# Chapter 189: Battle Commences (Part 1)
Soon, they received the World Government's reply.
As expected, they decided to give up on directly targeting Rocks D.
Xebec.
Instead, they would use a man-to-man marking strategy to prevent the Rocks Pirates' actions and protect the interests of the Member Nations.
"Next is the personnel arrangement."
As soon as the words fell, Garp, who was sitting to the side, stood up and said with a serious expression, "East Blue is my hometown, I'll take care of it."
"Who will go with you?"
Kong didn't refuse, but Garp alone was clearly not enough.
He knew the strength of "\"Violence King\" Kosa".
Even though Garp's growth rate was extremely fast, compared to Kosa, Kosa's strength was still greater.
The other "Demon King" Nash couldn't be ignored.
The still young Nash, even without reaching the Top Tier Combatant level, was a powerful monster.
"Let's make the arrangements first, and the rest will be supplemented by the World Government."
Tsuru suggested from the side.
"Then I'll go keep an eye on Whitebeard." Sengoku stood up.
He was very familiar with Newgate and knew how terrifying Newgate's destructive power was.
The personnel arrangements were quickly finalized and then reported to the World Government.
The remaining personnel would be decided by the World Government.
The sky was covered in dark clouds, so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
Each Division of the Rocks Pirates had their targets locked on.
The Marines, Army, and the Allied Forces reassembled by the World Government simultaneously dispatched troops to attack each Division of the Rocks Pirates.
This time, the World Government had prepared enough ships and enough manpower.
In naval battles, the gap in raw strength between the two sides would be compensated for.
And the World Government's goal was not to defeat the Rocks Pirates, but merely to hold them off.
Each force was equipped with over a hundred thousand army soldiers.
Their role was that of expendables, to drain the Marines' stamina and wear down their fighting will.
For this purpose, even if all these army soldiers died, their deaths would not be regrettable.
"Tyrant Dragon" Zak and "Demon King" Nash knew that their current strength was relatively weak and they were likely to become targets for the Marines and the World Government.
So they clung to the coattails of Captain Rocks and "\"Violence King\" Kosa", acting together with them.
In the First Half of the Grand Line.
As a key target, the force led by "Tyrant Dragon" Zak and Rocks D.
Xebec was blocked by a massive fleet led by "Steel Bone" Kong and two of the Five Elders.
Lyon 'Death Gun' was confronted by a CP0 Top Tier Combatant.
In East Blue, "Demon King" Nash and "\"Violence King\" Kosa" were respectively confronted by Army General Candidate "Bamboo Python" and "Iron Fist" Garp.
In North Blue, "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate encountered Sengoku, and "Weather Queen" Charlotte Linlin faced two CP0 Top Tier Combatants.
In West Blue, "Destroyer" Byrnndi World and Quero "The Werewolf" were intercepted by Marine Admiral "Day Tiger" Davis and Army General "White Ghost".
In South Blue, one of the Five Elders and two Top Tier Combatants from World Noble Families had already targeted John, Silver Axe, and Wang Zhi.
"Golden King" was already dead, but Captain John was still alive.
The force targeting him was assembled from the World Government Elite and personally led by a Top Tier Combatant.
The remaining Marine Admiral Zhikai was ready at any time to coordinate with the CP0 Director-General to deal with the "Flying Fleet" which might appear at any moment.
Thus, except for "Pluto" Hades, the World Government and the Marines were fully prepared to respond.
They simply did not give these pirates a chance to invade the Member Nations.
The Four Seas and the First Half of the Grand Line were the home ground of the World Government and the Marines.
Here, the Rocks Pirates did not have the intelligence advantage.
Except for those with special abilities like "Golden Lion" Shiki.
The great battle was about to erupt.
Fierce great battles broke out in the five vast Sea Areas.
Blood and fire began to spread.
Artillery fire filled the sky.
Pirate ships and Marine warships, or ships simply modified after being requisitioned by the World Government, collided with each other.
In the most primitive boarding battle, the Allied Forces reassembled by the World Government and the Rocks Pirates began a fierce slaughter.
Looking at "Hunter King" Besoro and "King of Hell" Blazer beside Rocks D.
Xebec, Kong's face was grim.
From the current situation, it seemed impossible for them to suppress Rocks, although in his heart, he still held a glimmer of hope.
If it were truly just Rocks alone, he was confident he could cooperate with the two Five Elders to defeat Rocks.
Now, it seemed impossible.
However, he also felt a sense of relief.
With "Hunter King" Besoro and "King of Hell" Blazer here, the stress on the other battlefields would be slightly less.
It was such a contradiction.
Kong stepped up without hesitation to face Rocks D.
Xebec.
Although he was already fifty-nine years old, Rocks still maintained his body at its peak, even more terrifying than before.
With his powerful control over his body, he would not easily succumb to aging.
Having suffered few injuries, he could maintain this state for at least another twenty years.
It was precisely because of this that Kong felt fear.
Of course, it was impossible for Rocks to live as long as the Five Elders.
The Five Elders had special maintenance measures, spending unknown amounts of resources every year.
This was something Rocks was unable to do, no matter what.
Only by reaching a certain level could one enjoy such treatment.
"Gurararara! Sengoku, let's have a great battle!"
Newgate said excitedly, looking at the familiar figure on the warship opposite, wearing a coat of justice.
A punch surrounded by a white aura struck directly at the air.
The air shattered like a mirror, unleashing a terrifying shockwave powerful enough to cause earthquakes and tsunamis, twisting the air as it rushed towards Sengoku.
If no one blocked it, the next moment, the entire warship would be swallowed and completely destroyed by the shockwave.
"Hmph!"
"Great Buddha Shockwave!"
Transforming into a Golden Body Great Buddha even larger than a giant, a terrifying shockwave instantly erupted.
Two terrifying forces clashed head-on on the sea surface.
The next moment, the destructive power caused by the two forces spread outwards.
The sea surface at the center of the explosion dropped by tens of meters.
Amidst the surging waves, this seemed like a signal.
Hundreds or thousands of warships clashed on the sea surface.
(end of chapter)