Under Lafitte's full-speed flight,
it took him less than a minute to cover the five-kilometer distance—
and arrive directly before the Jun Lin Fleet.
But the moment he saw the scene before him, he froze in shock.
Four massive steel monsters—warships—and an even larger, ominous black behemoth loomed ahead.
These things were attacking us?
Ships made entirely of steel... and they float on water?
Lafitte was baffled.
But there was no time to contemplate the logic behind it.
Because in the very next moment—
dozens of muzzle flashes burst forth from the four warships.
These were secondary batteries—dual-purpose high-angle cannons designed to handle aerial targets.
While their caliber wasn't as intimidating as the main guns, the rate of fire and sheer number made up for it.
Cold sweat poured down Lafitte's forehead.
He immediately began dancing through the air, dodging shell after shell.
It thrilled him.
Though interception wasn't possible, as long as he focused on evasion, it wasn't too hard!
But before he could celebrate, one of the shells he dodged exploded beside him.
Not just that one—any shell that got close detonated midair.
Dodge? How?
Proximity fuses—checkmate.
Luckily for him, these were only 127mm shells.
Had they been main battery shells or armor-piercing rounds...
Even if they didn't kill him outright, they'd leave him half-dead.
Now, Lafitte was a mess. His clothes were torn to shreds, his appearance haggard and far from his usual poised self.
Still, he wasn't a fool.
He understood that naval cannons—no matter how strong—needed time to reload after firing.
And during that time, paired with his speed...
It might be enough.
He didn't even spare time to check his injuries.
He pushed his speed to the maximum and charged straight toward one of the warships.
But then—
All four warships activated over a hundred heavy machine gun turrets in unison.
Bullets filled the sky like a web of steel—an airtight barrage aimed directly at Lafitte.
Faced with this, he had no choice but to stop and activate Armament Haki to tank the hail of bullets.
Ding ding ding ding ding...
"Stop!"
Ding ding ding ding ding...
"I'm here to negotiate!"
Ding ding ding ding ding...
Bullets struck his Haki-covered body, producing a melodic symphony of metal clashing against hardened will.
His shouts were completely drowned out.
Even if they hadn't been, he was still hundreds of meters away from the fleet. No one could hear him anyway.
Or so he thought...
---
Aboard Danaan's bridge,
Lafitte appeared on the main screen in a tight close-up shot.
"He seems to be yelling something," said Luo Lan, uncertain.
"Marshal, I believe he's shouting for us to stop firing. He says he's here to make a deal."
Luo Lan blinked in surprise and turned toward the voice—it came from Danaan's helmsman.
"You can read lips?"
"Somewhat. Captain Nami made it mandatory for all navigators to learn lip reading."
"I see..." Luo Lan nodded.
He wasn't sure why Nami imposed such a rule, but it must have made sense.
Better for an outsider like him not to meddle.
As for Lafitte's so-called "deal"...
"Relay my command to all warships: maintain fire. Exhaust his stamina—then capture him!"
"Yes, Marshal!"
---
At this point, Lafitte was in truly miserable shape.
He couldn't advance. He couldn't retreat.
And this was only against the first-generation Jun Lin warships.
If it had been the second generation, still under development...
Regardless, Lafitte was now in a hopeless situation.
He could last maybe two or three minutes more.
---
Meanwhile, at the docks, untouched by shellfire for now—
A girl who looked no older than ten sat shivering inside a ship's cabin, hugging a teddy bear tightly.
The prolonged shelling outside and the towering flames from within the island had terrified her—it felt like the apocalypse.
But the teddy bear in her arms... was deep in thought.
Such a large-scale bombardment—could this be a Buster Call?
No... the sound of the shells, the shockwaves, the very nature of the barrage—none of it matched any cannon fire he was familiar with.
Especially that first volley—it had shaken the entire island.
Who was attacking Punk Hazard?
Regardless of who it was, this was an opportunity.
According to Morgans, if the Hobby-Hobby Fruit's user falls unconscious or dies,
everyone transformed into toys would regain their original forms.
Honestly, it was Morgans' fault for not making things clear.
Who could've guessed the user of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit was a girl who looked only ten?
Had he known, he wouldn't have let his guard down and fallen into her trap.
Every time Akainu recalled the event, he was furious with himself.
He vowed to never repeat the same mistake again.
---
Another three minutes passed amidst relentless shelling.
A drenched, tattered figure was finally pulled from the sea, shackled in Sea-Prism Stone cuffs.
Escorted by two Jun Lin soldiers, he was brought before Luo Lan.
"I hear Blackbeard wants to make a deal with me?"
"Yes. The Captain wishes to cooperate with Jun Lin."
"Cooperate? Hahaha! That's the funniest thing I've heard in weeks. Do you not know we specialize in killing pirates?"
Luo Lan couldn't help laughing.
Blackbeard... what a character.
Trying to cooperate with Jun Lin?
What was going on in that man's head?
Since Jun Lin's inception, they had been hunting pirates from day one.
Why would he think he could convince me?
Lafitte, worn and ragged, still mustered a confident smile.
"Don't be so quick to reject us. Our Captain has offered you a deal you can't refuse."
"Oh? A deal I can't refuse? Let's hear it."
"A living Marine Admiral. With him, Jun Lin will have leverage against the Navy."
A Marine Admiral...?
Could it be Akainu?
So he really did fall victim to Sugar's power?
Wait—does that mean... that strange target on the radar, the one with a combat power reading of just 1...
Could that be...?
Realizing the possibility, Luo Lan looked up at the main screen.
At Punk Hazard's dock, there were eight red dots.
One showed a power level of 37.
Six others hovered around 10.
But one...
Had a ridiculous value of only 1.
That must be Akainu, transformed into a toy.
Should he... rescue the guy?
Well, if it's possible, maybe she should.
After all, he was the only Marine Admiral who actually worked hard and didn't slack off.
If Akainu were gone... the entire upper Navy would be full of actors.
---
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27