Chapter 203: Retreat
Dense footsteps echoed continuously as large numbers of Navy soldiers converged on the Navy warships from all directions.
Officers were continually shouting loudly, gathering their troops.
Such a large-scale Navy withdrawal should have been an extremely massive undertaking, but due to strong discipline, everything proceeded in an orderly manner; they even had the chance to carry away the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Meanwhile, Sengoku and Garp, escorted by Borsalino and others, swiftly moved against the flow.
Sengoku's expression was grave as he constantly monitored the movements of Nicholas nearby, the Whitebeard Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, and the blue giant dragon currently speeding towards them.
Nicholas, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido—these four forces, if they had come individually, would have been easy pickings for the Navy.
But when they combined, they posed immense pressure even for the Navy.
If they all launched an attack on the Navy, even if fighting individually, the Navy's current troop strength on this battlefield would be unable to resist such powerful pirate forces.
If a battle truly broke out, the Navy would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses today.
"Mama, Whitebeard and that Nicholas fellow are both here now. What should we do?"
At the bow of the Queen Mama Chanter, Perospero licked the giant candy in his hand with his unbelievably long tongue, speaking to Charlotte Linlin.
Even in her state of rage, Charlotte Linlin showed a rare moment of clarity when facing this situation.
On this battlefield, there were four powerhouses of the same level, maybe four and a half counting Kaido who was slightly weaker; once a melee broke out, even her Iron Balloon defense could face serious trouble.
"Mama, perhaps we should wait and see for now?"
Perospero looked at Garp, Sengoku, the Navy's three great Logia powerhouses standing there, as well as Nicholas and Whitebeard in the very center of the battlefield, and felt a bit intimidated himself.
Although they were all technically on the pirate side, there were no ethics to speak of among pirates, not to mention that both Nicholas and Whitebeard Edward Newgate had arguably had fierce conflicts with the Big Mom Pirates before.
There were essentially five factions on the field now: the Navy, which was the strongest; followed by the Whitebeard Pirates; then the Big Mom Pirates and the soon-to-arrive Kaido; and finally, Nicholas, standing center stage and drawing the most attention—though only one person, no faction could afford to ignore him.
Furthermore, in Perospero's view, if a fight really started and they were targeted, the Big Mom Pirates might end up leaving quite a few people behind today.
On the battlefield, Nicholas could clearly hear what Perospero said to Big Mom; he could even perceive the subtle fluctuations in Perospero's thoughts.
The effect produced by combining the Rumble-Rumble Fruit with Observation Haki was astonishing.
It could be said that it brought about a qualitative change in Nicholas's Observation Haki.
Soon, all Navy soldiers boarded the Navy warships.
Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and other members of the Navy high command also arrived; the Navy's assembly and retreat were extremely fast.
"Sengoku, issue the order to accelerate the retreat, leave this place in the fastest possible time!"
Tsuru said to Sengoku, clearly seeing how dangerous the current situation was for the Navy.
Sengoku nodded, his expression exceptionally grave at this moment.
"Why the sudden retreat? What is Admiral Sengoku thinking?"
Kuzan was somewhat puzzled; although the pirate side had many powerhouses, the Navy side was not inferior.
Garp and Sengoku were enough to deal with Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin, and any two of himself, Sakazuki, or Borsalino were enough to tie down Charlotte Linlin.
As for the remaining Kaido, with Vice Admiral Tsuru and a host of Navy officers, it wouldn't be a big problem.
Not far from him, a figure in a yellow-striped suit was already leaning against the ship's railing, seemingly dozing lightly—it was Borsalino.
On the other side, Sakazuki, emitting a scorching aura, had a look of unwillingness on his face.
"Admiral Sengoku? Why are we suddenly retreating? The Navy holds a huge advantage! Even with Whitebeard and Big Mom here! We still have a chance of winning!"
He couldn't understand why the Navy, after preparing meticulously for so long, would just retreat like that.
"Golden Lion has already been killed! Even with the Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates arriving, we still hold an absolute advantage in terms of troop strength!"
At this moment, Kuzan interjected, "Sakazuki, calm down a bit."
"Calm down about what? How rare is this opportunity!"
Sakazuki roared angrily.
Sengoku didn't answer immediately. He lifted his head, his calm eyes looking at Sakazuki's furious face. The Mythical Zoan Human-Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu granted him calmness and wisdom surpassing ordinary people.
"Sakazuki, watch your tone when addressing a superior officer."
"It's simple. If we were to fight against the Whitebeard Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, Kaido, and Nicholas, our Navy would be in an absolutely disadvantageous position. Even if we could inflict huge damage on the enemy, our losses would definitely not be small. This is the New World. Once we get entangled by those guys, these Navy soldiers are bound to suffer disastrous losses.
Sakazuki, individual martial prowess is certainly important, but relying solely on bravery is not enough to become a qualified leader."
Tsuru stated lightly from the side.
Hearing Tsuru's words, Sakazuki said nothing more. It could be said that while Tsuru might not be the strongest in the entire Navy system, her prestige was definitely high enough.
In the cold wind, as the Navy departed, Whitebeard's towering figure approached Nicholas.
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"Newgate, you shouldn't have come!"
Nicholas said bluntly.
"Lightning Brat, is it any of your business whether I should come or not?"
Newgate looked down at Nicholas.
After speaking, he chuckled again.
"It seems you also came for Roger?"
"Roger, sort of, but more for the Golden Lion. After all, he was one of the top-tier powerhouses on the sea. How could his end pass without a witness? Of course, if the day comes when your career ends, perhaps I'll go witness that too."
Nicholas looked up at Whitebeard and said with a smile.
"Gurararara, Lightning Brat, maybe your end will come sooner than mine!"
Saying this, Whitebeard and Nicholas walked together towards Sakurajū and Kogarashi. Then Whitebeard took out the flask from his waist and poured the clear, fine wine onto the ice surface, as a tribute to this former 'old friend'.
"Whitebeard, I'm taking these two swords, any problem?"
Nicholas looked at Whitebeard and asked.
"Gurararara, no problem. But I hope the new master you find for these swords won't tarnish the reputation of that lion."
Whitebeard said with a laugh.
For pirates, apart from their own comrades, they might form bonds with other pirates for various reasons, but that's about the extent of it.
"Rest assured. By the way, no need to wait for Roger. He won't be leaving from here."
After putting away the two swords, Nicholas suddenly said to Whitebeard.
"Why?"
"Because having learned many things, they need time to process it. Also, if I'm not mistaken, Roger should take the initiative to find us."
End of Chapter