Let's rewind to five days ago.
By then, Gutte's Demon Mask Pirates had already departed the mysterious island they'd been holed up on. To avoid exposure, they traveled only under cover of darkness. Any pirate crews or merchant ships they encountered were wiped out, and they avoided even a single Marine vessel when spotted.
But five days ago, the Demon Mask Pirates finally arrived at their destination, the Gourmet City, Puqi, to retrieve vital supplies they had hidden there. These were critical provisions for re-entering the New World: preserved rations, various cannons and firearms, and most importantly, a cache of rare Seastone weapons.
What they didn't know was that the location had already been discovered by the World Government's Cipher Pol, and its agents had not only cleared the area but were still using the local Den Den Mushi to lure the pirates in. The CP agents had also notified Borsalino, Admiral Kizaru, who was en route with a fleet set up for an ambush.
As expected, the Demon Mask Pirates arrived under the cover of night, intending to land at Puqi.
Let's briefly compare the two forces:
The Demon Mask Pirates had twelve pirate ships, 2,300 crew members, and four officers with bounties over 100 million berries, including Gutte himself. They were accompanied by two affiliated pirate crews, each with three ships and a combined 1,200 pirates, eight of whom were captains or officers with bounties above 30 million.
The Marines had fifteen warships in total, though not all were at full capacity, comprising over 6,000 personnel. Among them were more than a hundred commissioned officers, four Rear Admirals, one Vice Admiral, and one Admiral.
The Vice Admiral had only recently been reassigned from the New World, part of the Navy's larger strategy to redirect elite forces back to the first half of the Grand Line.
The moment the Demon Mask Pirates hit the coast, they were struck by a pre-planned Marine bombardment. The sudden rain of cannonfire left them disoriented, two ships were sunk in quick succession.
Forced to retreat, Gutte led his crew toward the Sabaody Archipelago, but they were relentlessly hounded by Borsalino's fleet, which pushed them farther and farther away from their destination. The chase dragged on for days, both sides engaging in numerous naval skirmishes. Then, two days ago, a massive storm scattered the fleets.
After the storm passed, Kizaru's fleet was nowhere to be seen. Gutte regrouped what ships he could and resumed his course for Sabaody, but his two allied pirate crews were lost in the chaos.
Then, just one day ago, the Demon Mask Pirates were spotted again by Borsalino. Fortunately for Gutte, headwinds prevented the fleet from catching up, so Kizaru came after them alone, personally engaging Gutte and his crew in battle.
So it was: the two forces clashed—one fleeing, one in pursuit—all the way to the waters surrounding the Sabaody Archipelago. Gutte had considered escaping into the Calm Belt and crossing into the East or South Blue, then entering the North or West Blue via Reverse Mountain, and finally crossing the Calm Belt again to reach the New World. But the odds of surviving two traversals through the Calm Belt were virtually nonexistent, over 99% chance of total annihilation.
Left with no choice, Gutte chose to take a risk and make landfall at Sabaody. Knowing his fleet didn't have time for bubble coating, he planned to seize already-coated ships and use them to dive underwater and reach Fish-Man Island, his gateway back to the New World.
Kizaru, having guessed this, immediately relayed the information to Marine HQ. The Navy alerted the stationed forces at Sabaody, while the World Government saw this as a chance to end it all in one swift strike, to eliminate Gutte and his Demon Mask Pirates for good.
But the Marine garrison at Sabaody only had about 3,000 troops, around thirty commissioned officers, and just one Rear Admiral remaining (originally there were two, but one had been reassigned to the New World's Grand Expeditionary Fleet and had yet to return). It was clear they couldn't hold the Demon Mask Pirates on their own.
Thus, a deal was struck, between the World Government and Aeridar.
High in the skies over the sea, Gutte and Borsalino continued their intense aerial clash. Meanwhile, Kataror Obes rode aboard a pirate ship below, launching sneak attacks at Kizaru. The rest of the pirate ships had already neared the coastline, within Marine artillery range.
The garrison troops stationed on Sabaody began to mobilize around Grove 55, forming a defensive line along the coast. But everything had happened too fast, the shoreline was treacherous, and many of the defenses weren't complete. Artillery emplacements were sparse, and gaps in the fire net were evident.
"Fire! All units, open fire!"
The frontline Marine commander, seeing the pirate fleet's banners breach artillery range, had no time to wait for a complete defense setup. The order to fire came down without hesitation.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!
It was as if the skies roared. Hundreds of cannons of all calibers opened up in unison, their deafening blasts echoing across the entire Sabaody Archipelago. The sea erupted in white plumes as shells rained down, sending waves crashing and causing pirate ships to rock violently. Several were struck directly.
"Fire back! Fire back! Whether we live or die comes down to this!"
Aboard one of the massive, hundred-meter-long pirate ships, a white-haired, bare-chested man in a black coat stood at the bow, wildly waving his arms. His name was Jig, and his voice rang out, crazed and defiant.
"Return fire!"
Captains on nearly ten other pirate ships shouted in response, unleashing their own barrages.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!
The Demon Mask Pirates showed no fear. Their ship-mounted cannons roared in reply, launching volleys back at the coast. The battlefield was engulfed in thick smoke and blazing fire.
"Charge! Don't be afraid! Those cowardly Marines are no match for us!"
At the prow of the lead ship stood a towering black-furred wolfman, nearly four meters tall. This was Puda, the highest-ranking officer under Gutte in the Demon Mask Pirates.
"Mere cannonballs!"
With a growl, Puda leapt high into the air, his claws gleaming coldly in the light. With a slash of his gleaming, icy claws—
Shff!
—a crisp sound echoed as over a dozen incoming jet-black cannonballs were cleanly sliced in midair, each splitting in two before plummeting harmlessly into the sea below.
...
Sabaody Archipelago.
"Where did that cannon fire come from?"
"That was intense! Is there a battle breaking out?"
"Who the hell's crazy enough to start a fight here?"
"Some bastard's actually going toe-to-toe with the Marines? They trying to get the whole damn Navy HQ down on them?"
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