"Captain! We're in trouble! The enemy sniper just shot our main mast in half!"
A pirate lackey scrambled over, voice cracking with panic.
"Of course I can see that—I'm not blind!"
Yako's eyes bulged, veins throbbing on his forehead as he glared at the faint silhouette on the bow of the heavenly tribulation, fury and dread twisting inside him.
"The hell kind of gun is that?! So fast I didn't even have time to blink!"
"W-what do we do, Captain? R-run?" another pirate stammered.
"Run? Are you brain-dead?"
Yako slapped the man across the head, jabbing at the toppled mast and tangled rigging.
"With the ship like this how could we run?! We'd just be target practice!"
"Th-then we…"
"What then? We fight back, damn it!"
Swallowing his terror, Yako roared, bluster masking his fear.
"I'm 'Fire-Man' Yako, a 120-million-Berry Supernova! So what if they're Rocks' crew? They're only women! Listen up—seize that ship and every coin and woman aboard is ours to share!"
Lust for loot and women drowned the pirates' panic; they howled like beasts.
"Yeah! Wipe them out!"
Their frenzy died as quickly as it flared, cut down by a cold rain of arrows.
The instant the ships closed to bow-range, the Kuja warriors smashed the Lava Pirates with a crushing salvo.
"Loose!" Gloriosa ordered, voice sharp.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh—!
Dozens of shafts tore through the air, shrieking as they blanketed the enemy deck.
Terror gripped the Lava Pirates when they saw the arrowheads gleaming jet-black.
"Armament Haki?! Impossible—how can women—"
Yako screamed, hurriedly coating his arm to block; the impact still numbed it to the bone.
Ordinary lackeys weren't so lucky. Haki-laced arrows punched through armor, severed lines, shredded sails—and nailed any pirate reaching for a gun or cannon dead to the planks.
One volley threw the Lava Pirates into chaos, their charge strangled before it began.
"Second squad—grappling lines! Board fast and finish this!" Gloriosa commanded.
Kuja warriors cast iron-hook ropes that bit into the foe's rail.
"I go first!"
With a shout Gloriosa sprinted along a rope, a few Moonwalk steps carrying her lightly to the enemy's mid-deck.
The moment her feet touched, the clamor faltered into stunned silence. Sunlight shimmered on her pale skin, orange hair streaming, her beauty fierce and untouchable, the clinging qipao tracing breathtaking curves.
Hearts popped in pirate eyes; weapons drooped, drool spilled as they forgot the battle.
"S-such a beauty…"
"A sea-fairy…?"
Sensing those sticky stares, Gloriosa's brows drew together in disgust.
"Filth—day-dream in a fight and you die."
She lashed out; whip-like legs sent the gawkers flying overboard, screaming.
"Attack! Don't let her charm you!" Yako bellowed, frantic.
Kuja warriors poured across the lines, leaping into the fray like hunting cats.
In close quarters the Kuja's honed martial arts shone.
Guided by fledgling Observation Haki they slipped past blades, then smashed back with fists, feet, elbows and knees wrapped in Armament Haki—one blow each to drop the toughest brutes.
The fight was almost one-sided, yet several stronger officers aboard still held out against these Haki-wielding Heavenly Punishment Pirates.
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