Boom! Boom!
A sudden barrage from the side caught Victarion off guard. He dislikes unplanned events like this.
“What’s going on with that ship?”
Battles between Marines and pirates were not rare. If it were another warship attacking them, Victarion wouldn’t find it strange – it could be Marines allies providing support, which is quite normal.
But being attacked by a warship, with an unknown pirate flag was peculiar.
Normally, other pirate crews seeing Marine engaged with another pirate crew would choose to steer clear, fearing getting caught in the crossfire. Pirates attacking Marines proactively were rare, and even then, it was mostly attack on escort ships.
Because anything being escorted by Marines is normally high-value cargo. Only huge benefits can make them take risks. Today, however, an abnormal situation unfolded.
Even the Beasts Pirates couldn’t understand what was going on, and Comil was even more in the dark. Despite the ship being fully loaded with Marine soldiers to handle any emergencies, any ship led by a high-ranking officer under the Emperor of the Sea wouldn’t be afraid of a single warship.
Unless there were strange individuals on board, like a retired Sengoku, Tsuru, or someone like Fujitora.
The current battle was at a stalemate, and Comil couldn’t free up his hands. If not for the successful implementation of the Shichibukai plan, Olga had the capability to keep him here.
He couldn’t free up his hands, his aide was entangled with Elizabeth, and the remaining Marines also didn’t have much advantage in the battle. Normally, Marines have the upper hand in artillery battles against pirates due to their superior weaponry backed by the World Government.
Firepower superiority is crucial in ordinary soldier battles, but when facing the Beasts Pirates rooted in Wano Country, it was challenging to gain an advantage. At this moment, the appearance of the pirates from behind has a significant impact on the overall situation.
Seeing this group of pirates suddenly appear, Olga wasn’t pleased because this wasn’t part of her plan.
According to the script, she would withdraw directly after the battle. She had no interest in Comil’s life, more precisely, nothing can be allowed to go wrong with Comil.
His identity was the messenger conveying Shichibukai’s letter, and if he died at the meeting point with the Kuja Pirates, it could easily be misconstrued as a conspiracy.
Vice Admirals of the headquarters and the G branches were the backbone of Marines. The loss of such a high-ranking officer would be a massive blow to Marine’s prestige, and the ensuing chain reaction would be challenging to handle.
However, that wasn’t the primary concern. She could control the casualties in the battle, and except for her and Elizabeth, no one had the capability to inflict fatal injuries on a Marine Vice Admiral. The bigger issue was the sudden intrusion of these outsiders, which is likely to disrupt the existing plan.
A dark purple energy emanated from Olga’s feet, spreading like a tide, gradually enveloping the entire surface of the warship. Even the Shadow Fox Ship and the ship that Sasaki had just brought closer were affected by her power.
“Illusion Domain.”
The black-purple energy was incredibly elusive, vanishing abruptly after spreading. However, afterward, all the Marines on the warship stopped moving.
“Stop!”
Following this, Olga ordered her subordinates to stop and commanded, “Elizabeth, that group of pirates has been subdued. Take your people and sail that ship to the sea area I mentioned to you earlier.”
Olga placed her right hand on her temple. At this moment, her brain was conducting extensive calculations. The illusions were generated by her thoughts, and the more she had understanding of that thing, the more realistic the illusion she could create.
With the growth of her power, the range she could control illusions has also expanded. The marked location on the sea chart was the maximum distance her illusions could persist.
Usually, she simulated situations involving inanimate objects or environments, as those illusions were the most reliable.
But the more people involved in the illusion, the easier it was to expose flaws. Disturbing perceptions on the battlefield, causing enemies to turn against each other, was not difficult. Simulating scenes of swordplay or similar attacks were sufficient.
The scene of a retreat after defeat was more complicated. To maintain such a realistic scene, she couldn’t move, so she had to leave this matter to others.
“Understood, I’ll handle it quickly.”
Elizabeth knew that maintaining such an illusion for too long would likely reveal flaws, so she immediately unfolded her wing membrane and glided sideways.
“Hancock, this illusion will last for a while. Stay alert when the time comes.”
“Don’t worry, Sister Olga. I know how to handle it.”
“Good, I’ll leave it to you. Until next time.”
Afterward, she returned to the Shadow Fox Ship, and once Sasaki’s ship had been moved to a location completely out of Comil’s sight, she left the area with her crew.
Once she departed, Comil and the others returned to reality from the illusion.
He didn’t harbor much suspicion. After all, even Akainu and Tsuru couldn’t stop Olga. He didn’t believe he was capable of it either. Still, in the fake battle he witnessed, Hancock demonstrated the value of a Shichibukai. Her strength truly justified this position.
Afterward, Hancock barely responded to Comil’s words, portraying extreme arrogance. She knew that the more she spoke, the more flaws she might reveal. Maintaining this situation was the best outcome.
Anyway, she had already left the Marines with such an arrogant persona. Continuing to do so wasn’t unusual.
On the other side, on Sasaki’s ship, Sasaki and his crew wore expressions of confusion. Their last memory was attacking Marine, but in the blink of an eye, they found themselves in this unfamiliar sea area, guns pointed at their heads by Beasts Pirates.
“Speak. Who sent you?”
“No one sent us. We volunteered to help.”
Facing Olga’s interrogation, Sasaki remained calm. Though he only revered Kaido, he knew people around Kaido as well.
“Huh? Volunteered to help?”
“Yes, joining the Beasts Pirates has always been my dream. I’m Sasaki, a pirate who set sail just this year.”
“I’m not interested in your identity. You nearly ruined my big plan, and do you think anyone can join us?”
He should be thankful Olga was handling this. Among the All-Stars, she has the most amiable personality. If King or Queen had come here, or even Shayna, they would have sunk this ship without a second thought.
Many newcomers wanted to join the Beasts Pirates, and according to the laws of a certain world, Sasaki’s initiative bordered on a suicidal path. However, just as Olga was pondering how to handle these people, one word, “plate,” echoed in her ears.
“You said ‘plate’?”
“That’s right, the plate Kaido-san needs. I found it.”
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