"Commander Eric, the Lantis people are following us. The waves are too strong, and our ship's cannons can hardly hit anything." On the sacred sea, Eric and his crew were aboard a naval transport ship.

Although it wasn't as large or well-armed as a warship, it still had some cannons for counterattacks. Their fleet consisted of about twenty naval vessels of varying sizes, crossing the sea. Warships were expensive strategic assets and not easy to come by.

Typically, naval officers had their own ships, but not all naval vessels were warships. The powerful, well-equipped, fast, and heavily armed warships were usually commanded by high-ranking naval officers.

As Eric and his men waited for their ships to arrive and began evacuating Lantis Island, Hathaway did not seize the opportunity to attack.

She knew it would be difficult to capture the island, and even if they gained an advantage, the ships would likely be burned. So, she chose to follow their ships, gradually closing the distance to reduce the risk of being hit by the island's defensive cannons.

Hathaway's fleet consisted of only four ships of varying sizes. In the navy, ships were clearly ranked, and both sides were within firing range, but the rough waves made it hard to land hits.

"Contact the guard islands and order a saturation bombardment!" Eric said after some thought.

"But our transport ships will also be affected!" The captain hesitated, unsure.

"Defeated troops have no right to choose. Even if this ship is hit, we'll just have to accept our bad luck," Eric continued.

"Understood." The captain, sensing Eric's resolve, stopped arguing. After all, if the Lantis forces successfully landed on the island, the trouble would be far greater.

A call was made, and after a brief wait, the fortress cannons roared. The sea here was within range of three guard islands' overlapping firepower. A piercing whistle echoed through the air as the Lantis Island and the eight guard islands weren't too far apart.

When the specially designed, powerful cannons stationed on the high points of the guard islands began their bombardment, a vast area of the sea was instantly engulfed. Since the cannons were fired from the islands, their accuracy and stability were far superior to those on ships. If not for the distance, a few shots might have been enough to target a ship.

However, the saturation bombardment was highly effective. Massive shells plunged into the sea, sending towering columns of water into the air and throwing ships off course.

"Your Majesty, the navy has started their bombardment!"

Boom!

Just as the words were spoken, a nearby ship was hit by a shell. Half of its hull shattered, and flames began to spread—clearly, these weren't just solid shells.

"Damn the navy! Do they value their own soldiers so little?" Queen Hathaway's expression darkened as she watched one of their own ships sink. Countless sailors struggled in the water, some managing to swim to nearby ships, but most flailed on the surface before being blown apart by subsequent shells.

"Continue following for a while. Since they're willing to sacrifice, let them sacrifice more," Queen Hathaway said coldly.

"Understood."

"Commander Eric, they're still following."

"Continue the bombardment," Eric said expressionlessly.

Vice Admiral O'Neill opened his mouth to say something but ultimately gave up. His words wouldn't change anything. While the bombardment had some effect, the sea was still filled with naval forces.

After covering about half of the sacred sea, Hathaway gave up the pursuit. Two of her ships had been hit, and given the navy's decisiveness, they wouldn't be able to escape the sacred sea. At most, only she and a few others might make it through, but that would be pointless.

"Retreat!" Hathaway had no choice but to order a withdrawal. The navy had already lost five ships, a significant loss, but they had to retreat to save the Lantis warriors. Knowing that continuing would be suicidal, even if reluctantly, they had to give up.

Lantis still had options; even if completely blockaded, they could rely on the resources from the demon lands for a time. They weren't yet at the point of despair and could plan their next move.

"They've retreated."

"Good. Land on the islands as quickly as possible. All rear admirals, lead your forces to secure the guard islands and strengthen the blockade. No ships are allowed in or out. There's also trouble on the islands—handle it swiftly."

"Yes, sir!" the rear admirals responded in unison.

Near the black market on Frans Island, a gray port was filled with pirate ships from various regions. This was once part of Brond's territory, but he seemed to sense something unusual and left after sending out ships and receiving money from Robin, possibly because he had other business elsewhere.

Among the ships was a particularly imposing and massive pirate vessel. The crew was drinking heavily in broad daylight: "The villages on Trade Island are so rich! After this raid, we can enjoy ourselves for a while."

A drunken pirate laughed: "True, but it's a shame there aren't any women. That would've made it perfect."

"Women? Who cares! If we could find that so-called Shichibukai, our haul would've been even bigger. That's a major city in the Andia Kingdom. If the captain could become a noble there, now that would be the good life."

"Exactly! I wonder where he's hiding. His bounty was only 81 million berries, half of our captain's. He's probably scared."

The pirate world was often simple and brutal, even in its values.

"Men, keep gathering intel. Don't skimp on spending. If we can find the Shichibukai and kill him, our good days are ahead," Captain Roy, a tall, bear-like man with dark skin and a serrated blade by his side, declared.

"YEAH!" The pirates cheered, brimming with confidence.

Such a brazen feast naturally attracted the attention of nearby pirates who were also after Crocodile's head. The port, which catered to pirates, had rules against causing trouble, though they weren't strictly enforced. Most pirates valued having a gray port and would avoid unnecessary conflict.

As a group of pirates passed by Roy's ship, one of them asked: "They're holding a feast in broad daylight, so openly. Aren't they afraid of the Marines?"

"Pirates from the New World. I've heard of their captain, Roy. His bounty is 180 million berries. He's a tough one. The Marines won't bother him just for being conspicuous, but we should keep our distance," another pirate captain said gravely.

"180 million berries?!" The questioning pirate was shocked. Their own captain's bounty was only 80 million.

"Is that them?" Rosen approached from a distance, eyeing the large ship. Gathering intel on pirates wasn't hard; many taverns had information. The Marines knew this too, but with so many pirates on the seas, catching them all was impossible, especially now.

"Yes," Mr. 5 nodded.

"Wait a minute. Even if you're weak, taking losses isn't our style," Rosen said, then turned into a whirlwind of sand and rushed toward the pirate ship.

(End of Chapter)

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