Whoosh—
Cross shot forward like a black bolt of lightning, crossing paths with Marley in an instant. Amidst the soft sound of blade entering flesh, blood splattered into the air, and intense air currents swirled, instantly transforming into visible, violent gusts of wind that spread in all directions.
On the deck of the Blooddrop pirate ship, the surviving pirates stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at Marley.
"So fast... so fierce..."
At this moment, Marley muttered in an inexplicable low voice, then slowly looked down. He saw a gruesome, bone-deep wound across his chest, from which crimson blood surged like a fountain.
Click~
Cross stood with his back to Marley, his hand on the hilt of Kagehide, slowly sliding the last section of the blade into its sheath. Only then did he turn around, speaking in a calm tone, "If you can't hold your liquor, don't drink. You have good kicking techniques, but you only displayed this level. Not everyone can be a monster like Kaido!"
"So, it was just a brat..."
A bitter smile appeared on Marley's flushed face. His body swayed, and with a thud, he collapsed onto the deck. Blood quickly stained the planks beneath him.
"Aaahh—!"
"Marley-sama!"
"One hit... He defeated Lightning Leg Marley, who had a 70,000,000 Berry bounty, in one hit!"
"..."
The pirates screamed in terror. Their morale instantly collapsed, and they all turned and jumped off the pirate ship, fleeing towards the shore.
"Wait~ This aura... is it the main boss, or another executive?"
Suddenly, Cross sharply turned his head, his gaze piercing towards the shore.
"Hurry up!"
"Don't dawdle!"
"Damn Marines, let's settle this!"
"Those sons of bitches, they ambushed us!"
"..."
At this very moment, a large group of people charged out from the trees along the shore. Each of them had dark skin and muscular builds, wielding cutlasses, large axes, or firearms. They swore incessantly, spewing profanity.
However, only the leading man among them caught Cross's attention, especially his strikingly bright crimson tailcoat, and the three-meter-tall dark-red long-handled scythe he carried.
"Blood-Eater Dingman, with a bounty of 260,000,000 Berries, your pirate ship is mine now!" Cross walked to the ship's railing and shouted loudly towards the shore.
"Hm?!"
Dingman abruptly stopped, and the group behind him also halted their steps. They gazed at the blazing Blooddrop pirate ship and the young Marine on its deck, their expressions filled with anger.
"Dingman-sama, the pirate ship has been seized by the Marines!"
"That Marine, he cut down Marley-sama with one strike! He's a monster!"
"Avenge us, Dingman-sama!"
"..."
The dozen or so surviving pirates who had escaped from the pirate ship looked at the arriving reinforcements with relief. They scrambled to Dingman's side, crying and complaining in fear and distress, delivering the bad news to Dingman and his men.
"Nani?! Marley was defeated?"
Upon hearing that Marley had been defeated, Dingman and the others couldn't help but show shocked expressions.
From the warehouse on the edge of town, through the trees, to the shore where the Blooddrop pirate ship was anchored, the distance was only a few hundred meters, easily covered.
Yet, in such a short time, not only was the pirate ship seized, but even Lightning Leg Marley, with his 70,000,000 Berry bounty, had been defeated. It felt like a joke!
"Get out of the way!"
Dingman's face darkened. He pushed away the few pirates in front of him and carefully observed the situation.
He saw the two Marine warships had already docked, not only sandwiching the heavily damaged Blooddrop pirate ship between them, but also a large number of Marines were coming ashore or gathering on the warships' decks, preparing to disembark.
"Dingman-sama, what should we do?" a pirate nearby asked with a grim expression.
"What should we do?"
Dingman narrowed his eyes, then suddenly, instead of anger, a smile spread across his face. He said, "Since the Marines want a fight, we'll give them one!"
"Let my scythe, Gyakurin (Reverse Wheel), drink Marine blood once more!"
With that, Dingman gripped the long-handled scythe in his hand and charged forward, leading the way.
"That's right, fight the Marines!"
"Charge! Follow Dingman-sama!"
"Damn Marines, prepare to die!"
"..."
Seeing their captain lead the charge, about two hundred pirates from the Blooddrop pirate crew shouted and swarmed forward, rushing towards the Marines disembarking on the shore.
"Trying to push us back into the sea while we're not properly positioned, huh? How insidious!"
On the deck of the Blooddrop pirate ship, Cross thoughtfully stroked his chin, instantly seeing through the pirates' intentions.
Then, Cross waved his hand and shouted, "For Justice!"
"FOR JUSTICE!"
Over a thousand Marines roared in unison. Especially the more than one hundred Marines who had already disembarked. After a shout, raising their weapons, they fearlessly charged towards the pirates in front of them.
Clang—!
Seeing this, Cross grinned excitedly, pulling Kagehide from his waist and leaping from the pirate ship onto the verdant shore.
The next second, the Enliven creatures on the Blooddrop pirate ship flew into the air, like startled birds. However, this flock of 'birds' was exceptionally aggressive, each swooping fiercely towards the pirates ahead like a predatory eagle.
"What are these strange things?"
"Gargoyles?! How can legendary creatures like these exist in the world?"
"Aaahh! Let go of me—!"
"Fire! Fire! Shoot these things down!"
"..."
In an instant, intense gunshots bang-bang-banged like popping beans, as the Enliven creatures engaged in battle with the Blooddrop pirates.
It must be said that these pirates were quite capable. Although pirates were constantly caught by the Enliven creatures, lifted hundreds of meters into the air, and then dropped to their deaths, some Enliven creatures were also shot down by the pirates, crashing heavily to the ground and shattering into piles of rubble.
Immediately after, the Marines joined the chaotic battle, and the sounds of fierce combat intensified.
"Get lost, Blood Moon Crescent!"
Just then, Dingman watched as a stone eagle caught one of his pirates, carried him hundreds of meters into the air, and then dropped him, killing him instantly. His anger erupted. He gripped the scythe Gyakurin with both hands and powerfully swung it forward.
Rumble—!
Immediately, a strong burst of bloody light appeared, and a dark-red slash erupted, resembling a crimson crescent moon, or perhaps the Grim Reaper's scythe. Its whistling momentum cut through a dozen Enliven creatures in front of him, severing them all in half.
"Hey~ Did you ask for my permission before killing my subordinates like that?"
"One-Sword Style: Flying Edge!"
Cross charged forward like a cannonball. The Kagehide in his hand unleashed a sharp, blue-white slash that whizzed through the air, moving so fast it seemed to cut the very air itself.
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