Chapter 1665 The World After the Declaration of War

The execution declarations of the Warring States period, which resounded throughout the world, were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up huge waves all over the world.

Its resolute declaration of war against all pirates shocked countless people watching the war from behind their screens and on the other end of the radio waves.

For the ruling classes of the member states who relied on naval power and the world government order, after the initial astonishment, many quickly showed expressions of jubilation.

If the navy can gain a foothold in this battle, or even achieve a decisive victory, then the order for the next few years or even more than a decade will be guaranteed.

At that time, allocating an additional special military fund to the navy separately does not seem entirely unacceptable.

Ultimately, the money comes from the silent, vast number of ordinary people and low-level workers.

In their view, the more children the poor have, the more labor and taxes they can extract.

As for the life, death, and well-being of the ruled class, that has never been a primary consideration for the ruling class.

For every supporter, there is an opponent; even the silent majority harbors extremely complex emotions.

In this world, the number of people who are grateful for the Navy's kindness and genuinely support its justice is probably about the same as the number of those who secretly curse the Navy for its corruption, oppression, and treachery.

The reputation the Navy has built up over the years is evident to all; those who oppose the Navy are not necessarily pirates.

Many ordinary people, businessmen, scholars, and even rulers of some small countries share the same deep anxieties.

What they were worried about was that if the navy truly became the sole superpower after this battle, completely eliminating the constraints of pirates, absolute power would often mean absolute risk.

In the world of One Piece, pirate crews of different sizes and strengths have vastly different attitudes.

Weaker pirate crews operating in the first half of the Grand Line generally felt that disaster was imminent.

They knew that once the Navy achieved a complete victory in this battle, it would inevitably turn around and carry out a large-scale purge of the pirate forces in the first half of the Grand Line.

In contrast, the latter half of the Grand Line is less accessible to the Navy, making it a relatively safe haven.

For example, the Babao Navy, which originated from the West Sea and carries the beliefs and grudges of its ancestors, sets sail again.

They had only been in the first half of the Grand Line for a short time, and their ambitions had not yet been fully realized, when they were struck head-on by this storm that swept the world.

"Fleet Admiral, this is about to ignite a war that will engulf the entire world!"

"Grandfather, should we still go find that naval hero Garp as originally planned, to avenge that punch from back then?"

"Maybe we should just forget about it?" Sun Zi, another equally young cadre, swallowed hard.

"Shall we go back to the West Sea to hide for a while and talk about it again when things calm down?"

Standing at the bow of the ship is Qingjiao, the 12th generation pillar of the Babao Navy, who left a legendary name on the sea. It is a miracle that he has survived from that era of heroes to the present day.

At this moment, he listened to the timid words of his two good-for-nothing grandsons, Lao Cai and Abu, and saw that they were already thinking of giving up after only a short time at sea.

He seemed to want to retreat to his comfort zone in the West Sea, but a surge of anger at his lack of ambition suddenly welled up inside him.

"You two brats, come here right now!" Green Pepper's voice boomed, his face turning ashen.

Old Cai and Abu felt a chill run down their spines, but they steeled themselves and went over.

The next moment, Green Pepper's seemingly old but actually still incredibly strong body suddenly moved.

He grabbed one of his grandsons by the neck with both hands, and then, amidst their terrified screams, slammed them hard onto the hard deck.

Two dull thuds followed, and the two men were thrown face-first into the dirt, wincing in pain and unable to get up for a moment.

"The spirit of the Eight Treasures Navy, the pride of the Eight-Strike Fist..."

Standing beside them, Green Pepper looked down at her two disheveled grandsons, her voice filled with disappointment and anger, "Where have you two thrown them all?!"

"With your current cowardly behavior, how can I entrust the future of the Babao Water Army to you with peace of mind?"

Looking at the two men before him, whose combined bounty was less than that of his own grandson, and sensing their pitifully weak aura, Qingjiao felt a deep sense of sorrow welling up in his heart.

Green Pepper's Conqueror's Haki was not passed down to his descendants.

He knew that if he, this old man, really fell, the banner of the Babao Navy would probably be crippled in half immediately.

But soon, that sense of desolation was replaced by a deeper stubbornness. He raised his head and looked at the battlefield of blood and fire on the screen, his eyes gleaming.

"Even if the navy wins this battle, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. They will be severely weakened and will not recover without several years of rest and recuperation."

He turned around and glanced at all the members of the Eight Treasures Navy on the deck. "Take this opportunity to continue to strengthen ourselves, recruit more talents, and accumulate more wealth and prestige. Only when we are strong enough can we stand firm in the storms of the future."

Green Pepper's attitude represents the choice of a group of pirate crews that still have ambition but are not yet top-tier.

They wanted to take advantage of the chaos to rise to power and profit from the fire. They knew that after the war, once the navy recovered, the first targets would definitely be these easy targets.

By then, even if they manage to escape the Grand Line and return home, they will likely be annihilated by the Navy, which will be able to spare some resources.

Rather than waiting to die, we might as well take a gamble.

As for those truly powerful pirate crews at the pinnacle of the seas, Kaido merely let out a disdainful snort, scoffing at Sengoku's declaration.

Charlotte Linlin couldn't help but sneer, "Sengoku's got quite the big mouth. Wait until you actually defeat Whitebeard and Blackbeard before you start talking like that!"

She didn't really care about the life or death of the Pirate King's son.

It would be a pity if he died, as that was a precious bloodline. But if he didn't die, he might be able to find a daughter to marry and bring that bloodline into the Big Mom Pirates' possession.

The two emperors of the sea were never truly worried about the navy extending its reach into the depths of the latter half of the Grand Line.

This is their pirate paradise, which they have run for many years, and it is also a restricted area for the Navy.

The navy's few scattered outposts are already doing a great job of guarding their own doorsteps.

The Imperial Fleet possesses an absolute advantage in home-field operations. If the naval fleet dares to travel long distances and penetrate deep into enemy territory, and its offensive is thwarted, what awaits them is the disruption of their supplies, and ultimately, the tragic fate of being surrounded and annihilated by the Imperial Fleet's main force, which is waiting in ambush.

Lingling stared intently at the screen, especially at the weapons raised high by the two executioners, and at the pirates below the execution platform, who were once again enraged by Sengoku's declaration and charged forward recklessly.

She could clearly foresee that the moment the spears and battle axes actually fell, or was about to fall, would be the moment when the most frenzied and chaotic battle of the Marineford War would completely erupt.