Upon hearing Lafitte's suggestion, Souta Kiryuu nodded, realizing it was the safer play.
He hadn't expected it. Not only had the Whitebeard Pirates not come to Hive Island to deal with him, but even the Navy's main fleet was a no-show. Strangely, both forces seemed to have arranged it in advance—they'd headed straight to Fortress G18 to fight the Beasts Pirates and his own expeditionary unit.
That meant things over there had just turned dangerous.
The Five Elders and the Celestial Dragons despised Souta Kiryuu's crew with a hatred that bordered on obsession. Yet even with his main force present, neither the Navy's fleet nor the rumored Five Elders stationed in the New World had made any decisive move to pursue him.
He had even considered baiting the Navy and the Five Elders out of Adams Kingdom and Fortress G9, then seizing the chance to strike at the Celestial Dragons' sacred homeland. The only reason he'd kept the Teleport Seraph stationed aboard his main ship was to prepare for the absolute worst-case scenario: if both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy's main fleet came for him at once.
If only one side appeared, he could handle it. A battle with Whitebeard would be inevitable—and likely glorious. If it was just the Navy, he'd gauge the situation before deciding whether to engage. But if both forces arrived together, acting in perfect sync to crush him, then the Teleport Seraph was their last safeguard for escape.
As for Barrett's unit, Souta had only sent them to wipe out the remnants of the Red-Haired Pirates on Hive Island. There was no need for overwhelming force—better to give those restless maniacs a battlefield to vent their bloodlust on. Otherwise, they'd just start grumbling at him again.
But now everything had gone off-script. The Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy had both bypassed Hive Island, heading straight for Fortress G18 instead. That meant Barrett and Enel's group were in their crosshairs.
Was Whitebeard seeking revenge for the Hive Island invasion—or did he just want to weaken Souta's forces? And the Navy? They were probably hoping to capture key officers of his crew, or maybe they planned to annihilate both his and Kaido's detachments in one decisive strike to stabilize the chaos of the New World.
"With both Whitebeard and the Navy in play, even if we went, we wouldn't stand a chance. Let's do as you suggested—contact Barrett and Kaido. Tell them to pull back if the situation turns ugly."
Souta rubbed his chin, thinking for barely ten seconds before making his decision. Listening to Morgans' provocations and rushing into a large-scale war at Fortress G18 would've been reckless. The Five Elders and the Navy already knew his methods. They'd be ready this time. A single misstep could bring the wrath of Imu and the Five Elders down in full force.
He knew better than to underestimate their determination to erase him from the world.
"Understood."
Lafitte tipped his black hat with a sly smile. He admired his captain's ability to always make the right call. Without wasting time, he contacted the airborne division to deliver the urgent message about Whitebeard's and the Navy's approach.
Elsewhere, inside a hidden base, Morgans was already speaking with Big Mom's fleet, trying to lure them into joining the chaos at Fortress G18 under the guise of "claiming spoils" and "asserting dominance."
But to his frustration, the one person he had counted on to stir up a world-shaking war—Souta Kiryuu—had chosen not to act. Morgans' eager attempt to fan the flames had backfired spectacularly. Instead of igniting the conflict, he had inadvertently stopped it.
Had he known this would happen, he'd have kept his beak shut and let the Navy and Whitebeard fight it out with the Beasts Pirates and Souta's detachments.
"You're sure Souta's main force is heading to G18?" Cracker asked through the Den Den Mushi, his voice tinged with interest. He was leading Big Mom's strike fleet, accompanied by fellow Sweet Commander Snack. Big Mom herself had wanted to answer Souta's earlier call—to drive the Navy out of the New World, strike a few bases, flaunt her strength, and loot whatever they could. They weren't looking for a serious fight.
Take the loot, skip the danger. That was their usual motto.
But Morgans told Cracker that a super war was brewing at G18, with three of the Four Emperors already involved—only Big Mom's crew was missing. If they didn't show up, it would be a stain on their name.
Under Morgans' slick persuasion, Cracker got fired up. The bird had a point—if the Emperors were gathering, how could Big Mom's crew stay home? Even just showing their faces would keep their reputation intact.
He dispatched two ships to carry their spoils back to Totto Land, then called Big Mom herself. Once she heard the news, she didn't hesitate. With a roar of laughter, she mounted Zeus the thundercloud and flew straight from Cake Island toward Fortress G18.
She wasn't about to miss a clash of that scale. A war like this could reshape the entire world—and after wars came the feast. If she didn't fight, she wouldn't get a slice of the pie. And if Souta's and Kaido's crews lost, she'd be next on the world government's chopping block.
She had no choice but to join the fray.
Meanwhile, Morgans was ecstatic, giddy from all the chaos he'd set in motion. "Kahaha! The world's strongest—every one of them is a piece on my board!"
He could already envision the impending war at Fortress G18, rivaling even the legendary battle at the Island of Gods. He immediately mobilized hundreds of transponder snails and news gulls to cover every moment live.
The G18 Fortress Incident—the next great war to shake the seas—was about to begin.
Back aboard the aerial fleet of the Souta Pirates, the message from Lafitte had just come through.
"What?! The Whitebeard Pirates and a massive Navy fleet are closing in on Fortress G18?"
"Emergency withdrawal? Got it!"
As soon as the communications officer hung up, a sharp alarm blared across the flagship. The sound echoed over the battlefield, freezing everyone mid-fight. Barrett, Enel, Shiryu of the Rain—all of them frowned.
Catarina, the Corrupt King, and the Giant Barrel stiffened, immediately halting their attacks. Something serious was coming. If the retreat alarm had been triggered, it meant an enemy powerful enough to crush them all was closing in.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Why did you stop?!"
Fujitora shouted furiously. Without the support of the three Impel Down officers, the Sky Five couldn't keep up with the Red-Haired Pirates' top fighters.
"BZZZT! Attention! Attention! The Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy's main fleet are approaching Fortress G18! All Souta Pirates officers are to prepare for immediate evacuation!"
From the deck of the airborne flagship, a transponder snail broadcast the order across the battlefield, its metallic voice echoing over the chaos.