"Kill all these damned pirates for me!!"
"Fire! Sink them!!!"
Two Marine warships surrounded the Kuja pirate ship in a pincer formation.
Marine Vice Admiral Sanas (Note: Name likely Sanas/Sanness, sister of Sanders) stepped on Geppo (Moonwalk), landing on the deck of the other warship.
"Brother, we're about to catch them."
Her bearded brother, Sanders, took a look and said in a deep voice:
"You were recently promoted to Vice Admiral. As long as we eliminate the Kuja Pirates and bring back Gloriosa, this military merit will be enough for you to gain a firm foothold in the Marines."
Hearing this, Sanas nodded in agreement.
They had some understanding of the Kuja Pirates.
The entire crew was a pile of women. Although they had only been sailing for a year, they had made a small name for themselves in the New World.
Especially the captain, Gloriosa. She was powerful and had killed quite a few Marines.
But this time, injured by Garp, she wouldn't escape this calamity.
Sanas said deeply: "Don't worry, Brother. They won't escape this time."
"Everyone! Sink their ship for me!!"
Waving her hand, Sanas issued the order decisively.
Boom, boom, boom!
Boom, boom, boom!
From the pitch-black muzzles, cannonballs shot out as if money were no object, aimed straight at the Kuja Pirates' main ship.
The shells falling into the sea exploded loudly, kicking up sky-high sprays, making the entire ocean restless.
Pushed by the waves, the Kuja ship began to rock violently. On the deck, Gloriosa and the Kuja warriors constantly tried to steady themselves, their faces solemn.
The two Marine warships combined had hundreds of fully armed Marine soldiers, but that wasn't the most troublesome part.
Gloriosa stared fixedly at the Sanders siblings on the warship deck. They were the ones truly putting them in crisis.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Overcome with anxiety and anger, Gloriosa clutched her chest and uncontrollably coughed up a mouthful of blood, a touch of paleness appearing on her face.
"If not for that bastard Garp, it wouldn't be their turn to be arrogant!!"
She hated it!!
"Empress, are you alright??"
The Kuja warriors surrounded her, asking with concern.
Gloriosa waved her hand, her beautiful eyes trembling slightly, and ordered again: "Turn the rudder! Flee!!"
"Run as far as we can!!"
Her strong will to survive wouldn't let her give up any chance. In a head-on confrontation, they wouldn't last long.
As long as there was a chance, she wouldn't sit and wait for death.
"Yes!!"
While defending against the Marine attacks, the Kuja warriors immediately went to adjust the sails.
Just as everyone turned the direction, a pirate ship was slowly approaching them.
"Empress! It's another pirate crew!!"
The Kuja warriors who noticed the situation immediately reported the intelligence to Gloriosa.
"Hmm??"
Gloriosa frowned slightly, suspicious.
Their battle with the Marines was so intense; what pirate crew would dare approach at a time like this?
However, the current situation didn't allow her to think too much. She ordered urgently: "Ignore them! Let's get out of here quickly!!"
"Still trying to run at a time like this!!"
On the warship deck, Sanders, realizing Gloriosa's intention, narrowed his gaze. His figure vanished abruptly, reappearing high in the air.
Swiping his right leg like a blade, he instantly kicked out several sharp air slashes flying towards the Kuja Pirates.
Clang—
Clang—
Clang—
Bang—
The Kuja warriors fought hard to resist, destroying the slashes one after another.
However, the slashes that slipped through hit the pirate ship. The ship was damaged, seawater poured in, and the stern began to sink.
"Gloriosa, this is the end for pirates!"
Sanders pressed his advantage, gathering strength and swinging his right leg again. A sharp slash, several times more powerful than before and dozens of meters long, tore through the air.
Crossing the distance of dozens of meters in an instant, it flew towards Gloriosa and the Kuja warriors on the ship.
The slash shadow expanding in her pupils made the heavily injured Gloriosa close her eyes in despair.
In her current physical state, she couldn't block this move at all.
Unexpectedly, it seemed she couldn't escape this calamity after all.
"Protect the Empress!!"
Unafraid of death, the Kuja warriors raised their weapons and stood in front, forming a human wall for Gloriosa.
They were willing to use their lives to protect her.
"Futile resistance!"
Back on the deck, Sanders snorted disdainfully. To think these people wanted to block his attack—it was simply wishful thinking.
"It's over."
Gloriosa closed her eyes in despair, waiting for the moment to arrive.
One second.
Two seconds.
...
Ten seconds passed, and nothing happened.
She opened her eyes in confusion. The next second, she covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes widening into perfect circles.
She saw a man who had appeared on the deck at some point, catching Sanders' Rankyaku slash with his bare hands.
Crack.
With a light squeeze, the slash snapped and dissipated completely.
Seeing this scene, Gloriosa's scalp tingled, and her heart pounded wildly.
"So handsome!!"
Four years had passed (one year with Giants + three years on Sky Island). The seventeen-year-old Reno had grown up. There was a certain faint temperament between his brows.
Stunned, Gloriosa murmured in a low voice, seemingly forgetting they were still in danger.
"Empress!"
"Empress?!"
The Kuja warriors looked at each other in confusion, then gently shook Gloriosa's shoulder. Gloriosa, whose mind had wandered off, snapped back to reality and coughed twice to relieve the embarrassment.
"Which pirate crew are they?!"
Seeing the opponent easily neutralize his Rankyaku, Sanders asked his adjutant.
The adjutant stepped forward, carefully scrutinized Reno and the others, pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head.
"Vice Admiral Sanders, there is no information on them. They might be a pirate crew that just set sail."
"Just set sail and they have this kind of strength??"
"What a bunch of trash!!"
Sanas stepped forward, unable to hold back her scolding.
If pirates who just set sail were this strong, the Marines might as well pack up and go home.
"Brother, Gloriosa is very important to me. We must capture her today!!"
Sanas looked at the powerless Gloriosa, gritting her teeth.
"Don't worry, Sister. No matter who comes today, they all must die!!!"
"Since they are pirates, there's no need to keep them alive. Kill them all!!"
Seeing the two pirate ships had come to a complete stop, Sanders issued the order decisively!
"I'm afraid the ones dying will be you!!"
"Black Shadow, Hajrudin, kill them all for me!!"