Isuka's cries sent shivers down Ace's spine.
He admitted to having feelings for Isuka, and she for him, but that wasn't the reason for his unease.
It was the firing squad formation.
It was too creative.
Too lethal.
Even he, no, the entire Spade Pirates, unprepared and undefended, wouldn't have fared better against such a formation.
Most of their crew wouldn't have survived such a concentrated volley of musket fire.
Without the Mera Mera no Mi, it would have been extremely difficult for him to dodge such fire.
With Haki, these bullets could even kill Logia-type Devil Fruit users—though at that point, it would depend on the depth of their Observation Haki.
Currently, even most Devil Fruit users couldn't withstand this volley-style musket attack.
This new tactic maximized the advantage of sheer numbers.
By the third volley, over thirty Marines were down on the deck.
The enemy numbered less than a hundred.
The disparity in troop numbers had suddenly shifted to eighty versus seventy.
The intense gunfire even prevented the enemy from charging forward.
Only the moans of the injured Marines and Isuka's cries echoed between the two ships.
"Advance, twenty paces." Alistair called from the mast.
The entire formation moved forward in unison, startling everyone.
It wasn't a neat advance.
It was a soldier's formation.
It was a slightly uncoordinated but unified advance.
What Alistair saw as untidy and imperfect, others saw as a single entity moving as one, an unstoppable wall slowly pressing forward.
They ignored the Marines lying in pools of blood, continuing to the railing, raising their muskets and aiming at the Marines on the opposing ship's bow.
An army would want to retreat after losing 10% of its personnel, would rout after losing 30%, and surrender after losing 50%.
This was a naval battle, where comrades on the same ship had better relationships, and their superior officer was still on the opposing ship, yet their morale had completely collapsed.
They hesitated, afraid to take another step forward, while the enemy had pressed to the railing, the dark muzzles of their muskets aimed at them.
Isuka, only wounded in the leg, cried out amidst the crowd.
"We surrender! Don't kill anymore! Don't kill my men anymore! We surrender!"
Ace's expression was complex. The woman who had been so spirited in chasing him was now a weeping mess, making him feel uncomfortable. He quickly jumped to Alistair's side, asking, "Shouldn't we stop here?"
"That depends on whether the enemy surrenders."
Alistair shrugged, not denying it.
Without his order, the pirates wouldn't fire.
He was confident of that.
The remaining pirates in the rear ranks nervously reloaded their muskets.
'Teacher' Mihar keenly noticed that they used small paper packets of gunpowder, tearing them open and pouring the powder directly into the barrel. This was vastly different from other gunners' loading methods.
Skilled gunners like him could accurately pour the correct amount of gunpowder in the heat of battle—they could even adjust the amount based on the situation. More powder for distant targets, less for closer targets for faster reloading.
But these pirates achieved comparable reloading speed with a simple paper packet. This was astonishing.
This man had transformed these pirates. Could he also transform the Spade Pirates?
Considering the Spade Pirates had joined Alistair's ranks, he couldn't help but feel anticipation. What would the Spade Pirates look like after their transformation…
Alistair and Ace's conversation on the mast wasn't heard by those below.
The pirates, completely obeying Alistair's orders, held their guns aimed at the Marines, their formation unwavering. No one moved, it was unclear whether they would fire or not.
Only Isuka's hoarse cries echoed, the silence terrifying.
As if a switch had been flipped in the Marines' minds, they one by one dropped their weapons. The sound of the weapons hitting the deck was oddly pleasing, bringing smiles to the pirates' faces.
They had never possessed this level of skill and fighting ability. Facing the Marines, they usually trembled with fear.
But now, they had defeated the invincible Marines, even winning against superior numbers. They couldn't believe it.
In fact, when someone doesn't believe in themselves, they can't accomplish anything. Confident people succeed easily, like Luffy's unwavering belief that he would become Pirate King, or Zoro's absolute belief that he would become the world's greatest swordsman, giving him the courage to draw his sword against Mihawk.
These pirate grunts were the lowest of the low in the pirate world. What confidence did they have?
But now, Alistair had instilled confidence in them. They were like repressed nerds who had suddenly awakened, every pore breathing, overwhelmed with exhilaration.
"Long live Alistair!" Someone finally shouted.
Then, the entire Devils Luck Pirates roared, "Long live Alistair!"
All other sounds were drowned out, even Alistair's commands.
Alistair winked at Ace, then, sliding down from the mast, he was serious and stern.
Ace didn't need any props. He jumped directly from the crow's nest, landing beside Isuka, pressing on her wound.
"Ace?!" Through her tears and despair, she saw a familiar face, and without hesitation, she clung to Ace's waist, crying out.
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