Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

"There's no other way. After all, my opponent is 'Hawkeye' Mihawk, a man known as the 'World's Greatest Swordsman,' a figure standing at the very pinnacle of swordsmanship."

"Hey, hey, hey, can you guys stop saying such discouraging things? The captain won't lose."

"He's just cheating. Otherwise, if it were just a matter of swordsmanship, he definitely wouldn't be a match for Mihawk. Look, the captain is cheating again."

……

The crew members' discussion was utterly unpolite, lacking the reverence shown to the captain that was common on other pirate ships. Instead, they joked around like brothers.

The duel on the deserted island had reached its climax. Mihawk brandished his black sword, staring sharply at the man in front of him, and said without changing his expression.

"Shanks, your Conqueror's Haki Entanglement technique is getting more and more sophisticated."

In front of Mihawk, Shanks exuded a breathtakingly powerful Conqueror's Haki, which he continuously gathered and coiled around the "Famous Sword Griffin" in his hand.

"This is all thanks to you, Mihawk. If we lose this time, I'll make you pay!"

As the words fell, Shanks swung his sword, Griffin, down at Mihawk with terrifying force.

Faced with an attack whose aftershocks caused the surrounding ground to crumble, Mihawk took a step forward and assumed a sword stance.

"Black Blade - Annihilation!"

"boom!!!"

A terrifying shockwave swept across the entire deserted island, instantly destroying most of the vegetation and creating deep, bottomless cracks across much of the island. The aftershocks even caused a tsunami tens of meters high to rise in the surrounding sea.

……

Half a day later.

A lively banquet was being held on the deserted island, with all members of the "Red-Haired Pirates" participating. In particular, barrels filled with fine wine circled the banquet area.

"Damn it, Mihawk, you bastard, you have to pay the price! You'll leave this world lying on your back..."

Shanks, his upper body wrapped in bandages, kept toasting Mihawk beside him.

Mihawk, who is usually cold and arrogant, was now accepting all offers of drinks. His cheeks were slightly flushed as he kept drinking with Shanks, seemingly continuing their duel that had been so close yet still ended in a draw.

"Hahaha, keep going, keep going, I don't believe I can't outdrink you, you taciturn guy."

With a wave of Shanks' hand, his companions began to pour buckets of fine wine toward Shanks and Mihawk, while various delicacies and fruits were spread all over the ground.

Compared to the duel that lasted half a day, this unrestrained banquet lasted a whole day, until all the fine wine stored on the "Red Fosse" was consumed, and then it came to an end.

At this moment, almost all of the "Red-Haired Pirates" were so drunk that they were lying on the ground fast asleep, rolling around in a heap, with only Mihawk and Shanks still barely sitting up.

"By the way, Shanks, there's been news about the Gum-Gum Fruit that you've been asking about."

Mihawk suddenly spoke up.

[Chapter 231. The Three Great Calamities Appear!]

Immediately, Shanks, whose eyes had been somewhat hazy from drunkenness, sobered up considerably and asked seriously.

Is the intelligence reliable?

"Ok!"

Then, Mihawk pulled a piece of paper that had been cut in half from his pocket and handed it to Shanks.

Shanks quickly took it, and couldn't help but complain, saying, "Mihawk, couldn't you have put it somewhere else? This paper is now in two pieces."

Mihawk rolled his eyes at Shanks and retorted, "Who do you think did it?"

Shanks retorted without hesitation, "It's because you're too weak and couldn't block my slash."

Upon hearing this, Mihawk slowly moved his hand towards the black blade behind him and asked, "Do you even know what you're saying?"

Seeing this, Shanks quickly grinned and waved the paper in his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, let's save the duel for next time."

"Humph!"

Mihawk snorted and stood up abruptly, then walked unsteadily toward the coast.

"Hey, Mihawk, where are you going?" Shanks called out.

"I'm leaving," Mihawk said without turning his head.

"Are you in such a hurry? Have you made a duel with someone?" Shanks asked curiously.

"The war between the Hueco Mundo Organization and the Beast Pirates has begun in the Dressrosa Kingdom. I need to go see if there are any sword masters within the Hueco Mundo Organization..."

As Mihawk disappeared from Shanks' sight, his voice gradually faded.

"The Dressrosa Kingdom, Hueco Mundo, and the Beast Pirates?"

Upon hearing this, Shanks glanced again at the paper that had been cut in half in his hand, looking at the information recorded on it. He couldn't help but subconsciously put the conspicuous bright yellow straw hat on his head, pulled it down slightly, and revealed a big smile.

"Hehe~ It's on my way, who knows it might be interesting. But..."

The next moment, Shanks' eyes glazed over again, and he collapsed to the ground, fast asleep and drunk.

Outside the deserted island, Mihawk also passed out on the raft, letting the waves carry it away.

At the highest point of the deserted island, Ben Beckman, the vice-captain of the "Red-Haired Pirates" who was in charge of guarding the island, smoked a cigarette, letting the sea breeze blow half of it while he smoked the other half, watching Mihawk's raft sail away.

On the raft, Mihawk was completely drunk, letting the waves carry it towards the unknown.

"Honestly, those two idiots, they're both so drunk, but they still insist on putting up a fight in front of each other."

Ben Beckman exhaled a puff of smoke, offering a wry comment on Mihawk and Shanks' actions.

……

It wasn't just these top-tier pirates in the "New World" who reacted differently to the war between the "Beasts Pirates" and the Hueco Mundo organization.

The other pirates, with varying bounties, also harbored different intentions as they approached the Dressrosa Kingdom, awaiting the start of that grand war.

As for the World Government and the Navy, according to intelligence provided by the Revolutionary Army, they had already begun making preparations long ago.

As large numbers of pirates flocked to the same location, battles frequently broke out between pirate crews.

Therefore, before the war between the Beasts Pirates and the Hueco Mundo organization even began, a group of outstanding pirates emerged from among the pirates.

Among them, Hancock, who was setting sail for the first time as a captain and pirate, was the most dazzling and beautiful. Wherever she went, her charm alone made countless pirates submit to her feet and willingly offer up all their treasures, turning them into stone.

With this arrogant and domineering attitude, which made countless pirates submit, Hancock quickly earned a title—"Pirate Empress!"

As for Hancock's beauty, which could captivate the entire sea, she has become the focus of attention for countless pirates and is praised by many as "the most beautiful woman on the sea".

Beautiful, powerful, domineering, arrogant...

Soon, Hancock, the captain of the "Kuja Pirates," rose to fame and attracted the attention of the World Government and the Navy.

However, for the World Government and the Navy today, the rising star Hancock may be a worthy target of attention, but the main protagonists of this war are ultimately the Beasts Pirates and the Hueco Mundo organization.

As the Beasts Pirates approached the waters near the Dressrosa Kingdom, the attention of all forces was drawn to them.

As a pirate crew that is gradually being recognized as the overlord of the seas, the arrival of the "Beasts Pirates" is no less than the appearance of a king.

For a moment, the entire sea area near the Kingdom of Dressrosa became quiet, and the pirate groups that had been fighting each other dared not cause trouble.

Who from the Beasts Pirates came?

Numerous forces are secretly observing the scale of the war waged by the Beasts Pirates.

As three oddly shaped pirate ships appeared side by side in front of the Beasts Pirates' fleet, the numerous pirates watching the Beasts Pirates from afar couldn't help but lower their breaths.

"Fire disaster" ashes!

"Plague Disaster" Quinn!

"Drought" Jack!

The three top officers of the "Three Great Disasters" of the Beasts Pirates appeared at the same time, and later, well-known officers of the Beasts Pirates continued to appear at the rear of the fleet.

Thirteen pirate ships, with an estimated number of pirates exceeding ten thousand, including not only the Beasts Pirates' executives but also a large number of Zoan-type Devil Fruit users.

Looking at Izo, the 16th division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, through binoculars on the distant sea, he said with some disappointment, "It seems Kaido hasn't shown up."

Sachi habitually tossed his Bombardier hair, took the binoculars from his good friend Sachi, who had a kind and honest face, glanced at them, and commented.

"Kaido doesn't seem to be here, but with the three calamities appearing, their strength is enough to easily wipe out a country in just a few breaths."

“That’s right. The Beasts Pirates have always boasted that the strength of the Three Disasters is comparable to that of the Navy’s top combat force, the Admirals, and that their strength is extremely terrifying.” Izo said through gritted teeth.

Upon hearing this, Sachi, intentionally or unintentionally, comforted Izang and said...

"That shouldn't be the case. The three great calamities are all Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit users. It's true that their physique, brute strength, defense, vitality, etc. are extremely powerful, but they should still be some distance away from the combat power of a Marine Admiral."

During the brief discussion between Izo and Sachi, the Beasts Pirates' fleet did not stop at all and headed straight for the Dressrosa Kingdom.

Along the way, the Beasts Pirates crushed any scattered pirate crews that blocked their path and couldn't get out of their way, with overwhelming force, until they reached the port of the Dressrosa Kingdom.

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P.S.: Meow, I'm having writer's block. Only three chapters today...

[Chapter 232 The War Begins]

At this moment, the fleet of the Beasts Pirates resembled a massive black tsunami, engulfing the port of Dressrosa.

The war has begun!

The same thought immediately arose in the minds of many forces watching from afar.

"It's starting, it's starting..."

In addition to the audience observing from afar in the surrounding waters, there were also live video feeds broadcasting to them from places such as the news agency president's office, the high-level conference room of the Navy Headquarters, and the World Government's power rooms.

It is true that Yann said there are many spies in the Dressrosa Kingdom. Since the Beast Pirates declared war on the Dressrosa Kingdom, many organizations that are keen on intelligence and pay attention to the movements of other forces have sent spies to infiltrate the Dressrosa Kingdom.

Even though the Donquixote Family has been investigating its spies, the existence of various Devil Fruits with different abilities in the sea makes it impossible to guard against them.

Unbeknownst to them, they had already deployed a large number of image-transmitting Den Den Mushi (snail teleporters) throughout the Kingdom of Dressrosa to monitor the progress of the war.

The images transmitted back by the Den Den Mushi clearly show that there are no civilians left on the surface of the entire Kingdom of Dressrosa, as if it has become a ghost town.

"It seems that Corazon is indeed very interested in the Kingdom of Dressrosa."

"That's right, calling on all citizens to temporarily evacuate to underground shelters is no easy task."

"Yes, this not only shows that the Kingdom of Dressrosa will be Corazon's weakness and constraint, but also shows that Corazon has a high degree of control over the Kingdom of Dressrosa."

……

Unlike the Five Elders, who focused their attention on Corazon's deduction as a member of Hueco Mundo, the Navy's high-ranking officers in the conference room at Marine Headquarters were more focused on the port.