Chapter 330: ICISEI Episode 316

Episode 316: Pirates Vs. Marines, a Battle of Justice?

『 On the Marine side, everyone was ready for battle.

"Report! The pirates from the rear are starting to dock on the ice one after another. It seems they intend to launch an attack on us!"

One Marine muttered in a low voice, "Are they here already?"

"Don’t panic! According to the strategy previously laid out by Fleet Admiral Sengoku, fight while retreating to preserve our combat strength!"

Upon hearing this, everyone answered loudly, "Understood!"

The Marine soldiers currently in combat heard the order. Although unwilling, they still slowly began to fall back.

The pirates quickly noticed this.

"We’ve only just landed, and these Marines are already starting to retreat!"

"Look at how chaotic their retreat is! They’re obviously~ terrified of us!"

"Is this the legendary, supposedly invincible Marine Headquarters?"

"At least they know their place and realize they’re no match for us!"

"Put some back into it, boys! Let’s wipe out these Marines in one fell swoop!"

"Charge! Annihilate the Marines and rescue Ace!"

Just as everyone was fired up and about to storm the island, several battleships emerged from the thick fog behind them, sailing in their direction.

The pirates weren’t worried at all. Instead, they mocked, "It’s too late for them to show up now! By the time those ships get close, we’ll have long since made landfall!"

"Brothers, charge together!"

The pirate forces were massive and imposing, with all of them disembarking from their ships.

Looking at their sheer numbers and their experience on the sea, the pirates were clearly more adept at combat than the Marines. Even with equal strength, they could easily fight one against two!

Right at that moment, the Den Den Mushi in one of the pirate captains’ hands began to ring.

He picked it up and asked, "Who is it?"

"It’s me, Whitebeard."

Hearing that the caller was actually Whitebeard himself, the group immediately straightened up and asked respectfully, "Pops, what are your orders?"

"Is Squard nearby?"

"Pops, Captain Squard was here just a moment ago, but he’s nowhere to be seen now. He probably went into the bay with the other allies!"

Marco muttered in a low voice, "That Squard is always eager to show off how brave he is in front of you. He loves hogging the spotlight."

Whitebeard nodded and said, "In that case, leave it to the Decalvan Brothers."

At this moment, two brothers beside him who looked almost identical spoke up hurriedly, "Pops, what’s the matter?"

The only difference between them was that one was missing his left eye, while the other was missing his right eye.

"From now on, you will command everyone according to my orders."

The brothers immediately agreed, "Understood!"

But then they asked in confusion, "By the way, what exactly is the plan of action?"

Whitebeard’s voice came clearly through the Den Den Mushi, giving a direct instruction: "Destroy all the battleships that are currently approaching nearby."

This decision took the two of them by surprise.

"Pops, we can easily break through the Marine defensive line right now and charge straight in. It wouldn’t be a problem at all!"

"Are we not going to fight anymore?"

After a brief pause, Whitebeard said, "I am very unsatisfied with that response!"

The two immediately replied, "Understood, Pops! We will inform the other captains right away!"

After all...

This was a clash of wits and strength.

If they relied solely on brute force without any strategy, this battle would become extremely dangerous!

Their opponent, Sengoku, was a famously brilliant strategist, renowned on the battlefield for his tactical mind. Whitebeard had to be cautious and avoid falling into his traps.

Once Whitebeard finished assigning the tasks, the captains of the various ships responded quickly, rushing to find suitable defensive positions.

The pirates’ reaction time was astonishingly fast, making them look more like a highly disciplined military force than a ragtag bunch of pirates.

When the Marines noticed the pirates making their move, they immediately received a report from their subordinates.

"Fleet Admiral, the enemy’s strategy has suddenly changed!"

Sengoku said calmly, "Have they split up?"

Even in the face of Whitebeard’s sudden adjustment, Sengoku remained completely composed. For a moment, no one could tell whether Whitebeard had successfully seen through his plan or if Sengoku had anticipated this all along!

Beside him, Garp crossed his arms and muttered, "As expected of Whitebeard. He saw right through your intentions so easily!"

A strange glint flashed in Sengoku’s eyes. This subtle detail sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

Could this be another one of his schemes?

The Marine artillery rained down relentlessly. Although the pirates were agile, they still suffered significant casualties under this dense barrage. Their actual losses might be far more severe than anticipated!

"Dealing with an old veteran like him is indeed tricky. But even if you are Whitebeard, you won’t escape my trump card!"

On Luffy’s side—

With no reinforcements from the rear, the battle in the plaza was becoming increasingly difficult. Many pirates were collapsing from exhaustion. Even the high-tier fighters found it hard to keep their guard up under the continuous onslaught.

Luffy was also starting to struggle. Just then, Emporio Ivankov, the Okama King, appeared on the battlefield, relieving some of the pressure on Luffy’s side!

Luffy knew they couldn’t afford to drag this out. After all, this was Marine Headquarters, and the enemy’s numbers were far too overwhelming.

"Iva-chan! I want to break a path through the middle and get to Ace as soon as possible. I need your help!"

Ivankov nodded in agreement.

"Jinbe!"

Jinbe immediately understood the plan before Luffy could even finish his sentence.

"Fish-Man Karate: Five Thousand Tile True Punch—!"

Jinbe thrust both hands forward with immense force. A powerful shockwave swept up dozens of Marine soldiers, sending them flying into the air and suspending them for a brief moment.

"Death Wink—!"

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol—!"

The three of them launched their attacks simultaneously. In an instant, a massive explosion echoed across the battlefield. Countless Marine soldiers were blown away, creating a clearly visible corridor of smoke in the air that marked their path forward.

Amidst the grey haze, the three of them advanced rapidly while continuing to deal with the enemies around them.

With three incredibly powerful fighters working in tandem, they were practically unstoppable, like tigers with wings.

The Marines reacted quickly, reorganizing their ranks in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly, Gecko Moria appeared, blocking their path. He laughed loudly, "You want to pass? Not on my watch!"

Seeing this, Jinbe said calmly, "Luffy, keep moving forward. I’ll handle this opponent."

He pointed directly at Moria and said in a firm tone, "Let’s make this a duel between just the two of us, Mr. Moria."

Moria, who had been acting incredibly arrogant just a moment ago, gradually wiped the contemptuous look off his face. He stared at Jinbe with a bitter smile and said, "Since you want to challenge me alone, so be it. It’s not like my zombie army is of any use against you anyway."

As Luffy sprinted forward, he looked back and shouted, "Thanks, Jinbe!"

Both Jinbe and Moria were far larger than ordinary humans. Or rather, neither of them belonged to the human race.

( Translator-kun: This was before the SBS 114, that Gecko Moria is Kozuki Moria )

The Marines were shocked to see Jinbe standing on Luffy’s side.

"I can’t believe First Son of the Sea, Jinbe, is actually supporting Whitebeard! He was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and he always used to cooperate with the World Government!"

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea are supposed to be our military force. There’s no point in them fighting among themselves."

On the other side—

In Moria’s hand, a mass of black shadow writhed and struggled as if it were alive.

"Come, become my power! Shadows of the Marines!"

He pulled out a giant pair of scissors and began snip-snipping the shadows away one by one.

As their shadows were severed, the affected Marines immediately collapsed to the ground, their faces pale as paper as they fell into a deep coma.

Jinbe watched this with a grave expression.

He knew Moria was underhanded and possessed formidable strength. Even though his own abilities could counter Moria’s zombies, he still had to be extremely careful in a direct clash!

Gecko Moria stuffed the severed shadows directly into his own chest. Upon fully absorbing them, his body began to expand rapidly.

Not only did his physical size grow, but the aura radiating from him also intensified significantly.

His already towering frame nearly doubled in size after consuming several shadows.

Even Jinbe, who stood beside Luffy like a small mountain, looked quite small in front of the current Moria.

"Jinbe, you should know that I can become infinitely stronger by consuming the shadows of others. With so many people here, you still dare to oppose me? You have no chance of winning, Jinbe!"

Facing the provocation, Jinbe’s gaze remained calm. "Indeed, you’ve grown larger. But relying on the strength of others to puff yourself up doesn’t mean you are truly strong."

Although Jinbe was completely blue, with eyebrows like clouds, ears like gills, and two sharp fangs protruding from his mouth, giving him an incredibly bizarre appearance that might make people think he was a comedic or carefree character like Buggy at first glance.

However, looking at the current situation, Jinbe was actually the most serious and reliable of them all.

Whether dealing with Whitebeard’s crew or interacting with the Marines, he always handled things with poise, acting with a mature and trustworthy demeanor.

Seeing this, everyone couldn’t help but think of a saying—true masters never show off easily.

Moria seemed used to this kind of attitude. Hearing Jinbe’s words, he immediately fired back, "Stop acting so high and mighty! Defeating you is all that matters!"

With that, he split the scissors he had used to cut shadows into two separate blades, holding one in each hand as he prepared for battle.

"I’ll take your shadow, and you can stay in the dark depths of the sea forever, Jinbe!"

But Jinbe remained incredibly calm, extending his hands to adopt a martial arts stance, ready to receive his opponent’s attack!

Moria didn’t waste any more words. He swung his blade, slashing down toward Jinbe.

The speed was astonishing, and the power was terrifying. Wherever the blade passed, the surrounding air seemed to be sliced open, and even the ground was torn apart, leaving a crevice several meters long!

To think his movements could be so swift!

Even after growing so massive, his speed hadn’t decreased in the slightest.

Jinbe’s movements seemed slow, but his body shifted to the side with extreme precision. The giant blade struck the ground heavily, missing him by less than half a meter.

Did he miss?

No, Jinbe had dodged it!

Without pausing, Moria swung horizontally at Jinbe once more.

Jinbe leaned his body back, successfully evading the lethal sweep of the blade.

"How annoying! For someone so big, you’re incredibly agile!"

Jinbe felt a bit helpless.

In terms of size, Moria was still a head taller than him, yet Moria was the one complaining about agility!

Facing Moria’s relentless assault, Jinbe retreated step by step, as if waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike back.

"Fish-Man Karate—!"

He positioned his hands at his sides, adopting a traditional martial arts stance.

After dodging over a dozen of Moria’s attacks in a row, he finally found an opening. He vanished from his spot instantly, and in the next moment, he appeared right in front of Moria, slamming both palms into his body with immense force.

"Shark Skin Palm Thrust—!"

BANG—!

Under this force, his palms seemed to carry a strange, concentrated energy. The impact was far more devastating than expected.

Moria was dazed by the attack. Before he could recover, Jinbe immediately followed up with a second strike.

"Shark Tile True Punch—!"

It struck Moria squarely in the chest. The sheer force penetrated deep into his body and erupted out of his back, causing the very air to vibrate.

Moria’s mouth flew open, and countless shadows spewed out. The weapons in his hands clattered to the ground, and his body began to shrink back to its original size rapidly.

He stared at Jinbe with a look of sheer resentment, his eyes filled with murderous intent!

Jinbe said coldly, "What’s the matter? Does it hurt to spit out all those shadows you worked so hard to collect?"

"Your strength is not enough to defeat me. I must keep moving forward, Moria!"

Even though Moria was currently at a disadvantage, and Jinbe could have used this opportunity to finish him off, his priority was to catch up to Luffy. Furthermore, as a fellow Warlord, he had no desire to take Moria’s life. Thus, he turned around and quickened his pace to catch up to Luffy.

"Stand down, Jinbe! Finish this fight with me!"

Moria was incredibly unwilling to accept this!

However, he already understood that there was a genuine gap in strength between him and Jinbe.

"How frustrating! If only I could use my zombies, I would definitely defeat Jinbe!"』

『 .....』

〜Naruto World〜

Kisame looked at Jinbe on the screen, a hint of admiration showing in his small eyes.

"His martial arts are truly impressive, and his appearance is quite unique. If he were in our world, we might have become good friends!"

Itachi Uchiha nodded in agreement.

"Your strengths are indeed comparable. His techniques are water-based, and his close-combat style is somewhat similar to the Hyuga clan’s Gentle Fist. His combat strength is at least at the level of a Jonin."

Kakuzu chimed in,

"No, this Jinbe is too righteous. If they were to come to our world, I think Moria would be a better fit for the Akatsuki!"

—

『 Luffy was fighting hard. With Ivankov assisting him from the side, his pace of advancement was noticeably faster.

He was using his stretchable body to scatter the Marine soldiers left and right.

Although he was small and young, with this unique ability, his strength was not to be underestimated!

"This brat is too troublesome to deal with!"

"Even with all of us attacking together, we can’t take him down!"

"His combat strength is truly formidable!"

"As expected of the son of Dragon the Revolutionary!"

The Marines murmured among themselves, but none dared to rashly step forward.

Just then, a dark-skinned girl stared at Luffy in the distance with a grave expression, muttering to herself, "Luffy has made it this far!"

Just as she was about to charge forward, she suddenly heard a voice warning her from behind.

"Don’t move. Let me handle this!"

She froze. Just as she was about to turn around to see who was speaking, a terrifying aura swept past her. A tall figure quickly bypassed her, rushing straight toward Luffy.

Luffy’s reactions were incredibly sharp. Sensing the danger, he immediately knew trouble was coming. Gritting his teeth, he threw a punch backward.

This strike carried immense force. Even if it didn’t hit, it would at least halt the enemy’s momentum and buy him some breathing room.

However, in the next instant, he realized his fist had struck empty air!

Did he dodge it?

Luffy’s first thought was that he had missed. Just as he was about to turn around to see what was happening, a hard, black jitte slammed heavily into his face, sending him flying!

Luffy rolled several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop. He widened his eyes at the man standing before him and blurted out, "It’s you, Smokey!"

Smoker!

The famous Marine Commodore, the ’White Chase.’

A Smoke-Smoke Fruit user!

At this moment, he still had two cigars clamped in his mouth, continually billowing thick trails of blue smoke. Thanks to the power of his Logia fruit, these smoking cigars also served as part of his combat arsenal!

Smoker looked down at Luffy on the ground and spoke slowly, "I’ve finally found you, Straw Hat!"

"Luffy!"

Ivankov gasped in shock.

He hadn’t expected anyone other than the Warlords to be able to bypass Luffy’s defenses so easily and land a hit on him!

However, Ivankov was also tied up in his own trouble.

A massive figure was staring him down from behind. The moment Ivankov let his guard down, this person would immediately strike to kill!

Ivankov naturally felt the threat.

However, he had a history with this person. They used to be friends, and he never expected they would end up facing each other as enemies!

He turned back and shouted, "Kuma! Isn’t this a bit too much? Why do you keep chasing me? Can’t you go deal with the other pirates instead?"

But Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords, said nothing. Once again, a golden, glowing light began to gather in his mouth.

This golden flash felt incredibly familiar to everyone.

Wasn’t that Kizaru’s signature light beam? 』

『 .....』