Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

When Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, declared war on the World Government in the Calm Belt, a new round of conflict in the New World escalated once again.

In the new world, the third line of defense of the BIG.MOM family is in a tense standoff.

The navy has been lingering on this sea for a long time.

Using their artillery advantage, they continuously bombarded the pirates stationed by Big Mom's crew.

Charlotte Katakuri, who was injured a few days ago in a fight with the Navy, is patrolling the island with his arm wrapped in bandages.

He was furious at the navy's relentless advance, but there was nothing he could do.

In the past, their mother, Charlotte Linlin, had almost given up on pursuing technology and instead focused on indulging in pleasure.

Therefore, the Charlotte family was in a state of being outgunned and outequipped by the Shanghai Navy.

The naval fleet is like a hungry wolf; it will pounce and tear into any gaps in the pirates' defenses.

During this period, Charlotte's pirate crew suffered continuous losses. Many pirates would probably have left the third line of defense long ago if Katakuri hadn't been holding them back.

"Damn it, the navy has launched another artillery attack."

In the underground cavern defending against artillery fire, Katakuri slammed his fist on the table.

Several days have passed, and he still can't accept the news of Cracker's death. If it weren't for Charlotte Linlin forcing Katakuri to stay calm,

Perhaps after returning to Whole Cake Island, Katakuri will choose to fight the Navy to the death.

"Katakuri-nii, the Navy's offensive is getting stronger and stronger. The pirates in front are about to be overwhelmed and they are requesting permission to retreat and rest."

"A Charlotte girl said."

Katakuri's face was filled with ruthlessness:

"Tell them that pirates have no choice but to retreat. They either have to withstand the pressure from the Navy or die by my hand."

"The Navy will never let any pirates go. Each of them has a lot of lives on their hands. Even if they leave here, they will be caught and executed by the Navy."

That is the truth.

This is why pirates never retreat, no matter how heavy their losses are, because the Navy truly leaves no survivors.

For those driven to the brink, even the most insane choice will not deter them from their only hope: that the three Yonko pirates, led by Charlotte Linlin, can unite with the pirates of the New World to defeat the Navy and drive them out of the New World's sphere of influence once again.

Otherwise, all the pirates would perish together.

At this moment, on a naval warship.

Zefa, covered in bandages, sat on the warship, looking speechlessly at his old friend in front of him.

"I thought you had stopped caring about this, so why did you come?"

Zefa was very curious as he looked at the old man with a full head of white hair.

Because sitting in front of him was none other than former Vice Admiral, legendary Marine, and naval hero Monkey D. Garp.

Garp also showed a helpless expression and said:

"There's no other way. A long time ago, I owed Raleigh a favor, and now Raleigh is using him to get me to deal with Charlotte Linlin."

Zefa nodded.

For someone like Garp who does whatever comes to mind, only personal relationships can restrain him.

"Seriously, is it a problem that Dragon has just declared war on the World Government like this?"

As a high-ranking officer in the Navy, Zephyr knew more than others, even in his semi-retired state.

He knew perfectly well that Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, was Garp's son.

"I don't understand the dragon's thoughts. He has grown up and has chosen his own path. Right or wrong doesn't matter. The dragon won't listen to us."

Karp sighed.

Speaking of which, Long was once the person he placed the most hope in, because Long was very talented and had a particularly high IQ.

During his time in the navy, Dragon performed exceptionally well.

Garp was very optimistic at the time. He even thought that if Dragon continued to follow the established path, he might have a great chance of becoming the Fleet Admiral.

Who knew that after carrying out a mission in Mary Geoise, Dragon suddenly lost trust in the Navy and left the Navy without hesitation.

Garp was really angry at the time; he had thought he could persuade Dragon to change his mind.

However, the dragon's determination greatly shocked him, so he had no choice but to let the dragon try.

Unexpectedly, so many years have passed, and Dragon has actually launched a challenge against the World Government.

Now, Garp places all his hopes on his grandson, who is still a child.

Little did he know that his last hope was now adrift on a small boat in the East China Sea, and that he had made a vow to become the Pirate King.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Raleigh brought me orders for a strong attack. He thinks there are still some unresolved issues between Charlotte and Shanks, so we need to hurry up and at least severely injure Charlotte Linlin to disrupt the alliance between the two emperors."

The reason is simple: Charlotte Linlin's strength is in the middle to upper ranks among the three emperors. Her terrifying defense and power make even the top combat forces of the Navy somewhat wary.

However, Charlotte Linlin's weaknesses are also greater than Shanks', and she is also less intelligent than Shanks, so she is less dangerous to the Navy than Shanks.

"There's no problem. After these past few days of artillery fire, the pirates' morale is low. We can launch a strong attack to break through the third line of defense."

Zefa nodded and quickly agreed.

To this end, he specifically communicated with Borsalino, asking him to cooperate in a coordinated attack to buy time for the Red-Haired Pirates to react.

After receiving Borsalino's promise, Zephyr began preparations for the battle.

When the sun rose again, the entire naval fleet had completed all preparations.

Without any rousing slogans or pre-battle mobilization, they silently boarded the warships docked in the port.

They launched a swift attack on the third line of defense.

"Lord Katakuri, the entire Navy has moved in."

Katakuri had just woken up and was eating when a pirate hurriedly rushed into his palace and saw Katakuri's gaping maw.

"Lord Katakuri... I... didn't mean to."

After witnessing Katakuri's terrifying side, the pirate panicked and said that Katakuri had put down the donut in his hand, took out his spear and threw it, pinning the pirate to the ground.

He then swallowed the remaining donuts in one gulp and walked out of the palace.

As Katakuri passed by the pirate corpses, he casually pulled out the spear stuck in the ground.

"Has the navy's all-out offensive begun?"

As Katakuri walked out, he pondered in his mind.

Rumble!

The navy's cannons seemed poised to shatter the entire island, with shells flying everywhere in the sky.

Every cannonball that lands in the fortifications will inevitably take away a few unlucky pirates.

The remaining pirates, bearing various injuries, huddled tightly in what they considered the safest spot, waiting for the cannon fire to cease.

The naval warships stopped one nautical mile from the island and began their attack from there.

Some warships had already begun launching assault boats for use by naval soldiers preparing for amphibious operations.

Under the cover of artillery fire, the naval soldiers landed on the island with almost no danger.

However, they knew in their hearts that this was just the beginning.

The real danger lies ahead.

Behind countless bunkers lurked a dense horde of pirates, ready to strike at any moment. They would mercilessly kill when the navy wasn't looking. Time passed slowly.

As the sun rose to its highest point in the sky, the navy's artillery fire had long since ceased.

The intense shelling caused the cannons on the warships to deform, rendering them unable to fire any further.

Close combat and gunfights became the main means of engagement.

Vast swathes of land were stained crimson with blood, the corpses of marines and pirates lying intertwined...

When the sun set below the horizon again, there were almost no pirates left alive on the island's front lines.

The setting sun, like blood, shone upon this land.

In the heart of the island, within its fortified fortifications, Katakuri was also feeling extremely frustrated.

During the day, he had planned to use his abilities to stop the navy's attack.

But as soon as he appeared, more than a dozen vice admirals in the navy abandoned their target without saying a word and planned to surround and eliminate him.

If Katakuri hadn't been able to keenly sense the danger with his Observation Haki, he might have already been killed by the Vice Admiral.

Just like his brother Cracker, he was powerless to fight back.

"Has Mom's reinforcement arrived yet?"

Katakuri asked his sister beside him.

My younger sister's face was also very pale, her expression filled with terror.

"My mother's food cravings have flared up again, so I have no choice but to pass the message on to the ministers."

I don't know when Mom will get better.

Boom!

Katakuri slammed his iron fist onto the table.

If it weren't for their mother's food cravings, the Charlotte family would never have ended up like this.

"Katakuri-nii-san, what should we do now?"

Looking at his younger sister, whose face was streaked with tears, Katakuri gently patted her head and said:

"Don't be afraid, you won't get hurt as long as I'm here."

The battle between the Navy and the pirates has temporarily entered a period of rest. The Navy, which has been attacking for a whole day, is now very tired, as are the pirates who have fought desperately.

Right now, all they want is to get a good night's sleep; they don't care whether they'll wake up or not.

Both leaders tacitly agreed that no attack would be launched tonight, and instead planned to launch it tomorrow during the day.

After all, the vast majority of those who participated in the battle were ordinary people who simply did not have enough stamina to fight for a whole day and night.

Those with formidable strength are ultimately a minority.

However, even during their rest, they did not leave at all.

The navy pitched their tents just five miles away from the pirates' fortifications.

This is because it's the maximum range of the pirate cannons, so it's very safe.

Even if Katakuri wanted to launch a surprise attack on the Navy, they wouldn't be afraid. With the combined strength of more than a dozen vice admirals and two admirals, they could completely tear Katakuri apart if he came.

Katakuri was certainly not that stupid; it's just that his thinking was different from others.

At the dead of night, while all the marines and pirates who had participated in the daytime battles were fast asleep, Katakuri directed several Charlotte family children to carry some items onto a small boat.

"Katakuri-nii, aren't you coming with us?"

Charlotte's family children on the ship said reluctantly.

Katakuri shook his head and said:

"My mother's order to me is to guard the third line of defense. I must stay here until my mother gives me a new order."

"Moreover, the third line of defense is already very close to Whole Cake Island. If the Navy captures this place, even if I return to Whole Cake Island, it will be of no use."

"I am a key figure in the Charlotte family, and the Navy will never let me go. Even if I escape from here and escape Whole Cake Island, the Navy will eventually find me on some unknown island and kill me."

Katakuri understood perfectly that if this island could be defended, the navy would most likely be severely weakened.

His previous conversation with Shanks would have worked.

However, if this island cannot be defended and the Navy really starts attacking Whole Cake Island, then Shanks will most likely abandon his proposal.

"It's getting late, let's hurry and leave before the navy finds us."

Katakuri gently pushed the small boat with his hand, quietly sending it out of the harbor.

In the naval's makeshift conference room, several vice admirals, along with Zephyr and Garp, were having a meeting when Ikusho pushed open the door and walked in.

"Issue, you've arrived."

"This is former Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp."

Zefa gave a brief introduction.

Yi Xiao nodded and said politely:

"I've heard of Vice Admiral Garp's reputation for a long time. He truly is a man who could chase after the Pirate King Roger all over the sea."

Garp responded with a "hmm".

He smiled and said:

"Chief Instructor Zephyr, Charlotte Linlin seems to have fallen into a strange illness. When I was scouting over Whole Cake Island, I found that she seemed to have lost her normal way of thinking and only knew how to keep eating."

"And during this process, no one else on Whole Cake Island dared to approach her."

"If I weren't worried that this was a trap set by Whole Cake Island, I would have tested Charlotte Linlin's authenticity."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zefa's face. He coughed twice before speaking:

"Mr. Yixiao, I forgot to tell you about that."

"Charlotte Linlin does indeed suffer from a strange illness, which the Charlotte family calls food cravings. When this illness flares up, if there is not enough food, Charlotte Linlin will enter a berserk state and frantically destroy everything around her."

"In the past, only Katakuri in the Charlotte family could temporarily stop Charlotte Linlin's rampage until others brought food to resolve the crisis."

He smiled and nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"I see. Next time, Chief Instructor Zephyr can give me the information in advance."

"When Charlotte Linlin's food cravings flare up, will her strength decline?"

Zephyr looked at him with a serious expression and said with a smile:

"On this point, I was just about to tell you. When Charlotte Linlin's food cravings flare up, although she can't think, she still possesses the strength of a three-emperor thanks to her powerful physique. She's not someone you can easily deal with."