Waters near Gotel Island.
Torrential rain poured as monstrous waves surged!
The Red Hair Pirates, with just a single ship, stood alone against the Beasts Pirates' massive fleet of over a hundred warships.
A desperate situation!
Rockstar knelt on the deck in despair.
There was no way out—this was certain death!
"Captain, we need to retreat!"
"Enough nonsense."
Beckman pulled Rockstar back.
Red Hair stepped to the bow, gazing at the Beasts' overwhelming fleet.
The sight reminded him of the Battle of Edd War from years past.
Back then, they had faced Golden Lion Shiki's massive fleet in much the same way—except he had been just a rookie then. Now, he was the captain, the one who had to make the decisions.
It was his turn to lead!
"Wororororo!!!"
The Azure Dragon roared, circling above the fleet.
"Red Hair Shanks, surrender! Join me, and together we can conquer the world!"
"I have no interest in ruling, Kaido!"
Shanks drew his sword, echoing the very words Captain Roger had once spoken, before unleashing another wave of Conqueror's Haki.
"If you truly want war, then come at us with the resolve to die!"
"What a shame!"
Kaido's eyes turned icy.
If Shanks wouldn't serve him, then he had to die.
"Wororororo! Crush them!"
"Take down the Beasts!"
Both captains gave the order simultaneously!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cannons roared relentlessly, massive plumes of water erupting around the Red Force as countless cannonballs rained down, overwhelming the crew.
There were too many!
But the threat wasn't just from the front!
From the direction of the island, the Groudon Ship surged out of the harbor, closing in on the Red Hair Pirates, its cannons locking onto them.
Speed commanded the gunners.
"Fire!!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Several cannonballs streaked toward the Red Force's stern!
"I'll handle them!"
Beckman sprinted to the stern, firing his pistol in rapid succession, piercing every incoming projectile.
On the deck, Lucky Roux shouted.
"Captain, at this rate, we won't last much longer!"
"I know."
Shanks' face was drenched in rain.
Against a hundred times the firepower, they could only endure. The priority now was finding an opening—a way to break through the encirclement.
"Yasopp!"
"Leave it to me!"
Yasopp raised his rifle and took aim.
BOOM!!!
A Beasts warship erupted in a massive explosion, flames shooting skyward.
"Damn it, he hit the ammunition store!"
Who's Who rushed to the side of the deck, watching as multiple ships exploded in succession. Only one man among the enemy could pull this off—
"The Pursuer" Yasopp!
With several warships destroyed, a gap formed in the encirclement!
"Captain Who's Who, orders!"
"Understood!"
King, Queen, Jack, Who's Who, and the rest of the Flying Six and higher-ranking officers bellowed to their subordinates.
"Close the distance!!!"
The officers' ships accelerated ahead of the main fleet, charging toward the Red Hair Pirates under the cover of cannon fire.
Trying to annihilate an Emperor's crew with sheer firepower alone was a fool's errand—boarding combat was where their numerical advantage would truly shine.
Even if it took ten of them to kill one, victory would ultimately belong to the Beasts!
As officers of the Beasts Pirates, their duty was to lead the charge, stall or eliminate the enemy's strongest fighters, and fight until every last one of them was dead!
"Boss, the Beasts are closing in!"
"There's fire in the sky!"
"A pterosaur? It's King the Wildfire!"
"All their officers have mobilized!"
The Red Hair Pirates were the first to notice the Beasts' movements, their hearts sinking—this would be their greatest challenge yet!
"I'll handle him!"
Combatant Limejuice leaped into action, using Moonwalk to charge rapidly toward King. Among the officers, he was the most skilled in aerial combat.
Just as he approached King, a red figure shot up from a Beasts warship below, fang-like blades aiming for his throat!
"Iron Body: Fang Flash!"
"Clang!!!"
The electrified staff blocked the fangs!
Seeing the interloper, Limejuice's expression darkened.
"Flying Foam Who's Who!"
"What an honor—I didn't expect you to know my name!"
Who's Who grinned dangerously as he balanced on Moonwalk, his right leg cocked back for a powerful strike.
"I heard you're good at aerial combat. Funnily enough, so am I!"
"Tempest Kick!"
A crescent-shaped Slashing Wave shot forth!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Limejuice rapidly kicked the air to dodge the incoming attacks, but in the next instant, Who's Who closed the distance.
Moonwalk vs. Moonwalk!
"That bastard Who's Who!"
Sasaki scowled as Who's Who stole the spotlight. Though frustrated, he could do little—while he could fly, it was limited to low altitudes.
"Faster!"
"Captain, we're already at full speed!"
The Beasts warships charged forward while Red Hair's vessel adjusted course to avoid boarding combat. If their officers were pinned down and the Beasts Grand Fleet reformed its encirclement, breaking free would be nearly impossible.
But the enemy wouldn't let them escape easily.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Yasopp swung his rifle toward the rapidly approaching King. Despite his reputation as a sharpshooter, he uncharacteristically missed every shot against the high-speed flier.
King was simply too fast!
Even when bullets did connect, they couldn't deal meaningful damage.
Hongou shouted a warning, "Yasopp, he's from the Lunarian Race! You need to shoot when he decelerates!"
"I know!"
Yasopp's palms were sweating.
Of course he knew the intel, but King the Wildfire—the Beasts Pirates' third-in-command—was no easy opponent.
In his decelerated state, King's speed could rival bullets.
"Cover me!"
Yasopp closed his eyes and took a deep breath. To hit King, he'd need to predict his trajectory and disrupt his judgment.
"Bang! Bang!"
Yasopp's eyes snapped open as he fired two shots in quick succession—so close together they almost sounded like one.
One to bait, one to kill!
In the sky, King sensed the incoming bullets and extinguished his flames, his speed suddenly surging!
As he dodged the first shot, the second—hidden in its shadow—streaked toward his face.
King's pupils contracted.
"Bang!"
A piece of his helmet shattered, revealing the corner of his eye and white hair.
A trickle of blood slid down his forehead.
King halted midair, his gaze icy as he stared down at the Red Hair Pirates. Slowly, he reached up and adjusted the crown on his head.
His entire face stretched and distorted!
The grotesque sight sent a chill through the Red Hair officers.
"Yasopp, you pissed him off!"
"Wasn't my intention!"
"Enough talk—think of something!"
The executives exchanged heated words when Lucky Roux suddenly leaped up, curling into a ball midair to block the attack from above!
"Badger Pride Emperor!"
Almost simultaneously, a terrifying shockwave pierced downward!
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed from Lucky Roux's mouth as his round body went flying toward the deck like a ball. Even with his fat cushioning most of the impact, King's attack had still dealt significant damage.
"Lucky Roux!"
The executives rushed to catch him but nearly got crushed under his weight.
"Get up! You're too heavy!"
"Sorry!"
"Lucky Roux, are you okay?"
"Nothing serious!"
Rubbing his badly bruised stomach—now sporting a massive purple welt—Lucky Roux winced in pain. The fact that his body hadn't been pierced through by that attack was nothing short of a miracle.
"We're in deep trouble now!"
In the blink of an eye, the Beasts' executive battleship had closed in, and one notorious executive after another began appearing.
Cold sweat mixed with rain as it trickled down the executives' foreheads.