Boom!
A cannonball struck the Blooddrop pirate ship's main mast with precision. Amidst the thunderous explosion, a scorching fireball erupted, and the tall main mast instantly snapped in half, the broken section and the sails engulfed in roaring flames.
"AAAH! AAAH! AAAH!"
"The main mast is broken!"
"Put out the fire! Quickly, put out the fire!"
"Damn it, is this our doomsday?!"
"..."
On the blazing Blooddrop pirate ship, pirates ran around in a panic, simultaneously trying to put out the fire and screaming. Their cries were so loud that even the booming cannon fire couldn't drown them out.
Many pirates were caught by the flames, turning into human torches, screaming and stumbling across the deck. Some managed to jump into the sea to extinguish the flames on their bodies, but others were consumed by the inferno before they could even reach the water.
Creak.
A room door opened, and a red-faced, blonde man emerged, reeking of alcohol. He clutched a half-empty bottle of rum and swayed unsteadily onto the deck.
"So noisy..."
His eyes were bleary with drunkenness. He looked at the raging fire on the deck with some confusion, asking, "Huh?! Are you playing with fire?"
"Marley-sama, you're finally awake!" A pirate ran over, crying, "We're being attacked by the Marines! The Blooddrop's main mast has been broken!"
Meanwhile, on the bow deck of a Marine warship, Cross gazed with satisfaction at the heavily damaged Blooddrop pirate ship ahead.
"Commander Cross, should we continue the bombardment?" a Marine asked.
"No, cease fire!"
Cross smiled and shook his head, instructing, "Next, pull the ships alongside. It's time to stretch our muscles. If we sink the ship, retrieving the treasures will be a hassle!"
"Understood!"
Upon hearing this, the Marine and the surrounding Marines all smiled.
According to Marine custom, only 30% of captured valuables needed to be handed over. Of the remaining 70%, commanding officers like Cross could take 10% for themselves, other officers could share 30% of the spoils, and the remaining 30% would be distributed among the participating soldiers.
Therefore, if they sank the pirate ship, salvage operations afterward would be troublesome. It wasn't uncommon for spoils to become unrecoverable or go missing due to currents, wandering fish, or Sea Kings.
For this reason, the Marines would rather risk a boarding action to capture the enemy ship than end up with insufficient spoils after the battle. After all, Marines were also human; besides their sense of 'Justice,' they naturally couldn't resist the allure of money, that was reality.
Who's-Who and Jabra, watching from not far away, showed no surprise, clearly accustomed to such sights.
The two warships then ceased fire and moved in, one to the left and one to the right, closing in on the bow and stern of the Blooddrop pirate ship.
The Blooddrop pirate ship was already heavily damaged, with nearly half of its two hundred remaining pirates either dead or wounded, completely unable to stop the Marine warships from approaching.
"Fire! Keep firing!"
"Stop the Marines! Don't let them board!"
"Forget the fire! Come stop the Marines!"
"..."
However, the pirates on the Blooddrop pirate ship fought desperately, picking up their weapons to try and stop the Marines' boarding assault.
Bang, bang, bang, bang...
Suddenly, gunshots erupted like popping beans. Pirates stood on the deck, firing flintlocks at the Marine warships, and even using throwing spears, axes, and harpoons.
"Deploy!" Cross ordered deeply.
Caw—!
Roar—!
Coo-coo—!
"..."
Hundreds of Enliven creatures flew from the two Marine warships, fiercely swooping down towards the Blooddrop pirate ship.
"What are those?"
"Monsters!"
"Shoot them! Shoot them down!"
The Blooddrop pirates were terrified, frantically shooting aimlessly into the sky, vainly attempting to bring down the agile Enliven creatures.
However, it was all in vain. Hundreds of flying Enliven creatures dove like arrows, swiftly and precisely pouncing on the pirates. In a flash, the Blooddrop pirate ship's deck was occupied by a swarm of stone or metal Enliven creatures. Before the pirates could react, many were already dead or wounded.
"You bastards!"
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted. A red-faced Longleg Tribe man took several powerful strides towards the nearest stone giant bird. With a swift and elegant high kick, he swept his leg horizontally.
Boom!
The kick was like a steel whip, moving so fast it left only a blur. It even generated a fierce gust of wind, powerfully striking the nearly two-meter-tall, four-meter-wingspan giant bird, utterly shattering it into a shower of exploding rock fragments.
"That guy is..."
Jabra stepped forward, pulled out a bounty poster from his pocket, and after a glance, said, "Lightning Leg Marley, 70,000,000 Berries!"
The man was over three meters tall, with short blonde hair and a beige coat. His bare chest bore a bloody skull tattoo. Being a Longleg Tribe member, his legs were unusually long, genuinely long legs, clad in silver metal shin guards and combat boots. However, he appeared quite drunk, not only red-faced but also swaying slightly as he walked.
"Is this the guy they call Lightning Leg?" Cross looked at Marley's appearance expressionlessly, scoffing, "He just has some decent kicking techniques. Isn't that title a bit exaggerated?"
Who's-Who slowly exhaled a puff of smoke from his cigarette, then couldn't help but mock, "This idiot clearly has a terrible tolerance for alcohol, yet he loves getting wasted. What a thousand-legged drunkard!"
Cross turned his head to glance at Who's-Who, asking, "Are you going to arrest him?"
"Hmph~ He's not our target!" Who's-Who snorted lightly.
"Then I'll handle him!"
Cross said indifferently, then dashed forward like a cannonball, crossing dozens of meters of sea in a single bound.
Thud!
The next second, Cross landed heavily on the Blooddrop pirate ship's deck. The immense sound attracted the attention of Marley and some of the surviving pirates.
"Hm?! Did two brats show up... No, looks like three... Doesn't matter, all of you die!"
Marley looked at Cross with glazed eyes, then shook his head hard, forcing himself to sober up slightly. Immediately, his swaying figure suddenly stabilized, and he rapidly charged towards Cross.
"Gin!"
In an instant, Marley was in front of Cross. Using the momentum of his charge, he unleashed a swift and fierce whip kick, sweeping out like a scythe, even stirring up a chilling gust of wind.
But almost at the same time, Cross looked calmly at Marley, who was now within arm's reach. His right hand had, at some point, rested on the hilt of his sword, Kagehide.
"One-Sword Style: Iaido: Morozan!"
Clang—!
The sound of the blade unsheathing was clear, and the sharp sword intent erupted like a volcanic eruption.
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