"Kōjin!!"
A roar echoed, torn away by the howling wind.
Kōjin's body barely trembled. The bloody hole in his forehead healed faster than a blink, and a deformed bullet was forced out of his skull, clattering onto the deck with a metallic ding.
He moved swiftly, the action purely instinctive, ducking down to take cover behind the ship's shattered railing.
"I'm fine!" Taking a ragged breath, Kōjin shouted back.
Not far away, Saul, hiding near the stern, finally let out a heavy sigh of relief before yelling again: "Where's Rear Admiral Jerry?!"
"He's dead. A bullet went right between the eyes!"
Kōjin glanced to the side. His superior officer still stood upright, posture rigid and proud, but utterly lifeless. Kōjin inhaled deeply before replying.
The mood aboard the ship shifted instantly, the air growing thick and cold.
"Dead…?" Saul froze.
A suffocating tension spread across the battleship. Even as everyone tried to stay hidden, muffled groans kept ringing out, proof that more and more comrades were being hit. Kōjin soon noticed that the man at the helm had also been shot, his limp body slumped forward, blood dripping steadily onto the floor.
"The ship's… not moving!" A chill ran down Kōjin's spine.
"Saul, cover me! I'm taking the helm!"
A loud voice shouted those words. Kōjin looked up just in time to see Shinbu leap forward, landing beside the wheel. At the same moment, Saul roared like a mountain come alive, stepping before Shinbu and swinging his massive blade.
The sharp sound of deflected bullets filled the air as Saul blocked shots coming from all directions.
The battleship lurched, turning rapidly on the sea as it began to move again.
"Thud-thud-thud!"
But the enemy's numbers were simply overwhelming. Blood sprayed across Saul's body as bullets riddled him. He guarded his vital spots with his two swords, holding out for barely a minute before collapsing with a heavy boom.
Kōjin pressed his lips together, then suddenly stood up. What he saw next made his pupils contract violently. The massive pirate fleet was now almost upon them. Under the dark, thunder-filled sky, it was a scene straight out of despair.
Countless pirates were laughing madly, staring at them with cold, mocking eyes. The sea and sky were filled with skull flags and gigantic pirate ships stretching beyond the horizon.
It was unimaginable. The Flying Sky Pirates led by Golden Lion Shiki, one of the legendary Three Great Pirates of the Seas, had appeared, creating a scene so grand and dreadful it stole his breath.
"Shinbu! I'll take over, hide yourself!" Drawing in a deep breath, Kōjin roared, stepping up beside Shinbu.
The latter hesitated, glanced down at the blood soaking his abdomen, and nodded weakly before moving aside. The brief skirmish had already devastated the ship; the wounded and dead officers were beyond count. Only a few comrades remained.
"Roar!"
"Slaughter these bastards!"
"Look at them! Trembling in fear, panicking like lost rats!"
"Hahahahahaha!!"
Their jeers came clearer on the sea wind.
Kōjin gritted his teeth, eyes cold as he stared at the ocean ahead, a boundless wave of pirate ships filling the world. Then he saw him. A tall, commanding figure standing proudly at the bow of the flagship, arms crossed as he looked down on them like a king.
His body was powerful and majestic, golden hair flowing wildly like a lion's mane, nearly touching the deck behind him.
At a glance, he looked every bit a proud and domineering lion, radiating sheer Haki.
It was none other than Golden Lion Shiki.
Kōjin suddenly jerked the helm hard. The battleship tilted sharply, plowing through the waves toward the weakest point in the enemy formation. At the same moment, among Shiki's forces, a man with a rifle and a scope over one eye stared in disbelief at the moving Marine ship.
"My shot definitely hit him!"
"It did. That brat's probably a Devil Fruit user."
His companion nodded grimly. He too had seen the bullet strike that boy's forehead, saw him fall, yet now, the same boy stood alive and unharmed. Clearly, he possessed some extraordinary ability.
High above, aboard the enormous flagship, "They're trying to break through!"
"The distance is only five hundred meters now, we can easily capture those little rats!"
"What do you say, Boss Shiki? Should we let the boys have some fun?"
Laughter rippled across the officers as they turned their eyes toward that towering, lion-maned figure standing at the bow.
"Jihahahaha!! Now's not the time for games! I'm going to find Roger!"
Golden Lion Shiki laughed wildly as he looked down upon the tiny Marine battleship below, which looked like a mere speck before his colossal flying fleet.
"We've been chasing him across this sea for three days now!"
"And still haven't caught him!"
"What a slippery bastard."
Narrowing his sharp golden eyes, Shiki stared across the horizon.
Suddenly, a black speck appeared in the distance. At that same moment, the keen-eyed officers beside him burst out in excitement.
"It's the Roger Pirates!"
"We've found them again!"
"They've shown up right inside our encirclement zone!"
The officers' faces lit up with energy and adrenaline.
"Jihahahaha! Listen up, you lot! Go all out, surround Roger's ship!" Golden Lion Shiki roared with laughter as he commanded. "As for those few little Marine rats… their fate depends on luck."
He gave the Marine battleship below only a single, disinterested glance, and then ignored them completely. A moment later, the massive Flying Sky Pirate Fleet shifted course as one, veering toward that lone black speck on the horizon: Roger's ship.
From Kōjin's deck, the Marines could only watch in shock as the overwhelming pirate armada, the very same force that had nearly annihilated them, suddenly turned and withdrew.
Their comrades exchanged uncertain looks, and many let out long, shuddering sighs of relief.
But soon, they saw it too, the unlucky ship that had appeared in the pirates' path.
"That flag…!"
"It's the Roger Pirates!"
"I didn't expect them to appear here of all places."
Hearing the murmurs around him, Kōjin looked ahead.
A dense swarm of pirate ships was closing in on the black speck, replaying the same terrifying sight they themselves had just endured. When the Marines had faced the Flying Sky Pirates, they'd felt only despair and suffocation.
But what about Roger…?
"Prepare for a breakout, Kōjin, we're not out of danger yet!" Five pirate ships are still chasing us!"
Shinbu forced himself to stand and spoke with a hoarse voice.
Kōjin nodded grimly. He, too, could see the five pirate ships closing in from behind.
"Five ships…" He murmured under his breath, eyes narrowing sharply.
"Prepare for battle! Rear Admiral Jerry is dead, but every one of you is a battle-hardened Marine veteran! Move! The enemy is within our artillery range! Load the cannons, fire!!"
As the distance closed, thunderous cannonfire erupted. Deafening booms shook the air as shells exploded around them, sending huge plumes of seawater skyward.
But within just five seconds, the crushing pressure and despair returned. The enemy's numbers were greater, their firepower overwhelming. Within moments of the exchange, the rear of the battleship was struck directly, bursting into flames.
"Stern's been hit! Prepare for boarding combat!" Shinbu drew his longblade and shouted.
Kōjin scanned his surroundings. Every surviving officer was drawing their weapon. Their faces were grim, but their eyes shone with resolve, not fear.
They were ready to die.
Kōjin bit his lip, then suddenly turned toward the blazing stern. Through the roaring flames, he could see the pirates approaching, faces twisted in madness, grinning with bloodlust.
Their cruel laughter echoed over the sea, and the glint of drawn blades flashed in the sunlight.
Raising his gaze, Kōjin could see that the distant Flying Sky Pirate Fleet had already left them behind, surrounding the dark silhouette of Roger's ship.
He drew in a long, steady breath.
"Haa…" Then, his eyes snapped open.
"BANG!"
In that instant, a powerful, domineering aura erupted from him, a surge of pure will, sweeping forward like a storm, spreading in a fan-shaped wave that struck directly toward the five pursuing pirate ships.
(End of Chapter)
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