On the battlefield of God Valley.
As Rocks fell, the once fiercely contested battle gradually calmed down.
The change in attitude from the Roger Pirates made both the Rocks Pirates and the Marines wary.
From the Marines' perspective, the Roger Pirates, whose alliance had broken down, were now enemies. Therefore, they not only had to guard against the Rocks Pirates but also be cautious of the Roger Pirates.
The Marines were unsure whether these two pirate crews might suddenly join forces and launch a counterattack against the World Government.
From the perspective of the Rocks Pirates, Roger and his crew were utterly untrustworthy. Even though they were enemies of the Marines, they were still seen as a thorn in the side.
Moreover, Rocks had died at their hands.
Under such circumstances, the three factions ceased their attacks. Except for Roger and Whitebeard, along with a few high-ranking fighters engaged in intense combat in the distance, the main battlefield was eerily peaceful.
.....
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield.
"Jihahaha! It seems Rocks' death has caused a significant shift in the situation!" Shiki, with a cigar in his mouth, hovered in mid-air, looking down at Zephyr on the ground.
While engaging in guerrilla warfare with Zephyr, he had been closely monitoring the changes on the battlefield.
The crew of the Roger Pirates, who had previously stood with the Marines, now positioned themselves behind Rayleigh and the other two.
Shiki immediately understood the implications of this change.
Now, the Marines had to deal with two pirate crews, which pleased him greatly. With the Marines forced to divert some of their attention to guarding against their former allies, his chances of escape had increased.
"Shiki, continuing this fight between us doesn't make much sense now. How about a truce?" Zephyr glanced at the main battlefield and looked up at Shiki in the sky.
He knew that the Marines' top priority was to annihilate the Rocks Pirates here.
However, eliminating Rocks alone wasn't enough; it only fulfilled one of the World Government's two objectives.
To eradicate this heinous pirate crew, the leadership had to be taken out first.
As the saying goes, "To catch the thieves, first capture their leader."
Without a doubt, Bob was now the king of the Rocks Pirates.
Having fought Bob before, Zephyr was well aware of his strength. Even when Zephyr had given it his all, he hadn't been able to inflict any damage on him.
With Kong, who was injured and weakened, and Sengoku, whose stamina was declining, victory was far from guaranteed.
"Jihahaha, Zephyr, you were defeated by Bob last time, weren't you? That's how you managed to escape from him!" Shiki sneered upon hearing Zephyr proposal for a truce.
Shiki recalled his last encounter with Bob, where they had also ended up calling a truce, drawing an easy parallel.
"But today, I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you off this time. Next time we meet, you won't be so lucky!" Shiki sheathed his two famous swords at his waist and flew off toward Bob direction.
As Shiki disappeared into the sky, his mocking words still echoed in Zephyr's ears, but his expression remained calm.
Zephyr had a solid defense mechanism against Shiki taunts, he simply ignored them.
In the next moment, he took off, flying toward Kong location.
....
On the other side.
The three commanders, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, and John, who were battling the three super rookies, couldn't help but frown as they observed the situation on the battlefield.
"What's going on? Why did the battle suddenly stop?" Silver Axe swung his massive battle axe, his eyes filled with confusion.
"This must be the calm before the storm. Something big might be about to happen. Look, Shiki has stopped fighting!" Wang Zhi speculated, his beard disheveled from the battle, with no time to tidy it up.
"Damn it! That old fox Shiki must be conserving his strength to escape later!" John cursed, his rapier trembling slightly, a cold glint flashing.
"Why are we still fighting so hard? Rocks is already dead. Let's just retreat!"
"Let's go. If we keep this up, we'll suffer heavy losses!"
As soon as the words fell, the three of them unleashed a final slash before propelling themselves toward the Rocks Pirates' ship.
They left behind six bewildered individuals.
"Should we chase?" Kuzan asked, his head drenched in sweat, his voice slightly breathless.
"No, we can't take them down. Dragging this out is pointless!" Sakazuki said sternly.
"Besides, those three seemed to be holding back during the fight. They didn't use their full strength!"
"Phew~ Then let's retreat quickly! This fight has exhausted me!" Borsalino sighed deeply.
"First mission and it's already this tough. The Marine HQ really knows how to work people!"
"Let's go, we're retreating too!!"
Although the three Marine rookies had immense potential, they were still far weaker compared to Wang Zhi and the others.
Even with the addition of three Marine Vice Admirals, they couldn't do much against the three. Moreover, during the battle, they sensed that the three great pirates hadn't used their full strength, seemingly conserving their energy.
This situation made the three feel extremely strained and also made them realize their own lack of strength.
Among their peers in the Marine HQ, they were considered top-tier, but after this mission, they realized how far they were from true powerhouses, let alone the top-tier ones.
Although they didn't manage to kill any opponents in the battle, it fueled their desire to grow stronger, making them train even harder in the future.
For a moment, except for Roger and Whitebeard, who were still locked in an intense duel, all the top-tier fighters had ceased their battles.
The situation on the battlefield had shifted dramatically, and everyone needed to adjust their strategies and prepare for the next phase of the conflict.
On the Rocks' ship, Bob stood at the forefront, with the officers lined up behind him, and the pirates who had survived the fierce battle standing further back.
On the side of the World Government, led by the Marines, Kong, Sengoku, Zephyr, Tsuru, and the injured Garp stood together.
The surviving Vice Admirals, the three rookies, and the elite fighters from Enies Lobby and Impel Down stood beside the main forces, with the Marines neatly arranged on one side.
The Roger Pirates, centered around Rayleigh, Gaban, and Barrett, gathered with their remaining crew, now less than thirty percent of their original number, sitting or standing together.
After prolonged combat and slaughter, those who had survived were undoubtedly the elite of their respective factions.
Although the three sides seemed to maintain a brief calm, the fire in their eyes and their undiminished fighting spirit suggested that an even fiercer battle was inevitable.
At this moment, it was like the calm before the storm.
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