The Marines withdrew

Meanwhile, in the Orlan Sea, at the boundary between the territories of the Rocks Pirates and the Marines.

The battle had already raged for a full day and night.

The Marines had clearly learned their lesson from last time and brought plenty of core fighters at the Vice Admiral and Rear Admiral levels.

There were no fewer than five elite Vice Admirals alone, along with over twenty ordinary Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals.

The officers under Lind and Whitebeard could barely hold off the Marine assault.

Lind had still underestimated the Marines' caution and determination. Fortunately, his forces were generally elite enough that several members of an elite squad could work together to tie down a powerful Marine.

With ample supplies of the Fountain of Life, Rejuvenation Durians, and even Angel's Hearts to heal their injuries, they held on. Otherwise, the men Lind had brought might have been defeated long ago.

The battle overhead was not looking too good either, though Whitebeard's fight with Sengoku was still manageable.

Lind had already started chugging potions. With the boost from his telekinesis, he could fight on equal footing with Zephyr.

But telekinesis consumed mana, leaving him at a disadvantage in a prolonged battle.

After more than ten hours of intense fighting with Zephyr, Lind reduced the boost from his telekinesis.

He began relying on his raw physique, swordsmanship, and Haki, supplementing them with potions to keep Zephyr occupied.

Fortunately, Lind had grown stronger since their last encounter. Together with his weapon advantage, that meant he needed to drink potions far less often.

At the same time, this intense battle let Lind feel his strength rising rapidly once again, beginning to advance from the level of a Yonko First Mate toward that of an ordinary Admiral.

Lind believed that after this battle with Zephyr, he could return and properly absorb what he had learned, then attempt to break through his bottleneck with an even fiercer battle.

Moreover, repeatedly experiencing Zephyr's Iron Fist had allowed Lind to grasp advanced Armament Haki—internal destruction. That was his greatest gain from this battle.

Combined with the advanced Observation Haki and Conqueror's Coating he had already mastered, Lind's Haki had finally reached the standard expected of top-tier fighters.

Now, Lind's sword, coated in two types of Haki, could directly threaten Zephyr's life, easing the pressure on him considerably.

All Lind had to do now was keep the Marines occupied and wait for reinforcements.

Once those reinforcements arrived, the outcome of this battle would most likely be settled.

Lind had settled on this strategy only after lengthy discussions with his subordinates.

Since he did not want to make bitter enemies of the Marines, he needed to give them a reason to cease fighting before either side suffered major losses.

Splitting his forces in two was clearly an excellent approach: one group would hold the Marines down while the other swiftly wiped out the pirates within the sea, presenting them with a fait accompli.

Once the Marines realized there was little point in continuing to fight, their willingness to do so would naturally drop. They only needed to maintain the stalemate for a while, and the war would likely give way to negotiations and come to an end.

If Lind had simply attacked the Marines head-on, they would certainly have fought desperately. Both sides would have suffered considerable losses, and he would have earned their lasting enmity, making it harder for him to develop his strength in peace.

Likewise, if Lind had gone straight to clearing out the pirates within the Orlan Sea, the Marines would not have stood by and watched. They would certainly have intervened, making a major clash inevitable.

They might even have joined forces with the pirates against Lind, resulting in even greater losses.

It was like how, in his previous life, if the Rabbit wanted to attack the Footbath Chicken, it would first have to get past Uncle Eagle. Attacking Uncle Eagle directly, or openly attacking the Footbath Chicken, would make it difficult to control the scale of the war.

But if it first found a way to tie down Uncle Eagle, then swiftly launched a surprise attack to wipe out the Footbath Chicken and present a fait accompli, Uncle Eagle would be much less willing to keep fighting and might well resolve the issue through negotiations.

(The author is talking nonsense. I know absolutely nothing about military tactics, so just read this for fun and please go easy on me.)

Unfortunately, plans could not keep pace with change. Lind's plan would most likely not proceed smoothly this time.

His teammates were simply too effective. Who could have imagined that Shiki would take Rocks straight to raid the enemy base?

Zephyr and Sengoku would probably receive the news soon and then retreat.

Otherwise, if Rocks led his men in and surrounded them, the death of either one would be a loss the Marines could not accept.

And Lind's original plan to avoid antagonizing the Marines too much would most likely go up in smoke.

Even if the Admirals from other departments were not particularly close to the Marines, Golden Lion had still led men into their home base and wreaked havoc.

At the same time, Lind had definitely made a bitter enemy of the World Government. Rocks had been the one to kill their men, but Lind had been the spark that set it all off.

And Lind was easier to deal with. It was safe to say that his days ahead would be considerably more eventful.

Sure enough.

Just as the four men's battle in the sky reached its fiercest point, Sengoku's adjutant suddenly flew up.

He interrupted Sengoku's fight with Whitebeard and whispered a few words in Sengoku's ear.

Sengoku's expression changed, and he gave Lind a meaningful look.

After all, this sort of scheme did not seem like something the Rocks Pirates' original members could devise. It was far more like something Lind would pull off.

The Marines had already suffered twice on that front, after all.

When Lind saw Sengoku suddenly looking at him strangely, he assumed Sengoku had received word that the pirates in the Orlan Sea had been wiped out.

So he answered with a brilliant smile. We're both smart men. You should understand what I mean. We can stop fighting now, right?

As Lind expected, Sengoku soon called a halt to Zephyr's battle and the fighting among the Marines below.

In an odd tone, he said to Lind, "Lind, you've won this time. Everyone, prepare to withdraw!"

Hearing Sengoku's words, Lind gave an expression that said he had expected as much and laughed.

"Hahahaha! You're too kind, too kind! Just a little clever trick. Nothing worth mentioning."

Clearly, Lind had not realized what an earth-shattering feat his good friend had accomplished with their captain.

Golden Lion had certainly kept things under wraps well. Even now, Lind was still in the dark.

"Well then, Vice Admirals, have a safe trip. I won't see you off. You're welcome to visit Oran Island anytime. I have all the fine food and wine you could want!"

And so, both sides arrived at the same destination by different paths. Though their reasons differed, the result was the same: with a bizarre, unspoken understanding, they ended the battle and withdrew their forces.

After watching Sengoku and the others leave, Lind had no intention of lingering there either.

Once aboard his ship, he had Allison notify Axel and the others that reinforcements were no longer needed. They could head straight back to Oran Island after clearing the pirates from their assigned waters.

A grand feast was waiting for them on Oran Island.

Aside from Sengoku and Zephyr, Garp had likewise not dared to linger on his end. He hurriedly led his men back to G-1 Base to rendezvous with Sengoku and the others.

When Charlotte Linlin received the news, she was rather baffled, unsure what Garp was up to.

It was not until Rocks and the others returned to Shiki's home base, having failed to "catch" any more isolated Marine Admirals.

Only then did Charlotte Linlin, Lind, and Whitebeard learn the shocking news, one after another.

"What?! Shiki went straight to Marine Headquarters, and Rocks and the others went with him!"

Lind felt his scalp prickle. Shiki raiding their home base was one thing; he really was the sort of man who might do that.

But the group had outright killed three Admiral-level fighters from the World Government. That truly left Lind stunned.

Three Admiral-level fighters, dead just like that. They were hardly cabbages lying around for the taking. Their deaths had been far too abrupt.

It also strengthened Lind's resolve to keep his head down and focus on developing his territory. For the time being, he would lie low in the Orlan Sea.

Until his strength advanced another step, he was going nowhere. The world outside was simply too dangerous.