"Bastard!"
Gin's eyes were bloodshot with fury. He only had time for a single curse before the surging seawater knocked him off balance.
The other super-soldiers fared no better, though as "superman" level elites with high physical stats, they quickly stabilized themselves.
One soldier frowned. "Captain Gin, what now?"
Gin looked at the water, which already reached his chest. Knowing they couldn't give chase underwater, he felt a surge of frustration. "Get topside. The Captain has the powers of the Float-Float Fruit. That guy isn't going anywhere!"
Slinging his tonfa onto his back, Gin leaped through the hole in the ceiling and hauled himself up. The Elite Strike Team soldiers followed suit, climbing out of the flooded hold.
On the surface, the sea was a landscape of fire. Aside from a few submersibles that had managed to dive, the rest were charcoal. The massive lead submarine was half-submerged, its tail end still flickering with flames above the waterline.
Under the intense heat of the inferno, the surface water was beginning to scald. Neo Marine soldiers who surfaced for air were met with skin-blistering temperatures, their faces contorted in agony.
Back on the pirate ship, Gin walked up to Aeridar with a grim expression.
"Captain... that guy broke through the hull and escaped into the sea," he reported in a low voice.
"I know." Aeridar's brow arched slightly, but he remained unperturbed. "Return to the ship. I'll handle the rest."
"Yes, Captain!"
Gin knew exactly what was coming. He led the dozens of super-soldiers back up the black ropes, re-boarding the Chris.
Once they were clear, Aeridar raised a hand. The massive Chris ascended rapidly, reaching an altitude of several hundred meters in seconds.
"Zhurong, that's enough!"
Aeridar called out, stopping the fire-spirit who was still enthusiastically torching the survivors.
"Master, I'm almost done burning them all!" Zhurong pouted, reluctantly ceasing her flames.
"If you keep going, there won't be anything left for me to work with," Aeridar joked.
Aeridar drifted down from the ship toward the sea, his hand hovering just above the steaming water.
"Lion's Threat: Imperial Earth Bind!"
Under the influence of his invisible power, the ocean began to churn violently.
Whooom—
The sea erupted. For miles around, the water surged upward in massive swells, as if pulled by a localized gravity toward the heavens.
"Ah—what's happening?!"
"We... we're flying!"
"The Float-Float Fruit... it's that power!"
"Monster! He can even control the seawater?!"
"If this wave falls on us, the ship will be crushed! We're dead!"
The pirate ship was swept up in the rising tide, carried hundreds of meters into the air. Binogi and his crew were terrified out of their wits.
It wasn't just them. The NEO Marine submersibles, dive boats, and the soldiers swimming for their lives were all caught in the gargantuan mass of water, struggling within the churning currents.
A massive amount of seawater was drawn into the sky. Under Aeridar's manipulation, it formed a giant water sphere several kilometers in diameter, a floating ocean suspended hundreds of meters in the air. It was a magnificent, terrifying sight.
"Aha... found you, you little black rat."
Aeridar looked with interest at the pirates and Marines struggling inside the sphere, his eyes locking onto Shuzo.
Splash—
With a flick of Aeridar's wrist, the water inside the sphere surged, tossing everyone about until they were utterly disoriented. Even Shuzo was left reeling from the turbulence.
"Amusing. But whether you survive the next part depends on your luck!"
Aeridar grinned and beckoned. A smaller sphere of water, about thirty meters wide, separated from the main mass, containing a semi-conscious Shuzo.
RUMBLE—
A second later, the massive kilometer-wide sphere collapsed. It broke into gargantuan blocks of water that hammered back into the ocean like falling mountains.
The sound was like continuous thunder. The sea roared in fury as a man-made disaster unfolded. Waves fifty to a hundred meters high surged outward in every direction, a cataclysmic ripple that would be felt for miles.
"Tsk, tsk. Quite the spectacle! Hahahaha!"
Aeridar laughed wickedly at the devastation below.
…
In the Calm Belt, on an uninhabited island where it was perpetually spring...
Over a dozen blue-and-white airships were moored. Each bore the inverted Marine insignia pierced by a skull and sword, the emblem of the Neo Marines.
A camp of tents sat in the center of the island's greenery. Thousands of soldiers were divided into squads, practicing marksmanship, swordsmanship, and hand-to-hand combat.
Zephyr (Z) walked past the formations with a stony expression, observing the training.
"Z-sensei, something has happened!"
Ain ran toward him, her face tight with concern.
"What is it?" Zephyr asked, his voice deep.
"We've just lost contact with Shuzo's assault squad," Ain reported gravely.
"Where?" Zephyr's brow furrowed.
"The last contact was in the waters near the entrance to the New World. After that... silence."
Zephyr's face darkened into a deep scowl.
Since their attack on the Chris Pirates' research base six months ago, they had been hunted relentlessly by both the Chris Pirates and the World Government. This had forced the Neo Marine main force to hide in secret ports and on this island, conducting all operations via airship.
Only recently had Shuzo, who inherited the position of Assault Squad Leader, been operating via submarine; eliminating pirates, seizing their treasures, and using Revolutionary Army channels to purchase supplies.
Without that financial lifeline, the Neo Marines wouldn't just collapse; they'd lose access to ship repair materials, food, and weaponry.
"The entrance to the New World is heavily patrolled by the Marines. Pirates coming from the first half of the Grand Line wouldn't have the strength to defeat Shuzo, let alone wipe out the entire squad," Zephyr said coldly.
"Are you saying... the Marines took them out?" Ain asked, startled. "Will Shuzo fall into their hands? Will our plans be exposed?"
"Do not worry. Even if he is captured, he will never speak, no matter the torture," Zephyr said tonelessly. "He is a member of my indomitable Neo Marines."
"Yes, Sensei."
"However... if the assault squad has fallen, we cannot afford to wait any longer." Zephyr looked at Ain, his gaze freezing. "Mobilize all forces. We begin the operation now!"
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]