"Move faster! You over there, stop dawdling and get those stones loaded!"
Warfare depends on logistics, and even pirates must prepare the necessary resources before battle. They are not ordinary pirates who attack any random ship they find at sea; their target is the active fleet of the Stanting Kingdom.
The Stanting Kingdom is one of the countries on the Grand Line and a member state. To maintain a stable regime on the Grand Line, they rely not only on the Navy's protection but also have their own means of self-defense, and these means are diverse.
However, fundamentally, they have a powerful kingdom army. In this world dominated by the sea, the importance of the army is far less than that of the navy. However, the Stanting Kingdom is not adept at naval warfare, so they resort to an intermediary approach—outsourcing.
The Stanting Kingdom used its national strength to build dozens of large warships, which form the fleet of the Yotamaria Grand Fleet. This fleet is not only the navy defending the kingdom but also pirates with official plundering permissions granted by the Stanting Kingdom.
This is not unusual in this age of great sea voyages when the armies of many countries also play the role of pirates. The customs of different islands vary, and the style of each army entirely depends on the king's preferences.
Moreover, World Government law only protects member states. As long as they do not plunder the resources of member states, their actions are legally fine.
The relationships between countries on the Grand Line are complex, with some getting along harmoniously and others being blood enemies. In the vast ocean, the disappearance of a ship is hard to trace.
Accurately speaking, if the World Government intentionally makes the presence of an island fade, even if that island is erased, no one can discover a trace.
The Yotamaria Grand Fleet now consists of fifty-six large warships and a regular crew of 4,300 people, all of whom are skilled in naval warfare. Besides this, the ships can also carry a large number of kingdom soldiers for transport work.
These ships are large enough for the Giant Race to board. Kaidou, while wandering aimlessly in the past, noticed this nation's fleet and therefore remembered it.
"Brother, there's no more room. Isn't this enough?"
"It's not enough. Remove the cannons and take the shells down. This ship doesn't need those things."
"What? No cannons??"
Upon hearing the order to remove the cannons, the subordinate pirates hesitated for a moment.
"What foolishness are you talking about? Can any cannon compare to Lady Ghost Princess's pet? If you feed it well, you won't need cannons. Do you think that big hole at the shooting range on Outer Island came from nothing?"
"Lady Ghost Princess's pet is really special..."
"Stop talking nonsense and move quickly! If it doesn't get enough to eat, go dive to the sea bottom and fetch some rocks yourself!"
Because of the enormous Emboar and Tyranitar, the materials carried this time are very unconventional, reducing the usual gunpowder supplies and relying on Tyranitar's and Emboar's firepower to fill the gap.
They can be regarded as mobile flamethrowers and heavy artillery, unmatched by the main guns of conventional warships.
While they were nervously ferrying supplies, Tyranitar and Emboar had already boarded the ship, with Emboar passing on the experiences of a senior.
"Woo-wah [Don't be nervous, just use a few skills to scare them a bit, and those people will run away scared, plus their attacks won't really hurt anyone.]
Woo-wah [Mm, probably can't hurt you either.]"
Emboar then patted Tyranitar on the shoulder, affirming its judgment. Tyranitar was the second giant Pokémon to appear on the main island of Wano Kuni, and as a rare "comrade," Emboar enjoyed communicating with it.
"Ban... [Will the ship sink? I can't swim...]
Woo-wah [No, it's very sturdy. Even if it sinks, there's an emergency plan.]
Compared to fighting, Tyranitar was a bit afraid of water. Some uniquely gifted Tyranitar can learn the Surf skill, but this is as rare as a swimming Rhydon. It's not a skill anyone can learn in the game.
This Tyranitar's size makes it extremely heavy, making surfing impossible.
Those who can swim are due to Pokémon individual differences. Even the quadruple water-weak Rhydon can occasionally swim, which has always been a point of contention for the Groudon Preservation Association.
"Woo-wah [The outside world is very peculiar, this is a rare opportunity.]
Ban.. [I understand.]
"Woo-wah [Don't be afraid, at worst just stand behind the big sister.]
Seeing Tyranitar's lack of enthusiasm, Emboar reassured it again. Although they look formidable and terrifying, both beasts are female. Emboar was modified from the Mountain God Wild Boar, a female with even a few piglets.
Tyranitar belongs to Yamato, so the gender choice was the same, resulting in this situation.
Initially, Tyranitar didn't accept this arrangement, leading to some physical confrontations. Tyranitar's battle experience was far less than Emboar, who was once used as a sparring partner by Kaidou.
With its Fighting attributes and honed fighting skills, Tyranitar had no combat advantage against Emboar, establishing their sibling order.
Led by Jack, several pirate ships left Ghost Island, heading for the sea area indicated in the intelligence, though they encountered a slight hiccup along the way.
"Steady! Where's the icebreaker? Bring an icebreaker to open the way!"
In the outer seas of Wano Kuni, Jack and the others' ships were hindered by unexpectedly appearing ice sheets on the ocean surface. The weather in the waters outside Wano Kuni is very changeable, and it has been relatively cold recently, but encountering ice sheets was a first.
This was a leftover factor from Yamato. For safety, she froze a safe path, sealing off the sea except for a passage.
Moreover, near Wano Kuni, the tide surges vigorously. To create a safe passage, a larger portion of the sea needed freezing. Yamato herself couldn't pinpoint how much of the sea remained ice-sealed or how thick the ice was from Muji Hyoga.
Recently, extreme low temperatures have prevented the ice from fully melting and instead created a barrier obstructing the subsequent ships' voyage.
If the Hundred Beasts didn't occasionally venture into polar regions, they wouldn't even have the icebreaker configuration.
"No need for that hassle, let's do a little warm-up, Emboar, take care of the ice, would you?"
Onboard were newbies who hadn't seen Emboar in action. To let them understand the capability of their "war instruments," Jack decided to let Emboar showcase its ability, which was more time-efficient and effective than waiting for an icebreaker, costing just some food.
There was a specialized metal disc on the deck, specifically Emboar's cannon emplacement. Once it reached the designated position, a fierce column of flame roared forth, melting the ice and igniting the battle spirits of the Hundred Beasts...