted immense pressure.
"Whitebeard, huh?"
At this, River smiled, a trace of complicated emotion and anticipation appearing in his eyes.
"It's been twenty years since I last fought him!"
Speaking softly, he turned his gaze toward Sengoku.
"Leave that man to me!"
"Sengoku!"
Sengoku's gaze suddenly sharpened. "River, this war will be broadcast live before the entire world."
"I don't want you treating it like a game."
He took another deep breath, his tone exceedingly grave.
"Our goal is, ideally, to wipe them all out, shatter the world's balance, and let the Navy regain control of the seas."
"Above all, Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, must not survive this war."
His forceful words echoed through the conference room, and every officer's expression grew deeply solemn.
Taking down Whitebeard sounded simple, but what would it really mean to face him?
If the World's Strongest Man