Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! ...
As soon as the pirate ship on the port side came to a stop at such close range, the gunners aboard the Gigiriel seized the opportunity. In a matter of minutes, they unleashed a fierce barrage, hammering the immobilized ship with over a dozen cannonballs—nearly sinking it on the spot.
"Captain, what the hell is that thing?!"
"Damn it, don't tell me it's some kind of Devil Fruit power!"
"Cutting a mast that thick from this distance? That's insane!"
On the middle ship, pirates were screaming in panic, scrambling in every direction across the deck.
One of the loudest among them—a flashy punk-styled pirate—was suddenly sent flying six meters back. His chest had caved in, blood gushing from his mouth. Judging by the state of him, there was no saving his life.
"You idiots! It's just a strong swordsman. Doesn't even have a sword," growled Captain Broo, smashing the loudest pirate's skull in with a swing of his spiked club. His hideous face was contorted with fury. Unlike these ignorant fools, Broo had seen a few things in his day. He bellowed, "You morons, he's just a brat! How strong could he possibly be?! Get up there and kill him—I'll crush that little punk's skull myself!"
"Long live the captain! Kill them all!"
"Understood! We'll wipe them out!"
"Captain, I'll be the first on board!"
Fired up by their captain's words, the pirates roared with renewed bloodlust. Wielding sabers, spears, and pistols, they opened fire on the Gigiriel, showering it with bullets and sparks. Crew members dropped under the barrage.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
But the crew of the Gigiriel fought back just as viciously, gunning down waves of attackers in return.
From over a hundred meters away, a brutal firefight erupted. The ships rapidly closed the gap, smoke thickening in the air, the scent of gunpowder choking the decks. Bullet holes riddled every mast and railing, and blood painted the boards red.
Even with the sea rocking beneath them, the short distance made it easy to aim. Casualties piled up quickly. Within moments, each side had lost over twenty men.
In a flash, the distance vanished. The two ships of the Broo Pirates closed in from both sides, pinning the Gigiriel in the middle. Less than three meters apart now.
Hooks and grappling ropes flew out, latching onto the Gigiriel's railing. Pirates swarmed up with ladders or ropes, climbing under cover fire as the Gigiriel towered above them.
"Slaughter them all!"
"Take everything they've got!"
"Feed them to the fish!"
"Cover fire! Kill these bastards!"
One side driven by greed, the other by the instinct to survive.
Both fought savagely for their cause. Cannons roared. Swords clashed. Flesh tore. Limbs flew. The Gigiriel's deck became a slaughterhouse. Everyone had gone mad, hacking at each other like demons in hell.
"The color of blood... so beautiful. And the smell... intoxicating."
Breathing in the metallic tang of the air, Aeridar's once-sunny face twisted into something deranged. His body trembled with excitement.
"Hahaha—I'll kill you all!!"
With a manic laugh, Aeridar vanished from sight in a blur.
A blond-haired pirate had just set foot on the Gigiriel's deck when he felt a searing pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw a gaping 20-centimeter hole straight through him. His insides were gone. Through the wound, he could see his own ship behind him.
Before the words could leave his mouth, he toppled backward into the sea.
And he wasn't the only one. Pirates who made it onto the Gigiriel's deck found themselves hit by sudden gusts, glimpses of a shadow, and then—holes through their chests, shattered bodies, or clean cuts that left them in two pieces.
"What the hell is that?!"
"A demon! Get away from me!"
"Show yourself, coward! I'll gut you!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dozens dropped in an instant. Many didn't even see their killer. Panic spread like wildfire. Some pirates dropped to their knees, paralyzed with fear. Others screamed, blindly firing their weapons or swinging blades in every direction.
"Hahaha—DIE! Impact Wave!"
Aeridar suddenly reappeared at the prow, driving a fist toward the starboard ship. The air around him warped, exploding outward in visible shockwaves—a pale, transparent pulse rippling like a tidal wave.
Terror filled the eyes of a hundred pirates as the shockwave slammed into their ship.
It was as if a giant's fist had punched straight through them. Wood splinters flew. A three-meter-wide hole ripped through the deck, tearing all the way to the lower level—nearly punching through the entire ship.
Over twenty pirates were instantly killed or maimed. Their weapons shattered in their hands.
"H-He's... he's not human..."
"How can someone like that exist?!"
"Nope. I'm going home. Screw this."
"H-He's gotta be... a Devil Fruit user!"
"You bastard! You... actually damaged my ship!"
A grotesque pirate, over two meters tall and covered in rolls of fat, snarled from his ship's bow, eyes glinting with fear.
"He's... that strong? That shockwave... a Devil Fruit ability?"
Captain Jaron, having just cut down an ambusher, narrowed his eyes at the lingering pulse of energy, his heart pounding.
"Heh heh heh... 16 million bounty 'Head Buster' Broo," Aeridar cackled, pointing a finger.
"Captain Broo, it's an honor. I'll be borrowing your head now."
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