One Piece Gunslinger

Sabo didn't get to see the Diamond Dust explode; instead, he saw Gladius's head burst open. He knew exactly what had happened. The only person who could have done that was that sleazy old man hiding in the back and taking a cold shot.

Sabo looked back but didn't see Li Ang, meaning Li Ang was over a kilometer away, providing long-range support. "Wow, this creepy old man's marksmanship is terrifying. At this distance, it's impossible to notice him or dodge him."

Of course, Li Ang couldn't hear Sabo's thoughts, otherwise he would definitely have made a huge scene: "Where am I an old man? Where am I lewd? Hey, you have to be responsible for your words. I'm not even thirty yet, I'm still a sunny and happy young man."

Sabo was secretly criticizing Leon here, but Leon, lying on a rock, was also secretly criticizing Sabo.

"That unlucky kid, he doesn't know the value of money until he's in charge. This diamond is worth hundreds of millions of Berries, and he just watched it explode. Why doesn't he understand the poverty of the revolutionary army?"

Li Ang's actions this time were driven by two reasons: firstly, for the diamonds and Gladius's Devil Fruit; and secondly, to get Sabo to provide support, as Fujitora was waiting for him.

Since it was already a fait accompli, and Gladius had died at the hands of Leon, Sabo couldn't change anything. He simply found the Devil Fruit on Gladius's body, then took the diamond with him and ran quickly towards the arena.

In fact, Sabo's men had already reached ahead of him according to the original route, but Sabo noticed something amiss in this direction and saw Pica. That's why Sabo started chasing after them, but unfortunately, he didn't catch up with Pica, only Gladius.

Li Ang also put away his gun and quickly started running. The birdcage was still shrinking. Although it had only just begun, the speed wasn't very fast.

Unlike Sabo, Leon wasn't standing inside the birdcage, but outside. So he wasn't being chased by the birdcage, but rather actively chasing after it.

Hey, this feels completely different now. Although everyone is running because of the shrinking circle, Li Ang seems to be doing things differently.

For a short period afterward, the Revolutionary Army and the Don Quixote family seemed to have agreed not to cause any friction between them. Both sides were short of manpower and were waiting for personnel to arrive.

This caused immense hardship for ordinary people in Dressrosa, who were frantically running in circles, unable to stop. Those unaware of the situation might have thought it was a real-life PUBG game.

That's when you realize why houses within the first ring road are so incredibly expensive. Just one ring away means you have to travel an extra ring, and if you can't get there, you could lose your life.

"Report, the birdcage has now been reduced to within four kilometers." A soldier with binoculars stood on a high place, reporting on the reduction of the birdcage.

Fujitora wasn't in a hurry. Although Sabo had just arrived at the arena with reinforcements and the team was ready, now was still not the time to make a move.

"Continue to observe, and report back when the radius of the birdcage is close to shrinking to three kilometers."

Upon hearing this, the other non-revolutionary army members present were also confused. What was the principle behind this?

The toy soldier asked directly, "Lord Fujitora, why do we have to wait until the Birdcage shrinks to a three-thousand-meter alien? Can't we do it now?"

The battle on the toy soldiers' side ended quickly. In addition to the arms factory guarded by Jorah, they also attacked some secondary key locations and rescued many toys and little people.

After finishing these tasks, the toy soldier, along with the combatants, rushed to the arena and found his unharmed daughter. Overjoyed, he knew Jack had a plan and hadn't lied to him.

However, he soon learned of Jack's death, and a wave of self-blame washed over him. He confessed that he was the one who had caused Jack's death.

When the Lilliputians under his command heard that Jack Lando had sacrificed himself, they all wept bitterly.

It's hard to say whether Leon had the Lilliputians' involvement in Jack's death here. To be honest, if Jack hadn't died here, they could have made up a thousand and one stories. This can be considered a perfect ending to Jack Lando's legendary experience. Let's not let these fairy tales continue to be made up.

Therefore, the revolutionary forces in various locations within the arena have already joined forces and are clearly ready to attack the King's High Ground. At most, Sabo and his group will need to rest a bit after traveling from afar, but not resting won't have a significant impact.

Since things are as they were before, in order to avoid greater losses and more casualties, we should attack immediately now. Why wait for a while?

Fujitora didn't explain much, only saying that it was a plan devised by the Chief of Staff. Fujitora and Sabo naturally knew the reasons behind it.

It turns out that this stemmed from Li Ang's words when the plan was formulated several days earlier: "The King's Heights are easy to defend but difficult to attack. If the Don Quixote family's experts gather, a hasty attack will only lead to heavy losses for our army. We must wait until the Birdcage shrinks to a radius of three thousand meters before launching an attack."

Even if some civilians might die, we must not let our eagerness to save lives throw us into disarray. If we lose our strategy and fight haphazardly, we will not only fail to save these people, but we will also suffer heavy losses ourselves.

Although the plan was brought forward by two days, the principle of waiting until the birdcage was finally reduced to a radius of three kilometers before launching the attack will not change.

If the attack is launched at a range of 3,000 meters, then by the time the battle is raging and the situation reaches its climax, the radius will have shrunk to approximately 2,000 meters. That will be the moment to deliver the final blow to the Don Quixote family.

However, the toy soldier still pleaded, "Lord Fujitora, if we wait any longer, there will likely be more innocent civilian casualties."

The toy soldier's two attempts to persuade the enemy were observed by others. Although the revolutionaries wouldn't say anything, since it was a tactic devised by the chief of staff, it had to be resolutely carried out.

However, people like Gaz, Señor, and Leo did not know the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff, a man with a bounty on his head but no photo or portrait, nor did they understand why they had to follow his plan, even though they could attack now.

Fujitora also felt he had to say something, otherwise people's hearts would be scattered and difficult to win back.

"First of all, I'm a revolutionary, and you're a revolutionary. We're both revolutionaries, so our relationship should be equal. You don't need to call me 'sir.'" Fujitora's first sentence surprised everyone. We're both revolutionaries, so our status is equal?

This kind of statement was truly novel to them. In this world where strength reigns supreme, it's an accepted fact that whoever has the power should be superior, and that's how they viewed Fujitora as well. But his very first sentence broke that principle.

"Secondly, since we are both members of the Revolutionary Army, I can be considered a senior member. It is necessary to give you a few words of advice to prevent you from falling into a misunderstanding." Although, in terms of time, Fujitora joined the Revolutionary Army when Leon was causing trouble in the Kingdom of Yutaka, and the Toy Soldiers formed the local Revolutionary Army at the same time, it seems unclear who was the senior between the two.

But since Fujitora said that, he really does have the air of a senior. As the saying goes, those who have achieved something are teachers, and what comes after is not important. Those who are ahead in thought and achievement are the seniors.

Therefore, Fujitora, the third-in-command of the Revolutionary Army, whose status was second only to Dragon and Leon, and whose strength was second only to Dragon, had something to say to the toy soldiers. The others also pretended to listen attentively, wanting to hear what profound words Fujitora had to say.

"Reality is always crueler than we imagine. Sometimes we have to make choices, like this time: should we launch the attack ahead of schedule, or stick to the original plan? You have to understand that this decision could involve tens of thousands of lives. There is no room for carelessness. So I ask you, what standards or references should we use to make this choice?"

Hearing Fujitora's question, everyone couldn't help but ponder. The toy soldier thought, "They must have their reasons for launching the attack only after shortening the distance to three thousand meters, but going tonight means more casualties. These two factors..."

The toy soldier replied, "It should be determined by the number of casualties. Given the immense sacrifices on both sides in such a difficult choice, you would definitely choose the side with fewer casualties."

Fujitora nodded and said, "It's a very simple principle. Although life is priceless and cannot be measured by numbers alone, we are forced to face such a painful question at this time, and naturally we must make a decision. So how can you guarantee that the path you choose will result in fewer casualties or that it will be more reasonable?"

The first problem is easy to solve, but the second one is stumping people. Yes, those who think we should attack as soon as possible are just acting on their first instinct. Think about it carefully, nobody's a prophet; how can we know which is better?

Seeing this, Fujitora said frankly, "Yes, it's very difficult to make a realistic judgment. No one can say that they can predict it 100% accurately, not even our Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff."

However, he is more experienced, and his accuracy rate is the highest among us. Given this, when unsure, why not trust someone else's judgment? Especially since this person has consistently outperformed you in the past.”

After finishing his sentence, Fujitora said earnestly, "So-called revolution is always about fighting against opponents far stronger than ourselves. So we can't just act recklessly, nor can we act on our feelings. We have to rely more on our brains. And the chief of staff is the brain of our revolutionary army. If your body and limbs don't obey the brain's command and act arbitrarily, you might not even be able to stand up."

Chapter 262 The Final Battle

Fujitora's words clearly explained why everyone insisted on carefully following the original plan, and also explained why everyone unconditionally trusted the chief of staff.

This was a huge shock to the toy soldier. If he hadn't run into the Revolutionary Army today, and if the Revolutionary Army hadn't launched their campaign to liberate Dressrosa, today would probably be his death anniversary.

Why is it that the Revolutionary Army has been able to achieve such success in just a few years, and even openly hold a World Conference at this critical juncture of the World Government?

Yes, the Revolutionary Army has two top fighters, Dragon and Fujitora, so their strength is naturally beyond his reach. But isn't the difference in strength between the Revolutionary Army and the World Government just like the difference between him and the Donquixote Family?

Hearing Fujitora's words, the toy soldier understood. To defeat a stronger opponent, since they were weaker in strength, they had to compensate in other ways, and intelligence was a crucial one.

If we change the position and turn the toy soldier into Leon...

In the past few years, with the help of his subordinates and the Tontatta tribe, Leon had already defeated Doflamingo.

Ignoring everything else, Li Ang focused solely on one thing: how to exploit the stealth advantages of the Tontatta race to assassinate Sugar in one fell swoop. That would naturally bring down the Donquixote Family. Once the scandal was exposed, the World Government would revoke his Shichibukai title and send the Navy to deal with him.

Of course, Li Ang's actions were all based on a wealth of intelligence and foresight. It can be said that a large part of the credit came from the few comic books and a cell phone that were confiscated from Li Ang at school.

But who can deny that this is part of wisdom?

Hearing this convincing explanation, no one asked any further questions. Since the revolutionary army had great trust in its chief of staff, the chief of staff must have some unique qualities.

However, there was one more thing Fujitora didn't say: in such matters, the one who is in charge naturally bears the most pressure. And if things turn out unexpectedly and it turns out that the previous decision was a mistake, the one in charge will be the first to bear the brunt. Even if they don't take any responsibility, they will still suffer inner torment.

After all, it would be hard for anyone to feel good if they caused more people to die because of a few words.

In fact, besides the bewildered crowd in the arena, Doflamingo, perched atop King's Heights, was also visibly impatient. This wasn't what was agreed upon! Why hadn't the attack begun? Even if the Revolutionary Army needed a rest, a considerable amount of time had already passed. Did they really have to wait until the very last moment for some desperate, all-or-nothing tactic?

Even Pica abandoned Gladius and ran back as fast as he could, fearing a battle was about to break out. But he just stood there waiting foolishly for ages, receiving news of Gladius's death but not the revolutionary army's attack. It was as frustrating as swallowing a fly.

Logically speaking, unless the Revolutionary Army could achieve overwhelming superiority, it would be impossible for them to defeat the Don Quixote Family in a short time, given their advantageous position. It just doesn't make sense. If they had that kind of power, they could have solved the problem from the start without any further discussion.

But simple logic tells Doflamingo that the Revolutionary Army's achievements are not due to a group of idiots, and they've been plotting for a long time to seize Dressrosa. In his eyes, their actions are tantamount to emboldening themselves.

Therefore, in Doflamingo's view, the Revolutionary Army must have some kind of conspiracy or scheme, and must have some plan to gain a huge advantage in an instant.

At first, Doflamingo thought the Revolutionary Army was using a feint to distract the Donquixote Family from the arena, but in reality, they had changed their route and were planning to launch a surprise attack.

However, after Violet's clairvoyance repeatedly confirmed, it was indeed true that they just stayed in the arena without moving, and the number of people had not decreased, but rather increased, including toy soldiers, who had all gathered in the arena without making any move.

What are you guys trying to do? Do you think you've made the arena your home? Are you planning to spend the night in the arena?

When Doflamingo first heard Violet say this, he thought that the violet had betrayed him and was giving him false information. But after he flew into the air to investigate, he realized that although he couldn't see clearly, it was enough for him to confirm that this was indeed the case, and that the Revolutionary Army had not moved an inch.

In particular, Fujitora seemed to sense something and raised his head to glare at him, which frightened him so much that he quickly returned to the King's High Ground.

Later, he changed his mind and began to think of all other ways, completely immersing himself in the revolutionary army and thinking about how to launch an attack.

After racking my brains, I even lost a few strands of hair, but I still couldn't come up with a good solution. But this inability to think of a solution is the most frustrating thing. You know the enemy is about to make a move, but you can't even see a shadow of the move. You can only wait for the enemy's ultimate move to hit you, and you have no way to deal with it.

Seeing Doflamingo's unprecedentedly sorrowful expression, the other family members also became dejected. Even a few years ago, before they became Shichibukai, when they were being chased and beaten by Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Navy's chief strategist, they had never felt so powerless.

Vice Admiral Tsuru is at least a veteran commander; his many years in the navy have left him shrewd and calculating, and his moves are always predictable. Being forced into a corner wasn't because his moves were unpredictable, but rather because the difference in strength made it impossible to counter them. At least there's a direction to strive towards.

But this feeling of helplessness, of being able to sit and wait for things to slowly get worse, is so oppressive that it's hard to breathe.

"Dover, shall we run away?"

In such a desperate atmosphere, it's easy for people to feel discouraged, and Torrebol was no exception, already thinking about how to escape.

However, Trebol's suggestion was met with strong opposition from Doflamingo: "No, aren't we most concerned about our families? If we let our families die before our eyes without doing anything, we might as well disband."

The others echoed his sentiments. If anything could sustain them through this despair, it was the strong bond between the Don Quixote family members.

Actually, there was something Doflamingo didn't say, and Trebol understood it too. Even if they wanted to escape now, how could they do so? Currently, on King's Heights, watching the slowly shrinking birdcage, they still had the advantage of timing and location.

While the Birdcage barrier can be broken by knocking out Doflamingo, leaving this place and being caught by the Revolutionary Army would be the end of them. Besides, they simply can't outrun Fujitora.

Furthermore, all the ports with access to the sea are controlled by the Revolutionary Army, and there are no ships to navigate. Even if Buffalo could fly, he could only carry one person. The others are all Devil Fruit users and cannot swim.

So now they are still trapped with nowhere to go, no way to escape to the Don Quixote family.

There is only one option: war.

Just as Doflamingo and the others were shrouded in gloom, Violet's voice rang out: "They've moved!"

Wow, Doflamingo was so worried when the Revolutionary Army didn't move. Now that they've finally started moving, he's not happy at all. This can only mean one thing: the Revolutionary Army thinks the time is ripe to launch an attack, while he still has no idea what to do or what they'll do next.

Yes, just as Violet had observed, the Revolutionary Army did indeed launch an attack. Throughout it all, did Violet conceal anything other than Jack's affair?

So, has Violet not yet separated from the Don Quixote family? Of course not.

This was actually what Fujitora had asked her to do, following the same pattern. After easily deducing that Doflamingo would definitely have Violet monitor the arena, Fujitora also wrote a letter, just like Jack had done.

The letter warned her not to give anything away, that now that the Revolutionary Army had arrived, the rest was up to them, and that she should take good care of herself. If Doflamingo had any questions, she should answer truthfully and keep a close watch on their movements.

Although Violet didn't understand Fujitora's meaning or why she was being asked to keep a close watch on the Revolutionary Army's belongings, she did as he said. It seems Violet now fully trusts the Revolutionary Army.

Sure enough, right after Oolet finished speaking, Fujitora led a mixed force of Revolutionary Army, toys, and Tontatta to attack, with the Revolutionary Army being the main fighting force.

Doflamingo also ordered a counterattack, having his subordinates and Fujitora engage the people who jumped up in a fierce battle. Often, before the Revolutionary Army members could even get their footing, they would find that someone was waiting for them, so they were initially at a disadvantage.

Gradually, as everyone joined the battle, this disadvantage was evened out, and the two sides fought back and forth. In fact, the revolutionary army's mixed forces gradually gained the upper hand.

However, relying on this alone, it's simply wishful thinking to think they can defeat the Donquixote Family in a short time, and they don't seem to have any other underhanded tricks up their sleeves. Doflamingo, while fighting Fujitora, wondered if he was overthinking things; the Revolutionary Army was nothing special after all.

Meanwhile, on the other side, outside the birdcage, Chief of Staff Li Ang, who had devised this operation, was still running laps around the birdcage.

"Emma, ​​running after the birdcage is such a hassle. I can't even run faster; I have to adjust to the birdcage's speed. It's so uncomfortable."