Arceus's Pirate Journey

Chapter 963: Chapter 962: The False Wise General and the True Wise General

”Personnel arrangements are complete, so next is the battle meeting. The content isn’t complicated. According to the intelligence from the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the war is less than nine days away.

Whitebeard’s side should have already started moving, otherwise they won’t be able to reach Marinfanto smoothly before the execution. We don’t need to rush that much. Jack, set out now to gather forces within our territory.

Mandfeish, you should also take your people back to the territory to arrange defense.

Olga, stand by at Ghost Island for now. Wait until after we set out, then you leave.”

War isn’t just fighting. Kaidou goes to the summit war for fun, purely to satisfy his own desires, not considering the cost.

He brings elite troops, even if they don’t take ships, they can fly directly over.

But it’s different for Olga and Jack; theirs is a territorial battle, and timing is an important factor to maximize the war’s benefits.

Kaidou needs to estimate a specific time, ideally when Whitebeard and the Navy Headquarters are at war, so the fighting here is synchronized, leaving neither the Navy nor Whitebeard with the extra strength to intervene here.

From here to Whitebeard’s territory is much faster than to Navy Headquarters, so Hundred Beasts’ timing is still ample.

”Alright, leave it to me, Captain Kaidou.”

”No, you haven’t understood my point. When the time comes, use your illusions to disguise the fleet, making them believe I’m leading instead of you. Your current ability should be able to cover the whole of Wano Kuni with illusions, right?”

”If it’s not fighting, it shouldn’t be a problem. When it comes down to a battle, there might be some flaws.”

”That’s enough. Before I greet them, I don’t want to expose my position. It’s going to be quite a surprise!”

The ones going out for territorial battles are the later Numberers, while the earlier ones are left behind to defend the homeland. This is because Kaidou doesn’t trust other forces; hiding his tracks is also for this purpose.

He’s off to seize Whitebeard’s territory, which means others can seize his territory too, hence the arrangement of later Numberers going out to fight, while the earlier ones stay to guard.

Having Olga use his illusions to disguise himself is also part of his strategic goal, only with this can he make others cautious, feeding them false information.

”I understand, Captain Kaidou. I will arrange it.”

”Ugh, there’s basically nothing else. Go rest, rest well and conserve your energy. In the coming time, you won’t have a chance to rest!”

...

The Hundred Beasts’ meeting concludes, and with tasks in hand, Jack starts his actions, and the entire Hundred Beasts moves like a war machine, quietly under the shadows.

Medicines, food, weapons, ammunition - the past stockpiles come into use, factories everywhere start working around the clock in three shifts, with more and more materials needed for war distributed into everyone’s hands.

And the officers all have their own actions. Queen is crazily loading weapons that might be used, while taking time to teach Perona and Rami about the defense facilities within Wano Kuni.

He wasn’t wrong before; these things are arranged by him personally, far more familiar to him than anyone else.

Zunesha also begins returning to Wano Kuni, while the Fur Race’s Firearms Team enters a temporary combat-ready state under Setsuna and Zeraora’s lead.

Mandfeish abroad, has also joined with Tiger, raising a joint line of defense on the The Sea with Nereus and Manaphy.

Drake calms down after the send-off banquet, preparing to welcome the impending battle, while comparatively relaxed are King and Shaina.

...

On the cliff outskirts of Wano Kuni, King and Shaina discuss the topic of war.

”I heard you made a mistake when chasing that guy before?”

When King was chasing Blackbeard, Shaina was still outside with Arceus and hadn’t returned, only seeing parts of the news in the newspapers.

”Ah, I underestimated that guy’s physique; he’s also an aberration. A normal human wouldn’t have that kind of vitality. Plus, those annoying Navy getting in the way, letting that guy escape.”

Taking a special shell, King reloads the specially crafted Seastone spikes back into his sword’s handle, and starts to clean the blade.

”But this time he won’t get away. The Navy Headquarters’ forced summons; since he secured a position among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he must accept the Navy’s conscription.”

”Want me to help you? You know, I have that thing.”

The Red Chain whips out from Shaina’s hand, striking the sky with a crack.

”No need, I want to take that guy’s life myself.”

”Is that so? Then handle it yourself; I’ll clear the ones in the way for you.”

Besides Kaidou’s keen interest in the war, his subordinates in a sense have a bunch of actors.

King has his own goals, Queen has devised a survival plan, Yamato is thinking about slacking off, and Shaina is just executing Arceus’ orders, but to Kaidou, none of this matters - his sole goal is to find his own fun.

...

On the other side, Zeraora also unfolds a gathering for Pokemon.

Not only Diancie and Shaymin, leaders of Pokemon tribes within Wano Kuni have already gathered in a circle.

”Brothers and sisters, the lords will soon leave. The safety here depends on us. I don’t know if there will be any strange people coming here, but guarding this place is our mission.”

”Roar! Bah! Lotto! Bido! Was!”

The voices of the Pokemon rise one after another, each displaying confidence.

”No need to worry, though Queen’s a bit useless, the devices he set up are quite useful. If someone comes in, they’ll surely be discovered.”

”Better safe than sorry, this organization has existed for eight hundred years, there might be some unexpected things.”

...

And on The Sea, the most eye-catching isn’t the movements of Hundred Beasts; the Navy has published the news of the public execution in the newspapers, making it a well-known matter that no one is ignorant of now.

Whitebeard Pirates, Hundred Beasts Pirates, BIG MOM Pirates, Red Hair Pirates - the Great Pirates of the New World each have their movements. Besides Whitebeard definitely coming to Headquarters, no one knows what the other three plan to do.

With the execution date approaching, the deployed troops have already left their positions, advancing towards the predetermined locations. Kaidou, before setting out for the battlefield, even specially sought out Arceus.

”You want another Resurrection Grass?”

”Yes, from the moment he set out, he’s had a death wish, I’m very clear about this. After all, I’ve been on the same ship as him.

He’s a rare opponent; even no matter how well he’s physically taken care of, he’s ultimately old.

Retiring just like that would be a pity. I still want to experience his peak power firsthand; this is the last chance, ugh...”