Uchiha's personal opinion

For the navy, nothing could be more frustrating than this situation!

"We're the navy, after all!"

The naval captain was filled with resentment, his hands bulging with veins, and he crushed the binoculars to pieces!

He's never been treated like this before!

Aside from the mysteriously appearing 'Hidden Mist Pirates,' how many of the trashy pirates in Paradise would dare to bare their teeth in front of the Marines? Let alone in a complete rout like this!

This is a warship that the world government invested heavily in building!

How did we end up in a situation where we can only take a beating and can't fight back? Where else in the world does this advanced shipbuilding technology exist?

There's no reason why someone could build such a warship and the navy would be completely unaware of it!

With the cruiser's solid shot bombarding them relentlessly, except for one warship which remained relatively intact, the other four warships were badly damaged. Even the oars extending from the sides were broken, leaving them essentially powerless and vulnerable to attack.

The Navy is now in an extremely awkward situation!

If we want to disengage from the battle, given that the enemy's speed is so much greater, there is no chance of a 'tactical retreat' using only a relatively intact warship carrying everyone!

Therefore, there is only one way left—

Give me a Den Den Mushi!

The naval captain roared, "I'll stay here and wait for the garrison fleet to come and deal with them together!"

The naval officers breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

What they feared most was that their leader would continue to be stubborn and unwilling to ask for help.

"Mishimishi!"

After establishing contact with the Impel Down naval command via Den Den Mushi, the naval captain's tone immediately improved: "While pursuing pirates along the Grand Line, headquarters was unexpectedly ambushed by the Kirigakure Pirates and is currently engaged in a fierce battle. We are requesting tactical guidance from command..."

The so-called arduous struggle refers to being on the verge of being sunk; while tactical guidance means to provide immediate support when the situation becomes unbearable.

There was a long silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi before a hoarse voice came through: "Are you sure it's the Kirigakure Pirates?"

"Absolutely certain!"

The naval captain wiped his brow and said nervously, "There are three black iron-hulled ships, and their speed is very close to the description in the intelligence!"

"If it were the Kirigakure Pirates' iron-hulled ship, how did you manage to withstand it?"

Another question came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

The naval captain glanced at the Den Den Mushi in his hand—a piece of junk without any image transmission capabilities—and could only describe it verbally: "They're using solid shells, so..."

"Is it!"

An excited voice immediately came through the Den Den Mushi!

If the enemy they encounter is as formidable as the intelligence suggests, the people on the Den Den Mushi side don't intend to waste their energy—after all, the warships that run there to be attacked will most likely be sunk and fed to the fish.

However, if the 'Hidden Mist Pirates' are not that strong, then it also means there is much to be done!

Moreover, according to the Marine Headquarters' report, it's extremely rare for the three admirals to jointly issue a Buster Call to clean up the East Blue! And their primary target is the 'Hidden Mist Pirates'! If I can gain some merit on the Grand Line, I might not only get promoted, but I also have a great chance of escaping the dreaded job of guarding Impel Down and returning to Headquarters to enjoy a peaceful life!

"Hold on! Headquarters, all personnel are to be deployed immediately!"

The words the naval captain most wanted to hear came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi!

"call……"

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi communication, the naval captain first let out a breath, and then nodded to the officers and soldiers around him.

The naval officers breathed a sigh of relief!

The frustration of being unable to fight back after having your motivation knocked down is just too unbearable!

Fortunately, the Kirigakure Pirates' iron-hulled ship probably didn't have those high-explosive shells, otherwise everyone would have been thrown into the sea to feed the fish!

"Stop acting crazy! Get out there and intercept the shells!"

The naval captain's expression changed drastically again. He thought his subordinates' change in expression was a mockery of him, so he started cursing and kicking them!

Chapter 502 The Burning Ocean

"They didn't run away?!"

On the flagship of the First Legion, the captain said to Uchiha Lumbu with some surprise, "Should we just sink them all?"

"...Perhaps they have special means of communication, and are waiting for support to encircle us."

Uchiha Rumbu recalled the 'den Den Mushi' that Uchiha Tokumitsu had mentioned at the Imperial Conference. According to the intelligence reports from the advance team, there was indeed a peculiar snail in this world that could make long-distance calls and even transmit images.

However, due to time constraints, the intelligence agents had not yet had the chance to access the black market of this world to obtain these wondrous snails, much to the disappointment of the Aburame ninjas stationed in the rear.

"So, what's next..."

The captain asked cautiously.

Although cruisers are fast and have enough firepower to fight against several times the number of World Government naval warships, they would not be able to escape if they were surrounded from all sides and forced to advance under heavy fire.

After all, the three cruisers only had about three hundred ninjas, and each had their own duties. If they were to leave their posts and engage in battle, it would definitely affect the cruisers' navigation. If they were forced to engage in deck combat, it would very likely lead to the annihilation of the entire fleet.

"Attention all artillery positions, we are about to switch to incendiary shells!"

Uchiha Rumbu pondered for a moment, then ordered, "After three volleys, headquarters, accelerate your escape!"

"But even old-fashioned incendiary bombs can't sink enemy warships!"

The captain quickly said, "If we don't use the new type of high-explosive shells..."

"There's no need to keep arguing with them here. Let's just leave and let them find us in circles."

Uchiha Rumbu shook his head and said, "If they do have reinforcements, they will most likely conduct a full-scale search. That will be Hanzo's time to put on a show!"

"OK……"

The captain nodded, while Uchiha Rumbu returned to the telegraph room to send a message to the main fleet that was silently lying in wait at the rear.

……

"Lord Hanzo, Commander Lunbu has sent a telegram!"

A ninja wearing an old-fashioned Rain Ninja breathing mask excitedly ran into the First Army Fleet's command room to report.

"What kind of behavior is this!"

Hanzo the Salamander first reprimanded his old subordinate before taking the telegram and reading it.

"The vanguard fleet is already engaged in combat with the puppet government's navy at the edge of the doldrums."

Immediately, the atmosphere in the command room became lively.

"Is it the navy stationed at Impel Down?"

"A Jonin asked excitedly."

"Based on Mr. Lunbu's deduction, it is highly likely that..."

Hanzo the Salamander nodded. "Moreover, he has already begun to withdraw from the combat zone and is slowly moving towards headquarters."

"So, it's still uncertain whether the enemy's main force will appear, right..."

Orochimaru bluntly pointed out, "If that's the case, taking such a risky attack might alert the enemy!"

"During the battle, Lumbos used solid shot, chain shot, and old-fashioned incendiary bombs to turn five enemy warships into torches..."

Hanzo the Salamander didn't seem to care about Orochimaru's tone and said leisurely, "The aforementioned cannonballs are just remnants that were phased out during the Shogunate era."

Orochimaru didn't know much about shipborne weapons, so the Jonin next to him whispered an explanation in his ear.

The weapons currently equipped by the Dynasty Navy are all new chakra-powered giant cannons developed by the Royal Engineering Institute, which is led by the Uzumaki clan. They are not only incredibly powerful, but can also be precisely aimed and have their trajectory corrected using special observation instruments, making their hit rate far higher than that of traditional eyepiece aiming.

In order to lure the enemy, Uchiha Rumbu specially forged a batch of old-style cannonballs to 'show weakness', but he did not expect that the warships of the pseudo-government navy would be so vulnerable.

"If that's the case..."

Orochimaru couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"The decoy part of the first phase of the operation plan is revised. The fleet shall immediately dispel the concealment of the fog technique and proceed in the direction of the forward fleet's return voyage in a state of combat readiness!"

Hanzo the Salamander stood up and gave the order.

"As ordered!"

The Jonin immediately stood up, shouted, and bowed.

"Yagura-kun... I'm counting on you from now on!"

"Hanzo the Salamander" said to Yagura the Tachibana.

"no problem!"

Yagura nodded calmly in response.

"Dean Orochimaru, I've long heard of your secret techniques..."

Hanzo the Salamander turned his gaze to Orochimaru.

"You won't be disappointed."

Orochimaru bowed gracefully in return.

"Inform Mr. Lunbu that the first phase of the operation has officially begun. Instruct him to leave a traceable trail on his return journey, and do not let those useless pseudo-government navy lose track of him!"

Hanzo the Salamander gave the order: "The code name for this battle is—"

……

"Operation Overlord!"

Uchiha Rumbu, standing at the stern of the vanguard fleet and looking at the sea, was still somewhat worried before receiving Hanzo's telegram. He feared that the pseudo-government navy's warships were too outdated to find his whereabouts, which would cause the decoy operation to fail.

However, now that the Legion Command has decided to take the initiative after assessing the combat capabilities of both sides, there is nothing to worry about.

"Pass the order: Hard port, full speed ahead!"

But if that's the case, Uchiha Rumbu wouldn't be content with just being responsible for luring the enemy.

He also wanted to take the opportunity to improve his record!

"Release the boiler pressure limit and ramp the ship to full speed!"