One Piece Shadow Army - Chapter 62
At the Loguetown port, the atmosphere became extremely tense.
The impending battle warnings worried the watching civilians greatly.
On one side was the Marines stationed at the Loguetown Naval Base, and on the other was the newly established ruler of East Blue, the William Pirates.
Which side would the scales of victory tip towards?
The over 3,000 Marines soldiers of Loguetown or the 8,000-strong fleet of the William Pirates?
Before the real battle began, no one could predict the outcome.
The Marines had always pursued scattered pirates with a numerical advantage, but today, with the gathering of the William Pirates, the tables had turned. This was a rare battle where the pirates greatly outnumbered the Marines.
3,000 vs. 8,000!
Every Marines soldier was ready for battle. Even though they faced a pirate force far greater in number, the Marines had little fear.
Why? Because of their morale!
The Marines was still the symbol of victory on this sea.
Similarly, they had confidence in their leadership.
Since Captain Smoker took office as the highest-ranking officer in Loguetown, he has killed many pirates and brought peace and order to the Town.
Every time Captain Smoker took action, almost no pirates could resist him, so the Marines had great confidence in him.
Besides Captain Smoker, there were many other powerful Marines officers. Among them, Ensign Curls was a standout.
Having joined the Marines for less than a year, he was promoted to the rank of ensign at Marines Headquarters and defeated many powerful pirates with bounties.
During his patrols in Loguetown, almost no pirates could set foot on land, making Loguetown extremely peaceful during this time.
All thanks to Ensign Curls.
Moreover, just ten days ago, Ensign Curls single-handedly defeated the former ruler of the East Blue, the Krieg Pirates.
That was a 3,000-member pirate fleet, but Curls managed to eradicate it alone, capturing the 18 million bounty pirate, Don Krieg.
This showed Curls’ formidable strength!
Although the William Pirates had 8,000 members, Ensign Curls alone could handle a good portion, and the Marines soldiers could match the remaining pirates.
This thought circulated among the Marines, but no one voiced it.
If they did, they would realize that Ensign Curls had already become a symbol of strength in the Marines.
They would subconsciously recall.
All of this might be due to Curls’ impressive track record.
On the first day of his recruit period, he defeated the 7 million bounty pirate, Arlong; in his third month, he killed the 10 million bounty pirate, Eulon the Giant Fist.
After the recruit period, he eradicated the Loguetown gang and then, alone, defeated a 1,000-member pirate group at the Baratie, killing the 24 million bounty pirate, Barbarossa.
Recently, he defeated the 20 million bounty pirate, Arlong, and after encountering the Krieg Pirates, he again single-handedly dealt with 3,000 pirates!
Such achievements left a lasting impression.
At the front row of the port, the young Marines officer standing at the far right was Ensign Curls!
The Marines coat fluttering in the wind instilled confidence in the Marines soldiers.
On the sea, the William Pirates’ fleet boasted the latest cannons and equipment, vastly outnumbering the Loguetown Marines.
Their chances of victory were high.
Likewise, they had full confidence in Captain William.
Because a few days ago, during the selection of leaders for each ship, William had fought those strong new recruits.
William demonstrated his superb swordsmanship, even cutting a hundred-meter hill in half, leaving a deep impression on everyone.
So, in the eyes of these new pirates, Captain William was nearly invincible.
To rescue Gin, a chaotic battle involving over 10,000 fighters was about to begin.
“We will win this battle!”
“We will win this battle!”
A chant rose from the 8,000-strong pirate group, creating a unified shout.
With this momentum, William suddenly drew his famous sword, his eyes like a determined and resolute eagle, shouting the order to start the battle.
“Everyone, follow me…”
But his words were abruptly cut off.
Because a new Marines ship appeared on the distant sea.
Why would a Marines ship suddenly come to support?
William was puzzled. It was unlikely that other Marines branches would receive the news and arrive so quickly in such a short time.
Even if those branches got the news, it would take them several days to arrive, not this quickly.
Unless the Loguetown naval base had requested support from the nearest Marines base a few days ago.
But that was unlikely, as William had only mentioned the plan to attack the Loguetown base to his crew a few days ago.
The crew wouldn’t leak the information, so where did this Marines ship come from?
At the Loguetown port, the Marines was equally puzzled.
Curls looked at Smoker, wondering if Smoker had requested reinforcements earlier.
Smoker was also at a loss, unsure where this Marines ship came from.
But when he glanced at Curls, he suddenly had a guess.
Could it be that Marines Headquarters had sent someone to take Curls to the Grand Line earlier than planned?
The atmosphere shifted from intense to cold.
To describe it, it was like a battle between two nations reaching a climax, with both sides eager to charge, when suddenly a princess from one kingdom appeared on the battlefield…
Why describe it this way?
Maybe because William had recently read a knight’s biography.
As the Marines ship approached, the William Pirates could see some differences.
Apart from its large size, the ship’s head was decorated with a brownish-gray dog head, holding a large white bone in its mouth.
Curls felt the ship was familiar but couldn’t recall where he had seen it.
Suddenly, a Marines who recognized the dog-head figurehead exclaimed.
“Vice Admiral Garp, it’s Vice Admiral Garp’s ship!”
Vice Admiral Garp!
With this name uttered, the atmosphere became jubilant, and the shadow cast by the William Pirates’ fleet quickly dispersed.
Curls then realized why the ship looked familiar. It was Vice Admiral Garp’s dog-head ship.
In the original storyline, Vice Admiral Garp first appeared on this ship.
As a child, Curls had seen reports of Garp’s heroics, which included images of the dog-head ship.
Unlike the Marines’s excitement, the William Pirates were now filled with tension.
Who was Vice Admiral Garp?
A legendary Marines figure who had cornered the Pirate King, Roger, multiple times, earning him the titles “Hero Garp” and “Iron Fist Garp.”
If Garp hadn’t repeatedly refused promotions, he would have already become the Fleet Admiral of Marines Headquarters.
To the Marines and pirates of the East Blue, this legendary hero was well-known, and they felt Garp’s strength more keenly.
Because every time Garp traveled to the East Blue, he defeated the pirates he encountered.
Over time, the overall strength of East Blue’s pirates declined rapidly, with average bounties much lower than those of other seas.
The East Blue had once produced powerful pirates like Roger and Rayleigh with high potential.
Now, the strength of its pirates was low, partly due to the World Government’s crackdown and Garp’s frequent visits.
Seeing Garp’s Marines ship approaching Loguetown, William’s expression grew solemn. While he had confidence in his abilities, he wasn’t arrogant enough to compare himself to the legendary Vice Admiral Garp.
Although he had 8,000 strong fighters, they were ordinary soldiers and couldn’t possibly contend with Garp.
“Captain!”
Jeff spoke with a worried face, fearing that Captain William’s eagerness to rescue Gin might lead him to engage the Marines rashly.
Facing Jeff’s reminder, William waved his hand, indicating that he was calm.
“Retreat for now.”
With Garp here, there was no way to clash with the Loguetown naval base today, and the plan to rescue Gin had failed.
If they fought, the newly established ruler of the East Blue would quickly perish.
That’s how powerful Vice Admiral Garp was!
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