Chapter 255: Declaration of War

Garp looked at Sengoku's resolute back, and a hint of inexplicable worry flashed across his expression.
Nearly ten years have passed since the Battle of God Valley. During this decade, although he has perfected his Busoshoku Haki, he still lacks confidence in defeating that godlike and devilish man from back then.
The shadow cast upon the Navy by that battle was too great, and it took the Navy a full seven or eight years to recover.
"Vice Admiral Garp! Vice Admiral Garp!"
Hearing the passionate voice of the young man beside him, Garp turned his head and saw a tall, black-haired youth with wavy hair following behind him. He couldn't help but say with conviction, "Oh, it's you, Kuzan. What's the matter? Since that guy Zephyr asked me to take care of you, I will definitely let you see what the top powerhouses in this world are truly like."
The young man, who had just joined the Navy at Coo's Inn, was the future Navy Headquarters Admiral Aokiji. He had only been in the recruit camp for half a year when he displayed amazing talent and received special attention from the Navy instructor Zephyr.
He was even considered to be on par with Sakazuki, a senior fellow apprentice who had just graduated from the training camp, and they were both referred to as the most brilliant new stars in the Navy.
The reason why he went out to battle with the main force before graduating from the training camp was that Zephyr wanted him to gain more experience in fighting against pirates, thereby quickly improving his strength.
Here is the translated content with the original HTML tag preserved:After spending some time together, Garp found that he really liked this young man, who was passionate about the Navy's cause for justice and admirably maintained a kind heart.
Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:So during this period of time, they became much more familiar with each other, and he would directly bring her along by his side.
"Vice Admiral Garp, I heard that this time we are going to battle against the legendary pirate Fist, who has fought with you many times since his debut. I want to ask, is he really as terrifyingly powerful and invincible as the rumors say?"
Kuzan was excited. Even before joining the Navy, he had heard many legendary stories about this naval hero, so he had long regarded him as his idol and was determined to become a strong Navy soldier like Garp to uphold justice.
It's just like chasing celebrities. When you finally meet them in person, you definitely want to learn more about their legendary stories.
"You're talking about that guy Fiss!"
Kapp strode forward, his eyes revealing a nostalgic look, with a somewhat complex expression on his face. He slowly exhaled a breath and said, "I have indeed clashed with that kid a few times. The first few times were okay, and I could still barely contend with him. However, in that great battle at the God's Valley, the strength he displayed was simply too terrifying. It was a kind of hopeless gap, like an abyss with no end in sight, as if that guy's strength was endless."
When he reached this point, his expression turned somewhat wistful. Finally, he said with heartfelt sincerity: "So many years have passed, and I don't know what level of strength that kid has reached. However, when you truly stand before him, you'll realize just how terrifying an existence you are facing!"
To be honest, as a pillar of the Navy's strength, he actually did not have high hopes for this operation to suppress the Fire God Pirates. However, that guy Fis had touched upon the very foundation of the World Government, leaving him with no choice.
Over these years, he had heard of Fis's deeds, which didn't seem like those of a pirate at all. In fact, compared to the Navy and World Government, Fis appeared to be more on the side of justice.
Here is the translation of the Chinese text into English, preserving the original HTML tag:Therefore, from the bottom of his heart, Garp was unwilling to fight against the Hosen Pirates, but many things are like this. When in a position, one must fulfill the duties of that position. As a responsible Navy officer, he could not shrink back.
On the other side, the Fire God Pirates were moving at full speed, heading towards their target island. At this rate, they would successfully arrive in Kazakhstan in just five more days.
Here is the translation in English with the original HTML tags preserved:On the bow of the Zhurong, Pheasant was fishing idly out of boredom.
The squad captains were each busy with their own affairs. Some were practicing martial arts, while others were compiling information about the recently occupied islands and conducting a census of the island's population.
These things cannot be done by others, and Fiss is not at ease either, because the interests involved are too vast. One person's one-tenth of the income is not much, but what about ten people, a hundred people, and some large commercial firms?
If someone becomes greedy and conspires with outsiders to commit fraud, the losses to the pirate group would be immeasurable.
Therefore, when it comes to these crucial matters, Fis always assigns them to dedicated squad leaders and core members to handle. The later island construction and profits will also be linked to the corresponding squads.
For example, if this island is under the jurisdiction of the Third Squad, then the Third Squad will be responsible for the island's construction and security, as well as the calculation of residents' income and the collection of commissions in the later stages.
All of these are closely related to the amount of treasure each pirate in the Third Fleet receives at the end of the year. Ultimately, the better they perform and the better the island develops, the more each pirate in the fleet will receive. On one hand, this stimulates the pirates' enthusiasm for work, and on the other hand, it uses the group to supervise individuals, preventing anyone from lining their own pockets.
Fiss is gradually changing the model of the pirate group, developing it into a large company and nation.
In the future, the captains of these numbered teams will become the security officials and tax officials of various local islands.
Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:This kind of thing happens gradually and cannot be accomplished overnight, but Fis has plenty of time to slowly change the thinking of these people.
"Fis, I heard that this time the Navy has been fully mobilized, and the CP0 running dogs have also set off from the holy land, and they are bound to stop us from occupying Punk Hazard. Are we going to confront the Navy head-on?"
Here is the English translation with the original HTML tags preserved:Levi leaned against the gunwale and asked with a serious expression on his face, holding the latest information sent by the intelligence department in his hand and reporting to Feis.
Over the years, his aura has become more and more mature, and he has become a qualified intelligence chief. It can be said that he knows every movement in the new world like the back of his hand.
Naturally, the Navy and World Government's major operation did not escape his attention.
It was precisely because he was aware of the other party's movements that he understood the enormous scale of the World Government's operation this time, and the immense force they had mobilized to counter the Fire God Pirates.
It's simply emptying out all the old stuff.
"No need to look at these things, they're meaningless."
Fis said casually, knowing the significance of Punk Hazard to the World Government, so it was understandable to mobilize so much military force.
After all, the hidden things inside are too shocking, involving various human experiments conducted by the World Government, and it is very likely that the person he has always wanted to cooperate with is also inside.
That world-renowned top scientist, Dr. Vegapunk, who possesses technology five hundred years ahead of humanity.
The others are not as crucial, but this person is someone the World Government will never give up on, no matter what.
Revealing all the above analysis, Feis added:
"Therefore, the battle for Punk Hazard this time will undoubtedly be extremely arduous. The World Government will go all out, and it's quite possible that even those old fogies will take action."
The World Government should understand that Garp and his few men alone cannot possibly be a match for the Fire God Pirates, so they must have arranged other backup plans. There is a high possibility that they will deploy the Five Elders.
"You're saying..."
Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:Levee's eyes narrowed slightly, as if recalling the God Valley War from several years ago.
At the end of that great battle, one of the Five Elders wearing a judge's hat had appeared out of nowhere with his men. If it weren't for Fis's absolute advantage in strength at the time, the Rocks Pirates might have been annihilated on Emerald Island.
“That's correct.”
Fis nodded slightly, then said to the people behind him in a heartfelt tone: "That old guy possesses the Space Fruit, coming and going without a trace, making it very difficult to guard against. So when the real fighting starts, you must maintain a high level of vigilance at all times.
Of course, I will also keep an eye on the entire battlefield at all times, striving to take him out the moment he appears. If we possess the Space Fruit by then, our subsequent actions will be much more convenient."
Here is the English translation of the given Chinese text, preserving the original HTML tag:After hearing Fis's words, the captains of the various squads also nodded thoughtfully. With such an uncontrollable factor involved, it was really difficult to control the direction of this war.
Subsequently, Fis explained the abilities, strengths, and various aspects of data for each of the top-level combat forces of the Navy Headquarters. He then arranged the matchups against some of the troublesome opponents to minimize casualties on his side as much as possible.
Finally, after some calculations, he suddenly realized that with Barrett joining them, the current strength of the Fire God Pirates alone seemed to be enough to contend with the Navy and even the World Government.
Of course, this is under the premise that the Gorosei and Im do not take action.
After all, there are still two members of the Gorosei who have not yet appeared, and according to the thoughts of the bald Gorosei member before his death, he should be the weakest among the five. The top two ranked Gorosei members possess the power to destroy heaven and earth.
This made Feis start to look forward to it. It had been too long since he encountered an opponent against whom he could go all out. He hoped that these two Five Elders who had never shown themselves before could bring him some surprises this time.
Just as Zhurong was leading the Fire God Fleet to advance towards Punk Hazard with all their might, someone leaked the news that the Fire God Pirates were about to wage war against the World Government, causing the entire pirate world to be in complete uproar.
The World Government simply stopped pretending and published a newspaper the next day declaring war on the Fire God Pirates.
It stated that within three days, the World Government's forces would be stationed on the unnamed island in front of Punk Hazard, waiting for the arrival of the Fire God Pirates. If Fis is still a man, then come and fight!
The World Government will chop off Fis's head on this island, just as they did to Rocks in the God Valley back then.
For this reason, the World Government even came up with an impromptu name for this vast, desolate island, calling it Yanyan Island, meaning the place where the fiery calamity falls.
On that day, the Fire God Pirates responded with a simple message that can be summarized in one sentence—
A fight to the death.
The news of the Fire God Pirates accepting the challenge swept through the entire New World like a storm.
Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:"That guy Enshō, he's really got guts! To dare go to war directly with the World Government!"
"Is this another Rocks Pirates? But Rocks, who was so domineering back then, has already been dead for several years. Who knows if Enshō can hold out."
"No matter what, let's set sail immediately! This is bound to be the highest-profile war in the world in recent years, and I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I miss it!"
"Will the Fire God Pirates write a legendary tale, or will the World Government emerge victorious? It's truly something to look forward to! However, regardless of the outcome, this great battle will influence the entire landscape of the Grand Line."
……
People were arguing and debating, and this war attracted attention from all sides. Whether they were pirates or ambitious individuals, kings or beggars, they were all eagerly waiting for the war to begin.
Some people believe that the World Government will inevitably emerge victorious, seizing the opportunity to suppress the morale of the pirates. Others, however, consider the Fire God Pirates to be invincible and destined to continue the legend of the Rocks Pirates, becoming the second pirate crew capable of defeating the World Government.
At the same time.
In a turbulent sea area of the New World, three gigantic pirate ships resembling whales were speeding along, followed by dozens of various pirate vessels.
On the masts of the pirate ships, the fluttering white skull and crossbones flags were hanging, with a white crescent-shaped mustache slightly curling upwards.
Thousands of kilometers away in the sky, Golden Lion looked at the newspaper in his hand and couldn't help but let out a loud "Gyahaha" laugh. Finally, he turned to the senior cadre beside him and said, "Give the order to turn the ship around, we're going to Punk Hazard!"
"But Captain, we've already locked onto the location of the Roger Pirates, we just need to..."
"Enough of that nonsense! There will be plenty of chances to chase Roger later! Go carry out my orders now!"
Golden Lion rudely interrupted the other person's words, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He couldn't help but sigh in a low voice: "This kid, has he already become powerful enough to contend with the World Government? What a terrifying rate of development, but I like it! Ha ha ha!"