The Marines rained down a cleansing wave of artillery on the coastline of Riddridge Island. Under that intense bombardment, not even the veteran sub-commanders of the Beasts Pirates, whose bounties exceeded hundreds of millions, dared linger on the shore, let alone the common riffraff of pirates.
Once the storm of cannonfire had left nothing but smoking craters in its wake, the assault crews withdrew swiftly amidst the echoing booms.
The Navy had not chosen to invoke a "Buster Call" for this operation. Despite their overwhelming firepower, they weren't here to indiscriminately wipe the island clean.
Because even though Riddridge Island was under the Beasts Pirates' control, there were still many ordinary civilians living there. And likely, the pirates had taken their fair share of human "toys" for entertainment, hostages, even.
That meant the Marines couldn't conduct a wholesale, area-wide extermination. The real battle had to take place on land, face to face.
The Beasts Pirates' numbers were vast. This, both Garp and Zephyr had already prepared for. How many of the Marines accompanying them today would return alive once this war was over, no one could say.
But regardless of whether they were high-ranking officers making strategic decisions, or regular soldiers readying to storm the shore, none of them were afraid.
Because fighting pirates was the very purpose of the Marines.
As the artillery fire faded, the Navy fleet began its slow approach to shore. However, the warships didn't dock at the pier. Instead, they anchored roughly a hundred meters from the coastline.
The pirates who had escaped the bombardment had gathered behind a ridge overlooking the coast. Eyes full of curiosity, they stared at the warships in the distance.
"Why did they stop? Aren't they going to land?"
Their doubts were soon answered.
The Navy warships began deploying small boats, which cut across the surface of the sea in neat, white trails. Even with a strategic advantage, the Navy wasn't careless, far from it.
Crowding the shoreline with battleships could lead to chaos during a retreat, and even worse, those ships would become sitting targets.
Zephyr wasn't about to make that mistake.
He decided to deploy an advance unit first to establish a foothold on Riddridge Island. Only then would the larger ships come ashore.
There were only a few hundred Marines in the vanguard, but every single one was an elite, handpicked from the Navy's sharpest blades.
"All personnel, check your gear!"
"Upon landing, operate in pre-assigned three-man squads. Absolutely no lone actions!"
"If any squad suffers casualties, remaining teams are to absorb them accordingly."
"Keep up with me. Fall behind and you'll regret it!"
At sea, a lone motorboat surged ahead, leading the charge. A loudspeaker was mounted to its side. Onboard, Garp stood tall, one hand on the tiller, the other gripping a microphone.
The Navy's advance unit was being led by none other than the legendary Marine hero, Vice Admiral Garp!
"Woooooooh!!"
On the boats behind him, young Marines inhaled the thick scent of gunpowder in the air and stared at the towering figure ahead. Their cheers erupted like thunder.
That soaring morale could be felt even by the pirates watching from afar.
"The Navy! The Navy's coming!!"
"That man... that's Vice Admiral Garp!"
A few pirates recognized the middle-aged man on the boat and instantly screamed in panic. The courage they had just mustered vanished. Without hesitation, they turned to flee.
But as one of them turned around, he smashed headfirst into a "wall." The massive recoil sent him sprawling.
"Oww…"
Clutching his head, he looked up, and froze.
A burly figure had somehow appeared before him without a sound.
"W–Wildfire King…"
Upon recognizing the man, the pirate's voice trembled with fear. Then, snapping to his senses, he pointed toward the sea and shouted, "The Marines! They're here to kill us!"
"Wildfire-sama! We have to inform Kaido-sama right away!"
King shot a cold glance at the pirate who had scrambled up from the ground, grabbed him by the head, and tossed him aside like trash. He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the pirates gathered there, and raised his voice.
"Don't be afraid. Big Brother Kaido is already aware."
"Get ready to intercept. As for Garp, someone will take care of him."
He slowly drew the longsword from his waist and raised it high.
"We are the Beasts Pirates!"
"Make these Marines... pay!"
The thunderous call stunned the pirates for a moment, but then cheers erupted along the shore.
With morale restored, they grabbed their weapons and charged down the beach.
By then, the Marine landing boats had reached the coastline. At this distance, the warships behind them couldn't fire without hitting their own.
Emboldened by the earlier setback in the sea battle, the pirates surged forward to meet the Marines.
"Hehehehe!"
"Die, Marines!"
"Bwahahaha!"
Garp's motorboat was the first to arrive. With the beach still a dozen meters away, he burst into laughter at the oncoming pirates.
The next moment, Garp vanished from the boat.
The now-unmanned boat slammed into the shore and skidded several meters before crashing into a stone pylon and coming to a halt.
The pirates, alarmed by the eerie laughter, instinctively looked up.
High above, Garp stretched his body in midair, his right fist clenched tightly. Violent Haki surged around it. Even before he struck, the pirates felt a terrifying pressure bearing down from above.
In the blink of an eye, Garp unleashed his punch.
The Haki compressed into a massive beam of force and exploded upon the coastline.
"DOOOOM!!!"
The earth cracked under the immense pressure. A thunderous shockwave blasted out, flinging stone and sand in all directions. With the added force, the flying debris was deadlier than bullets, several pirates nearby were skewered instantly, their bodies hurled far away.
Even those at a distance were injured or thrown into disarray by the overwhelming force.
In a single breath, the once-dense pirate horde was shattered into pieces.
One punch from Garp had taken out hundreds.
As the dust settled, Garp landed on the ground. He looked around at the now "clean" coast and laughed heartily.
"Hahahaha!"
"That's better!"
"Alright! Time to find Kaido!"
On the distant Doghead Warship, Zephyr was watching the island through his telescope. When he saw Garp clear out the beach with one punch, his eyelid twitched. Then he sighed.
"That guy Garp... hasn't changed a bit over the years."
"He truly is our finest frontline warrior."
Beside him, Bogard held his sword with an awkward expression. "Finest warrior", if that title were for someone else, it might be praise. But for a Vice Admiral? It was... questionable.
"Vice Admiral Garp just trusts you, Instructor Zephyr."
Young Bogard, clearly a student of emotional intelligence, smiled after a brief pause.
Zephyr glanced sideways at him and smirked. But then, he suddenly sensed a strange energy racing toward the warship.
A black flash streaked across the sky, shooting up from the coast of Riddridge Island, straight at the Doghead.
"Boom!!"
The next instant, the warship shook violently as the black light smashed into it. A massive hole was torn into the hull.
"What happened?!"
Bogard knelt to steady himself, yelling as the ship rocked.
Zephyr gripped the railing, his gaze drilling into the deck beneath his feet, as though he could see straight through to the lower decks.
His expression turned grave.
"BOOM!!"
Before Bogard could investigate, a loud explosion went off beside him. A hole burst open in the deck, and from it, a tall, winged man wearing a black mask flew out.
With his blade drawn, the man slashed toward Bogard in a blur.
"Wildfire... King!!"
The sudden attack caught Bogard completely off guard. All he could do was turn and see a flash of steel barreling toward him.
But just before the blade struck, a white figure leapt between them, crossed arms raised overhead, blocking the strike.
"CLANG!!"
The longsword struck Zephyr's forearms, producing a sharp metallic clang.
Seeing the white cape fluttering before him, Bogard gasped softly, "Instructor Zephyr!"
"You're not hurt, are you, Bogard?"
"When we get back, you'd better put in more work on your Observation Haki."
Zephyr stood firm, arms crossed, shielding Bogard. He turned slightly to flash a smile back.
"Look out!"
Before Bogard could thank him, King changed tactics. He thrust his blade forward, now fully imbued with Armament Haki.
"You're too hasty, young one."
Without turning his head, Zephyr's left arm dropped and slapped the flat of the blade, redirecting the thrust. He immediately caught King's wrist with one hand, and with the other, sent a punch crashing into King's abdomen.
"DOOM!"
The blow slammed into King's gut, causing the tall warrior to grunt in pain and bend forward.
Then Zephyr yanked him by the wrist and seized the "horn" on his head.
"You bastard!"
Regaining his balance, King roared and swept his sword in a wide arc toward Zephyr and Bogard. Zephyr let go of King's wrist and leapt back with Bogard, dragging King's mask away with him.
The slash missed. King's mask flew off, revealing a cascade of white hair across his brow. He instinctively touched his face and sensed something was wrong.
By now, Zephyr had landed some distance away. Tossing the mask aside, he stared at King's face, eyes widening in disbelief.
"White hair… flames on his back…"
"The Lunarians… weren't they wiped out?"
A well-traveled man, Zephyr recognized King's race instantly. His words made King, now exposed, stop mid-motion.
Lowering his hand, King's eyes burned with hatred.
"Yes! The Lunarians!"
"Wiped out!"
"I'm the only one left! Surprised, Marines?!"
"The ghost of the Lunarians has come for you!"
His rage erupted. With a roar, the flames on his back vanished. A sonic boom cracked the air as his figure flashed across the deck, sword swinging toward Bogard.
Sensing the attack, Zephyr lunged for Bogard's belt, but King's eyes gleamed. He abruptly redirected his blade, straight into Zephyr's chest.
Blood sprayed.
Warm, red liquid splashed across Bogard's face, causing his pupils to constrict.
Zephyr, struck hard, swayed backward.
Seeing his strike land, King's lips curled into a grin. The red glow in his pupils brightened further.
"A Lunarian orphan…"
"I'm sorry. We Marines helped the World Government do such a thing."
Just as Zephyr was about to fall, his body froze in place. His deep voice rang in King's ears.
King was stunned to see Zephyr still standing. Though his shirt was stained with blood, the wound, though gory, wasn't deep.
Zephyr looked at King's hatred-filled eyes with a heavy sympathy in his gaze.
King's confusion flickered. Then he slashed again.
But Zephyr didn't move.
Instead, he let out a sigh... and closed his eyes.
Just before the blade struck, a thunderous hum echoed across the sea. A black slash flew toward the deck at high speed.
"What?!"
Sensing the incoming strike, King twisted his blade sideways, blocking as best he could.
The slash tore through the rear of the Doghead warship, cleaving part of its hull before slamming into King's weapon.
Even at full defense, King was blasted off the ship, flying back toward the coastline.
"BOOM!"
The black slash carried King until he crashed into the shores of Riddridge Island, vanishing in a cloud of dust.
Back on the Doghead deck, Zephyr opened his eyes and turned to the sea behind the fleet.
There, a sleek, massive warship was swiftly closing in.
His face broke into a smile.
Then it froze.
Looking back toward the fallen King, his expression turned grave.
"That's... the Dawn. It's the Dawn battleship!"
"Yoriichi… Vice Admiral Yoriichi is here!"
On the shore, the Marines who had just landed couldn't even investigate the dust cloud when they saw the newly arrived battleship on the horizon. They erupted in cheers.
Garp glanced at the Dawn, then at the Doghead warship, now slowly sinking.
He clicked his tongue and muttered,
"That bastard... he destroyed my ship!"
"He'd better pay for it!"
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