One week later.
The waters surrounding Hachinosu were eerily calm.
The fleets surrounding the island merely monitored it from a distance each day without taking any action.
Occasionally, a few reconnaissance ships would approach, but they would be driven away by the patrol team without resistance, turning back immediately.
The island is operating normally.
The training ground echoes with battle cries every day, ships come and go in the port daily, and the commercial street is bustling with people every day.
It was as if those surrounding them didn't exist at all.
But everyone knows this is just the calm before the storm.
That night, Roy came to the port alone.
He stood on the dock, gazing at the distant, scattered lights of ships, a cold smile playing on his lips.
To the north, Whitebeard's fleet.
To the south, Big Mom's fleet.
To the east, the floating Sky Island of the Golden Lion.
To the west, naval warships.
Surrounded on all sides, there's no way to escape.
That's really giving him too much credit.
Roy pulled the replica Pure Gold from his pocket; its golden light was particularly dazzling in the night.
Fisher Tiger has sent word that they've pinpointed the approximate range of the lanternfish, and their exact location should be found in ten days at most.
That's when the real show begins.
Roy put away the Pure Gold and turned to walk towards the palace.
Behind us, the sea breeze howled and the waves crashed against the rocks.
The scattered lights of the ships flickered in the night.
It was as if countless eyes were fixed intently on this island.
Staring at this sleeping behemoth.
In some sea area of New World, on an inconspicuous pirate ship, several captains were sitting together.
The wine on the table remained untouched, and the meat was left uneaten; the atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.
A burly man with a face full of scars slammed his hand on the table, making the wine glasses jump.
"Damn it! How long are we going to wait like this?!"
A sinister-looking man beside him sneered, "What else can we do but wait? The Whitebeard Pirates are holding them off in front; are we just going to charge in and die?"
The burly man glared. "We can't just sit here and wait! Our supplies are almost gone! In a few days, we'll starve to death without even fighting!"
Upon hearing this, the captains fell silent.
These small and medium-sized pirate crews originally came here hoping to get something for nothing.
I've heard that the birth of Pure Gold can grant immortality. Who wouldn't be envious? Following those great pirates, if you're lucky enough to snatch some scraps, you'll be rich for life.
When the time came, it turned out that it wasn't like that at all.
Whitebeard, Big Mom, Golden Lion, three great pirate families, surrounded Hachinosu like an iron barrel. These small fry didn't even dare to get close and could only stare helplessly from the outermost edge.
I've been staring at it for almost ten days, and I haven't gotten a single thing out of it.
A lean captain scratched his head. "How about... we go find those Fish-Man?"
Everyone was taken aback.
The lean captain continued, "Isn't the Sun Pirates looking for lanternfish out there? Let's go find them. As long as we catch those Fish-Man, we won't have to worry about not finding Pure Gold!"
"When the time comes, those notorious pirates will be waiting outside Hachinosu. We'll intercept them right at the source!"
The captains exchanged glances, their eyes gradually brightening.
The burly man slapped his thigh. "That's a great idea!"
The sinister-looking man frowned. "Those Fish-Man are not easy to deal with. The Sun Pirates are all tough nut to crack."
"What's there to be afraid of?" The lean captain chuckled. "No matter how powerful they are, they're just a small group. If we join forces, with dozens of ships, we can't defeat them."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
That night, dozens of small and medium-sized pirate crews quietly broke away from the encirclement and, under the cover of darkness, sailed towards the depths of the New World.
The news reached all the major powers early the next morning.
Marco, Whitebeard Pirates, handed the intelligence to Whitebeard: " Pops, those brats on the outskirts have run away. Judging by the direction, they're heading for the Sun Pirates."
Whitebeard took the intelligence report, glanced at it, and chuckled.
"Let them go. It'll be a good opportunity for us to test the waters."
Marco was stunned. "Testing the waters? Testing what waters?"
Whitebeard took a sip of his drink. "That kid Roy couldn't possibly be unaware of this. Those Fish-Man are also tasked with finding lanternfish."
"Trouble with the Fish-Man now is completely pointless."
Marco Satori: " My Pops was right!"
Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates also received the news.
Cracker leaned closer. "Brother, should we send someone too?"
Katakuri glanced at him. "Where are you going?"
"Go... go Fish-Man?"
Katakuri shook his head, too lazy to explain.
Smoothie chimed in, "Those little pirates are just throwing their lives away. They haven't even found the lanternfish yet, and Roy won't just stand by and watch the Fish-Man be disturbed."
"Going now will only invite a fierce attack from the Roy Pirates."
Cracker scratched his head and nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
On the floating Sky Island, Golden Lion Shiki heard the news and burst into loud laughter.
"A bunch of idiots! Do they really think Pure Gold is so easy to steal?"
Indigo, standing nearby, danced with glee. "Ahhh! Brother Shiki is brilliant!"
The Golden Lion waved his hand. "Let them make a scene. The bigger the scene, the better."
At this time,
Somewhere in the New World, at night.
The Sun Pirates ' fleet anchored near a deserted island. The Fish-Man, after a day of searching, were resting on the ship.
Fisher Tiger sat on the deck, gazing blankly at the starry sky.
These past few days he'd felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen. But he'd scanned the surrounding area with his Observation Haki again and again, and there wasn't a soul in sight for dozens of nautical miles.
Maybe I was just too tired.
Fisher Tiger rubbed his temples, about to get up and return to his cabin.
Suddenly, his Observation Haki jerked!
Danger!
He leaped up instantly, shouting, "Enemy attack!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than countless flames suddenly erupted on the sea!
Dozens of pirate ships surged in from all directions, their cannons roaring and shells raining down on the Sun Pirates ' fleet!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosion was deafening, and flames shot skyward!
The allied forces of small and medium-sized pirate crews charged madly towards the Fish-Man's ships, roaring—
"Catch those Fish-Man!"
"Catch them and we'll find Pure Gold!"
"Charge!"
The Fish-Man of the Sun Pirates leaped into the sea, using their racial advantage to avoid the cannon fire, but there were too many enemies, and ships were everywhere, leaving them nowhere to escape!
Fisher Tiger, his eyes bloodshot, punched a charging pirate ship away and roared at Aladdin, "Protect everyone! I'll cover the rear!"
Aladdin swung his knife, severing several grappling hooks. "No! It's too dangerous for you to go alone!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Get everyone out of here!" Fisher Tiger shoved him aside. "I'll hold them off!"
He took a deep breath and leaped into the sea!
The seawater boiled instantly!
Fish-Man Karate - Ultimate Technique - 10,000 Tiles Fist!
boom--!!!
The sea surface exploded, a huge column of water shot into the sky, and the resulting giant wave capsized several of the nearest pirate ships!
But more ships are still arriving.
Fisher Tiger swam through the sea, blasting a ship away with every punch, but there were too many enemies, as numerous as locusts, and he couldn't kill them all.
Aladdin gritted his teeth and commanded the Fish-Man to fight and retreat, but the enemy was too close and they couldn't shake them off at all.
In the chaos, he pulled out Den Den Mushi and dialed the number for Hachinosu.
Blub Blub... Blub Blub...
In the communications room of Hachinosu, the gene warrior on duty answers the phone.
" The Sun Pirates under attack! Requesting backup! Requesting backup!"
On the other end of the phone, shouts of killing and explosions rose and fell, creating utter chaos.
The gene-engineered warrior's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly stood up—
"Report to the captain immediately!"