Chapter 350: Invasion of Kamei Island (Part 2)
"Good thing we let those pirate crews scout ahead for us, or we would've taken massive losses just from that first wave."
Charlotte Katakuri stared at the curtain of projectiles in shock.
He could feel it—other than their mother, no one else could withstand those electrical blasts unscathed.
The defenses on Kamei Island were far more formidable than he'd imagined.
No wonder their opponent's captain had dared to leave the New World while surrounded by enemies.
Just this firepower alone was enough to establish dominance here.
As for Big Mom, the moment she saw those blasts shooting from the strange weapons, her eyes lit up with greed.
"Ma~mamamamama! What are those things? I want them!"
Charlotte Linlin fixated on the electromagnetic cannons mounted on the hill slopes.
Her greedy expression left no room for doubt.
Katakuri, seeing that look in his mother's eyes, knew that battle was inevitable.
He tightened his grip on his trident.
He couldn't stop his mother from going to war—but he could protect his siblings.
---
On the battlefield—
"Bastards!"
After enduring three or four rounds of bombardment, the allied pirate crews finally reached the port and jumped ashore.
But what had been a force of nearly 5,000 pirates was now reduced to fewer than 3,000.
Countless pirate captains glared, eyes bloodshot, at the Rockefeller Pirates standing ready ahead.
"Kill them all!"
One pirate captain raised a massive axe and charged forward with a roar.
"Hurry! We have to attack too! We can't let the Giant Axe Pirates steal all the glory!"
The other pirate crews followed suit, swarming forward.
"Kill them all! Don't let the pirates get through!"
Carter charged in first, transforming into a zebra-like beastman, and collided head-on with the massive axe-wielder.
The battle exploded at the port.
Blood ran like rivers.
Countless low-ranking pirates from both sides fell, dyeing the port in crimson.
One side fought for survival.
The other—fought to protect.
The brutal clash raged on for an entire day.
---
This large-scale battle quickly attracted attention from all over the world.
The Marines dispatched a rear admiral to investigate, but didn't send any higher-ranking officers.
The truth was—there was a power vacuum in the current Marine command structure.
There were only two Marine Admirals left—Sengoku and Zephyr. And Zephyr no longer actively participated, retaining only his rank while training recruits. Only Sengoku remained actively fighting for justice.
As for vice admirals, years of brutal conflict had whittled their numbers down.
Mid-tier combat strength in the Marines had all but collapsed.
---
"Moshi moshi, Marine HQ? This is Borsalino. I've arrived at the heart of the New World—Kamei Island. The battle is reaching its final stages. Both sides are heavily depleted. But overall, the Rockefeller Pirates have the upper hand. Their lower-tier pirates have secured the port. Only the higher-ups remain in combat."
Borsalino calmly reported into the Den Den Mushi as he watched the battlefield from a distance.
"Borsalino, maintain surveillance over everything happening on that island. Report immediately if anything unusual happens!"
Marshal Kong's voice barked from the other end.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral. But this place is really dangerous, don't you think? Sending a rear admiral here alone... shouldn't I get a pay raise?"
Borsalino wiped cold sweat from his brow as he stared at the distant battlefield, explosions ringing out and sword slashes carving through the air.
"Borsalino! Your job is to observe, not interfere!"
Click—Marshal Kong ended the call immediately.
To him, there was no way something fishy wasn't going on.
A large-scale battle had broken out in the New World—on the territory of none other than one of the Four Great Powers: the Rockefeller Pirates.
There had to be more going on behind the scenes.
The Navy's top forces were still tied up chasing the Roger Pirates, and the mid-tier officers were exhausted or dead.
They had no choice but to dispatch the fastest man alive—Rear Admiral Borsalino—to observe.
---
"Yoyoyo... working overtime without overtime pay. Can I file a complaint to the World Government?"
Borsalino muttered to himself, staring at the silent Den Den Mushi.
"Rear Admiral, sir! Should we approach the battlefield?" asked a nearby Marine captain.
"Nope. Stay here. I'll go alone."
His figure turned into a streak of golden light and vanished toward Kamei Island.
"Yoyoyo... how terrifying~"
Standing on a rooftop, Borsalino looked down at the blood-drenched port, littered with corpses.
"Isn't this just a regular day for you Marines?" came a low, amused voice.
The voice made Borsalino's hair stand on end.
"Who's there?!"
He bolted into light-form reflexively and vanished from his spot.
"I've got no hostility, dear Marine."
As the voice faded, a crimson figure appeared beside him.
"You... you're the Red Count—Patrick Redfield!"
Borsalino's face contorted with shock.
The man who'd made waves across the seas in recent years—Red Count Redfield.
"What's wrong? Surprised to see me?" Redfield asked with a smirk.
To come alone to Kamei Island?
Was he brave—or insane?
But that ability... the speed granted by the Pika Pika no Mi... most people really couldn't catch him.
Too bad for Borsalino... Redfield was not "most people."
"What are you doing here?!"
All signs of Borsalino's casual demeanor evaporated as he eyed Redfield warily.
"Me? Why would I tell you?"
Redfield chuckled, raising his umbrella.
It was instantly coated in a thick layer of Armament Haki.
Seeing that, Borsalino turned and ran toward the ship without a second thought.
Big trouble!
"You think you can run? Did you even ask me?"
A wave of crimson sword energy slashed across Borsalino's escape route.
He skidded to a halt.
Just one inch more, and that slash would've cut him in half.
Sweat poured down his forehead.
"Sir, please—there's no need to make this hard for a junior officer! I joined the Navy just to make a living. Can't you just... let me go? Pretend I'm not here?"
He raised his hands high, wearing a sheepish grin.
Redfield paused, intrigued.
"Huh? A Marine who doesn't preach justice and martyrdom? Interesting... you're different from the others."
He lowered his umbrella slightly, scrutinizing the man before him.
"I'm... I'm new here!"
Borsalino replied quickly.
"A rookie? And already a rear admiral? You must have quite the connections."
Redfield raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with interest.
"Oh, it's nothing... my teacher just happens to be Admiral 'Black Arm' Zephyr..."
Borsalino tried to bluff, hoping Zephyr's name might buy him some breathing room.
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