New World, Bubble Island.
The first line of defense where the Red Hair Pirates clashed with the Marines.
At the port, countless pirates rushed toward their ships. Their captain had been humiliated like that by the Marines. How could they possibly remain calm? One pirate ship after another set sail, led by the great pirates under Shanks, all heading straight for the Marine stronghold.
Cries of slaughter boiled across the sea, drowning out reason. No one noticed the danger closing in…
* * *
Thousands of meters above, deep within the clouds.
The entire frontline fleet assigned to face the Red Hair Pirates had already gathered.
Soter stood with a stern expression, commanding the fleet. Hidden behind the clouds, the warships shifted into position, slightly ahead of the pirate fleet below.
Only when fewer and fewer pirate ships sailed out from the island did Soter judge the timing to be right. His cold voice spread through the entire fleet via Den Den Mushi.
"All units, enter combat readiness. Prepare to drop the bombs."
Using Observation Haki, he sensed the air currents and wind direction below. Under his command, the fleet adjusted rapidly. Once everything aligned, Soter raised his right hand and brought it down hard.
"Release!"
The floating fleet, made up of dozens of warships, each carrying a thousand soldiers, unleashed its firepower at full force. The sky itself seemed to be swallowed by dark clouds.
* * *
Below, among the pirates.
They only felt the light suddenly fade. Then a terrified scream rang out.
"Look at the sky!!!"
Pirates looked up one after another, and the sight split their eyes with horror.
"Run!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted everywhere, blasting apart the open sea and the pirate ships alike. Above the fleet, bubbles appeared and cotton-like masses formed. Wild slashes of sword energy shot upward, desperately trying to intercept the falling shells.
The leading pirate, Wallis, a Paramecia-type Bubble-Bubble Fruit user, shouted at the top of his lungs.
"All ships, scatter!!!"
With a wave of his hand, countless bubbles surged upward and spread across the sky above the fleet. Cannonballs that fell into the bubbles had their force drained away, floating gently before exploding harmlessly into the sea.
After a brief moment of panic and the right command, the ships scattered apart. The damage from the bombardment was reduced. Even so, in that short span of time, a third of the massive pirate fleet had already been wiped out.
* * *
Above the clouds, seeing that the pirates no longer presented a concentrated target, Soter spoke again.
"All units. Prepare!!!"
The soldiers calmly organized their ammunition crates, stacking them securely as they waited.
Moments later, dozens of warships suddenly stalled, then dove downward at extreme speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The roar of warships tearing through the clouds echoed as ship after ship plunged down with unstoppable momentum, charging straight toward the sea.
Soter smiled and nodded to Ain beside him.
She returned the smile, stepped behind him, then leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Soter then lifted into the air, tracing a perfect arc as they dove together. The Justice capes behind them snapped wildly in the wind, and a rain of cannon fire followed in their wake.
Leading the charge, Soter and Ain dove first, locking clearly onto the remaining pirate ships.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The shells behind them grouped into streaks and shot toward the targets below. Most were blocked by bubbles or bursting cotton, and Wallis's furious voice rang out across the battlefield.
"You're asking to die!!!"
A massive bubble rose into the air and rushed straight at Soter.
Boom!!!
It exploded violently. Compressed air tore through the sky, forcing Soter to halt midair. From beneath the blast, several powerful pirates forced their way through the turbulence and charged in.
Soter blocked two of them, knocked them aside, then surged forward in a sudden burst, slipping past the rest and charging straight at Wallis.
Clang!
Haki-coated fists collided. Soter twisted both hands and seized Wallis's wrists tightly.
Wallis's mouth opened slightly as a bubble compressed to the extreme formed inside it.
Right then, Ain drifted out from behind Soter. Her hands, coated with her ability, pressed against Wallis's body.
"Return-Return!"
Wallis's pupils shrank sharply as his body functions rapidly regressed. An overwhelming sense of discomfort flooded him. He lost control of his body, then lost control of the bubble in his mouth.
All he could do was watch as Soter's fingers pierced straight into his heart.
Darkness swallowed him.
Bang!
The bubble exploded. His head burst apart like a smashed melon, turning into a cloud of blood mist.
Ain shot upward and hovered at the edge of the battlefield. Against pirates who lacked intelligence on their enemies, the Marines' seemingly insignificant and overlooked Ain had become a deadly trap.
The remaining pirates froze for a moment.
"Don't let that woman touch you!!!"
They charged again at Soter. Sword waves and abilities exploded around him, while Ain appeared from time to time, interfering just enough to tip the balance.
* * *
Below, the boarding battle between the Marines and pirates was about to begin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed everywhere as some of the diving warships crashed directly onto pirate vessels. Under the massive weight, the ships snapped in two and sank into the sea. Others missed, slamming violently into the water nearby.
The immense impact left many soldiers momentarily disoriented, but after countless drills, they recovered quickly.
While the pirates were still stunned and frozen in shock, the officers aboard the warships moved first. Drawing their swords, they shouted in unison.
"For justice!!!"
With a push of their feet, they leapt out and charged into the pirates. More shouts rang out, snapping the soldiers fully back to their senses. They grabbed their weapons and rushed toward the nearest pirate ships.
"Kill!!!"
* * *
New World, unnamed sea region.
Aboard the Red Hair Pirates' ship, the Red Force.
Deep red and dark blue Haki collided violently, and the intense battle had already heavily damaged the ship's hull.
At times, tyrannical red Haki surged forward, nearly solid as it crushed everything in its path.
At other times, deep blue demonic phantoms roared back, counterattacking in sweeping waves.
Bullet had fully entered his Great Asura King mode. His face looked like a demon's, and several wounds covered his body, some so deep that bone was visible. Every one of them was a sword injury.
With the speed boost from the More-More Fruit, almost no one except Shanks could land a hit on him. As for Shanks cutting Bullet, it was only because Bullet's Observation Haki could not sense him at all. Whenever Bullet dodged or attacked someone else, Shanks' follow-up strike would land.
That was the terror of Observation Haki Killing. Even someone as strong as Bullet could not perceive him.
But reinforcements had arrived.
The dark clouds above, once shattered by Conqueror's Haki, had unknowingly gathered again. Lightning flickered within them.
Boom!
A deafening roar rolled across the sea as a long spear wrapped in countless bolts of lightning fell from the sky.
"Lightning Spear!!!"
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