A heavy, massive ball of mud shot out from the bow of the warship, colliding with dozens of incoming cannonballs. A powerful explosion erupted, and a dark red fireball blossomed in the air, sending thick smoke billowing. The mud ball, as if it were a red-hot magma sphere, glowed red from the inside out before it burst apart with a thunderous roar. Scalding mud scattered in all directions. Some of it hit the sea, causing it to sizzle and sending up wisps of white steam.
"Yasakani no Magatama!" At the same time, a brilliant light blazed as it rose from the bow into the air. Kizaru's voice emerged from the blinding ball of light. Gradually, the light coalesced, and Kizaru's figure appeared. His hands were crossed, his fingers forming a strange gesture as they emitted an intense golden glow.
As his voice fell, countless photons shot out in a dense swarm. The incoming cannonballs crashed into the myriad balls of light, creating an even more spectacular explosion!
Red and gold light burst forth simultaneously. The moment they collided in the air, countless cannonballs exploded. The plumes of smoke didn't even have time to form before they were shattered by the whistling light.
More light flew into the distance, striking one of the enemy ships. The deck instantly exploded, sending wood splinters flying and unleashing a powerful shockwave. An entire section of the deck was blown away. The people on board scrambled in terror, but most only had time to let out a final, dying scream.
"You really don't hold back, do you, Mr. Kizaru," Wilder teased, but a sharp smile spread across his face. Yes, sharp. He felt a thrill of excitement.
A long-lost excitement.
Where did this sudden thrill come from? He didn't know. Perhaps it was the rare experience of fighting alongside Kizaru, or perhaps it was the first time Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama wasn't aimed at him.
The feeling was indescribably strange.
In any case, Wilder needed to vent right now. Violently! He needed a cathartic release!
GURGLE!
The immense, unpleasant sound made Kizaru, who had just finished firing a wave of light bullets, turn his head to look out of curiosity. Instantly, his expression changed slightly. His mouth formed an 'O' shape as he looked at Wilder with an expression of shock or amazement. Even in a state of some emotion, his tone remained as leisurely as ever.
"Hey… hey… Wilder-kun, are you really sure you want to unleash such a big move here? I'm afraid my warship can't take it." He held up his hands, a bit of cold sweat on his face as he tried to stop Wilder. It wasn't for any other reason than he had noticed the ship was beginning to tilt.
The Marines in the back were already huddled together, shedding tears of fear.
P-please stop!
Don't be so crazy, Mr. Wilder!
But Wilder was now wearing a wildly excited smile. He tapped his foot on the deck, and the wood instantly fractured into a dense, spiderweb-like pattern of cracks. His figure vanished from the deck, reappearing high above the front of the warship. He stepped on the air, one foot after the other, and clouds of smoke exploded beneath his feet, a product of the air being rapidly compressed.
Wilder himself was now at least a hundred meters above the sea. Normally, a person standing at such a height wouldn't be too eye-catching, but now, the Marines below and the people on the enemy ship—which was already starting to take on water—were all staring up at the sky with their mouths agape in horror.
It was hard for anyone not to notice. Not for any other reason than the tiny figure in the sky was currently holding up a "meteor" with one hand!
At least, to the people below, that's what it looked like! A meteor! It was so massive it seemed to have no end! The shadow it cast completely covered both ships, which were at least two hundred meters apart!
Those who were not directly beneath it could not comprehend the despair, the feeling of heart-pounding terror that came from just a single glance.
Staring at the "giant sphere" in the sky, everyone, whether on the warship or the enemy ship, felt their scalps tingle and their eyelids twitch.
Too brutal!
The marines swallowed nervously, exchanging fearful glances as they stared at the thing in the sky. They all thought the same thing.
Is this the legendary power of Wilder?
Terrifying.
The men on the enemy ship were now feeling a chill spread through their bodies, the kind that made them break out in a cold sweat.
The leader, who had been looking up since the beginning, remained frozen in that posture. His Adam's apple bobbed, his heart pounding violently.
He had a premonition that he was going to die today.
Dammit! Why did we have to run into a madman like this?
Thinking this, he suddenly felt a sense of grievance.
If it were a fair fight and he died, he would have no one to blame but himself. He could accept that. But this…
This man… he… he was insane.
Regardless of what the people below were thinking, Wilder finally made his move. He glanced down, and his eyes happened to meet those of the enemy ship's captain. A cold, excited smile spread across Wilder's lips, and his body suddenly vanished from beneath the "meteor"!
Without Wilder's support, the meteor moved! It began to plummet toward the sea in a free fall!
Of course, if nothing went wrong, it would also include that ship.
BOOM!
A hundred-meter drop didn't take long. By the time Wilder's figure reappeared at the bow of the warship, the giant "meteor" had just "touched" the sea.
There was no need for a lengthy description. As one would expect, in the eyes of the dying, everything slows down.
The feeling of watching a meteor crash down on you was not pleasant, especially when it appeared less than a hundred meters away.
Because it gave you no time to react or respond.
If it is said that in the eyes of the dying, everything slows down, then conversely, their own reactions become much faster than usual.
For example, the appearance of a terrified expression, a crazed scream, or the act of running around like a headless chicken.
They didn't realize that no matter how they ran, they were still on the ship. And knowing that the entire ship was about to be destroyed, why bother with such a futile act?
It was as if someone had a moment of clarity in their final second, suddenly thinking of jumping into the sea and acting upon it. But the end result was the same.
The ensuing roar deafened everyone for a moment. Most of those caught in the blast were killed by the shockwave the instant the meteor hit, without even the chance to be touched by it. But on the other hand, they died without screaming, a certain dignity within the indignity of it all.
The waves that followed were quite large. After all, the meteor was huge. It would have been strange if its fall from such a height hadn't stirred up a storm.
The three warships began to rock violently. A massive amount of seawater surged up from below, washing over the decks from one end to the other, giving them a thorough cleaning.
The downside was that some of the railings were torn off, leaving an unforgettable psychological scar on the rookie marines.
When Wilder turned around, he happened to see several rookies huddled together, their faces blank as tears streamed down their cheeks. He suddenly felt a bit guilty.
So he walked over and gently patted one of them on the shoulder.
The moment the rookie turned and saw Wilder, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he fainted.
Wilder turned back, speechless, and happened to see Kizaru's face, so dark that not even a golden glow could illuminate it. He immediately pointed at the unconscious, innocent marine on the ground. "This kind of person needs to be toughened up. Otherwise, he'll never grow."
"…"
"Well… forget it. Let's continue on our way."
Kizaru said leisurely and turned to walk toward the bow.
The journey was not peaceful, which was to be expected. Everyone, including Wilder and Kizaru, knew that there was no possibility of peace once they entered this sea area.
Before long, they encountered another group of enemies.
A total of six ships surrounded them from all four sides. The Marines on the warships immediately tensed up, raising their guns and cannons and aiming them at the ships in all four directions.
Two ships on each side, one in front, and one in the back, completely sealing off all escape routes. The three warships were now like caged animals.
"What a pain," Kizaru said, knitting his brows as he stood at the bow.
Wilder watched everything calmly. "Should I say… as expected of a fleet led by Katakuri, the highest combatant under the Big Mom Pirates? They truly are fearless."
Kizaru caught the teasing tone in Wilder's voice. He threw up his hands in a helpless gesture and said playfully, "What can I do? They aren't even afraid of you, Wilder-kun, so naturally, they won't be afraid of me."
"Words are useless." Wilder reached out and casually drew the longsword from the waist of a nearby marine. He raised it and swung!
A wave of sword energy shot out like lightning, instantly striking an incoming cannonball and cleaving it neatly in two. After a pause of about a second, the two halves of the cannonball exploded in mid-air.
"Thanks." After completing the strike, Wilder turned his head and said to the slightly bewildered marine beside him, returning the sword.
"I didn't expect you to know swordsmanship, Wilder-kun. That's quite a surprise," Kizaru said, genuinely a little taken aback by Wilder's sudden move.
As he spoke, a dazzling light appeared in his hands. A double-edged longsword made of condensed light was held in both his hands.
"To be honest, I also know a thing or two about swordsmanship. Well then… allow me to show you."
"Ama no Murakumo Sword!"
As his voice fell, Kizaru swung the sword forward!
It was no exaggeration to say that the swing was utterly unadorned, just a simple swing. It was a move even a child could make, and in terms of speed, it was nothing special; at least, the eye could clearly follow the motion.
And yet, from such a simple move, one that didn't even produce a visible wave of sword energy, a sharp ringing sound suddenly echoed in everyone's ears.
Seven or eight incoming cannonballs were cut in two, their neat cross-sections lined up in a row before they exploded violently.
Following the successive attacks from Wilder and Kizaru, the enemy ships' attacks became even more ferocious. It was only now that they were baring their fangs!
BANG BANG BANG!
WHOOSH~!
Puffs of smoke erupted from the cannon muzzles, and the sharp, drawn-out sound of objects tearing through the air filled the sky. A dense barrage of cannonballs surrounded the three warships.
But the Marines were no slouches either. Apart from Wilder and Kizaru, and a few rookies whose performance was touching, the rest of the Marines were all seasoned veterans of many battles. Faced with this situation and this density of cannon fire, although they were nervous, their actions were incredibly calm.
The two Vice Admirals on the two warships in the rear drew their swords and swung, sending out wide-ranging slash waves that instantly shot down over a dozen cannonballs.
The remaining Marines who were capable of shooting down cannonballs individually actively launched their own attacks, taking down the incoming projectiles.
Those who lacked such abilities relied on external tools: guns.
The less capable ones, however, achieved a counter-attack effect. With the sound of machinery turning, dark, gaping holes appeared on the sides, bow, and stern of the warships, revealing the metallic cannon muzzles within.
The first-generation cannons from Morass, the W01!
"Fire!"
With a long cry from the commander, the well-trained marines pulled the mechanisms!
BANG BANG BANG!
WHOOSH…! To the people on the warship, the sound of the cannonballs tearing through the air was long and beautiful.
Like the bloom of a flower, gorgeous and fiery.
BOOM! With precision and speed far exceeding that of ordinary cannons, the W cannons displayed astonishing combat power.
If one were to personify the cannons for comparison, then at this moment, the W cannon was a valiant warrior with superb fighting skills. With its unstoppable speed and its pursuit of a single, precise hit, it gave the enemy no time to react, killing them the moment they realized what was happening and tried to respond!
BOOM! Like the descent of a king! A large hole was blown directly into an enemy ship on the left! The deck was completely torn apart! This was the effect of a single shot!
The Marines would not miss such an opportunity to finish off a weakened enemy. A long, sharp ringing sound followed as cannonballs arrived one after another, continuously bombarding the enemy ship. The entire process was utterly relentless. From the first hit to the arrival of the second, and then the third… the fourth…
The interval between each shot in this entire sequence was less than two seconds. The ship went from having a large hole blown in it by the first shot to being engulfed in flames by the second, with thick smoke shrouding everything on board. By the time the sixth shot arrived, all that was left on the sea were two charred wooden planks, floating forlornly.
Hiss!
The enemies on the other ships who had witnessed this from beginning to end drew a sharp, cold breath, their faces etched with deep shock and disbelief.
What kind of divine power was this?
Since when did cannons possess such ferocious power?
And that firing speed, a speed not much slower than a bullet—was that real?
Even Wilder himself couldn't help but be slightly stunned at the sight. His eyes shifted slightly as he cast a very subtle glance toward the marines operating the cannons.
He hadn't expected these cannons to be used so effectively in the hands of the well-trained Marines. Their overall threat level had more than doubled.
It seems I'll have to prioritize cultivating a specialized artillery unit when I get back, Wilder thought to himself, his mind not entirely calm.
It reminded him of a certain military branch from his past life.