Whoosh!

Queen Hathaway climbed over the wall, stepping on the zombies climbing up, and returned to the ground. Concerned about the battle above, she immediately drew cheers from the Lantis people upon her arrival. Although the results were modest, the Marines had been driven away.

While fighting Charles, Queen Hathaway issued new orders to the Lantis warriors: "We are still far from victory. Continue pursuing the Marines! All warriors, head to Zone E to support City Lord Hodman in capturing the Marine port. Let's push forward and take Eight Islands in one go!"

"WOWO~" Despite their exhaustion, the Lantis warriors, inspired by Hathaway's command and the promise of impending dawn, let out unprecedented roars of excitement.

"Could there really be a glimmer of hope?" Morad couldn't believe it. He had never imagined that the Marines' top forces could suffer such heavy losses. Now was not the time to rest, no matter how tired they were. They had to seize the opportunity. If they could capture enough ships and get close to Eight Islands, even occupying just one of them would break the natural blockade the islands had imposed on Lantis.

Originally, Eight Islands served as protective barriers, but once blockaded, Lantis became a caged bird. However, if they could capture even one of the islands, they could secure their position. None of the outer islands had the natural environment to form a blockade.

With the sea open for fish to swim and the sky vast for birds to fly, neither the Marines nor the World Government could confine the Lantis people to their island anymore.

"Charge with me!" Alice remotely controlled her daggers, forming a fan-shaped offensive formation in front of her. Although her peak strength had passed, she could still continue fighting since she hadn't unleashed any powerful attacks.

Despite her fatigue, she couldn't miss this opportunity. Queen Hathaway would follow later, ensuring Charles couldn't pursue them. If Charles were to attack from behind, none of the Lantis warriors could withstand him, and a massacre would ensue. Thus, Hathaway had to hold Charles back.

Rosen quietly observed the chaos. Though the battlefield remained tumultuous and the slaughter continued, everything seemed to proceed in an orderly fashion. Watching Hathaway, he couldn't help but admire her. She was indeed an extraordinary leader, perhaps a bit reckless, but her judgment of the battlefield was precise.

He hadn't expected her charisma to be so overwhelming. Even surrounded by monsters, not a single voice of doubt arose among her people. This was highly unusual. Under normal circumstances, fear and hesitation would have surfaced. Yet, under her command, Rosen saw only unified action, with even the threat of the zombie horde momentarily ignored.

The Lantis forces were already reorganizing. About a hundred warriors formed a pushing formation, with dozens of such groups advancing. Eight hundred warriors moved backward, engaging the monsters while slowly pursuing the retreating Marines. The main force, moving swiftly at the forefront, closely tailed the Marines.

Thus, the battlefield began to shift. The fleeing Marines led the way, though their numbers remained substantial. Every time the Lantis warriors closed in, they were fiercely repelled. Behind the Marines and Lantis forces were swarms of zombies, with faster ones constantly attacking from the flanks.

For a moment, Lantis Island became a moving battlefield. Rosen glanced at the countless corpses scattered across the ground, feeling somewhat uneasy. Besides the zombies, thousands of Lantis and Marine bodies littered the area. Wounded Marines were left to die, becoming food for the zombies, while injured Lantis warriors received medical attention from dedicated hundred-man units.

"Where are you going?" Rosen grabbed Natalie, who was clearly about to join the fight. However, the upcoming battle wouldn't be easy. More importantly, Charles and his forces had emerged from the Abyss, making the situation unpredictable.

"I'm a Lantis warrior too," Natalie stubbornly replied.

"Try running now." Natalie, confused, took a few steps before collapsing to the ground. Looking down, she realized someone had slashed her calf twice. Though the wounds weren't deep, they had just stopped bleeding. If she hadn't absorbed some healing particles near Rosen earlier, this careless and somewhat clueless Natalia might have passed out without even knowing what happened.

"I feel a bit dizzy."

"Stay put."

"We should leave. The Marines are retreating, and Lantis Island will soon be fully blockaded. If we go now, we can still escape on Bront's ship or hijack a Marine vessel," Law reminded.

"Wait a bit. Bront's ship isn't far from here," Rosen said, not in a hurry. He was regaining some strength while observing the battle between Charles and Hathaway.

Especially Charles. With the chaos, could they possibly capture him?

The Lantis forces, while organizing the pursuit, had left a few hundred-man units behind, including one of elite warriors. They couldn't let Queen Hathaway fight alone. They also needed to cover the retreat of the wounded. Their small group of a few hundred went unnoticed, as most zombies chased the main force. Charles and Hathaway clashed fiercely at the edge of the Abyss.

Charles roared repeatedly, sending powerful zombies toward Hathaway, but the elite warriors dealt with them. After some fighting, Charles realized that even injured, Hathaway was a formidable opponent. He decided to abandon her and execute his "escape" plan.

Charles felt the people here were too cunning and hard to capture. After being beaten by two individuals the previous night, he instinctively sensed danger and wanted to leave.

With a sharp roar, a group of giant bat zombies flew out from the Abyss, their wings spanning over ten meters. Riding on these bats were powerful horned demons, resembling an army from hell.

"Flying species?!" Queen Hathaway's expression changed drastically. If flying monsters existed, the danger to Lantis Island and beyond would increase significantly. Even the impregnable Ninth Garden Laboratory had virtually no air defense. The emergence of these new monsters forced Hathaway to remain vigilant.

Hathaway cared little for the outside world, but Lantis Island, now that the Marines had been repelled, remained their most crucial base until they could expand outward.

Rosen and Law exchanged glances, frowning. If these monsters reached the outside world, they would undoubtedly bring disaster. However, this wasn't their concern. The world already had enough calamities; one more wouldn't destroy it.

But observing Charles's abilities, Rosen felt a growing greed. The Mythical Beast Zoan-type Devil Fruit, rarer than even Logia types, was undeniably tempting. If he didn't know that abilities could be stolen, Rosen's desire would be futile. But he knew Blackbeard, now a Dark-Dark Fruit user, could strip others of their powers.

If they captured Charles and later encountered Blackbeard without conflict, they could strike a deal and obtain this incredibly powerful Devil Fruit.

Now was an excellent opportunity. Should they take it?

(End of Chapter)