"Whoa!"
"The Beasts Pirates really do look savage as hell!"
As the Marine fleet approached Riddridge Island, hordes of pirates had already gathered along its coastline. On the eastern docks, instead of fleeing in panic, the pirates, under the command of a Beasts Pirates officer, quickly boarded the anchored ships.
Black pirate flags billowed in the sea breeze. Ship after ship, each uniquely designed, set sail from the port. In an instant, the entire harbor became a cacophony of chaos, a hundred ships charging toward the advancing Marines.
"Oho!"
"What a sight!"
At the front of the fleet, Garp stood at the bow, raising a hand to block the glare as he gazed toward the crowded docks of Riddridge Island. A grin crept across his face.
It had been many years since he'd seen such a scene, not since the legendary battle at God Valley.
These days, the pirates scattered across the world were small fry. A crew with a hundred members was already considered a major group.
The Beasts Pirates, however, had already developed the early characteristics of a Yonko crew. Their numbers were massive, and their strength formidable.
And yet, faced with Garp and Zephyr leading a full Marine fleet, they showed no fear. In fact, they charged headlong into battle.
"But still... to come charging at us like this without hesitation, aren't they underestimating the Marines just a little too much?"
Garp's smile faded as he narrowed his eyes and spoke gravely, the corners of his mouth tightening.
Zephyr snorted in agreement, then barked to his adjutant, Bogart, "Bogart, order the fleet to slow to three to five knots. Adjust cannon bearings. Wait for my signal. Prepare for bombardment."
The Marines had never relied solely on high-end combat power to suppress pirates. After all, in this strange world of Devil Fruits, anyone could stumble upon a supernatural ability and gain strength beyond imagination.
Once an ordinary person gained such a power, it was all too easy to be swept up in desire, for fame, wealth, women, ambition, and set out to sea as a pirate in this era of great piracy.
Among the pirates now converging on Riddridge Island, Devil Fruit users were everywhere.
In terms of individual strength, the Marines couldn't necessarily compare.
But what gave the Marines true supremacy in this world was their terrifying logistical might, and their advanced technology.
The poor relied on mutation. The rich relied on tech.
And this looming sea battle at Riddridge Island would be the ultimate clash of the two: poor vs. rich.
The battleships in the Marine fleet were the latest products of Vegapunk's genius. The cannons they carried were the most advanced hot weapons in existence.
While the pirates were still using matchlocks and flintlocks, the Marines had already achieved automatic cannon fire, and their battleship cannons had far greater range than anything the pirates could muster.
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
At a distance of 8,000 meters, the Marines made the first move. A unified thunder of cannon fire erupted as pitch-black shells tore through the air and descended upon the pirate fleet.
The pirates were still stuck with cannons from the feudal era. The Marines, by comparison, had weapons on par with mid-World War II.
The difference in range was more than double.
After just one volley, seven or eight pirate ships were engulfed in flames and halted dead in the water. Surviving pirates leapt into the sea, scrambling toward the coast in panic.
Meanwhile, those still aboard scrambled to use whatever powers or tricks they had to avoid further bombardment.
"Is everything calibrated?"
"Yes, sir. Ready to fire two full salvoes."
Zephyr narrowed his eyes as he studied the disordered pirate formation, then smiled and gave the command to Bogart.
The earlier volley had merely been to gauge distance, a probing strike.
Now came the real battle.
With war officially underway, Zephyr naturally assumed command. Garp, for his part, pulled out a pouch of Marine-issued donuts and stood calmly at the bow, snacking as he observed the chaos.
He had no issue with Zephyr taking the reins.
Among Garp's generation, Zephyr was particularly skilled at leading naval warfare. Sengoku and Tsuru were brilliant strategists with overwhelming strength, but Zephyr excelled in direct battlefield command.
As for Garp… well, he had a keen mind, but grand-scale sea battles were never his forte. He preferred to solve problems with his fists.
If he hadn't been teamed up with Zephyr this time, he probably would've already taken the Dog-Head Warship and charged straight into enemy lines solo. Whether the rest of the Marines could keep up? That wasn't Garp's concern.
"Yes, sir!!"
Bogart held a Den Den Mushi to his mouth and relayed Zephyr's order, "Test fire complete. Target: enemy pirate ships. Commence bombardment. Two full rounds!"
The command was instantly transmitted to all ships, and signal flags rose from the lookout towers.
The Dog-Head Warship fired first, shells roaring across the sea.
Then came the coordinated volleys, again and again.
A hundred and eighty shells, fired in waves, rained down on the pirate fleet. The waters outside Riddridge Island's port were littered with burning wrecks. Countless pirates were thrown into the sea, flailing as they tried to swim ashore.
It was like British troops in World War I, marching in neat formations into a hail of Maxim gunfire, except the pirates weren't nearly as organized.
Still, in a world of supernatural powers, a few crews managed to break through the barrage and close in on the Marine fleet.
With several pirate ships approaching, the pirates began to fire back.
BOOM!!
A shell from a pirate ship struck the side of a massive Marine warship next to the Dog-Head. Smoke and debris erupted, revealing a large dent in the hull.
But that was it.
The armor wasn't breached. The blast caused only minor scratches, nothing that could impair the ship's combat capability.
On deck, a young Rear Admiral grabbed the railing as the ship shook from the impact.
Realizing his ship was the unlucky one to get hit, his face flushed red with fury. Drawing his sword from his waist, he roared, "Return fire! Aim for that pirate ship and blast it to hell!"
In response to his shout, the pirate ship that had miraculously broken through the Marine barrage was instantly obliterated by concentrated counterfire.
Zephyr noticed the commotion and frowned. He pointed to the overzealous warship and asked, "Who's in command of that ship?"
"Report: Rear Admiral Bastille, sir."
Zephyr recalled the name. Back at the academy, this kid had trained hard, had good combat instincts, but he was impulsive and hated losing face.
"Call him. Tell him to calm the hell down." Zephyr said coolly, then added, "And put it on record. I'll deal with him after the battle."
Then he gave the next order aloud: "Signal the fleet. After this volley, use my ship as the pivot. Split to both flanks. Cool the main guns. Use side batteries to continue bombardment, two rounds!"
Bogart quickly relayed the order. The horizontally aligned Marine fleet broke into two, pivoting outward in both directions.
Once the ships rotated, the roar of cannons resumed.
While side cannons were smaller in caliber than main guns, they were far more numerous. Firing two full rounds from the side batteries produced a denser and more devastating barrage than the main salvo.
The sea was filled with pirate ships, and many pirate captains were competent, but under this relentless shelling, those charging forward had no choice but to retreat toward shore.
Yes, many had Devil Fruit powers, enough to tank a few hits.
But they couldn't protect their wooden ships.
Most pirate vessels were traditional sailboats made of wood. A single well-placed shell could cripple them. Two or three hits in quick succession, and the crew wouldn't even have time to put out the fires.
Devil Fruit users didn't fear cannonballs. What they feared was having nowhere to stand in the middle of the sea.
Eventually, the cannon fire began to fade. The surviving pirates swam back to shore. The sea outside Riddridge Island was now filled with flaming wreckage, drifting planks, and blood-streaked waves.
The once-mighty pirate fleet had been completely annihilated.
This wasn't a sea battle. It was a one-sided slaughter.
"Quick, get back to shore! Haul out the cannons from the warehouse! Set up coastal defenses, we can't let the Marines land!"
One of the Beasts Pirates officers quickly took charge, barking orders to the panicking survivors.
Soon, cannons from the island's armory were being rolled into place along the coastline.
But the Marines didn't pursue.
Instead of pressing their advantage, Zephyr had the fleet reform and slowly approach the island.
Seeing this, the pirates rejoiced. They had time to set up proper defenses. By the time the Marines tried to land, they'd be walking right into their sights.
"Come on, Marines! Hahaha! Let's see how you like getting shelled for a change!"
A Beasts Pirates officer chuckled darkly as he oversaw the preparations.
Aboard the Dog-Head Warship, Bogart peered through a telescope and reported, "Instructor Zephyr, the pirates are setting up shore defenses."
"If we try to land now, we'll be sitting ducks."
He looked worried. The advantage they'd gained was evaporating as the pirates established fortified positions.
He glanced at Vice Admiral Garp. If Garp led a charge, they could still break through.
"Land now?" Garp laughed. "Why would we land right now?"
"Bogart, we're not here to occupy Riddridge Island."
"We're here to exterminate the Beasts Pirates."
"Pass my order, slow advance. When we're in range, saturate the dock with artillery fire."
"They want to defend the beach?" Garp grinned. "Then let's blast their whole damn line into the sky!"
Without waiting for Zephyr, Garp bellowed his order and turned to Bogart.
"And push me some shells! I need to warm up. Don't want to pull anything when I start cracking skulls later!"
Bogart hesitated and glanced at Zephyr.
Zephyr looked at the corpses floating on the waves and sighed softly. He said nothing.
Taking that as approval, Bogart saluted and relayed Garp's orders.
"Zephyr," Garp said, walking over and patting his old comrade on the shoulder. "Once we clear a path with the cannons, you stay back on the ship and provide support. I'll take a team ashore to finish the job."
Garp could see Zephyr was conflicted.
His old friend had committed to returning to the front lines. But now, seeing the brutal aftermath firsthand, his heart was wavering again.
Soon, in full view of the terrified pirates, Marine shells rained down like a storm.
The hastily assembled coastal defenses were obliterated in a matter of minutes.
In the absence of long-range shore cannons, defending the beach was no different from becoming target practice.
If anything, the pirates had simply turned mobile targets into stationary ones.
On a hill at the center of Riddridge Island, Kaido, King, and other Beasts Pirates officers watched the battle unfold.
To their shock, Garp and Zephyr hadn't even moved, and already their "elite troops" were falling apart.
Kaido had thought the Marines were outnumbered and weaker. He expected his subordinates to inflict heavy casualties, leaving only Garp and Zephyr to handle personally.
But to his dismay, the Marines hadn't suffered any real losses, while his own forces had been devastated.
Under continuous shelling, thousands had died in the sea and on the shore.
Even Kaido couldn't help but feel the sting.
"King, let's go. We can't let this go on."
"Time to face those Marines."
Just as Kaido prepared to move,
Far off in the sea, several tens of thousands of meters away, a sleek warship was slicing through the waves toward Riddridge Island.
Aboard the Dawn, Yoriichi stood at the bow, gazing at the floating wreckage.
He sniffed the faint scent of gunpowder in the air, his expression darkening.
"The battle's already begun..."
"Kyros, we need to pick up the pace."
"I have no idea what kind of situation we're walking into."
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