"Oh yeah~ That's precise hitting! The gunners get an extra meal when this is over!" On the bow of a Marine second-class warship, Cross stood tall and proud on the deck, loudly praising the gunners who had just conducted the test firing.
At a distance of over five hundred meters, three consecutive hits had instantly destroyed a pirate ship. Such excellent gunners deserved commendation.
At this moment, including the warship Cross was on, a total of four second-class warships sailed side-by-side on the sea, serving as the vanguard for the entire fleet. Their huge white sails flapped in the sea breeze, and the Marine flag waved proudly.
These four warships were fully loaded with five thousand Enlivened creatures made of stone and metal. Every deck was neatly lined with stone knights, various beasts, and flying creatures. Each ship also carried over a hundred Marines and cooks, responsible for daily sail operations and food preparation.
"Ah... the great ocean, you are all water..." Cross looked at the vast sea, singing loudly with a joyful heart.
"Stop acting like a poet, it's time!" Gion looked up at Cross, bluntly swearing and loudly reminding him.
"I know!" Cross waved his hand, full of vigor, and solemnly commanded, "Advance, Enliven Legion!"
Cawww—
Roar—Roar—
Gehehehe—
"..."
The next second, a black cloud suddenly rose from the decks of the four warships, accompanied by various cries echoing across the vast sea.
Many Marines stood on the ship decks, looking closely.
These four "black clouds" were clearly composed of numerous giant eagles, griffins, demons, flying dragons, gargoyles, and other flying Enlivened creatures, numbering around a thousand in total. They soared majestically towards the island ahead.
At the same time, more and more warships emerged from beneath the sea. The giant soap bubbles encasing their hulls burst one by one, pop, pop, pop, and a massive fleet quickly appeared in the offshore waters of Shiloh Island.
Shhh shhh shhh shhh...
"All ships prepare! Target: the pirate fleet in the harbor ahead!"
"Rapid fire! Full broadside!!!"
The broadcasts on the main masts of all warships crackled, then Sakazuki's orders rang out.
Whoosh—Whoosh—
Whoosh—Whoosh—
Boom boom boom boom... Boom boom boom boom...
Boom boom boom boom... Boom boom boom boom...
The bow turrets of over a dozen warships fired simultaneously.
Accompanied by muffled, thunderous roars, countless dark cannonballs streaked across the sea like meteors, emitting piercing shrieks as they tore through the air, raining down on the pirate ships anchored in the bay.
Then came an incessant barrage of dense explosions. The deafening roars almost scattered the clouds in the sky, as if playing a symphony of iron and fire.
In an instant, dozens of pirate ships anchored in Oneway Port and the bay suffered a sudden, concentrated bombardment. Many pirate ships were hit by cannonballs, and massive, scorching fireballs immediately erupted from their hulls, sending countless burning splinters flying in all directions.
Just from the first wave of artillery, several pirate ships were heavily damaged by powerful high-explosive shells. They immediately listed, engulfed in flames, and slowly began to sink.
"Quick, fight back! Counterattack!"
"Raise the anchors, turn around and counterattack!"
"Damn Marines, they ambushed us!"
"..."
The pirates of the Roberts Legion let out hoarse roars, yet their shouts betrayed their inner panic.
However, even more cannonballs fell into the sea, not only raising water columns tens of meters high but also causing the seawater to churn relentlessly. As a result, some pirate ships anchored too close to each other collided uncontrollably, suffering severe damage.
Similarly, Oneway Port, which had just endured a battle, was once again affected. Many stray cannonballs fell into the port itself, triggering huge explosions on the spot that violently shook the ground.
Thick black smoke billowed, and the acrid smell of gunpowder permeated the air. Tall buildings constantly collapsed under the bombardment, raising clouds of dusty debris.
Not long ago, when the Roberts Pirates attacked Oneway Port, they used similar intense shelling to destroy nearly half of the port's buildings, killing a large number of Bion Kingdom civilians and soldiers.
Now, they were suffering the same fate.
The sudden and fierce bombardment threw the pirates throughout the port into disarray. Terrified pirates scurried everywhere, and occasionally, cannonballs landed amidst the crowds, instantly creating a bloody mess.
"Damn it, why would the Marines—"
Rumble—
A high-explosive shell whistled through the air and directly hit a half-collapsed tower. A scorching fireball erupted amidst the massive explosion, creating a visible, surging blast wave that caused the entire tower to collapse directly. A large amount of bricks and stones instantly buried several pirates beneath it, stirring up a mist-like cloud of dust.
"Look, what's that?" Suddenly, a pirate inadvertently glanced at the sky and saw three huge black "clouds" appear overhead.
Gehehehe...
Suddenly, a goat-horned demon, entirely black with a metallic sheen, flew out from the "black cloud." Its crimson eyes glared as it wielded a beheading sword, letting out a chilling, eerie laugh. It shot downwards like an arrow, extending its claw-like hand with lightning speed to grasp a pirate's body.
"ARGH—" Sharp claws pierced the pirate's shoulder, causing him to let out a desperate cry of pain. However, the next second, the goat-horned demon laughed maniacally, swinging the heavy beheading sword in its hand. With a whoosh, the sword pierced through the pirate's chest.
Pirates on the surrounding streets stared dumbfounded at the scene unfolding before them, barely reacting. Some rubbed their eyes in disbelief, stammering to themselves, "De-de-de-demon?!"
Meanwhile, the black "clouds" in the sky had dispersed. Various rare giant birds, or legendary monsters, swirled through the air, continuously hunting the pirates within the port.
Cawww—
Roar—Roar—
"Damn it, what are these things?!"
"Gargoyles? Aren't those only supposed to exist in legends?!"
"Don't panic! Quick, open fire! Shoot these things down!"
"..."
The roars of the Enlivened creatures and the screams of the pirates made the port even livelier.
However, many experienced pirates quickly reacted, realizing that the monsters flying overhead might be some kind of technological product or Devil Fruit ability.
They raised their flintlocks and fired bang, bang, bang into the sky.
Dark muzzles spat fire and white smoke. In the intense, crackling gunfire, dense nets of large lead pellets struck many Enlivened creatures, causing stone fragments to fly like snow.
Immediately, the wings of many stone Enlivened creatures shattered, forcing them to plummet from the sky, crashing heavily to the ground.
"It's stone... it really is some kind of ability!" A pirate knelt down, reaching out to touch a shattered gargoyle on the ground. The cold, stony texture confirmed the conjecture forming in his mind.
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