Chapter 365: The Battle Begins
After hearing the report from his children, even Gaji, no matter how foolish, realized that they, the Germa Group, had been set up!
The broker responsible for this transaction had been killed, indicating that some force had targeted the Germa Group. It was likely that even the attack on Travira was a deliberately laid trap.
"No, we can't stay in the New World any longer!" Gaji made a decisive choice. "We must leave here immediately and return to the North Blue!"
Hearing this, his second son, Niji, said reluctantly, "Father, are we just going to let this go? We didn't get a single Berry of our money!"
"My good son, we have far too many enemies!" Gaji sighed. "This time, we don't even know who set this up. If we continue to stay in the New World, the consequences are truly unpredictable!"
As the saying goes, those who are fond of war will perish by it. This phrase fits the Vinsmoke Family perfectly. Ever since Gaji created the Germa Science Unit, they had been constantly stirring up wars across various regions, profiting immensely from the chaos. While they seemed to have gained a lot, they had also made countless enemies. For instance, this time, Gaji knew he had been trapped, but he couldn't even figure out who was behind it.
This was the New World, known by pirates as the cruelest sea—not the North Blue they were familiar with!
In this unfamiliar place, the Germa Group's intelligence capabilities were severely limited. Moreover, in this sea, they had to contend with unpredictable weather. Otherwise, why do you think it took them over twenty days to reach Rorles Island? After leaving Travira, they encountered a massive ice storm at sea and were trapped for more than ten days!
With no advantage in timing, location, or unity, how could the Germa Group feel secure in this sea?
It was regrettable not to get the money, but Gaji didn't want to fall into someone else's trap over a bit of cash.
Thus, under his orders, the Germa snail fleet immediately set sail, planning to leave the New World.
However, what they didn't know was that Gladius, a senior officer of the Donquixote Pirates' Spade Army—a man wearing a mask and goggles with a Super Saiyan hairstyle—was on Rorles Island, watching their every move. Through a Den Den Mushi, he reported everything to Doflamingo.
In the underworld of the New World, Doflamingo was a standout. The Germa Group's actions couldn't escape his eyes.
And through Doflamingo, Ian's side also learned of the Germa Group's movements...
………………
Four days later, the Germa Group's snail fleet was sailing across the sea, aiming to cross the Calm Belt and head directly to the North Blue.
For four consecutive days, nothing happened, and Gaji and the others began to relax. At that moment, Gaji was in the meeting room with his four children, analyzing possible enemies.
However, just then, bad news came from the Germa soldiers.
A massive tornado had appeared on the sea ahead, blocking their path.
When Gaji and Reiju came out to see, they indeed spotted a colossal tornado connecting the sky and the sea in the distance. The tornado raged across the water, lifting tens of thousands of tons of seawater, creating a terrifying spectacle.
Forced to stop, Gaji ordered the fleet to halt and wait for the tornado to pass.
The fleet stopped, but at that very moment, more bad news arrived from the Germa soldiers. Several dark shadows had appeared behind the fleet, likely ships!
Too coincidental! Gaji immediately realized this was no accident. The ships behind them were definitely enemies.
So Gaji quickly ordered preparations for battle.
As the ships behind them drew closer and became visible through telescopes, Gaji's heart sank when he saw the flags on those ships.
"The Dragon Hunter Pirates! The Kuja Pirates! The Fish-Man Pirates, and the Crocodile Pirates!" Gaji crushed the telescope in his hand, grinding his teeth. "So these are the allies that the Warlord Ian has brought?"
Due to the lack of intelligence in the New World, the Germa Group hadn't learned of this news. They only vaguely knew that the Warlord Black Dragon Ian had returned with reinforcements, but they had no idea who those reinforcements were.
Only now did Gaji truly understand that the Germa Group was in trouble!
Four Warlord pirate crews appearing at once—there was no doubt they were targeting the Germa Group.
What goes around comes around. When Gaji attacked Travira, he had already prepared to face a single Warlord. At that time, he wasn't too worried. Warlords were known for acting alone, and with the Germa Group's strength, dealing with one Warlord shouldn't be a problem. So he boldly attacked Ian's base.
But he never expected that Ian, this Warlord, would completely defy expectations. He had actually teamed up with three other Warlords to come and settle the score...
On the flagship of the Fish-Man Pirates, Ian, Crocodile, Jinbe, Boa Hancock, Ace, Sabo, and Fujitora were all gathered. They stood on the deck, gazing at the Germa Group's fleet in the distance.
"Old Sand, I didn't expect your ability to be so impressive!" Ian said with a smile to Crocodile.
The tornado blocking the Germa fleet wasn't a natural occurrence; it was created by Crocodile. His sandstorm ability could generate a whirlwind from his palm. Initially, Crocodile could control the direction of the whirlwind, allowing it to absorb energy and grow as it moved, eventually forming a tornado.
On land, this would create a sandstorm, but at sea, it was a classic waterspout. The only downside was that once the tornado grew to a certain size, Crocodile could no longer control it.
This storm was Ian's doing. After learning of the Germa Group's movements from Doflamingo, he predicted their path and had Crocodile release the storm ahead of time. Fortunately, it successfully blocked them!
Ian couldn't let the Germa Group continue forward. Beyond lay the Calm Belt. The Germa snail ships had their own propulsion and could easily navigate the Calm Belt, while Ian's fleet, except for the Kuja Pirates' ship, relied on sails. Chasing the Germa Group through the Calm Belt would be impossible.
Now, with a massive storm ahead and Ian's fleet blocking their rear, the Germa Group had no choice but to fight or flee to the sides.
It seemed they intended to fight first. Good, that made things easier. Ian planned to grind them into the ground first!
"Move forward!" Ian waved his hand, directing his fleet to advance.
When they closed to a certain distance, Gaji ordered the Germa fleet to open fire. As a science unit, the Germa Group's weapons were highly advanced. Their cannons had greater range and power than even Marine battleships. From dozens of nautical miles away, they opened fire, and their shots actually reached Ian's side.
The Germa fleet had numerous ships, each snail serving as a vessel equipped with cannons. The attack was naturally overwhelming.
Countless shells flew toward Ian's side. To prevent their ships from being hit, Jinbe and Boa Hancock jumped back to their respective vessels to help intercept the shells. Any shell that might hit a ship was shot down by them.
One shell flew directly toward Ian's ship, threatening to hit. But Ian stood with his arms crossed, watching Crocodile.
Crocodile snorted coldly in annoyance, turning his arm into sand and using his Desert Spada ability to slice the shell in half.
"Good, I didn't bring you here to be a spectator," Ian said, patting Crocodile's shoulder approvingly.
"You'd better focus on the battle!" Crocodile sneered. "If we don't counterattack, our ships might be sunk before we get close!"
Ian nodded. "No problem. They won't get away!"
With that, Ian turned to Sardine and the others. "Bring out our toy!"
"Alright!" Sardine, Dorry, and the other strong guys eagerly responded, then grunted as they hauled out a... Armstrong Cyclone Accelerator Cannon from the stern!
Seeing the cannon's peculiar design, Crocodile gave Ian a strange look. "This... is your secret weapon?"
Ian was also a bit speechless. He had always been dissatisfied with the design of the Thunder Roar Cannon and had asked Waldo to improve it. But Waldo had only managed to reduce its size and weight. As for the shape, he told Ian it couldn't be changed because the two "balls" on either side of the cannon were the positive and negative lightning generators. Without them, the cannon would be useless...
Helpless, Ian had the crew bring one of the Thunder Roar Cannons onto the ship, ready to face the inevitable teasing.
"Start calibrating the firing trajectory!" Waldo, who had come along this time, was excitedly planning to operate the cannon himself. But this time, the Dragon Hunter Pirates' crew helped him adjust the cannon's aim.
When the cannon was aimed at the Germa ships ahead, Waldo eagerly pressed the firing switch!
A blazing blue-white orb began to gather at the cannon's muzzle, emitting a blinding light.
When the light reached its peak, accompanied by a crackling sound of lightning piercing the air, the orb of lightning shot forward...