Chapter 349: Connecting the Pieces
"So we're moving this quickly?"
In Brett's office, Tesoro looked quite surprised.
Just hours ago, hadn't they said to temporarily hold position? Why the sudden urgency to join the war?
"Well, plans can't keep up with changes."
Brett spread his hands somewhat helplessly. "Who could've predicted Charlotte Linlin would want to join the war so quickly?"
"Oh?"
Tesoro raised an eyebrow. "Charlotte Linlin's already moving? Kaido's more anxious than we imagined."
"No helping it. Kaido naturally doesn't want to see another hegemon rising in the New World."
Brett said leisurely.
"Another?"
Tesoro grinned. "You mean the previous one was you, right, Brett?"
"Though it's not bragging."
At this point, for Brett, dominating the New World was absolutely no longer impossible.
"Enough pointless talk."
Brett smiled. "The key issue now is—Katakuri's finally ready to move."
"Oh?"
Tesoro's eyes lit up. "So this time we're moving against Charlotte Linlin?"
"We need to be somewhat covert."
Brett said. "If the government learns we're orchestrating things behind the scenes, they'll grow even more restless."
Naturally, they'd long since torn off the facade with the government. Regardless of what they did, both sides could only end with a life-or-death final battle.
But exposing everything prematurely would greatly impact the coming decisive battle.
Katakuri was his ally. Once he commanded the Charlotte Family, that New World overlord pirate crew would also be his ally.
Rather than immediately exposing this to the government, naturally hiding this relationship was wiser.
Who knew when they might prove useful?
"So?"
Tesoro asked with a smile. "Brett, what are you thinking? What do you plan to do?"
"That depends on what Katakuri can accomplish."
Brett said softly.
To hide the news, naturally he couldn't appear directly before Charlotte Linlin and give her a righteous beating.
He needed to see what Katakuri could accomplish—what kind of force he could rally within the Charlotte Family.
If the force he rallied was strong enough, this matter might not be too difficult.
But if Katakuri's progress went poorly, even after helping him defeat Charlotte Linlin, having him command the Charlotte Family wouldn't be so easy.
However, Katakuri wasn't reckless. Since he'd decided to act, he surely had sufficient confidence.
This operation should yield good results in the end—that's what Brett thought.
"In any case, let's inform Shanks first. Don't let him get caught off guard."
Brett said.
New World, somewhere in the middle-to-rear section, on a certain deserted island—a pirate crew was currently resting on this island.
"Tsk, a pirate crew commanded by a Pirate Emperor really is no joke. Never encountered such a pressure-filled enemy before!"
A man with dreadlocked hair who looked carefree was wrapping bandages around his arm's wound.
The pain made him grimace, but the smile on his face never diminished. "Several times I thought we were done for."
"The opponent's Kaido. Whatever the final outcome, it wouldn't be surprising."
In certain ways the most reliable man on this ship—Red-Hair Pirates' vice-captain Ben Beckman—lit himself a cigarette and spoke leisurely.
"Exactly!"
The red-haired one-armed man laughed heartily. He raised his cup, drinking freely without any concern for the tense battle they'd just fought against a powerful enemy. "But defeating us like this is also impossible!"
"Nothing to fear."
The ship's cook—the rotund Lucky Roux—also laughed heartily. "The captain's now called a Pirate Emperor too, right? Emperor versus Emperor—what's there to fear?"
Right. Both sides were Pirate Emperors now. This was a fair, equal war.
"I even think we've gained the advantage now!"
Someone spoke with a laugh. "Though many are injured, the Beasts side clearly suffered greater losses! We've sunk dozens of their warships!"
Compared to the Red-Hair Pirates' single ship, the Beasts Pirates' scale was naturally far larger.
After Kurozumi Orochi's death, Kaido had even formed a samurai division. Their forces outnumbered the Red-Hair Pirates dozens of times.
Though naturally, this numerical advantage hadn't gained the Beasts Pirates any tangible edge in previous battles.
Though the Red-Hair Pirates had few people, their officers' average strength far exceeded the Beasts Pirates'. Even in all-out warfare, direct confrontation showed no disadvantage.
But just then, a Den Den Mushi rang.
Shanks answered the call with some surprise.
"Shanks—" A familiar voice came from the other end. "Judging by the noise on your end, you're currently holding a banquet?"
"Oh! Brett!"
Shanks laughed heartily. "Calling me now—is something up?"
"Let me say first—at least right now, Kaido's still my opponent."
"I knew you'd say that. Don't worry, I have no intention of stealing your opponent. This call is just to give you a heads-up." That's what Brett said.
"A heads-up? What do you mean?"
Shanks asked with some surprise.
"According to my latest intelligence, Kaido has requested reinforcements from Charlotte Linlin. You know they're allies."
Brett said. "So barring surprises, next you'll face the Beasts Pirates and Charlotte Family together."
"..."
Shanks froze slightly, then smiled wryly. "That's really not good news."
Though confident he didn't fall short of other monsters on these seas, Shanks didn't think he and his comrades could defeat two Emperors together.
"So then, Brett—are you saying you can provide us assistance?"
Shanks grinned. "If so, that'd be deeply appreciated!"
Though he sought fair confrontation, if the opponent stopped playing by the rules first, naturally he wouldn't be polite either.
"No, though I do have my own purposes, I don't plan to intervene directly."
Brett answered thus. "Don't you have another very good friend?"