BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Brilliant streaks of light cut through the heavens, raining down upon the fleet. Each impact triggered a catastrophic explosion, blowing warships to pieces. The colossal snails used as the hulls of the Germa vessels had their massive bodies pierced cleanly through. Whether instantly killed or mortally wounded, their cascading blood quickly dyed the surrounding sea a deep, crimson red.
Other projectiles plunged directly into the ocean, detonating into towering columns of water dozens of meters high that violently churned the sea.
"Ship No. 8, Ship No. 16, Ship No. 23, and Ship No. 41 have all been destroyed!"
"Ship No. 22 and Ship No. 30 have sustained severe damage from near-misses!"
"What on earth is that? Are those meteors?!"
"Damn it! Here comes another wave!"
"Evasive maneuvers! Evade!!!"
"..."
Mass panic erupted across the various vessels of the Germa Kingdom. Even the cloned Germa soldiers, engineered to be completely devoid of the fear of death, found themselves utterly bewildered and helpless in the face of this inexplicable, meteor-like bombardment.
The speed of the assault was simply too fast. Whether it was the high-tier combatants within Germa's ranks or the various officers of the Big Mom Pirates, anyone who attempted to intercept these falling stars found themselves completely unable to match their blinding velocity. They could only watch with wide, helpless eyes as the Germa ships were obliterated one after another.
Of course, not everyone was entirely incapable of reacting. One pirate captain affiliated with the Big Mom Pirates, a man boasting a hefty bounty of over 300 million Belly, attempted to make a stand.
The result was catastrophic. The descending star slammed into him, leaving him coughing up blood from severe internal injuries as the Germa vessel beneath his feet was instantly blasted clean in half. The cloned soldiers of Germa 66 and the pirates under his command suffered casualties beyond count.
Back on dry land, aboard the central flagship of the Germa fleet.
Katakuri strode past the gathered members of the Big Mom Pirates, his expression deadpan as he slammed his hand down onto the stone surface of the fortress deck.
"Judge, I'm using your flagship! Flowing Mochi!!!"
The moment the words left his mouth, a massive expanse of the surrounding terrain instantly transformed into a fluid, sticky substance, turning into a pale-yellow dough that surged upward like tidal waves. In the blink of an eye, it coalesced into over a dozen thick mochi pillars, howling into the sky to intercept a rapidly descending streak of light.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!
Yet, the passing star seemed to carry an absolute, irresistible force, instantly piercing through the combined defense of the dozen mochi pillars in a fraction of a second.
"What?!"
"How is that possible?!"
"Even Katakuri-nii's ability couldn't stop it... You've got to be kidding me!"
"..."
The members of the Big Mom Pirates erupted into a chorus of startled cries.
Katakuri's brow twitched as a fierce, sharp glint flared in his eyes. He let out a low, commanding growl: "Unstoppable Mochi!!!"
Instantly, the converted terrain around him churned violently once more, shaping into two colossal, pale-yellow donuts that hovered suspended in mid-air.
"Clapping Mochi!!!"
With a thunderous roar, two massive, square arms hardened to a polished black sheen with Armament Haki thrust out from the center of the giant donuts. Like metallic slabs of mochi, they clapped together in mid-air with lightning speed, aiming to catch the projectile.
BOOM—!!!
A visible shockwave rippled through the atmosphere, expanding outward in all directions. Immediately after, a violent squall of compressed air erupted, churning up a massive shroud of dust that swept across the deck.
When the thick dust finally settled, the crowd looked up to see the two metallic, block-like mochi arms locked together in a tight, prayer-like clasp high in the air.
"Judge, take a look at what this is."
Katakuri straightened his posture as the two colossal mochi arms slowly receded.
THUD—
A solid metal sphere, roughly half a meter in diameter, dropped onto the deck, fracturing several stone tiles upon impact.
Judge rushed forward immediately, eager to inspect the weapon that had successfully destroyed and disabled nearly ten of his prized warships. Touching the metal sphere, which was still radiating a scorching heat, a look of profound shock washed over his face.
"A cannonball? No... this… this is a solid kinetic slug forged from tungsten alloy..."
"A pure tungsten-core steel ball... There's no gunpowder inside. Could it be... a railgun?!"
Judge's face was a mask of shock and bewilderment, his words tumbling out in a disorganized, rattled heap.
Seeing Judge so uncharacteristically shaken, Perospero stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "What kind of weapon is it exactly? Judge, speak clearly!"
Judge snapped out of his daze, his expression becoming incredibly grave as he spoke with absolute certainty: "It has to be a railgun! While I don't know how they managed to use electromagnetic force to accelerate a tungsten-core slug to such a terrifying velocity, this is undoubtedly connected to 'God' Enel!"
"Only a projectile fired from an electromagnetic railgun could possess this level of velocity and kinetic energy. The enemy's firing position must be located somewhere high behind Unzan Port!"
"After all, standard muzzle-loading cannons can't rain fire down from the heavens, let alone sink one of my Germa warships with a single shot!"
As a world-class scientist who had once worked alongside Vegapunk in the legendary research group MADS, Judge possessed more than enough scientific insight to deduce the truth.
"A railgun? What kind of cannon is that?" Perospero muttered, entirely perplexed. What kind of artillery could possess such devastating might? Even the cannonballs fired from their 48-pound heavy fortress guns couldn't match this speed or destructive power!
"A railgun is an advanced kinetic kill weapon that utilizes electromagnetic launch technology. It is entirely different from conventional artillery; both its destructive payload and its operational range are utterly terrifying!" Judge's face looked incredibly grim.
This was a high-tier weapon fully capable of rivaling the World Government's Pacifista laser technology. At the very least, Germa's own laser weaponry could not yet be mounted effectively onto naval vessels, nor did it possess such a staggering operational range.
"Then we are in for a troublesome night," Perospero said, his brow knitting tightly together. He didn't doubt Judge's assessment for a second.
However, the Big Mom Pirates could no longer afford to delay their advance. If Germa's naval forces suffered catastrophic losses here, they wouldn't be able to completely neutralize the coastal defense artillery towers and the ships docked at Unzan Port.
Mont-d'Or stepped forward, flashing his prominent yellow teeth as he barked loudly, "Perospero-nii, our only option now is to launch the full-scale assault ahead of schedule!"
…
Inside Unzan Port.
BOOM—!!!
A massive, pink flying slash tore across the battlefield, cleaving a massive swath of buildings cleanly in half. The upper structures groaned before collapsing into heaps of rubble.
"Zephyr! You are no match for me!"
Charlotte Linlin unleashed a savage, rampaging punch. Her fist was heavily cloaked in a swirling vortex of flames and lightning as it slammed ruthlessly into Zephyr's torso.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!
Without making a single sound, Zephyr was instantly blasted backward like a black blur. His trajectory generated several distinct sonic booms in the air, crashing through countless buildings in a split second and kicking up a massive storm of dust and debris.
"Damn it! The collateral damage is spilling further into the city!"
A kilometer away, Backan's face was exceptionally ugly. He watched helplessly as Big Mom and Zephyr traded blows, tearing their way from the harbor district straight into the urban sectors. He found himself completely powerless to intervene.
He had just received intelligence that the Big Mom Pirates had mobilized their entire force, and a massive gathering of their elite officers and Germa forces was currently assembling. Therefore, he had to preserve his strength to deal with the other monsters heading their way.
"Is... is this the raw power of a Yonko? Gulp..."
Caribou swallowed hard, scarcely able to process the apocalyptic scene before his eyes. Beside him, his younger brother Coribou stood completely dazed, entirely at a loss for words.
"Everyone, move along the outer perimeter of the urban district! Avoid the combat zone between Zephyr and Big Mom at all costs. I don't want us losing too much of our strength before we even reach the docks!" Backan commanded through gritted teeth.
"U-Understood, Backan-sama!"
Caribou jolted awake, quickly shoving his brother to get him moving.