Chapter 428: Whitebeard Cornered
A new round of the Great Battle began.
This war was destined not to be as prolonged as the war against the Flying Pirates.
The contraction of forces and the yielding of some territory wasn't only done by the Tyrant Dragon Pirates; the Demon King Pirates also symbolically gave up over a dozen Islands.
As for the Whitebeard Pirates, they were unwilling to just give away the territory they had worked hard to plunder; they hadn't even held onto it long enough for it to get warm!
The three Top-Tier Pirate Crews needed to regain confidence from other Pirate Crews and replenish their lost territory.
The Whitebeard Pirates were the first to clash with the John Pirates.
After annexing the portion of territory yielded by the Tyrant Dragon Pirates, the Silver Axe Pirates continued to push towards the Tyrant Dragon Pirates' territory.
Because the yielded portion of territory originally belonged to the Byrnndi Pirates, the Silver Axe Pirates' territory also began to border the Whitebeard Pirates.
Just as Zak had predicted, facing the Tyrant Dragon Pirates' show of weakness, the Silver Axe Pirates divided their forces to attack the Whitebeard Pirates' territory.
As for secretly sending people to attack the Whitebeard Pirates' Rear Area, the Tyrant Dragon Pirates did not do such a thing.
Having the Whitebeard Pirates act as a Northern barrier, resisting the John Pirates, and helping to share some of the Silver Axe Pirates' strength was enough.
All schemes and tricks ultimately still rely on strength to speak.
To be honest, Zak wasn't worried about Silver Axe.
Skilled in aerial combat, especially in wars at Great Sea, he possessed a powerful advantage.
For a Fighter Faction like Silver Axe, battle at Great Sea has significant limitations.
Zak wouldn't give up his advantage and engage in a great battle on an Island like Shiki did.
That was Shiki's arrogance, a target he set for himself; he didn't want to have weaknesses.
Therefore, that war lasted so long, failing to conquer Wang Zhi for a full year, instead using Wang Zhi as a whetstone to further improve his combat strength.
If Shiki had been ruthless, that previous war might not have even needed three months.
As Ability Users, Linlin, Newgate, and Shiki all possessed the ability to easily wipe out a fleet at Great Sea.
The larger the war, the more it benefited them in showcasing their skills.
Zak was naturally one of them; he never felt fear towards this battle.
Silver Axe was naturally aware of Zak's ability.
Moreover, he had to show some respect for Zak's understanding.
So he diverted energy to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates.
In comparison, the Whitebeard Pirates were definitely much easier to deal with.
Newgate didn't have such powerful mobility.
Once caught in fierce fighting, it was difficult for him to unleash his full strength for wanton destruction, as it would affect his comrades.
At the same time, by dividing the battlefield, expanding the scope of the war, and sending out Pirate Ships one by one to capture the Whitebeard Pirates' territory, then, the role of Whitebeard's strength would be greatly weakened.
Like Silver Axe, Captain John thought the same way.
Dozens of Pirate Ships dispersed, heading towards the Whitebeard Pirates' territory.
Compared to the Young Pirates of the Whitebeard Pirates who hadn't yet grown up, both the John Pirates and the Silver Axe Pirates had a huge advantage in average strength.
In fact, in terms of average strength, the Whitebeard Pirates couldn't even compare to the Demon King Pirates and the Tyrant Dragon Pirates.
After all, the Demon King Pirates and the Tyrant Dragon Pirates had fought in the New World and undergone a training exercise.
Within the Pirate Crews, there were many elite warriors from the Rocks Pirates.
To be honest, the current Whitebeard Pirates are basically just some small pirates of the New Era, not even counting as failures.
A group of small pirates who found it difficult to establish themselves in the New World, in order to survive, attached themselves to this Great Pirate, Whitebeard.
The price they paid was merely gaining an extra father.
A faction gathered in this way, even if it possessed nearly ten thousand force, in the eyes of John and Silver Axe, they were nothing more than rabble.
The disaster belonging to the Whitebeard Pirates had arrived.
Facing the pincer attack from both the John Pirates and the Silver Axe Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates were instantly stunned.
Facing the pirate elite who had survived fierce fighting and numerous battles, within just one month, the Whitebeard Pirates suffered heavy losses.
The defensive line retreated steadily, and over sixty Islands were occupied by the John Pirates.
Similarly, nearly twenty Islands were occupied by the Silver Axe Pirates.
To squeeze the soft persimmon, the Silver Axe Pirates sent out a full quarter of their military strength.
This means the Whitebeard Pirates' main energy was focused on the John Pirates, and they didn't expect the Silver Axe Pirates to also launch an attack on them.
They were caught off guard, which is why the Silver Axe Pirates managed to occupy so many Islands.
It can be said that the territory the Whitebeard Pirates had occupied, which originally belonged to the Byrnndi Pirates, was instantly spat out by half.
And some Islands that originally belonged to them were also occupied by the John Pirates.
This was a grand spectacle.
The Whitebeard Pirates, possessing the terrifying combat strength of Whitebeard, were undoubtedly a faction facing painful suppression.
Many factions were wary of Whitebeard's strength, but they didn't fear it, nor did they hesitate.
At Great Sea, the Whitebeard Pirates' Moby Dick faced the John Pirates' Elnan.
The two Pirate Ships confronted each other.
Whitebeard, with some wrath, struck the air with a fist.
A crisp shattering sound rang out.
The air shattered like a mirror.
The Great Sea was peaceful for a moment, then the waves surged, the sea level gradually rose, and a terrifying tsunami quickly formed, carrying an unstoppable presence, it struck towards the John Pirates' main ship.
Aboard the Elnan, watching the terrifying tsunami, John's face was peaceful.
He raised his head and drank heavily, his eyes seemingly filled with nostalgia.
The Pirate Ship shook continuously, as if it would be swallowed by the tsunami in the next moment.
Some young members on board couldn't help but panic, giving rise to fear.
Only the old members who had followed John for a long time remained calm, commanding the sailors to stable the ship's hull.
"Clang!"
Finally, John made his move.
Drawing a sword, a hundred-meter-long giant slash tore through the air and the Great Sea.
The approaching tsunami was instantly split in two.
Seeing his move broken, Newgate felt extremely stifled inside.
John didn't directly clash with him, always maintaining distance.
No matter what move he made, John would break it with a sword.
The battle between the two thus reached a stalemate.
John just wanted to stall him, and then rely on the advantage of his subordinates' strength to defeat his children.
How could Newgate not see such a thought?
But he had no other way and could only remain in this stalemate, because he also had to watch John, preventing him from making arbitrary moves.
Although the destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's strength was terrifying, once the distance was great, it had little role for some strongmen.
Strength would weaken as distance spread.
Without a doubt, Whitebeard was cornered.
This is naval battle; the conduct of naval battle is also an art.
Compared to land battle, naval battle is often more prolonged.
It prevents a person's strength from being fully unleashed, instead favoring other aspects.
(end of chapter)