He looked at El and said earnestly, "One day, I will defeat you fair and square!"
El nodded. "I'll be waiting."
By this time, the war was nearly over.
Almost all of the Navy's top-tier fighters were either injured or had completely withdrawn from the battle.
The few who remained unharmed were all experts at holding back and avoiding real combat.
Kizaru and Aokiji both knew the outcome was already decided, so they were conserving their strength.
Those who had fared worse, like Akainu, had already been taken away for urgent medical treatment.
The older generation of powerhouses—Sengoku, Garp, and the others—had also stopped taking the initiative to attack.
Instead, they stood firm at the final line of defense, determined to prevent the entire headquarters from being overrun by pirates and suffering irreversible, catastrophic damage.
Every defensive line the Navy had set up had collapsed.
The warships positioned on the outermost perimeter had proven useless from the very start.
Most of the Seven Warlords of the Sea had already sworn allegiance to El.
Navy vice admirals and countless ordinary soldiers were steadily retreating.
Observing the chaos across the battlefield, Crocodile spoke to El.
"Sir, there is still one last Warlord who has yet to surrender."
He was referring to Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress.
Throughout the entire conflict, Hancock had acted in a way that made it impossible to tell whose side she was on.
One moment she would strike at the Navy, and the next she would turn and attack the pirates. Her actions were utterly erratic.
Neither side knew who she truly supported, so both chose to keep their distance.
That was exactly Hancock's clever plan. By attacking everyone indiscriminately, she ensured that neither faction would dare to provoke her lightly.
It was the perfect way to stay out of serious danger while appearing to be fighting.
What she did not realize, however, was that the situation had changed drastically. The entire system of the Seven Warlords had effectively ceased to exist.
El glanced at Crocodile and replied indifferently, "If she doesn't want to surrender, let her. What does it matter to us?"
"But this is the perfect opportunity to bring her over to our side!" Crocodile urged quickly.
Unlike Dracule Mihawk, who lived entirely alone and had no attachments, Hancock ruled over an entire kingdom. Her influence and power were far from insignificant.
El shook his head.
"She is far too proud and arrogant. There is no need to go out of our way to invite her to join us."
"Once this incident is over, the Navy will surely abandon the Seven Warlords system entirely."
"When that happens, Hancock will find herself surrounded by enemies on all sides. She will naturally seek out a powerful force to rely on for protection."
When he finished speaking, Crocodile looked at him with genuine admiration.
Now that, Crocodile thought to himself, is what true vision looks like!
El understood exactly how things would unfold, remaining calm and composed without a hint of confusion.
He truly deserved his reputation as the legendary pirate.
Not only was his strength far beyond what ordinary people could hope to match, but his strategic insight was also something Crocodile could never hope to attain.
El surveyed the battlefield, then turned his gaze toward Whitebeard.
"Aren't you going to try and stop this?" El asked him.
Whitebeard was currently receiving medical treatment from Marco. Hearing the question, he looked at El in confusion.
"Stop what?" Whitebeard asked.
As far as he could tell, things were going perfectly. The pirates held the absolute advantage, while the Navy was clearly on the brink of defeat.
Even if El and his allies did nothing else, victory was already guaranteed. There seemed to be no reason to stop anything.
El replied calmly, "Stop your own men, of course."
"You may look like you have the upper hand, but think about this: once you defeat the Navy, what do you plan to do next?"
The question left Whitebeard stunned.
That's right, he thought. What happens after we beat them?
They had never really planned that far ahead.
Did the Whitebeard Pirates intend to take the Navy's place and run the seas themselves? That was impossible.
They were pirates, people who lived for freedom. They were nothing like the Navy, whose whole purpose was to maintain order and control.
Diamond Jozu, standing nearby, spoke up in confusion. "Even if we destroy Marine Headquarters completely, what does it matter?"
El explained, "The Navy has already lost badly enough today. Their headquarters building is completely destroyed; they have already suffered a total defeat."
"But people like Garp, Sengoku, Aokiji, and Kizaru are still fully capable of fighting."
"If we utterly destroy their base, they will have no choice but to hunt down every last pirate without mercy. There will be no escape."
"However, if we leave them just enough hope to recover, they will be too busy rebuilding their headquarters to come after us."
"And the pirates will remain free."
He paused, looking steadily at everyone present. "So tell me—which path do you choose?"
Pirates were known for being straightforward and impulsive; none of them had thought things through that far.
Now that El had pointed it out, they all understood immediately.
"You're absolutely right! That makes perfect sense!"
"Yeah! If the Navy is weak and broken, Sengoku and the others will be too busy fixing their own mess to chase us!"
They all looked at El with newfound respect.
Whitebeard let out a loud, hearty laugh. "Gu la la la la! We're both old men, but how is it that you're so much smarter than I am!"
He smiled at El, then made to stand up so he could officially declare their victory to all the pirates.
Once they realized they had won, his men would be more than happy to bring the fighting to an end.
And only Whitebeard himself had the authority to make that announcement.
After all, he was the one who had started this war. And the one who starts something must be the one to finish it.
Whitebeard had just risen to his feet when his body suddenly swayed and stumbled.
He took a deep breath, gathering his strength to shout out to everyone, but instead he was overcome by a violent, racking cough.
__________________
For more advance chapters visit patreon.com/bars45.
For 10$- All advance chapters.
"Schedule"
Monday - Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day
Saturday - Sunday - Off