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Just as Rowen had said before, no matter what grudges Red might have held, no matter the hatred he bore toward that old bastard, and regardless of the sentiment he might've shared with the Straw Hats in the original story, none of it mattered to him.
To Rowen, their appearance today was simply one thing: a war. A war that deeply irritated him. A pointless war.
With just the two of them, it was impossible to shake the current order maintained by the Marines. Their actions were destined to fail. Yet, because of Patrick Redfield's terrifying individual strength, the Marines couldn't afford to lower their guard. Instead, they had to go all out to face the two of them in a game of revenge!
Pū tōng…
After confirming that Red had stopped breathing, Rowen collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. His injuries weren't too severe; thanks to his regeneration ability, as long as he wasn't dead, the worst he'd face was complete exhaustion.
But letting Seastone powder enter his bloodstream was not as simple as it sounded. That foreign, insoluble substance clung to the walls of his blood vessels, circulating throughout his entire body. Some of the larger particles had even clogged the entrance to his left atrium. If it had been anyone else, they would have died instantly.
"I'll need major surgery once I get back... In this condition, I can't force them out on my own."
Rowen licked his pale lips, dry from blood loss, and wiped away the cold sweat dripping down his forehead. "So now… I can only hope they've succeeded."
He turned and looked into the distant horizon. On the dim sea surface, golden flashes of light flickered constantly, proof that Kizaru was still bursting with energy.
"He was originally supposed to fight the Straw Hats… but we ran into him instead. Damn it..." Rowen curled his lip in annoyance.
In the original plot, Byrnndi World, seeking revenge against the government, had attacked early when he learned the Shichibukai were being gathered to hunt him. He kidnapped Hancock's younger sisters, and Luffy, who was training on Amazon Lily at the time, went with Hancock to board the giant ship.
Eventually, Luffy mastered Armament Haki and defeated Byrnndi World, bringing that conflict to an end.
But now, the "Oka Shichibukai" were a thing of the past. Even merchant fleets that roamed the seas barely remembered that there had once been "legally sanctioned pirates." As such, Byrnndi World had no chance to take hostages this time. Yet unexpectedly, he had teamed up with Patrick Redfield.
Had the two of them collaborated more rationally, they might have caused serious trouble.
"Moa: [100x Cannon]!!"
Suddenly, a roaring voice echoed across the sky and sea! It wasn't anyone Rowen recognized, which could only mean it belonged to the one he had yet to meet… the "Byrnndi World Destroyer," Byrnndi World!
BOOOOMMMMM!!!
A thunderous, earth-shaking roar erupted. A massive object blasted through the air, sending the sea into a frenzy with violent waves. A colossal shadow swept past Rowen's head, flying toward some unknown part of the ocean.
"Impossible! He's 30,000 meters from the Red Line! What's he trying to do?!"
Rowen's eyes widened in disbelief. In the current timeline, the G-1 Branch had become what was once the "New Marineford." After the war at the summit two years ago, Marine Headquarters was relocated, and the G-1 Branch took over the old Marineford's location.
They now stood on opposite sides of the Red Line, forming two unbreachable peaks, hemming in the Red Line, and symbolizing Akainu's resolve to confront the pirate era.
The distance to the Red Line was close enough that any pirate entering the New Byrnndi World through Fish-Man Island would immediately be greeted by the Marines' enthusiastic welcome.
But that distance was well beyond artillery range. Not even the Super Electromagnetic Cannon could reach that far!
Currently, the Marines had two of their largest Super Electromagnetic Cannons: one early prototype installed at Marineford Headquarters and one upgraded version at the G-10 Branch.
Their maximum range was over 100 kilometers. However, the ship-mounted cannons or smaller versions on Pacifistas only had an effective range of about 10 kilometers at most.
There was a funny and frustrating truth to it: the tech tree in this Byrnndi World was hopelessly crooked. No radar-assisted targeting meant that the further the target, the less they could aim at all. No matter how broken the Moa Moa Fruit's ability was, it still depended on its user…
Even though the straight-line distance to the top of the Red Line and the Holy Land Mariejois was still over 30,000 meters, could that cannon shot... really hit it?
Rowen's expression changed at the thought. He immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi, and after dialing, roared in fury: "Tell Kizaru, if he keeps slacking off, I'll personally execute him!"
Right now, he had lost all his powers and had no means to stop the cannon fire. In the original timeline, it was "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk who had sliced apart the cannonball. But that man had long since vanished from the seas. Now, the only person he could rely on was Kizaru, who was currently leading the assault against Byrnndi World's massive ship.
The operator didn't dare delay after hearing Rowen's rage and quickly patched the call through to the battlefield. A moment later, Vice Admiral Momonga's voice came through.
"Apologies, Commander. We're trying to find a solution!"
"What happened?" Rowen frowned. For a veteran like Momonga to say they were "figuring it out" meant something must have gone seriously wrong. Otherwise, that cannon should never have been fired.
"It's the Seastone!" Momonga turned back to glance at his comrades, who were launching a barrage of attacks on the arched, dome-like chamber at the center of the giant ship. His expression was grim.
"Byrnndi World somehow got his hands on a massive amount of Seastone and built a sealed chamber inside. He's firing the cannon from inside, and even Admiral Kizaru can't break through."
Seastone wasn't completely indestructible. Like any hard material, it had its limits. Usually, tools made of Seastone could be used to cut other Seastone. That was the most common method of processing it. There were also some special Devil Fruit powers that, through sheer destructive force, could shatter it as well.
But… the one exception was Logia-type users, who couldn't do it! Seastone was one of the most resilient natural substances in the Byrnndi World. Not only did it suppress elemental powers completely, but it also made it impossible to generate the kind of impact force necessary to break through.
"Don't blame me, Rowen!" Kizaru's voice came from the background. "How was I supposed to know he had this kind of trick up his sleeve? Speaking of which, how did he get that much Seastone without the Assassination Force getting any intel?"
"Cut the crap! Stop that cannon right now, or I'll personally drag you to military court!" Rowen's angry roar made the whole command channel tremble. The Marines on the line immediately unleashed their full strength, frantically trying to breach the Seastone chamber.
Kizaru's face twitched. He flashed to the cannon's barrel, ready to kick it in himself. But just as he got close, another cannonball launched, forcing him to quickly retreat.
Rowen put down the Den Den Mushi and frowned deeply. "A huge stockpile of Seastone… huh?"
"Orrick!!!"
As a strictly controlled resource, the Byrnndi World Government forbade any individual or organization from mining Seastone, except Wano Country. That's because most of the Seastone tools in the Byrnndi World still required the master craftsmen of Wano to process them.
So for someone like Byrnndi World to obtain this much Seastone without alerting the Assassination Force, the source was practically self-evident.
Just then, a deafening thunderclap erupted. A massive explosion lit up the night like daylight. Everyone instinctively turned their heads and drew a sharp breath. In the dazzling flames, the silhouette of the Red Line came clearly into view.
Chunks of shattered, red rock collapsed downward, falling like glowing meteors into the sea below. Rowen's pupils shrank. "Thirty thousand meters away… and he actually pulled it off?!"
Though it hadn't struck the top of the Red Line where Mariejois stood, the cannon had hit the base from thirty kilometers away, gouging out a crater the size of Marineford itself. "Byrnndi the World Destroyer"… that name wasn't just for show.
(End of Chapter)