Cannon fire thundered across Loguetown as chaos reigned. Pirates and Marines clashed violently throughout the town; bodies littered the streets, blood flowed like rivers. It was nothing short of a hellish slaughterhouse.
"Damn it! The Navy got here way too fast!" Oliver growled through clenched teeth, ducking into a narrow alley. His face was streaked with soot and grime, his twin katanas still dripping with blood. At his feet lay the mangled bodies of over a dozen Marine soldiers. Just behind him, the alley was packed wall-to-wall with pirates—members of the Chris Pirates, every one of them on edge and crammed shoulder to shoulder.
They had been advancing toward Central Plaza when Marine artillery blindsided them. Half the street had been engulfed in shellfire. More than ten crewmates had been killed or maimed. Fortunately, Aeridar and Oliver had reacted quickly—intercepting incoming shells and leading a retreat into the maze-like alleyways, where they wiped out a Marine recon team.
"This was their plan all along—ambush Loguetown in a surprise attack," Aeridar muttered coldly, leaning against the wall. His expression was grim; losing more than a dozen crewmates in an instant hit hard. The last time they tangled with the Navy, casualties were about the same—but that had been a full campaign.
Aeridar had already guessed it: the Marines bombarding the main street had to be the original garrison stationed at Loguetown Fortress. Using their familiarity with the town, they had penetrated deep inside, launched a precise shelling of the main street, and then rapidly deployed troops to sever the connection between pirate groups at the town center and those on the outskirts. Their goal wasn't just division—it was annihilation of the pirate coalition.
After all, dozens of pirate crews had converged on Loguetown—thousands of men. If they managed to unite and fight back with everything they had, they might not defeat the Navy outright, but they'd inflict serious damage. And right now, with the Navy stretching its forces thin across the world, every casualty counted.
A disaster here would cripple the East Blue Sweep Fleet—leaving only a single squadron to police a sea this vast. That would be a joke. Pirates would swarm like sharks smelling blood. The World Government and the Navy couldn't afford such a humiliation—not politically, not strategically.
"Captain, what now?" Oliver asked, glancing around the alley's mouth, dual blades at the ready. "Do we break through to link up with the other crews, or retreat toward the beach?"
Aeridar furrowed his brow in thought. After a moment, he said, "Forget the beach. The Navy's not focused there—they're hitting Loguetown head-on, especially the main street. The shoreline's packed with pirate ships and cannons. If they band together and use the terrain right, they'll hold out."
"Yeah, makes sense. Most of the top pirate crews are in town anyway," Oliver nodded. "The ones by the beach are mostly lookouts and reserves. Unless Loguetown's completely taken and we're all wiped out, no one's abandoning those vessels. The only ones that'll sink are the ones the Navy torches."
"Exactly. So if we're not running to the shore, we fight." Aeridar's voice sharpened with purpose. "The main street is critical. It connects most of the town, and it's wide enough for moving cannons, supplies, everything. That's why the Navy made it their priority—and why it's crawling with pirates too."
He spoke with calm intensity—years of reading war novels and watching tactical films weren't for nothing.
"So here's the play: we hit the Marines blocking the main street. We destroy their cannons. If we can open up that chokepoint, the scattered pirate crews inside and outside the city can link up again. We might not win the upper hand, but at least we won't stay isolated and get picked off one by one."
Oliver let out a low laugh. "Heh, crafty bastards. I wonder whose idea this was. They're fighting dirty, I'll give 'em that." He scowled. "But are we doing this alone? No way the town garrison is that small. If they were, the pirates would've wiped them out ages ago."
"No choice. We make our name known—pull in scattered pirates under our banner. With our strength combined, you and I could wipe out a Marine force of a thousand, easy," Aeridar grinned, wicked and confident, sliding on his signature metal gauntlets with slow deliberation.
"Heh... That look of yours is damn ugly, Captain," Oliver smirked, twirling his blades with a flourish, clearly enjoying the banter.
"Tch." Aeridar's mouth twitched as he turned away with a dismissive scoff. Then he barked out to the men, "Brothers! Let's show them who we are—raise our name high and slaughter those bastards!"
"Yeah! Kill the Marines!"
"We're the strongest in the East Blue!"
"We're the damn Chris Pirates!"
A chorus of savage roars erupted as the pirates brandished swords, guns, and axes—grinning with bloodlust, eyes gleaming with the thrill of battle.
Aeridar surged forward, leading the way.
"CHARGE!" Oliver followed, and the entire alley erupted in a mad, screaming rush.
Under their command, the 100-odd crew cut through Marine patrols one after another. Along the way, they absorbed another 200 pirates—remnants of other scattered crews.
These newcomers had all been hit hard by Marine shelling and sudden assaults. Separated, disorganized, and outnumbered, they had no chance of holding their ground. The Navy had routed them like dogs.
From them, Aeridar gleaned critical intel: the Marines in the town were indeed the former Loguetown garrison, roughly 800 strong, equipped with over twenty 8-pounder and 12-pounder cannons. Their commanding officer? Captain Paras—a Navy HQ officer.
After smashing through the pirate lines at the center, Paras' main force had pulled back to the main street and set up a fortified defensive position. They'd also dispatched multiple patrols and recon units to sweep the surrounding areas.
At the center of the main street, the Marines had entrenched themselves. Cannons were arrayed front and back, sealing off access from both ends.
"C-Captain! Trouble incoming!"
Suddenly, a bloodied Marine stumbled out from a side alley, collapsing at the feet of his comrades. His terrified screams drew everyone's attention.
"What's with the panic? I'm here!" A massive figure in a Justice coat appeared in a flash, catching the staggering soldier before he fell. "What happened?"
"Captain Paras.... pirates... lots of them! They're coming this way!" The soldier clung to him, eyes wide with panic.
This was Paras, Captain of the Loguetown Garrison, dispatched by Marine Headquarters.
"What!? Pirates!? I thought we'd scattered them!" Paras' face twisted in shock as he grabbed the soldier's arm. "Who are they!?"
"I-It's the Chris Pirates, sir! Leading them is the 40 million bounty 'Golden Ring' Aeridar and the 20 million bounty dual-blade swordsman Oliver!"
The soldier's voice cracked as he spoke, trembling as if repeating a death sentence.
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