Those familiar words rang out from the entrance once again, making Wang Zhi’s heart clench all over again.
“What now?! Can there be even worse news?!”
“Boss, those idiots… they published their operation in the newspaper! By now, everyone probably knows about it!”
“Pfft!”
Wang Zhi, who had just taken a sip of water to calm himself, instantly turned into a human sprinkler again. If this happened a few more times, he felt he might actually cough up blood.
Pirates publishing information in newspapers sounded outrageous, but it actually was not uncommon. The World Economy News Paper did not consist of just one or two pages. Sometimes the stacked issues were as thick as a magazine and much of the content could be published for a fee.
Looking at the newspaper in his hands, Wang Zhi looked as though he were about to melt. Sweat continuously dripped from his forehead no matter how much he wiped it away.
“Boss, hurry and contact Nereus! If he really believes this… he’s probably already on his way to wipe us out!”
Wang Zhi’s subordinates could no longer stay calm either. Even from Fullalead Island to Fish-Man Island, the voyage would still take some time.
Even if Nereus had plenty of informants across the seas, it should still have taken a while before he received the news, giving them time to discuss things slowly.
But once it was printed in the newspaper, things were different. If Nereus believed what was written there, the entirety of Fullalead Island would probably suffer a calamity.
Though none of them spoke, every pirate present was praying for the same thing in their hearts, that Nereus understood their boss well enough to know that this “coward” lacked the courage to challenge him.
Wang Zhi, meanwhile, was searching for the notebook from the old Rocks era. Nereus’s number was written inside it.
At the same time, Wang Zhi was praying in his heart. Right now, he only hoped for one thing: that Nereus hadn’t changed his Den Den Mushi number!
However, Wang Zhi had gotten one thing wrong. Printing newspapers took time. Even if the layout was changed at the last minute, preparation was still required.
Those people had only just set out, yet the newspapers were already flooding everywhere. This was not the result of information that had just been spread. Those premeditating pirates had already sent the news to Morgans’s newspaper office in advance.
And after receiving the information, Morgans had long since forwarded it to Nereus.
Compared to Wang Zhi, who had suffered a “sudden attack,” Nereus had actually finished making preparations long ago.
To attack Fish-Man Island, ships first had to be coated, and coating technology could only be performed within the range affected by the Yarukiman Mangroves.
If coating was done outside that range, even the most experienced coating craftsmen would have no way of verifying the integrity of the coating.
The coating location in the first half of the Grand Line was the Sabaody Archipelago. There were more islands capable of it in the New World, but from Fullalead Island to Fish-Man Island, the shortest route was basically fixed.
Taking a detour meant facing more unknown waters, so in the New World, anyone sailing would try their best to avoid that.
“The safest way to deal with the enemy would naturally be to wait until these idiots dive underwater before attacking. But we can’t keep hiding in the deep sea forever. The Neptune Army also needs to learn how to fight enemies on land.
That battle in the Deul Kingdom didn’t count as much of a tempering exercise. These idiots just happen to be perfect practice targets for the Neptune Army.
But there’s no need to engage them in a land battle right now. That would just throw away our advantage. This battle will take place on the sea surface.”
Nereus casually drew a circle on the sea chart. Based on estimates of sailing speed, those pirates would soon arrive in that area.
“Boss, honestly speaking, I don’t think Wang Zhi has the guts to provoke you. There’s absolutely no benefit in it for him.
There might be some mysterious force manipulating things behind the scenes afterward. Maybe even a World Government conspiracy…”
Looking at the intelligence Morgans had sent over, Sebastian felt that something about this whole matter was off no matter how he thought about it.
“That’s not important. First deal with this group. As for Wang Zhi… there’ll be plenty of time to deal with him later.
As for whether there’s some other conspiracy… I will meet them as they come. The reason I trained the Neptune Army was precisely to handle this kind of trouble.”
The seas never lacked reckless fools. Nereus felt there was a high probability that this was simply a bunch of hotheads who had not yet evolved into seasoned veterans stirring up trouble.
While the possibility of a conspiracy could not be ruled out, forget these trash, even Wang Zhi himself was not qualified to become a chess piece in this kind of conflict.
“For this operation, let the Third Company of the First Corps handle it.”
“If it’s the Third Company, let me lead them, Boss. You know my abilities fit that unit better.”
The Fish-Type abilities of that company all happened to revolve around invisibility and mimicry, the same category as Sebastian’s own abilities. Besides, for Sebastian, going out to fight was far more interesting than staying on Fish-Man Island.
Barbell was stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago and occasionally dealt with minor conflicts, while Sunbell was serving as an instructor at the Fish-Man School and thoroughly enjoying that leisurely life.
No ships were used, nor were giant Sea Beasts accompanying them. The troops dispatched for the mission all advanced by swimming alongside Sebastian.
At relatively close distances, Fish-Men simply had no need to use ships and expose their goals.
Traveling by swimming was not only more covert, but also faster. Without considering stamina consumption, ships simply could not compare to the speed of Fish-Men and Merfolk.
Some time later, after the Neptune Army arrived at the approximate battle zone, the scouts dispersed and began searching for traces of the pirates.
And those pirates were also planning something.
The reason they had published the news in the papers was partly to make the commotion bigger, and partly to lure the other side out.
Even if they had departed secretly, Ryugu Kingdom would still discover them after they descended underwater. Fighting Fish-Men beneath the sea was unwise, and these pirates who had once passed through Fish-Man Island knew that very well.
Thus, they wanted to trick the Neptune Army into fighting on the sea surface. At least then, they would not feel as powerless as they would underwater.
However, these people had misjudged one thing. While the deep sea was indeed the home ground of the Fish-Men, the sea surface was equally suitable terrain for Fish-Men and Merfolk to fight upon.
Beneath the pirates’ ships, the Third Company of the Neptune Army had already caught up with them. They did not choose to launch a surprise attack. Instead, they formed a ring and began rapidly moving beneath the water.
At first, only tiny ripples spread beneath the ships.
But before long, the seawater began to rotate.
The initial commotion was not obvious. Circles of ripples spread outward, causing the ships to sway slightly. The swaying was so faint that the pirates aboard did not even notice it.
And by the time they realized something was wrong, those tiny ripples had already transformed into savage, terrifying whirlpools that began mercilessly devouring everything on the sea surface.
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