Chapter 106: Pola's Firepower Coverage!
[The Deck of the Heavy Cruiser Pola]
Silence reigned on the steel deck, broken only by the soft lapping of waves against the hull and the distant, frantic shouts of the retreating Beasts Pirates.
Charlotte Katakuri stood frozen, his trident gripping tightly in his hand. Underneath his scarf, his mouth was dry.
He looked at the corpse of Jack the Drought, the man with a billion-berry bounty, lying dead with a single, insignificant scratch on his back. The black curse marks had stopped spreading, having consumed all life force.
Katakuri's mind raced, simulating a thousand scenarios with his Future Sight.
What if that strike had been aimed at me?
He visualized it. He saw himself dodging the blade with his Mochi body. But then... he saw Akame's presence disappearing. He saw a scratch. He saw his own heart stopping.
I rely on dodging. But she erases her presence. If she catches me off guard...
Katakuri dared not think further. A cold sweat trickled down his spine.
His bounty of 1.057 billion Berries was barely higher than Jack's. In terms of raw durability, Jack was an Ancient Zoan—a tank superior to Katakuri. If Jack died instantly, Katakuri's Moohi body wouldn't fare any better against a curse.
For the first time since he was a child, Katakuri felt truly vulnerable. He realized that he had vastly underestimated the strength of the Suzaku Pirates. They weren't just strong; they were lethal anomalies.
Just as his mind was reeling, Suzaku's light voice broke the silence.
"Well done, Akame."
The tone was casual and intimate, like a father praising a child who had finished their chores.
Akame nodded expressionlessly. She sheathed Murasame with a soft click. She stood silently behind him, wiping a speck of dust from her skirt, as if she had just casually swatted a fly rather than assassinated a Calamity.
"Can I eat now?" she whispered.
"Later," Suzaku smiled.
He turned his gaze toward the distant sea.
The massive Mammoth Ship—the flagship of Jack's fleet—had begun fleeing wildly.
Jack's sudden death had instantly terrified the formerly arrogant Beasts Pirates crew members. The sight of their invincible captain falling like a puppet with cut strings had shattered their morale.
They didn't even dare glance back at the corpse of their own high-ranking officer. They turned the ship around at the fastest speed of their lives, oars churning the water, sails fully deployed, desperately fleeing from the Pola.
"S-scared me to death! What was that?!" a pirate screamed from the crow's nest.
"Lord Jack... just... died? From a scratch?!"
"Run! Hurry and run! If we stay, that red-eyed demon will kill us all!"
"Don't worry! Our ship is fast! We have the wind! Their huge vessel is made of steel; it's too heavy to catch us!"
The crew members wailed and comforted themselves, a feeling of relief at having survived just beginning to rise in their chests. They were gaining distance. They were going to live.
Or so they thought.
Aboard the Pola, Rem frowned slightly. She stepped forward, her maid uniform fluttering in the wind.
"Lord Suzaku," she asked respectfully. "Do we need to pursue them? If we don't act soon, they will escape beyond visual range. I can fly the ship to intercept."
"Escape?"
Suzaku smiled. His expression carried the lazy, cruel amusement of a cat watching a mouse run into a dead end.
"On this vast ocean," Suzaku said, leaning on the railing, "battles between ships should naturally be left to the ships themselves. Chasing them manually is beneath us."
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
SNAP.
"Pola."
"I'm here, Commander~!"
A vibrant figure immediately jogged over from the bridge.
Pola, the ship girl, arrived with a bounce in her step. With her movements, the unreasonably magnificent scenery on her chest undulated like the waves of the ocean itself. Her purple hair flowed behind her, and her crimson eyes sparkled with eagerness.
"What are your instructions, Commander? Do you need a massage? A snack?"
Suzaku's gaze, being that of a healthy young man, honestly lingered on that specific "scenery" for a moment.
Stare.
The next instant, he felt a drop in temperature.
He felt the intense, burning stares of Albedo and Rem directed straight at the back of his head. It felt like two lasers drilling into his skull.
Cough.
Suzaku casually withdrew his gaze, clearing his throat loudly. He raised his hand, pointing at the pirate ship that was almost a black dot on the horizon.
"That ship," Suzaku said, his voice turning cold and professional. "It is an eyesore. It is entrusted to you."
"Destroy it, Pola."
"Understood, Commander!"
Pola gave a sweet, innocent smile and saluted smartly.
"Firepower coverage mission accepted! Engaging hostiles!"
The next second, the atmosphere around the girl changed.
HUMMMMM...
The entire Pola, massive as a floating island, emitted a low, vibrating hum. It was the sound of an awakened steel behemoth inhaling.
CLANK. CLANK. CLANK.
Hundreds of mechanical sounds echoed across the deck.
Hidden panels along the hull slid open. The four massive twin-turrets of 203mm main guns rotated with smooth, hydraulic precision. Secondary batteries of 100mm guns elevated. Torpedo tubes extended.
Every single weapon on the ship uniformly turned toward the same direction. They locked onto the desperately fleeing Mammoth Ship with radar-guided accuracy.
Katakuri's pupils constricted.
He had always believed that the ship's massive size was merely for comfort, luxury, and transport—a moving palace for a rich captain.
Only now did he understand.
This is not a ship at all. Katakuri realized, watching the barrels align. It is a mobile War Fortress. It is a weapon of mass destruction.
"Target locked!" Pola announced cheerfully. "Distance: 15 kilometers. Wind speed: negligible. Solution: Absolute Destruction!"
"Full salvo! Fire saturation!"
As Pola's clear shout rang out, doomsday arrived.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
There was no roar of individual shots. There was only a continuous, thunderous drumroll that shook the ocean floor.
A terrifying flash of light instantly turned the sky white, blinding everyone on deck for a split second.
Hundreds of shells, each containing terrifying explosive energy, erupted from the barrels. They trailed long plumes of white smoke, converging in the air into a destructive torrent of steel and fire.
It looked like a meteor shower traveling horizontally.
The shells screamed across the sky at supersonic speeds, closing the distance in seconds.
On the Mammoth Ship, the pirates looked back.
"What is th—"
KA-BOOM!!!
The first shell hit the main mast, vaporizing it.
The second hit the deck. The third hit the keel.
Then, the remaining ninety-seven shells arrived.
Astounding flashes of explosive fire erupted continuously, merging into a single sphere of annihilation.
Under the glare of the explosions, the massive Beasts Pirates ship—a vessel that had survived the New World's harshest storms—was given no chance to resist.
Wood shattered. Iron melted. Bodies were erased.
The ship didn't sink; it disintegrated.
A massive mushroom cloud of water and fire rose from the sea surface. When it cleared, there was nothing left.
No wreckage. No survivors. Only wisps of smoke and boiling water remained, proving that a ship had once been there.
"Mission accomplished!" Pola chirped, blowing a kiss to the smoke. "Target neutralized!"
The enormous commotion even woke up the crew members on Katakuri's ship who had been stunned by the Conqueror's Haki earlier. They groggily looked around, only to see a mushroom cloud on the horizon.
On the Pola, silence returned.
Katakuri stared at the empty sea. He felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind.
That range... that accuracy... that power.
If Big Mom's fleet engaged this ship at sea... they would be annihilated before they could even board.
"Captain Suzaku," Katakuri said, his voice stiff. He turned to Suzaku, bowing deeply—not out of politeness, but out of a desperate need to leave before he, too, became a target.
"I will take my leave now. Totto Land's Tea Party awaits your arrival! We shall prepare the... grandest welcome."
"Sure," Suzaku waved his hand, sipping his tea. "See you there."
Katakuri could no longer maintain his composure. He almost frantically turned around, jumping off the Pola and landing on his own candy ship.
"Set sail! Immediately!" Katakuri barked at his waking navigators. "Maximum speed! Get us out of here!"
"Brother! What happened? What was that explosion just now?"
As soon as his sister, Galette, woke up and saw him return, she rushed over. Her face was filled with lingering terror from the Haki blast she had suffered earlier.
"Did we fight? Did we win?"
Katakuri did not answer immediately. He stood at the stern, watching the steel monster recede into the distance.
Not until the massive silhouette of the Pola completely disappeared beyond the horizon did he finally seem to shed a heavy burden. He let out a long, ragged sigh, his shoulders slumping.
"Brother?" Galette asked, concerned.
Katakuri's eyes were still somewhat unfocused. He murmured softly, as if speaking to his sister, yet also to himself:
"...Too dangerous. That man... that ship... We absolutely cannot make enemies of them."
This was the only thought in his mind right now.
"What exactly happened, Katakuri Nii-san!" Galette demanded, shaking his arm. "Why are we running? Where are the Beasts Pirates?"
She had never seen her omnipotent brother show such an expression of vulnerability.
Katakuri closed his eyes, recalling the scene that had completely shattered his understanding of the world's power balance.
"While you were unconscious," Katakuri said quietly, "Jack the Drought... came."
"Jack? The Calamity?" Galette gasped. "Where is he?"
"He boarded their ship."
Katakuri opened his eyes. They were cold.
"And he died."
"What?" Galette blinked. "You mean they fought him off?"
"No," Katakuri shook his head. "I mean he died. Instantly. Right in front of me. Killed by a single scratch from a subordinate."
"Wha... What?"
Galette covered her mouth in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Brother, you... you didn't see wrong, did you? That's Jack! He's an Ancient Zoan! He's a tank! He fought the Minks for days without sleeping!"
"I saw it with my Future Sight," Katakuri said grimly. "He didn't even know he was dead until he hit the floor."
He looked at the empty sea where the Mammoth ship used to be.
"And his ship... vaporized in seconds by that steel cruiser."
Looking at his sister's shocked face, Katakuri turned his head, gazing toward the direction of Whole Cake Island. A hint of bitter self-mockery played on his face beneath the scarf.
Yes... Even he, who had witnessed it firsthand, still couldn't believe it.
But the fear was real.
He spoke slowly, his voice carrying an unprecedented solemnity that silenced the entire deck.
"Galette. Pass on my order to the Den Den Mushi room."
"Notify Mama. Notify Perospero. Notify all our brothers and sisters."
Katakuri gripped the railing.
"The Totto Land Tea Party... must welcome the Suzaku Pirates with the highest level of courtesy. We treat them as equals to Whitebeard or Kaido."
He paused, then added word by word, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
"Furthermore... inform them that under no circumstances... must they ever oppose the Suzaku Pirates. If they do... Totto Land will burn."
Galette nodded, shivering.
High above them, unnoticed by the retreating pirates, several News Coos flapped their wings rapidly. They carried cameras, and they had seen everything.
They turned away from the scene, flying toward the News Headquarters, carrying the scoop that would shake the New World once again.
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