Elsewhere on the battlefield, the pirates at the perimeter were no match for the Marines. They suffered heavy casualties, their lines completely shattered under the Navy's assault.
Yet even the Marines hesitated as they approached the chaos at the main street entrance. The sheer devastation, the booming echoes, and the lingering aftershocks of raw power made them wary of stepping into the domain where monsters clashed. Instead, they began to circle around through side streets and alleys.
But fate had other plans—they ran headlong into Oliver's pirate alliance.
And this wasn't the ragtag group of a few hundred from earlier. Oliver had since merged with the main pirate forces scattered throughout the town. Now, they numbered in the thousands.
Thus, combat broke out across the narrow alleys and side streets. Gunfire and cannon blasts roared, blades clashed in a deadly symphony—and every passing second claimed another life.
Oliver himself was like a force of nature, holding his ground against two Headquarters Captains singlehandedly. It was a heated and ferocious battle.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sching! Sching! Sching! Sching!
In a small alleyway, three figures were locked in deadly combat. Sparks flew in all directions as the ring of steel echoed through the air. With every slash, walls cracked and the ground split open, creating fissures all around. Neither Marines nor pirates dared to get close—one misstep could mean being cleaved in two.
"Two-Sword Style—Garuda Slash!"
A massive spectral bird flashed by in an instant, blinding everyone with its speed.
Buildings towering over thirteen feet were sliced clean in half. The thunderous collapse of rubble widened the battlefield, revealing a shocking expanse of devastation.
Oliver stood, breathing heavily. His expression was grim. Blood streamed from multiple wounds across his body, leaving his face pale.
Across from him stood two Marines, both clad in justice-emblazoned coats—one wielding a katana, the other a jitte. Both were Headquarters Captains, yet even they were in worse shape than Oliver, their bodies riddled with wounds.
"What's going on? Why did the noise over there suddenly stop?"
The three fighters exchanged puzzled glances.
"Could the battle... be over?"
Without a word, they all pulled back, calling for their allies still fighting nearby. They rushed toward the main battlefield.
Thud, thud, thud, thud...
A cacophony of hurried footsteps approached the mouth of the main street. Dust and smoke filled the air as a massive crowd surged forward.
But upon closer look, it was clear the newcomers were split into two camps. On one side stood the Marines, clad in standard blue-and-white uniforms, wielding regulation sabers and rifles. The other was a haphazard mob—pirates from across the East Blue, each armed with whatever weapon they had, their attire wildly varied.
"What happened here?"
"Are those... monsters?"
"Can humans really wield power ?"
The main street had become a wasteland. The surrounding buildings were leveled into rubble, the ground resembling a meteor-blasted landscape—pockmarked with craters and deep gashes from titanic sword strikes.
Those unaware of what had just occurred stared in disbelief. Those who were aware were even more shaken. Especially the pirates—they had never witnessed power on this level.
Oliver and the crew of the Chris Pirates turned pale as they saw Aeridar, their captain, lying near the center of a massive crater. He looked like he'd been embedded into the ground, grievously wounded.
From the Marines' side came gasps of alarm. No one had expected such an overwhelming display of strength from a mere East Blue pirate. Even with two Rear Admirals fighting together, the result had been this—a mutual defeat.
Both sides rushed to retrieve their fallen commanders.
"Cough... hurry... can't... let them... cough... Justice... will... prevail... kil—kill..."
Evans, barely conscious, clutched the arm of a nearby Marine Captain. Before he could finish his sentence, his head lolled to the side, and he passed out.
"..." Several Marines exchanged glances. The sight of both Rear Admirals in such dire condition left them shaken.
On the other side, Aeridar also clung to consciousness, weakly grabbing Oliver's arm.
"Re... treat... can't... hold... Loguetown..."
He too fell unconscious before finishing his plea.
Oliver's face darkened. He handed Aeridar over to his men.
"Get him out of here. Now."
"Kill them all—leave no survivors!" barked a Marine Captain wielding a katana.
"Eradicate these vile pirates!" shouted another, long-haired Captain.
Galvanized by their superior officers, the Marines surged forward once more.
Not to be outdone, more than a dozen pirate captains led their crews into the fray, clashing head-on with the Navy forces.
"Damn it, Captain Kuro, we can't hold this—fall back!" Oliver grabbed a younger captain wearing cat-paw bladed gloves, urgency in his voice.
The man had slicked-back hair, glasses, and a tailored suit. He kept adjusting his spectacles with a flick of his wrist.
Had Aeridar been conscious, he would have recognized him instantly: the original Black Cat Pirates captain—Kuro, who once infiltrated the mansion of Kaya in Syrup Village under the alias Klahadore, pretending to be her loyal butler for three years in order to steal her fortune and live in luxury.
He was younger now, less refined than the man who would later be wanted for 16 million Berries—currently, his bounty was only 10 million. But his intellect was already well-known, second only to Ben Beckman of the Red-Haired Pirates. If Aeridar had been awake, he would've tried to recruit him on the spot.
"I figured as much," Kuro muttered, pushing his glasses up with a displeased expression. "But I had to try."
He turned away with a flick of his coat. "Our ship's on the East Shore. Let's move."
"A wise man makes the smart choice." Oliver wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, glanced once at the chaos behind them, and turned to leave.
Soon, Oliver's forces and Kuro's Black Cat Pirates arrived at the East Shore. The fighting there was still intense—Arlan was holding a Marine Captain at bay, but couldn't finish him off. Another Captain was being stalled by Gorbo and Dimitri.
"Oliver! What happened to the captain?!" Arlan shouted as he saw Aeridar being carried on a stretcher by First Division members.
A massive sword slash forced back the Marine Captain fighting Arlan. Oliver rushed to his side, face grim.
"No time to explain. Get to the ship. Now!"
"Got it!" Arlan didn't ask questions. He nodded and bolted for the ship.
The Marine Captain tried to give chase.
"You're not getting away!"
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Oliver unleashed a flurry of slashes, each one massive and powerful. He kept the Marines at bay with sheer force.
Gorbo and Dimitri exchanged a glance. After forcing back their opponents, they retreated toward the Chris.
With both the Chris Pirates and Black Cat Pirates withdrawing, the rest of the pirate fleet—now lacking support—began to fall under the relentless naval onslaught. Pirate ships were sunk one after another by Marine battleships, and their situation grew increasingly desperate.
The Navy didn't bother chasing the retreating crews. Instead, they tightened their encirclement, crushing the remaining pirate forces, limiting their chances of escape. The more cunning pirates broke out through weak points, managing to flee Loguetown.
Some, like the Krieg Pirates and Buggy Pirates, managed to escape—though they did so at great cost.
Others failed—either wiped out entirely or forced to retreat with heavy casualties.
Thus, on May 2nd, Year 1512 of the Sea Circle Calendar, the first squadron of the East Blue Cleansing Fleet officially cleared all pirate forces from Loguetown. Over twenty pirate crews were annihilated, three thousand enemies killed, more than a thousand captured, and over twenty ships sunk.
But the Marines paid dearly for their victory.
Both Rear Admirals were critically wounded—neither expected Aeridar to end in a draw with them. All six Headquarters Captains suffered injuries—three of them heavily wounded by members of the Chris Pirates. Elite forces sustained over a thousand casualties, and six warships were damaged—two of which, third-class vessels, required full drydock overhauls.
Even Loguetown's local garrison, under Captain Paras, saw over 90% casualties, and three Marine ships were sunk—two of them by Oliver and the Chris' cannons.
Access 40+ Chapters in advance on my : .com / JuanFiction