As the mighty fleet transported the 'One Piece', Akainu and Shiryu were stationed on the lead battleship. Kizaru guarded the rearmost ship. Sengoku and Garp held the left and right flanks respectively. And hidden among the cargo ships at the center was CP0.
"Straighten up, Shiryu!"
Akainu barked as he saw Shiryu lazily leaning on the railing. Intimidated by the Sakazuki's strength and authority, Shiryu straightened up slightly.
Ever since becoming Vice-Admiral Akainu's adjutant, Shiryu had been feeling a strange mix of pain and pleasure.
The pleasure came from how Akainu never cared how many pirates he killed. In fact, Akainu often killed even more ruthlessly than he did—a single magma fist would obliterate everything in its path.
Honestly, it suited him just fine. If only he were allowed to kill a few Marines now and then, that would make it perfect. But he didn't dare—unless a Marine deserted in battle, then maybe.
The pain, however, was that the man was just too serious. No sense of humor whatsoever. Constantly scolding him for 'not acting like a soldier'.
Worst of all, he couldn't talk back like he used to with Magellan.
The sheer pressure radiating from Akainu—and that terrifying personality—was enough to make anyone hesitate. Shiryu had no doubt that if he ever dared to talk back, that magma fist would come crashing straight at him.
"Vice Admiral Akainu, we didn't see a single pirate crew dare to approach us on the way here. Isn't this a bit much?" Shiryu said helplessly, though his tone clearly carried a note of submission.
Truth be told, he'd had high hopes for the pirates in this so-called 'New World', expecting to kill to his heart's content along the way.
But to his surprise, every pirate ship they encountered had steered clear the moment they spotted the massive fleet of ten Navy Headquarters-class warships. And Sengoku had issued strict orders: no pursuit. Their priority was to reach Laugh Tale and retrieve the ONE PIECE as soon as possible.
Which, in hindsight, made sense. Who in their right mind would pick a fight with such a massive fleet without any gain to be had?
Still, it had left Shiryu utterly bored.
"Idiot!"
Sakazuki didn't hold back. "The entire world knows we're escorting two full ships of treasure—and it's being broadcast live! You think now is the same as before?"
"Live broadcast?"
By now, Shiryu was used to being insulted. What could he do? He couldn't beat him in a fight, and once in a while, he still got to indulge in a good slaughter. So instead, his attention turned to the keyword.
"So that means… pirates targeting the treasure will be swarming in any moment!" His eyes lit up, a dangerous crimson gleam of bloodlust flashing in his pupils.
Sakazuki shot him a side glance, then turned his gaze back to the sea horizon, warning in a low, steady voice: "Don't let your guard down. The pirates in this part of the sea are a different breed from the ones in the first half."
"I know that~"
Shiryu had already heard plenty about the pirates of the 'New World'. Not only were their bounties insanely high, but many of them were Devil Fruit users, master swordsmen—and most importantly, the majority could wield both Armament and Observation Haki.
...
Elsewhere, on the deck of the warship on the right flank, Sengoku's eyes suddenly narrowed.
"They're here!"
On the left-side battleship, Garp also raised an eyebrow. Silently, he slipped the bag of rice crackers into the pocket of his Justice coat and started loosening up his arms.
Behind him, Rear Admiral Bogard remained in meditative repose—but his right hand quietly rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist. Yet strangely, the Marines in the lookout tower, scanning the surroundings with binoculars, hadn't reported seeing anything.
Until ten minutes later—black dots began to appear on the horizon in all directions.
And there were so many of them.
Just a single glance revealed more than 30 pirate ships rapidly closing in from every angle.
[Woooo—Woooo—Woooo—]
A piercing alarm blared across the fleet. On all ten battleships, Navy personnel sprang into action, racing to their designated stations. The triple-mounted turrets began to swivel, locking onto incoming targets.
"They're here, they're here!" Shiryu grinned with savage delight, a cruel gleam in his eyes. Meanwhile, stationed at the rear of the formation, Borsalino wore a troubled expression.
"So—ma—ny—of—them... How—terrifying~~" he drawled lazily.
As the dark shapes drew closer, the intelligence officers aboard quickly began identifying the pirate flags.
They spent nearly two full minutes just reading out the intel, and not a single pirate captain had a bounty under 50 million Berries—two of them were even notorious pirates worth over 100 million.
In truth, the pirate captains had initially come just to observe. After all, with ten Marine warships, a Navy Admiral, and the Hero of the Marines all present, the deterrent was more than sufficient.
But once they noticed the growing number of pirate ships around them—and that none of them were small names—they suddenly shared a silent realization: There was a chance.
If they joined forces, they might just snatch one of the cargo ships and make off with a fortune beyond imagination amidst the chaos!
As for which lucky bastard would succeed, and which unlucky fool would sink to the bottom of the sea... well, that would all come down to skill and luck.
With that, Den-Den Mushi began buzzing between pirate ships as they brazenly discussed plans for a joint assault, not caring at all whether the Marines might be listening.
At the same time, the Marines were in fact using Black Den-Den Mushi to eavesdrop on the pirates' conversations!
"Relay my command: form battle formation—prepare for combat!"
The moment Sengoku received the intel, he gave the order without hesitation. The two large cargo ships immediately slowed their advance, while the ten warships formed concentric layers around them, beginning to rotate in formation with their strongest broadside firepower always facing outward.
"We must crush these pirates here—hurt them badly, break their will. Only then can we deter the ones coming next. Relay this—no prisoners this time. Total annihilation!"
This swift and ruthless command from the only active Admiral of the Navy Headquarters was transmitted instantly—via the Visual Den-Den Mushi held by nearby Public Affairs personnel—to the ears of countless people across nations and islands around the world.
Hearing the Marine relay Sengoku's order, Shiryu felt even better. He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, dry from the sea breeze, then chuckled.
"What a fine place... this Navy."
He was beginning to genuinely enjoy being a Marine. It was far more exhilarating than that dark, dreary hell of Impel Down.
However, he glanced sideways—discreetly—at Akainu's back.
If only he could get a different superior...
Or better yet, get promoted to Vice Admiral soon—then no one could tell him what to do!
...
Suddenly, there was a major movement on the pirates' side!
Nearly thirty pirate ships of all shapes and sizes, with wildly different decorations, spread out—and began rotating around the ten Marine warships.
Only their direction was exactly opposite to that of the Marines.
"I see…"
Sengoku narrowed his eyes and studied the formation for a moment. He quickly understood what the pirates were up to.
Their strategy was actually quite simple: use their superior numbers to completely encircle the Navy fleet, then launch simultaneous attacks from multiple directions.
Boarding combat.
Once the pirate ships had adjusted their positions to be evenly spaced, they all surged forward at full speed almost simultaneously, coordinated through their Den-Den Mushi.
Like a swarm of sharks catching the scent of blood, brimming with greed and malice, they charged toward the Navy fleet—an ocean of vicious beasts closing in on a pod of mighty whales.
[BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!]
As soon as the pirate ships sailed into range of the Navy's cannons, the Marines opened fire without a shred of hesitation. Acting under Admiral Sengoku's command, they launched a full barrage.
[Swish, swish, swish—]
At the command of the various pirate captains, numerous figures flew through the air, intercepting the projectiles.
While the Navy's cannon shells were powerful, this sea was filled with individuals capable of slicing them apart or blasting them with their fists. Explosions simply weren't that threatening to those whose physical strength had surpassed human limits.
But that didn't mean these pirates could ignore a continuous barrage of naval cannon fire.
As the distance between both sides closed, the Navy's artillery became more precise and intense. Shells landed on pirate ships one after another, triggering massive explosions and bursts of flame. Casualties, inevitably, began to mount.
The pirates had also begun firing back, but since they were charging the fleet head-on, they couldn't utilize their broadsides where the cannons were mounted—significantly weakening their return fire.
Meanwhile, the Navy ships were clad in layers of hardened steel plating, rendering them almost indifferent to the pirates' weaker shells.