On Herd Island, most of the traffic is for supplies, exchanging goods, or for those who come here to indulge and seek pleasure as scattered pirates.
The two forces on the island are Mahamadu and Safra, who control the largest interests.
The commander of Mahamadu stationed on Herd Island is called Ed Harold.
He has fifteen warships under his command, with over 200 sailors on the largest ship and eight huge cannons; even the smallest ship is equipped with a cannon and twenty sailors. The total number of crew members is almost 1500.
The commander of Safra stationed on Herd Island is called Trist Reddy, and the number of warships and sailors is similar to Ed's.
Once these two forces are mobilized, they are enough to suppress all scattered pirates near Herd Island.
After all,
At the beginning, Du Ge's ship, the Smiling Angel, had only a pitiful twelve crew members, even less than the smallest warship under Ed's command.
And the cargo ships of the Dufi family and the captured naval ships in the harbor had a capacity of only about fifty people, making them one of the smallest forces.
But after a day of battle, all the enemies who opposed the Sea Fish Pirate Group were in a sorry state, while on their side, apart from a few unlucky guys who fell into the water, there was not a scratch.
Coupled with the witch's prophecy, the morale of the Sea Fish Pirate Group almost reached its peak. They believed that they were blessed by the sea god and, under Paul's leadership, could roam the seas and be invincible.
...
When Du Ge took He Ya away,
Ed and Trist's fleet were confronting Antonio.
Herd Island is an important stronghold between the East Sea and the South Sea, affecting the supply of many pirates and serving as an economic pillar for Mahamadu and Safra, so it absolutely cannot fall into the hands of the navy.
They were waiting for the reinforcements from Mahamadu and Safra to attack Antonio's navy from behind.
With inside and outside cooperation, the blockade of Herd Island was finally lifted.
So,
Even if Ed knew that the witch He Ya had been abducted, he couldn't spare the time to deal with Du Ge.
However,
He didn't take this matter to heart.
After all,
Antonio had blocked the shipping routes, and the fool who abducted the witch couldn't escape.
And he believed that the scattered pirates on Herd Island would send the witch back for him. But as the intelligence reports about the Sea Fish Pirate Group kept pouring into Ed's hands, he finally became dumbfounded.
...
"The Fish Era?"
"Paul is actually a witch, divining for everyone who goes to find him."
"The matter of Mahamadu coercing He Ya and secretly collecting the Fate Sea Chart has leaked out..."
...
"Damn Paul, how dare he spread the matter of Mahamadu, if Mahamadu knows about this, he will kill me." Under the moonlight, Ed's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared angrily on the deck. When he came to his senses, he said to the first mate, "Brown, take five ships tomorrow and go kill Paul and his damn Sea Fish Pirate Group, snatch the witch back. I want everyone to know that Sea Fish can't bring them any luck, only misfortune."
"Captain, if I take away five ships, Antonio will definitely take the opportunity to attack," First Mate Brown said, "If we lose Herd Island, our responsibility will be even greater."
"What do you suggest then? We're here fighting, watching that guy behind us causing trouble?" Ed said coldly.
"Captain, He Ya's mission is to help Mahamadu find the Fate Sea Chart." The first mate fell silent for a moment and said, "Now, all the clues about the Sea God's Scepter have leaked out, and the witch actually has no need to stay."
"What are you trying to say?" Ed asked.
"As far as I know, Paul's bounty is already 80,000 gold coins. If we add another 20,000 gold coins, someone will definitely take the risk to help us kill Paul and the witch. The bounty hunter called Black Magic Hand should be interested in Paul." The first mate shrugged and said, "As for Mahamadu, the matter has already happened, and we were not on the island at the time. He shouldn't be angry with us because of this!"
"We can only do this." Ed took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and looked at the first mate, instructing, "You find someone to return to Herd Island overnight and issue a bounty for Paul. Mobilize all the pirate ships on Herd Island to participate in the battle against Antonio. I have a feeling that Antonio will launch a general attack in the next two days, and we have to hold on until the reinforcements arrive."
...
The next day,
Ed issued a bounty for Paul and a mobilization order for the pirates at the same time.
The pirates of the Fish Era who had been touched by Du Ge had personally experienced the protection of Paul's lucky goddess and were indifferent to the bounty on Paul.
However, they enthusiastically joined the team to resist Antonio.
These people came to Herd Island to find clues about the Sea God's Scepter, and now they had a new mission - to find Selma and trade with her.
Naturally, they were unwilling to be trapped here forever.
Therefore, breaking through Antonio's blockade became inevitable.
Every pirate who had changed their name firmly believed that after changing their name, the lucky goddess would be with them.
As for those pirates who had changed their name but had not been touched by Du Ge, they eagerly discussed how to take down Paul's head and exchange it for the bounty.
After all,
Compared to the elusive Fate Sea Chart and Selma, Paul's head was really worth 100,000 gold coins, and it seemed so easy to obtain.
They believed that Paul's luck was brought by Sea Fish.
Now that everyone had Sea Fish's name, luck would be evenly distributed among them.
At this time,
It all depended on whose cannonballs were more accurate and whose knives were sharper.Safran's General Trist was confronting Antonio's navy at the other end of the route, and he too was aware of the events that had transpired on Herd Island.
However.
He had no interest in the witch or Happy Paul.
Once the pirates of Herd Island were released, the clues to the Trident of the Sea God would become an open secret. Safran only needed to offer a bounty for the Sea Chart of Fate, witch or no witch.
As for the piece of the sea chart in Mahamadou's hands, that was a matter for Safran to worry about.
Perhaps.
The King of the Four Seas did not wish for the Trident of the Sea God to emerge.
After the fall of the Sea God, the entire ocean was the domain of the King of the Four Seas. Who would want a new Sea God wielding the Trident to appear above them?
In Trist's view, the matter of Selma offering a hefty sum for an heir was more pressing.
After all.
The wealth Selma had amassed over the years was enough to create a new Sea King. The man who acquired Selma's wealth would be the real threat to the position of the King of the Four Seas.
...
To be precise.
It was Du Ge who triggered the war.
Aed was waiting for Mahamadou's reinforcements, for the assembly of pirates behind him, while Antonio was waiting for Admiral Mikaro's orders, as well as the movements of Mahamadou and Safran.
A naval blockade typically involves coordination with other departments of the navy.
Otherwise.
Once he gave the order to attack, if Mahamadou's men launched an assault from behind, it would be easy to turn an offensive move into a passive pincer attack...
No commander would allow such a thing to happen.
As a result.
While the two sides were in a standoff, Du Ge's five pirate ships brazenly sailed into their central waters, singing and dancing.
On the deck of each ship, a group of sailors in pink dresses performed a bizarre dance full of odd movements...
The pink skull flags fluttered in the wind, as if mocking the confronting parties.
On the constantly adjusting sails, a few lines were written in bold letters:
...
"Why not dance together?"
"Here lies a moving 100,000 gold coins."
"You can see me, but you'll never catch me."
"Antonio's butt is red..."
"In the great Fish Era, the Goddess of Fortune protects everyone with fish in their name."
...