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"Got something important?"
"What's the matter?" Marco asked casually.
"We were attacked by the Donquixote Pirates, led by Doflamingo, but we managed to evacuate early. All of our members are unharmed, but Happy Street Island has completely disappeared. As for where we are now…" Stussy explained succinctly, pointing out the key details in one sentence.
Doflamingo's Donquixote Family? Marco's eyes flickered; he had almost forgotten that he'd previously slaughtered Vergo, one of the highest-ranking officers in Doflamingo's crew. Now it seemed that Doflamingo's attack on Happy Street had something to do with him.
It's clear that Doflamingo and Kaido have a close relationship, Marco thought to himself. A sudden realization flashed through his mind, and he quickly said, "Since everyone is safe, we don't need to worry about Doflamingo right now. Let's move on to other matters."
"The Blackbeard Pirates are attacking the Revolutionary Army's base in the New World," Stussy reported. She considered this an important piece of news, something that could potentially reshape the world's balance of power. Surely Marco would be surprised?
"So Baldigo, the island of white earth, is the Revolutionary Army's base in the New World!" Stussy continued. She had been genuinely shocked when she first received the news. The Revolutionary Army had always been a mysterious organization, and very few people knew anything about their headquarters—let alone its exact location.
Even the World Government, which essentially ruled the entire world, hadn't been able to gather much information about the Revolutionary Army.
"Yeah, I know," Marco responded absentmindedly.
"Huh? You already knew?!" Stussy was stunned. How could Marco have known? His calm tone didn't seem like he was bluffing.
As someone who had read the original story, Marco was well aware that, after Blackbeard's battle with the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, it wasn't long before he launched an attack on the Revolutionary Army's base under Monkey D. Dragon.
"The Blackbeard Pirates are aiming to get their hands on a large stash of weapons collected by the Revolutionary Army," Marco explained casually. If memory served him right, the Revolutionary Army had recently overthrown a kingdom in the New World. That kingdom, by coincidence, was part of the underworld's network, and a significant arms deal was in progress there. The Revolutionary Army had confiscated the entire cache of weapons.
As for how the Blackbeard Pirates got wind of this, that remained unknown.
"Ahh!" Stussy's mouth hung slightly open in shock, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Even she hadn't been able to uncover this information, yet Marco knew it beforehand. It was unbelievable!
"Anyway," Stussy snapped out of her momentary shock and got back to business, "The Revolutionary Army's base must be massive. With these two powerful forces at war, the Blackbeard Pirates are bound to suffer heavy losses! This could be a great opportunity for us!"
This was the most crucial point of Stussy's call.
In her view, the Revolutionary Army was no weak force. They were shrouded in mystery, and the unknowns surrounding them were immense.
The Blackbeard Pirates were likely about to kick a steel wall, and Stussy thought this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Marco!
"Uh…" Marco paused for a moment. If he hadn't read the original story, he might have agreed with Stussy's logic. After a brief moment of reflection, he said, "The Blackbeard Pirates will attack the Revolutionary Army's base camp and take little to no damage. They'll successfully defeat Baldigo, but they'll come away empty-handed."
"Huh?! Why?" Stussy asked in disbelief.
"Because Dragon will never allow his full strength to be exposed. He'll retreat with all of his troops, taking everything important with him. At most, he'll leave behind a handful of soldiers to keep up appearances."
"!!"
Could that really be the case? Stussy found it hard to believe. Of course, she didn't doubt Marco's words, but it still seemed incredible!
What shocked her even more was how Marco seemed to have access to such top-secret information. And would the Revolutionary Army really choose to retreat without a fight?
"Any other news?" Marco asked, sensing Stussy's lingering surprise.
"Yes."
"First, there's more news about the Blackbeard Pirates. Former Navy Admiral Aokiji has joined them. I'm not sure if Blackbeard leaked this on purpose, but Aokiji is apparently tasked with dealing with you."
"And we've also heard rumors involving Big Mom. It seems that the strongest of her Sweet Commanders, Charlotte Katakuri, is currently…" This time, Stussy didn't pause. She laid out all the information in one go.
Aokiji and Katakuri?
Marco wasn't concerned about the former in the slightest. As for the latter… well, he was actually looking forward to facing him!
"Hmm," Marco mused. "Any news about Kaido or Big Mom herself?"
"The Four Emperors Kaido seems to have vanished from the world. There's not a single trace of him. As for Charlotte Linlin, the only news we have is…"
This realization frightened them, causing them to retreat one by one, unwilling to venture any closer in that direction.
"That guy... Where did he come from? What does he want?!"
No one had an answer.
Meanwhile, on the island where Marco was located.
Out at sea, the eyes of all the pirates were fixed on the approaching fleet of the Big Mom Pirates, which was drawing nearer with each passing moment.
Whispers began to spread throughout the ranks.
"How many of Big Mom's heavy hitters do you think are coming this time?"
The question was on everyone's mind. The image of Drought Jack being blasted away by Marco was still fresh—too shocking to forget. Even now, just the memory of that battle made many feel a deep sense of unease.
The Sweet Commanders, who held a reputation comparable to Kaido's All-Stars, were especially feared. And none more so than Charlotte Katakuri, the strongest of the Sweet Commanders, a figure whose very name struck fear into the hearts of many.
"Look!" someone shouted, grabbing a telescope. "It's the Sweet Commanders! One, two, three...! Three of them are here!"
Sure enough, everyone could see that three of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders had stepped out onto the deck of the lead ship, standing prominently for all to see.
A collective gasp went through the crowd.
The highest-ranking representatives of the Big Mom Pirates, the Sweet Commanders—equivalent to the Three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates—had arrived in force. Three of them at once!
This realization caused many to inhale sharply in disbelief.
"Only three? Charlotte Katakuri isn't with them?!"
"Who knows? Maybe he's still in the cabin… It's hard to say!" another pirate speculated.
As the fleet of the Big Mom Pirates continued to close in, the tension among the watching pirates grew. Everyone could feel the weight of the moment, their breaths growing more nervous and shallow with each passing second.
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