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[M.F.S] Ch 154: A Simple Retreat
🕑 Added 2025-03-20 04:36:02 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
"Kill!!!"
"Hahaha!!!"
The battlefield echoed with war cries, wild laughter, and furious roars. Every fighter had succumbed to a state of madness, their eyes burning with insanity.
In the midst of such chaos, how could anyone remain rational?
Yet, throughout it all, Joey remained calm and unbothered.
Sipping tea, reading a book—As if none of this had anything to do with him.
"Hmm—" He took a sip and sighed in appreciation. "Gotta admit, the Longarm Tribe really knows their tea. This stuff is amazing."
"Brat!" Shiki's temper flared at the sight of Joey's indifference. Seeing Joey completely ignore him only added fuel to the fire. Enraged, he bellowed, "I'm cutting you down today!"
"Unstoppable Donuts!"
"Yamata no Orochi!"
Unfazed, Katakuri clapped his hands. From the countless mochi rings he summoned, massive serpent heads emerged—no, they weren't just serpent heads. They resembled dragon heads.
Most importantly—This wasn't just an attack; it was a transformation of form.
Calm as ever, Katakuri smirked, "Golden Lion! Where do you think you're going? Stepping forward? Not happening. To be honest, I've always wanted to test whether an awakened Devil Fruit could reach an even greater level. Today, you'll be my test subject."
Ssshhhhhh!
The eight-headed serpent seemed to gain a life of its own, moving freely without Katakuri's direct control.
In fact— Katakuri himself wielded his trident, dashing into the battlefield to cut down foes.
"Hmm?"
Joey looked up, observing Katakuri's moves with intrigue. "Impressive. As expected from Katakuri. He's integrated his Stand into his mochi abilities… or maybe…?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"This…"
Pondering for a moment, Joey mused, "Similar to Daifuku's Stand manifesting through his fruit, but Katakuri seems to be developing a new path altogether."
He had a vague idea of what Katakuri was attempting.
It was only the beginning, but—If he truly mastered this technique, then—Wouldn't that remove the distance limitation on Stands?
An unrestricted Mystic Eyes of Death Perception…?
Joey's mind went blank for a moment.
A Stand with no range limits?
Hah.
That's basically godhood.
— — —
At that moment, a transparent figure appeared behind Joey. In a cautious tone, the figure reported, "Big bro, we've rescued the Lunarian Tribe. Everything is ready."
"Oh?" Joey nodded, contemplating for a moment before replying, "Good. Go rest. Have the doctors tend to the lunarian Tribe—they've suffered enough."
"Understood, big bro!"
After delivering her report, Mondee retreated. Joey turned his attention to a small, nervous figure beside him and smiled. "Little Amaterasu, there's a surprise for you in the ship's cabin."
"Huh?"
The young girl tilted her head in confusion but obediently walked toward the ship.
The moment she stepped inside—
"Ah!!!"
A cry of disbelief escaped her lips, followed by an uncontrollable stream of tears.
"Heh…"
Joey chuckled softly, shaking his head with amusement.
Then he gazed at the intensifying battlefield, his thoughts turned to his next move.
A direct retreat? Not so simple.
After all—
Both sides had the ability to fly.
Kaido wasn't too much of an issue.
The real problem was Shiki.
As a Float-Float Fruit user, he could chase them anywhere. And right now, he was absolutely furious.
As Joey considered an escape plan—
"AHHH!!!"
To Shiki and Kaido, however, Joey's calm demeanor only meant one thing—
He was looking down on them.
That realization ignited their fury completely.
Like boiling lava, their rage erupted.
They roared in fury, but no matter how loud they got—Their strength was still what it was.
Come on, really? Did they think they were protagonists who could just 'power up' mid-fight?
Ridiculous.
Joey ignored their rage, still focused on the best way to retreat.
After a while—He sighed and shook his head. "What a hassle. A clean escape won't be easy."
"But…"
With a casual tone, he muttered, "Losing some Biscuit Soldiers just means more work for Cracker. No big deal."
Then—
He gave the command. "Retreat!"
"Retreat?!"
"Huh?!"
For a moment, everyone froze.
But only for a moment.
Their reaction speed was impeccable—The Charlotte forces immediately began withdrawing at top speed.
Whoosh!
They swiftly returned to the ships and began their retreat.
Meanwhile, a large number of Biscuit Soldiers use the ink louds made by Perospero to block the advance of both the Beasts Pirates and the Flying Pirates.
All in all, they had brought around 200,000 Biscuit Soldiers for this operation.
By the end of it, fewer than 4,000 remained.
The rest? All sacrificed as pawns.
Cracker frowned, confused. "Big bro! What's the meaning of this?"
Joey calmly replied, "It's nothing serious. We've already rescued the Lunarian Tribe, so there's no point wasting more time here. As for the lost Biscuit Soldiers… Cracker, looks like you've got some extra work ahead."
Cracker had initially been grinning when he heard the Lunarian Tribe had been rescued.
But now? He was completely dumbfounded.
Perospero, equally puzzled, asked, "Big bro! How exactly did you rescue them?"
Joey pointed at Mondee, explaining, "Mondee used the Clear-Clear Fruit to sneak in with Angel. Once inside, they used the Book-Book Fruit to store the captives and bring them out."
"Wait… what?!"
Everyone was speechless.
What kind of ridiculous plan was that?!
They wanted to complain, but didn't even know where to start.
"Seriously?!"
Scratching his head, Cracker muttered, "Big bro, I feel like an idiot. We came in fully prepared for war… and this is how it ends?"
"Damn!"
He opened his mouth, wanting to rant but ultimately giving up.
This was insane!
"Heh…" Joey chuckled. "Honestly, I didn't expect things to turn out this way either. Who knew Kaido would just charge in recklessly with no real plan?"
Compote sighed, "Big bro, this whole thing is just absurd! We came in ready for a brutal fight, and now, after just one day, it's over. Like, what even…?!"
Joey smiled warmly. "Well, a quick resolution is a good thing."
In the end… Shiki and Kaido.
Both of them were absolutely furious, but they still didn't give chase.
With so many Biscuit Soldiers covering their escape, pursuing them would have been risky. If Joey got surrounded, things would get tricky.
So really, there was no point in fighting further.
Not worth it.
At the same time…Shiki frowned. "Weird… Why did they suddenly retreat?"
Kaido, burning with rage, growled, "Those bastards! They ran! Just you wait…!"
Then suddenly—Kaido paused.
Shiki also seemed to realize something.
The two exchanged glances in silence.
Then, with a straight face, Shiki said, "Well, since the battle's over, I'll be heading out. You can handle the cleanup." Without waiting for a response, he turned around and left.
After all…Sure, he had taken a hefty sum from the World Government to help out.
But at this point? It was better to leave quickly.
And just like that—
Whoosh!
Shiki and the Flying Pirates took off, disappearing into the sky.
Kaido watched him leave, his lips twitching.
At that moment, King flew over, his expression serious. "Kaido-san! The captives… they're gone. If I had to guess, the enemy used a combination of the Clear-Clear Fruit and the Book-Book Fruit to take them away."
"Those bastards!!!"
"AAAAARGH!!!"
Kaido let out a furious roar.
But after venting, he gradually calmed down.
"Huff…"
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to stay composed.
Kaido, now much calmer, asked seriously, "King, what do you think we should do next?"
King considered it for a moment before responding, "We've now made enemies of both the World Government and the Charlotte Family. If they both come after us, we'll be in serious trouble. Given that… I suggest we leave first."
At that moment, a round, balloon-like man came running over.
Queen!
User of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Brachiosaurus.
One of the top officers of the Beasts Pirates.
An expert in creating biochemical weapons.
Queen panted as he spoke, "Kaido! We should find a safe place to regroup and strengthen our forces. Fighting both the World Government and the Charlotte Family head-on is suicide!"
Kaido fell into deep thought.
But—Despite his hot temper, he wasn't stupid.
King and Queen both made valid points.
This really was a major problem.
If they fought head-on, they would be at a severe disadvantage.
After a brief moment of contemplation…Kaido finally grinned viciously. "King, Queen… what do you two suggest?"
King replied, "Kaido, the World Government gave us 100,000 Pteranodons and pterosaurs and 70,000 Berserker Soldiers. We've still got 20,000 of those Berserkers left, and also the 10,000 Pteranodons. If we take them all with us, that'll be our trump card."
Queen nodded in agreement. "Yeah! These guys are invaluable! We should find a secure island in the New World, rebuild our forces, and establish a proper stronghold."
King and Queen exchanged looks, carefully weighing their options.
King continued, "Wano Country is one of the strongest nations in the New World. It has top-tier craftsmen and formidable samurai. Plus, it's an isolationist nation. If we bide our time and build up our power, we can take it for ourselves."
Kaido's eyes gleamed. "Not a bad idea!"
And just like that—Kaido made his decision.
Screw it.
He was going to lay low for a while!
He had enough resources to regroup and grow stronger.
He'd gather more forces, expand his influence, and when the time was right—
He'd make his move!
What Kaido didn't realize was…
Some people in the Wano Country had amazing relationships with the Charlotte family.
.
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