On the opposite pirate ship, Mori looked through his telescope at the giant vessel beginning to set sail and shouted, "Captain! Those women are trying to run!"
Barton grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Run? Can fat meat that's already reached the mouth be allowed to fly away? Men! Chase them at full speed! Don't let our 'property' slip away!"
"Oh!" The pirate lackeys, as if injected with chicken blood, howled as they manipulated the ship to accelerate.
Barton looked at the distance and shouted to the two men beside him, "Mori! Gins! Follow me and board them directly! Don't give them too much time to react!"
"Got it, Captain!" Gins, whose body was as sturdy as a bear, replied in a muffled voice.
Mori also nodded excitedly.
The next moment, the three of them stomped hard on the deck simultaneously, using the technique of 'Moonwalk' to soar directly into the air. Treading on the air, they rushed toward the turning giant frigate at extremely high speed!
..."Mia! This is bad! Three people... they're flying over!" the Damselette on the lookout tower shouted with a voice full of terror.
"Damn it! Are these the pirates of Hachinosu Island?! Any random pirate ship has experts who can use Moonwalk!" Mia bit her lower lip, a strong sense of unwillingness welling up in her heart.
"The ship is too big and starts too slowly! Vina! Have you made contact?"
"I have! I've already told the Captain about the situation!" Vina shouted while holding the transponder snail.
"Good!" Mia took a deep breath.
"The rest of you, don't panic! Take up your weapons! Calibrate the cannons! Aim for those three flying guys for this Demoiselle! Blast them!"
"Yes!"
Several cannons mounted on the broadside roared, and shells whistled through the air toward the three uninvited guests... In the air, Barton and his two companions weren't panicked when they saw the incoming shells; instead, they began to joke.
Barton: "Oho? These little broads are quite prickly? They actually dare to open fire?"
Mori gave a lewd laugh: "Roses with thorns have more kick! Right, Captain?"
"That's right! In that case, I'll leave these annoying little toys for you to handle!" Barton ordered nonchalantly.
"Fine! Since you're the Captain!" Mori grumbled, extending his index finger and thrusting it forward suddenly: "Finger Pistol!"
Before joining the pirates, he was a Marine Captain in the New World!
Several transparent shockwaves accurately hit the incoming shells, and massive bursts of fire and thick black smoke immediately exploded in the air, obscuring the vision of both sides... "Mia! We can't see them anymore!" the Damselette acting as a temporary gunner shouted anxiously. Using a cannon for the first time, she didn't know what to do once she lost sight of the enemy.
"Keep firing even if you can't see! Don't stop! Buy time!" Mia gripped the railing tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"Ah, yes! Quick, quick, quick! Load! Ignite!"
It was only because cannon operation in this era was relatively simple that three of these Damselettes could barely manage one.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several tongues of fire spat from the muzzles in succession, shooting toward the black mist ahead. But this time, the shells hadn't flown far before they exploded in the air near the ship!
"Damn it! Are they already here!" Mia said uneasily.
As the gunpowder smoke thinned slightly, Barton, Mori, and Gins landed steadily like Gods on the spacious deck of the 'Queen Mama Chanter'. The massive impact of their landing caused the ship's hull to shake slightly.
The Damselettes on the ship acted as if facing a great enemy, raising their flintlocks one after another and aiming nervously at the three intruders.
After boarding, Barton and his two companions completely ignored Mia and the others who were pointing weapons at them. They began to look around and critique the ship as if no one else were there.
Barton rubbed his chin. "Tsk, this ship is really not bad. It's big and stable, and it has the foundation of a frigate, so it's sturdy enough. It's just that this style must be changed. A pirate's ship should have a pirate's style! Hahahaha!"
Mori's eyes lit up as he pointed at the sterncastle. "Captain, look there! If we pry off that ugly royal crest, replace it with our skull flag, and put a giant golden statue there, how grand would that be!"
Gins stomped hard on the deck. "The wood is good wood! Thick enough! Suitable for holding banquets!"
They acted as if the ship and the women on it were already in their pockets, starting to plan the renovation of their'spoils of war'.
Babs was shaking with rage and wanted to shout a rebuke, but Mia held her arm firmly.
Mia lowered her voice: "Let them talk! They're wasting time! What we need is time! Don't provoke them!"
Only then did Babs suppress her anger and lower her head.
After their commentary on the ship, the gazes of Barton and the others finally fell upon each of the tense-faced Damselettes on the deck, as if they were inspecting cargo.
Mori rubbed his hands, his greedy gaze circling around Sia. "Heh, Captain. That brown-haired chick in the lead has a really good temperament; she looks like some noble Demoiselle, doesn't she?"
As a former Marine who had seen nobles, he could tell Mia's unique temperament at a glance.
Barton's lewd gaze locked firmly onto Mia. "Isn't that perfect? It proves this is indeed a fake! But this woman belongs to me! I haven't tasted what a real noble lady is like yet!"
Mori immediately pointed at Sia: "Then Captain, that mature brown-haired woman is mine!"
Gins pointed at Babs in a muffled voice: "I want that sturdy, strong woman! She looks like she has stamina!"
Barton waved his large hand: "Fine! That's how we'll split them!"
He finally turned his gaze officially toward Mia, who was pointing a flintlock at him, and the group of Damselettes around her who, though afraid, refused to put down their weapons. He nodded with satisfaction.
"The looks are indeed not bad, even more succulent than the top stars I've seen in the Pleasure District!"
Finally, he stared at Mia and said in a patronizing tone:
"You're the Captain of this ship, right? I advise you to tell these delicate little beauties of yours to put down their weapons. For the sake of your pretty face, I can guarantee I'll be a bit gentler and spare you all some physical pain!"
Mia took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. "No, you're mistaken. I am not the Captain. The true Captain of this ship is the new great executive of your Rocks Pirates—the 'Dragon Swordsman' Charlotte Linlin!"
The name 'Charlotte Linlin' seemed to possess a magic power, causing a surge of intense unease to rise in Barton's heart.
As a subordinate Captain of the Rocks Pirates, he knew about this newly emerged great executive. At this moment, he indeed suspected that this ship belonged to Charlotte Linlin's people.
But Mori, who also heard this, burst into laughter, interrupting Barton's hesitation.
"Hahaha! Captain! Look, look, this woman is trying to lie even at death's door? It's true that a new great executive named Charlotte Linlin has joined our Rocks Pirates, and I heard her nickname is 'Dragon Swordsman', she's incredibly powerful!
But there's no news that she's formed her own Pirate Crew, let alone a crew full of women! This lie isn't very clever! Moreover, every great executive's ship would hang their own flag, and this pirate ship clearly only has one pirate flag!"
Gins chimed in, "That's right! Even if you really are the Dragon Swordsman's people, so what! That's just a woman! How could she possibly beat Captain Barton! Women should stay home and raise children!"
Hearing this, Barton also felt it made sense, and his bit of unease was instantly overwhelmed by greed. "Hahaha! Well said! I was overthinking it! I almost got bluffed by a little broad! Men!"
"Do it!" Perceiving that she could no longer delay, Mia took the initiative to order!
Bang, bang, bang, bang—!
The flintlocks in the Damselettes' hands fired simultaneously, and lead bullets rained down on the three!
However—
"Black Water Barrier!"
Captain Barton's body elementalized, and the deck beneath his feet instantly turned into a small patch of churning black sludge. A wall of black water rose, swallowing all the lead bullets fired at him without a scratch!
"I am 'Black' Barton, a man with a bounty of 140 million who ate the Logia-type Black Water (Petroleum) Fruit! These bullets of yours are useless against me!"
Gins gave a low roar as a large horn emerged from his nose and his skin was covered in thick keratin. The flintlock bullets hit him only to spark and make a clinking sound, unable to penetrate at all!
And the bullets fired at Mori were all narrowly avoided by this former Marine using Paper Arts.
"Remember not to hurt their faces or bodies! They are my precious goods!" Barton shouted while maintaining his elementalization.
The battle was without suspense. Even though the Damselettes fought to the death, their courage appeared so pale and powerless in the face of the absolute gap in strength.
Gins charged into the crowd like a tank, sending several people flying with a light swing of his boulder-like fists. Mori was like a ghost, easily disarming and knocking out the Damselettes with his skilled Marine Six Styles techniques. Barton released small patches of sludge to trap the Damselettes who tried to resist.
Soon, only Mia and Babs were still standing on the deck, while Sia, Vina, and the others were controlled by Barton's black water, unable to move, their faces filled with unwillingness and resentment.
They would not despair, because they had already despaired before. At this moment, they only hated their own weakness, not even having the ability to perish together with the enemy.
Barton, Mori, and Gins enjoyed their angry but helpless gazes, feeling smug and satisfied.
"Hehe, wouldn't it have been better to just be obedient like this? Why..." Before Barton could finish his sentence, he suddenly noticed that the gazes of Mia, Sia, Vina, Shi Yue... all the Damselettes who could still lift their heads, had suddenly changed.
It was no longer despair, anger, or unwillingness, but... a light of ecstasy, excitement, and relief!
"Are they... crazy?" Mori frowned in confusion, unable to understand this sudden transformation.
Gins also scratched his rhino head.
The trace of unease that had been suppressed in Barton's heart surged wildly once more, and ten times stronger than before! He suddenly realized something and turned around stiffly, bit by bit... Only to see on the ship's railing behind them, a giant dragon-woman figure had quietly stood there at some unknown time. Her long pink hair danced in the sea breeze.
Her massive shadow enveloped Barton and the other two completely like a demon. That exquisite face, bearing a few dragon scales, was currently devoid of any expression. Only a pair of cold purple eyes looked down at them like a giant dragon surveying ants.
It was none other than Charlotte Linlin, who had returned just in time!
She spoke slowly, her voice calm yet containing a terrifying pressure that seemed to freeze their souls.
"...So it's you pieces of trash..."
"...who dare to touch my people?"