The Whitebeard Pirates 24: Chapter 24 Target…
The Whitebeard Pirates In purely official terms, the Marines would certainly never admit to fearing any pirate crew…
not even an Emperor’s crew.
But Pons still found it rather thrillingly dangerous.
This was the Whitebeard Pirates, after all…
the strongest among the Emperors.
Were the Marines really going to poke the tiger’s whiskers?
Tires went on for a while longer, delivering a lengthy speech about how they would defeat the Whitebeard Pirates and uphold the honor of the Marine.
Then, he began assigning personnel.
Pons was honored to be chosen for the expedition.
Aside from him, the list also included Captain Bastille, Lieutenant Commander Doll, and a number of other Captain-rank officers.
Pons and Doll could now be considered old acquaintances, and this would be their first joint operation.
In the original work, Bastille would later appear as a Vice Admiral, wearing an iron mask and wielding a massive Shark-Slicer sword, earning him the epithet “Shark-Slicer.” At this point in time, however, he still held the rank of Captain.
After the assignments were made, they were given the rest of the night to rest and prepare.
They would set out at dawn the next morning to hunt down the pirates!
Leaving the meeting room, Pons continued to mull over how he would fight against the Whitebeard Pirates.
Since the higher-ups had only sent a single Vice Admiral as the expedition commander, he figured they would not have to face Whitebeard himself.
After all, Brock Island was only a mid-sized island; Whitebeard would not be personally stationed there.
He would have sent one of his lower-ranking subordinates to oversee it.
If that was the case, then not only would they have a decent chance of winning, but at the very least, they should not end up returning in complete defeat.
As Pons was lost in thought, Doll walked up beside him, her tone brimming with excitement: “I didn’t think our chance to make a name for ourselves would come so soon!
And against the Whitebeard Pirates, no less!
Pons, if we perform well in this battle and achieve some meritorious deeds, do you think we’ll be promoted to Commanders?” “Uh…
I don’t think it will be that easy…” Pons had not expected Doll to be so exhilarated by the upcoming battle.
He did not want to dampen her spirits, but he felt it was important to keep a level head at a time like this.
After thinking carefully about his words, he said to her: “The Whitebeard Pirates are the most powerful pirate crew in the world.
Even though we may not run into their main force on this expedition to Brock Island, we should not underestimate the enemy.
This battle will not be easily won.” “I know that, but Pons, don’t be too pessimistic either.
Remember…
our duty as Marines is to uphold justice and punish evil.
Even if we’re facing an Emperor, we must never back down!” “Well said.” Before Pons could respond to Doll’s stirring declaration, a deep and imposing voice cut in from behind them.
Pons felt a jolt run through him at the sound of that voice, ‘Could it be…?’ He turned his head…
and sure enough, it was Admiral Akainu, with Admiral Kizaru walking beside him.
The one who had just voiced his approval of Doll’s words was unmistakably Akainu.
Doll, upon seeing the two Admirals, was also startled.
She snapped to attention and greeted them properly: “Admiral Akainu and Admiral Kizaru, good day to you!” Pons was about to offer his own greeting when Akainu fixed his gaze on him and asked: “Do you think the Marines cannot defeat the Whitebeard Pirates?” “Not at all!
Justice will always prevail!
And the Marines represent absolute justice…
we will never lose to any pirates or other lowlifes!” Regardless of what he actually believed, Pons knew that in front of a man like Akainu, he could not show even the slightest hint of cowardice toward pirates.
Hearing Pons’s response, Akainu nodded and grunted in acknowledgment: “Hmph.
Correct.
No matter how powerful a pirate may be, they are nothing more than scum.
As Marines, we must never show fear toward such rabble.” Just then, Kizaru interjected lazily: “Now, now, Sakazuki, don’t frighten the children.
The Whitebeard Pirates really are very scary, you know…
even I tremble at the sight of them.
Isn’t it only natural for other Marines to be afraid of them as well?” “Enough,” Akainu said in a low, stern voice.
“It is precisely because you refuse to set a proper example that some Marines have grown lazy and undisciplined.
As Admirals, we must provide a correct role model for all naval personnel!” Akainu’s reprimands might have been utterly terrifying to ordinary sailors, but to Kizaru, they meant next to nothing.
Kizaru casually made a few offhand remarks and effortlessly steered the conversation elsewhere.
After that, the two Admirals strolled away.
Doll’s breathing had grown heavier, and she said to Pons with barely concealed excitement: “I can’t believe it…
I, I, I actually got to see two Admirals at once!” Staying in Marineford, meeting Admirals was bound to happen sooner or later.
And besides, Pons had already met Kizaru once before.
Of course, he kept this thought to himself.
Afterward, Pons said goodbye to Doll and returned to his dormitory to rest.
At seven o’clock the following morning, Pons arrived at Marineford’s harbor, ready to join the expedition to subdue the Whitebeard Pirates and liberate Brock Island.
Vice Admiral Tires was the commander of this expedition.
Under his command were Captain Bastille, Lieutenant Commander Pons, Lieutenant Commander Doll, several other Captain-rank officers, and a contingent of one thousand sailors, aboard multiple warships.
When Pons learned that only one thousand men were being sent, he instinctively felt that the force was far too small.
After all, they were going up against the Whitebeard Pirates…
one of the four Emperors.
Should they not have sent at least two or three thousand troops to be safe?
Pons sought out Tires and raised his concerns.
Tires offered an explanation: the target was not Whitebeard’s main force.
According to prior intelligence, the pirate force occupying Brock Island numbered between seven and eight hundred men.
Headquarters judged that one thousand Marines would be sufficient to handle them.
Moreover, having a relatively small numerical disparity would not put too much pressure on the pirates…
for the sake of their pride, they might not be willing to call for reinforcements from Whitebeard’s main crew.
However, if the Marines sent too many troops, the overwhelming numerical difference would make the pirates throw their pride aside and summon Whitebeard’s main force, which would drastically escalate the difficulty of the battle.
Pons was not sure whether that assessment was correct or not.
But since he was now part of the Marines, he had no choice but to follow orders.
As a Lieutenant Commander, Pons was given command of one of the warships.
However, before engaging the enemy, there were no special orders for him to issue.
He simply had to keep his helmsman following the flagship where Tires was stationed.
Brock Island was located in the South Blue.
Generally speaking, the Emperors’ spheres of influence were concentrated in the New World, but they often extended their dominion beyond its borders as well.
Under normal conditions, the voyage from Marineford to Brock Island would take six to seven days.
Tires ordered the fleet to push forward at maximum speed, and they reached Brock Island in under five days.
Currently stationed on Brock Island was Atmos, the Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates’ 13th Division.
Upon learning that the Marine was coming to attack, he immediately ordered all pirates on the island to board their ships and set out to meet the enemy at sea.
Atmos stood over three meters tall, wore a horned helmet on his head, and had a long, flowing beard of three tufts beneath his chin.
His entire presence was imposing and formidable.
Some of the pirates asked: “Commander Atmos, should we send word to Pops for reinforcements?” Atmos thought for a moment, then asked: “How many enemy troops are there?
Who is their commander?” “Not entirely sure…
but based on what the scouts observed, it should be around a thousand.
As for the commander…
seems to be a Marine Vice Admiral.” “A thousand, huh…
a thousand led by a Vice Admiral…
there’s no need to call Pops for help just yet.
We might not be unable to handle them.” Though they were somewhat outnumbered, their goal was only to repel the enemy…
that was not necessarily impossible.
If they called for Whitebeard Pirates’ main force the moment they encountered any opposition, that would make them look far too cowardly and incompetent.
Before long, several pirate ships sailed out from Brock Island’s harbor to engage the Marine.
On the Marine side, Tires, seeing the pirates take the initiative, used a Den Den Mushi to order all ships to prepare for battle.
Pons stood at the bow of his warship, gazing ahead.
The Whitebeard Pirates truly lived up to their reputation as the strongest pirate crew in the world.
The pirates he saw now were vastly different from any he had encountered before…
nearly every one of them exuded the bearing of elite, battle-hardened warriors.
Beside Pons, a Lieutenant named Raul said to him: “Lieutenant Commander Pons, the enemy commander appears to be the Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates’ 13th Division.” Raul stood about one meter and ninety-five centimeters tall, was around twenty years of age, and had orange-red hair tied back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck.
His weapon of choice was a rapier, and his overall appearance carried a roguishly charming quality that would likely make many young women’s hearts flutter.
‘The 13th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?
Which one was that again…’ Well, to be honest, Pons had no memory of a Commander ranked so far down the list.
He figured they could not be all that powerful.
Of course, “not all that powerful” was only relative to the higher-ranked commanders.
To Pons himself, this 13th Division’s Commander was certainly still a formidable opponent.
As the two fleets gradually drew closer, Tires gave the first order: all warships were to turn broadside and open fire on the pirate ships.
Under the direction of each ship’s commander, all Marine vessels swiftly turned their hulls, aimed their cannons at the pirates, and began firing in succession.
“Return fire!” Atmos ordered as well.
Unlike second- or third-rate pirate crews, the Whitebeard Pirates…
being an Emperor’s crew…
equipped their ships with cannons as well.
Under Atmos’s command, the pirate ships quickly turned and returned fire at the Marine warships.
The cannonballs from both sides traced arcs through the air and slammed into the opposing vessels.
Some shells plunged into the sea, while others struck hulls and caused damage.
One cannonball was heading straight for Pons’s warship.
Seeing this, Pons immediately transformed into his Gengar form and, using Poltergeist, reached out with his spectral power to seize control of the incoming projectile.
In no time at all, Pons’s psychic grip took hold of the cannonball.
He then redirected it, hurling it back toward the pirate ship ahead.
The cannonball smashed into the enemy ship’s mast, drawing startled cries from the pirates aboard.
As both sides continued exchanging cannon fire, their ships steadily closed the distance.
Once they were close enough, the boarding phase of the battle began.