One Piece: Surrounded at Marineford? Just kidding!

Chapter 22 A noisy meeting, useless rage!

These words instantly ignited the entire operations conference room.

The long, oppressive silence was ignited in an instant, and then exploded!

"A war council?"

A rough voice suddenly rang out, and the seventh division captain, Rakuyo, slammed his chained meteor hammer heavily onto the ground!

Boom-! ! !

The solid floorboards slammed open with a loud crash, creating a shallow crater in the ground. Countless cracks spread wildly from the point of impact.

"What's there to discuss!"

Lakyo's eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his neck were bulging, like an enraged lion roaring at everyone present.

"Those bastards in the Navy have knives to our family members' throats!"

"What kind of bullshit meeting is this?!"

He suddenly waved his hand, pointing to the island on the nautical chart that represented the Navy Headquarters, spitting as he spoke.

"Now is the time to gather all the fleets and charge straight there! Wipe Marineford off the map completely! Crush all those who dare to touch Ace into mincemeat!!"

This roar completely unleashed the floodgates of rage.

"That's right! Lacyo is right!"

Blenheim, the captain of the Ninth Division, a man as burly as a giant, pounded his fist into his chest, producing a dull thud like a drumbeat.

"Why bother with tactics with those Navy scum! We have Little Oz Jr.! Let him smash through the port's defenses, then we'll follow behind and charge in!"

"Charge in, and then what?"

A calm voice broke in.

It was Izo, who was holding two guns and dressed like a courtesan. He had his arms crossed and his expression was icy.

"Marineford's inner bay is crescent-shaped; once we rush in, we'll be surrounded on three sides. The navy only needs to prepare some solid walls, and we'll become caged beasts, sitting ducks for all the guns!"

"Then let's go through the seabed!"

Namur, the captain of the eighth division of the fish-men, made a suggestion in a deep voice.

"I can lead my merman army to infiltrate underwater, sabotage their ships, and create chaos behind their lines!"

"No!"

This time, it was Vista, the captain of the Fifth Division, who vetoed it.

"The seabed around Marine Headquarters must be covered with seastone nets! They're specifically designed to deal with Devil Fruit users and pirates like us! Sending the fish-man troops down there would be suicide!"

"Then let's concentrate all the firepower from all the ships!"

"That's right! Aim all the cannons at the execution platform!"

"We have dozens of ships! Hundreds of cannons! One salvo can level that place!"

"Even if we can't save him alive, we must retrieve Ace's body!"

"Kill them all!"

"Kill that traitor Teach!"

"And also to avenge Captain Sachi!"

The conference room had completely transformed into a noisy marketplace.

No.

It's even more chaotic than a vegetable market.

This place is filled with primal anger, direct murderous intent, and reckless madness.

One suggestion after another was shouted out, only to be refuted by another, even louder shout.

Everyone is venting.

He was venting his anger over his companion's arrest.

He was venting his deep-seated hatred for that traitor.

These proposals are full of courage, but also full of reckless folly.

Chen Ye stood at the end of the crowd without saying a word.

He simply listened and watched quietly.

Looking at these legendary pirates, they now resembled a group of helpless and furious beasts, venting their unbridled rage.

He knows better than anyone.

None of these proposals were successful.

Marineford, the headquarters of the World Government, is the strongest fortress built by pooling a century of wisdom and strength.

It is a huge trap in itself.

A vast graveyard meticulously prepared specifically to welcome these "challengers".

The rage of these captains was indeed terrifying.

But in the eyes of a shrewd and calculating naval strategist like Sengoku, this chaotic anger was nothing more than the most useful weapon.

"Everyone... be quiet!!"

A low growl, suppressing anger, drowned out all the noise.

It's Marco.

He slammed his hands heavily on the table, his golden hair moving without wind, and his perpetually sleepy eyes seemed to be filled with rage.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority that instantly silenced the entire conference room.

All the captains' eyes were focused on him.

Marco took a deep breath and slowly scanned each person, each of his brothers' faces.

His voice, as if squeezed out from between his teeth, was cold and clear.

"Dive in from the seabed? Below the Navy Headquarters, there is a force led by Vice Admiral Giant stationed year-round. Their sole mission is to defend against underwater attacks."

"Concentrate fire on the execution platform? Do you think the navy would leave it completely exposed? The positions of the three admirals are the best shield in front of the execution platform! Our shells simply cannot get past them!"

"Should we send Little Oz Jr. to break through the defenses?"

Oars Jr.'s enormous body makes him a sitting duck for the Navy!

Marco paused for a moment, then looked at Blenheim and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Doing that will only make Little Oz Jr. the first victim! He'll die in front of everyone, and we can't do anything about it!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured on everyone, but they also helped them gradually sober up from their desire for revenge!

Marco's knuckles were white from clenching his fists on the table.

"I know everyone is angry and wants to rescue Ace immediately! Me too!"

"but!"

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes sharp as knives.

"That's exactly what the Navy wants! They want us to be blinded by rage, like a pack of mindless beasts charging headlong into their trap!"

"In that case, not only will we fail to rescue Ace, but we'll also lose everyone's lives in Marineford!"

"We're going to fight the navy, one of the three major powers at sea! Not some thugs having a brawl on the street!"

"Use your brains and think about it! Who are our enemies?! It's Fleet Admiral Sengoku! It's Marine Hero Garp! It's three monster-like Admirals! And the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

Even people from the World Government!

"In our current state, charging forward would be suicide!!"

These words completely brought everyone to their senses!

It extinguished everyone's fervor and anger completely.

The meeting room fell silent once again.

But this time, it wasn't the calm before the storm, but the suffocating heaviness that followed recognizing reality.

The captains who had just been clamoring to raze the Navy Headquarters all lowered their heads.

Some punched the wall hard, leaving a cracked fist mark.

Some slumped back in their chairs, covering their faces in anguish with their hands.

Impotent rage.

Yes.

They can do nothing but be angry.

That immense sense of powerlessness overwhelmed everyone like a tidal wave.

The white-bearded man, who had been silent all along, slowly raised his eyelids.

His gaze swept over the faces filled with pain and resentment, finally settling on his newest son, who had remained silent throughout, huddled in the corner.

Amidst the clamor and fury of the room, the boy's silence seemed so out of place, yet so... conspicuous.

The white-bearded man's deep, majestic voice, like a resounding bell, slowly echoed in the deathly silent conference room.

"Anger is the most useless thing on this sea."

His enormous hand gently stroked the crescent-shaped island on the nautical chart.

"We need a perfect plan."

"Only then can we rescue Ace."

Anger and brute force alone cannot save Ace!

Everyone felt a jolt.

The white-bearded man's gaze pierced through the crowd and precisely locked onto Chen Ye.

"Tatsuba."

All eyes in the conference room instantly turned to Chen Ye.

"What are your thoughts?"