Captain Paras gasped, momentarily stunned with disbelief.
He had assumed the most wanted pirate in the East Blue would target the two Rear Admirals from Headquarters—but instead, the enemy struck his defensive position. This attack hit the Navy's weak point like a dagger straight into the heart.
Suddenly, a visible shockwave burst from a side alley to the right, crashing into the street. Dozens of Marines were swept up in the air, tossed like ragdolls by the invisible force.
Some slammed into walls, others crashed to the pavement, and some were flung all the way into the alleys beyond—blood spraying from their mouths and noses, bones shattered on impact.
"That's... a shockwave!"
Captain Paras's eyes went wide in horror. For a second, he thought it was Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself—but then he remembered.
"The one who can unleash shockwaves like that... Chris T. Aeridar!"
Moments later, a wave of pirates surged out from the alley and side streets—howling, shrieking, wild-eyed with bloodlust and hatred.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Dozens—hundreds—of pirates flooded the main street, guns blazing as they opened fire on the Marines.
"Damn Navy bastards! Kill them all!"
"Follow Golden Ring Aeridar-sama! Charge!!"
"Eat shit, you worthless dogs in white!"
Behind the gunners came another wave—pirates wielding swords, axes, and all manner of crude weapons. They screamed like demons, charging forward, weapons raised high, slashing at everything in their path.
Captain Paras's mind reeled. How had the tides turned so suddenly? His entire defensive line was now overrun. Shaking off his daze, he roared:
"Scum of the sea, DIE!!"
The wind whipped his justice cloak as he drew his blade and leapt into the fray. With a flick of his right leg—
A crescent-shaped blue-white slash tore through the air.
Blood sprayed. Seven—no, eight pirates were sliced clean in half at the waist. Brutal. Merciless.
Sparks exploded as metal struck metal, the ringing echoing through the street.
All around, Marines and pirates alike dropped their weapons and clutched their ears, writhing in pain from the deafening clash.
Captain Paras's downward slash had been intercepted by a katana. He looked up.
A man stood before him—hooked nose, thin lips curled into a sinister smile. His white coat flared as he bared his chest, revealing a long scar across his torso. Tight black pants, heavy black boots.
"Oliver... Dual sword style swordsman of the Chris Pirates. Bounty: 20 million berries," Paras growled through gritted teeth.
"Heh. What an honor—you actually recognize me,"
Oliver licked his lips with a predatory grin. Pressing his left-hand katana against the Marine's blade, he raised his right sword—Nagamitsu—and brought it down in a savage arc.
"Captain Paras... your life is mine!"
"You've got that backwards!"
Paras twisted away just in time, dodging the strike and counterattacking.
CLANG! CLANG-CLANG! CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
Blades clashed in a furious exchange. Though only a Captain, Paras hailed from Navy Headquarters—his strength was formidable. Sparks flew with every collision of steel.
"Two-Sword Style: Winged Slash!"
Oliver crossed his blades like wings, then brought them crashing down like a hawk descending on its prey.
Twin slashes of blue-white energy screamed through the air toward Paras.
"Cheap tricks! Spiral Blade!"
Eyes blazing, Paras spun his blade rapidly with both hands—
A spiraling slash of energy erupted from his sword.
Smoke and debris filled the air. Behind Oliver, the ground caved in, leaving a massive crater marked with spiral grooves—as if a giant drill had bored into the earth.
Behind Paras, a four-story building had been bisected vertically—clean as glass, without a single jagged edge.
Paras glared at Oliver, seething.
Before he could finish, two bloody gashes tore open across his chest. His coat soaked red in an instant. He stared in disbelief.
"How... how is that even possible..."
He collapsed, unmoving.
"Not bad for a Navy Captain from Headquarters,"
Oliver muttered, glancing at the torn sleeve on his left arm.
He had come this close—had he not reacted faster, that spiral slash would have turned him into paste.
"Heh... Oliver, not bad," came a drawling voice.
Chris T. Aeridar strolled casually through the battlefield, unfazed by the carnage. He walked up beside Oliver, then casually extended a hand—grasping at empty air as if catching something invisible.
And then, with a flick—
A newly formed Marine formation exploded, as if struck by a cannonball. The air warped, a powerful shockwave rippling outward in all directions. Over a dozen Marines were hurled through the air. The entire squad formation crumbled in an instant.
That simple gesture? Aeridar had compressed the air in his palm into a near-solid Impact Bomb, created purely through his mastery of shockwave manipulation. When released, its explosive force far surpassed that of a 24-pound naval cannon.
"N-No! We're in trouble!"
"Captain—Captain Paras is down!"
"Captain Paras was defeated by the pirate Oliver!"
"Chris T. Aeridar is here too!"
Panic spread like wildfire. Marines looked upon the fallen Captain, then at Aeridar walking calmly down the street—and when they saw him obliterate their formation with a flick of his wrist, they broke ranks and fled in terror.
"They're already running?"
Aeridar blinked, then frowned in annoyance.
"Tch. These guys are no fun at all."
The air around him hummed. A low, ominous vibration filled the streets.
A massive ring-shaped shockwave erupted from Aeridar, tearing down the main street toward the port. It stretched for hundreds of meters, the sheer force gouging deep trenches into the pavement.
"W-What the hell is this?!"
Over two hundred Marines were consumed by the blast. Even the ironclad cannons were torn from their mounts and flung aside like toys. The street was devastated—anything not bolted down was ripped away by the storm.
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