What a shame. Even though the remaining forces fled to Port Florent, it was no use—they were walking right into a trap.
At that moment, a powerful Marine fleet consisting of nine battleships arrived in the open waters outside the port. This was a force of one special-grade battleship, two first-grade battleships, and six second-grade battleships, carrying over 8,000 Marine soldiers and two Marine Admirals.
This level of power was more than enough to topple an entire nation.
"D-damn it! The Marines?! Why are the Marines here?!"
"Oh no! That ship... that's Admiral Sakazuki's battleship!"
"Damn it, why would the Marines send this kind of force?"
"D-don't worry, they're probably just passing through!"
"Oh god, are they here to wipe out a country with this kind of power?"
Inside Port Florent, the remaining pirates and soldiers from the Barrid Kingdom were in shock. The presence of a Marine Admiral, especially the ruthless monster Akainu, made many of the pirates want to turn tail and run.
On the special-grade Marine battleship, Sakazuki coldly surveyed the many pirate ships and vessels from the Underworld.
"Pirate scum and Underworld rats. The stench of your filth is disgusting," Sakazuki said, a faint red glow emanating from his body. A wisp of smoke rose, and the surrounding temperature instantly soared by five or six degrees.
"Hey, hey, Sakazuki, you're not planning to act right now, are you? That's a port in the Barrid Kingdom." Kuzan frowned at Sakazuki's actions. "Destroying the port might damage the Marines' reputation with other affiliated nations. That wouldn't be good for us."
"Hmph. The Dunlite Kingdom is an affiliated nation, and they're backed by two Warlords, so we can't touch them," Sakazuki said, his expression darkening slightly. "But while the Barrid Kingdom is also an affiliated nation, they're backed by the Garfield Pirates. Now that even Shiki the Golden Lion has shown up, a country that conspires with such criminals can be eliminated without issue."
While Sakazuki lived by the principle of 'Absolute Justice,' which permits not even a hint of evil, he wasn't a fool. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a Marine Admiral, or the future Fleet Admiral.
If the Marines were to recklessly attack a well-known port of a sovereign nation, all the nations affiliated with the World Government would condemn them. The World Government and the Marines relied on these countries for their funding. If they angered them enough, those countries could simply cut off their military funds, which would be enough to cripple the Marines.
However, if an affiliated nation was found to be colluding with a great pirate who sought to overthrow the World Government, the Marines would be fully justified in attacking—and even destroying—that country. The other nations would have no grounds to object.
Once Sakazuki had spoken, even Kuzan, who disagreed with his methods, fell silent.
"Hmph. Go straight to hell! Meteor Volcano!"
Sakazuki sneered, looking down at Port Florent. He extended his arms, which began to turn red and transform into churning, high-temperature magma. The air grew even hotter.
Suddenly, the temperature rose sharply, as if it were a scorching summer day. Countless gigantic magma fists erupted into the air, their glow illuminating the darkened sky. Like a rain of fiery meteors, the magma fists plummeted toward Port Florent, creating a scene of utter apocalypse.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
Deafening explosions thundered across the port as it was instantly engulfed in a sea of magma and flames. Each immense magma fist carried enough heat and force to obliterate a battleship or demolish a gun tower. When they plunged into the harbor, they made the ocean look as if it were boiling.
"No! They're really coming for us!"
"Am I dreaming? Why does it feel like the end of the world?"
"Run! Run! That monster will destroy the entire port!"
"We're going to die! We're really going to die! Run! Run!"
"Bastards! How dare they?! How can they attack us?! We're an affiliated nation of the World Government!"
As the port was pummeled by the endless volcanic meteors, it became a raging inferno filled with widespread magma. Countless soldiers from the Barrid Kingdom and pirates were reduced to charred corpses. Their defenses were utterly decimated. Watching their comrades, brothers, and friends burned alive by the scorching magma, they were completely terrified, scurrying in every direction like headless chickens.
The rain of fiery meteors lasted for four or five minutes before finally stopping. By then, the entire Port Florent had become a scorched wasteland engulfed in flames.
"Hey, hey, Sakazuki, wasn't that a bit much? There must have been a lot of innocent civilians in that port," Kuzan said, his face grim.
"Then they're only to blame for being born in this country!"
Sakazuki replied with chilling coldness. "Rear Admiral Yukimura, give the order to the entire fleet. We will line up and enter the port. We'll land at top speed and eliminate every pirate and opposing force!"
"Yes, Admiral Sakazuki!"
Rear Admiral Yukimura, standing beside him, saluted with a serious expression, then immediately picked up a Den Den Mushi to relay the order to the other battleships.
Soon after receiving the command, the other eight battleships began to move. With Sakazuki's flagship at the center, the ships lined up abreast, a hundred meters apart, and advanced in unison toward Port Florent.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cannons roared and smoke filled the air. The triple and dual-barreled turrets at the bows of the battleships fired continuously at the port. Hot, black solid cannonballs rained down on the ships that had managed to survive the initial onslaught, while also striking the few remaining defensive structures on the port itself.
Firing as they advanced, the nine Marine battleships quickly entered the port's harbor. By then, every single ship in the harbor, whether pirate vessels, Barrid Kingdom warships, or even merchant ships, had been completely destroyed, leaving nothing but burning wreckage.
The port itself was in a similar state: collapsed buildings, scattered corpses, and scorching magma that had melted the cobblestone pavement. The towering inferno seemed to have set the sky ablaze, and the sweltering heat made everyone sweat profusely.
"Move it! Everyone, land!"
"Eliminate all pirates and any resistance!"
The nine battleships reached the shore, dropping their anchors and gangways in unison. Countless Marines, armed with guns and swords and clad in their blue and white uniforms, swarmed ashore. Under the guidance of their officers in "Justice" coats, they moved in an orderly fashion into the port, hunting down the surviving pirates and soldiers of the Barrid Kingdom.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]