"Someone's after the Celestial Tribute?" The CP0 member's voice was low, cold, and devoid of any emotion.
"From the looks of it, someone lacks foresight!" Kemon's face was grim, his sharp eyes scanning the sea.
All the searchlights on the warships were switched on, illuminating the surrounding waters brightly.
Just then, bubbles began to rise from the sea's surface.
A sharp-eyed Marine noticed this and immediately yelled, "Something's coming up from under the sea! Cannons, aim at the surface!"
Bang, bang, bang! A dozen submarines suddenly surfaced, scattered around the fleet.
About twenty individuals emerged from each submarine, staring expressionlessly at the warships.
"It doesn't matter who they are! Sink them!" the Marine Vice Admiral immediately commanded. All cannons fired in an instant, hundreds of shells hurtling towards the submarines.
Dragon waved his hand, and a fierce wind howled, directly sweeping away the incoming cannonballs and redirecting them back towards the warships.
Enel pointed his golden staff skyward. A thin bolt of lightning snaked through the air, striking dozens of cannonballs, which exploded with a series of booms.
Bartholomew Kuma pulled off his gloves, revealing five tender-looking paw-pads on his thick palms. With a casual swipe, a powerful shockwave detonated all the remaining cannonballs.
The expert officers on the other submarines also took action, intercepting all the projectiles.
"Demon Dragon Capone Bege! It's actually him! The officers of the Fire Tank Pirates are all here! Notify Headquarters immediately!" The Marine Vice Admiral recognized Bege's face and saw Moria and the others beside him. His expression changed drastically as he quickly took out a Den Den Mushi and began dialing.
"Is that the infamous pirate who escaped from under a certain deputy commander? This fellow is truly lawless." The CP0 member's face was grave. His gaze shifted to Dragon and his group; the Revolutionaries were all cloaked, their faces hidden. "And who are these people?"
"No matter who they are, if they dare to target the Celestial Tribute, they all must die!" Kemon's aged face filled with killing intent, arcs of electricity crackling in his eyes. His body began to erupt with violent bursts of lightning, exceptionally bright in the dark night.
"All of you, meet your graves in the sea!" Kemon's gaze fixed on Bege. An incredibly bright and thick bolt of lightning shot from his body, transforming into a massive Thunder Lizard that lunged towards Bege with lightning speed, intending to bury them all at the bottom of the ocean.
"Godfather, leave it to me!" Enel stepped forward proactively. He struck the Thunder Drums on his back with his golden staff. A drumbeat like rolling thunder sounded, and a similarly thick Lightning Thunderbird flashed out, heading straight for the Thunder Lizard.
The Thunderbird and Thunder Lizard instantly exploded in mid-air. The astonishing blast made everyone's ears ring, as an endless torrent of lightning spread wantonly through the air before dissipating.
"Not so tough after all!" Enel laughed arrogantly.
"A lightning-attribute Devil Fruit?" Kemon's expression darkened. His eyes fell on Enel, who was wreathed in lightning, pondering what kind of fruit ability the man possessed.
At this moment, the Marine Vice Admiral's face changed dramatically. The Den Den Mushi in his hand had retreated into its shell, refusing to come out. After much threatening and coaxing to get it out, the Den Den Mushi was unable to connect any calls.
He immediately realized the severity of the situation.
"Sir, the Den Den Mushi communications have been cut off! We can't make any calls!"
Kemon and the CP0 member's faces changed drastically, becoming even grimmer.
"They came prepared!"
"The Celestial Tribute must not be lost, under any circumstances! Everyone, protect the Celestial Tribute with your lives!" Kemon took a deep breath, his rough, powerful voice thundering through the air. All the Marines responded with a simultaneous roar.
"Kill!" Dragon let out a low growl filled with icy killing intent. The Revolutionaries moved swiftly, figures darting towards the warships. Dragon, shrouded in wind, charged directly at the large flagship in the center.
"Let's make our move too." Bege raised his hand, and his officers quickly leaped towards the warships.
A castle gate opened on Bege's chest, and a large brown eagle flew out from within. Upon leaving his body, it rapidly expanded a hundredfold, transforming into a giant eagle fifty to sixty meters in size.
It was Little Oars Jr. In his Dragon-Eating Giant Eagle form, he charged directly at one of the warships. Guns and cannons on the ship fired at him, but Little Oars Jr. was completely unfazed by the cannonballs. His eagle talons gripped the warship and, with a mighty heave, flipped the entire vessel over.
"Kick 'em while they're down!"
Enel struck his Thunder Drums, and countless bolts of lightning rained down into the sea. Streaks of lightning snaked madly through the water. All the Marines who had fallen overboard were struck by lightning, resulting in massive casualties.
Bege and Moria leaped onto the large flagship, joining forces with Dragon to surround Kemon and his group.
"Capone Bege, do you know the consequences of attacking the Celestial Tribute?" Kemon's face was as dark as a thundercloud, looking utterly furious.
Bege, a cigar clamped in his mouth, looked completely unconcerned.
"If we annihilate all of you, who's going to know it was us?"
"Don't get cocky, brat!" Kemon's expression was ugly, the lightning around his body growing increasingly wild. Terrifying arcs of electricity slowly began to sketch the form of an enraged Thunder Lizard behind him.
"Bege, we're short on time. Let's hurry up and kill them!" Dragon, however, had no intention of wasting words. He shot directly towards the CP0 member. Dragon's speed was extreme, and he was accompanied by a powerful hurricane. He reached the CP0 member in an instant, a lightning-wreathed right leg lashing out from the hurricane, kicking viciously towards the agent. The air itself seemed to keen.
The CP0 member's eyes flickered. His right hand was instantly coated in Armament Haki as he punched Dragon's right leg.
The CP0 member's expression changed, and his body was sent flying backward, hundreds of meters into the air.
Dragon's figure flashed, the hurricane carrying him towards the airborne CP0 member. The air in that area howled with wind and roared with thunder.
"Controls wind, and also lightning. What on earth is Dragon's Devil Fruit ability?" Bege stared at the distant Dragon, extremely curious about his powers. He had asked before, but Dragon had never given a direct answer.
Suddenly, Kemon seized Bege's momentary lapse in concentration. His form transformed into a streak of lightning, rushing towards Bege with ferocious speed.
A fist charged with terrifyingly potent lightning slammed towards Bege's face, countless bolts of electricity spreading out from it, accompanied by an onslaught of thunderclaps that made one's scalp tingle.
"Thunder Fist!"
A single fist firmly blocked Kemon's attack. Between them, shockwaves rippled, and lightning spread, engulfing both men.
Under this impact, the Marine Vice Admiral, the other CP members, and Moria and his group were all blasted away.
"Old man, in such a hurry to die, are you?" Still chewing his cigar, a tyrannical and domineering will emanated from Bege—Conqueror's Haki, a powerful shockwave blasting outwards. The spreading lightning couldn't even touch him.
Kemon's pupils constricted, the lightning on his body growing even more ferocious. He instantly kicked at Bege, his right leg wreathed in endless lightning, possessing devastating attack power. Almost simultaneously, Bege blocked Kemon's heavy kick with a single leg.
Boom! Another thunderous explosion. Endless lightning engulfed Bege as he was kicked into the air.
Kemon's body underwent a rapid, astonishing transformation. His skin quickly became scaled, his hands and feet turned into powerful lizard claws, and a thick, purplish-black tail sprouted from his back. He had entered his man-beast form.
His eyes instantly transformed into vertical slits, becoming even more savage. The lightning around him grew denser and more violent; a single stray bolt striking the deck would tear it apart.
He bent his knees sharply and leaped, shooting into the sky like a thick bolt of lightning.