The shrill alarm sounded.
Weevil, looking a bit dim-witted, held his naginata and with a single strike destroyed the side of the battleship.
He leapt toward the battleship, intent on killing.
The battleship rocked violently as water flooded in, tilting to one side. The soldiers aboard were thrown into confusion.
Ain, with her sky-blue hair, steadied herself:
"Everyone! Abandon ship immediately!!!"
Though there was some initial panic, order was quickly restored.
She directed the soldiers who didn't know what to do.
At the same time, she drew the two short blades at her waist and charged at Weevil.
The pirate ship surrounded by the battleships was already in ruins, corpses strewn across the deck.
It was clear that this pirate crew had been slaughtered by Weevil even before the training fleet surrounded them...
Miss Buckin, counting money while shouting at Weevil, said:
"Son! Kill them all!!!"
Weevil swung his naginata, forcing Ain back:
"Got it, Mom!!!"
He charged at Ain, who was clutching her left arm. Though they had only clashed once, it was enough to show the difference in power.
Ain, holding her twin blades, couldn't withstand the enormous force. During her retreat, the blade had grazed her shoulder, blood flowing continuously.
Ain quickly used Geppo to soar into the sky.
Weevil blinked when he saw his target take to the air, then crouched slightly.
Boom!
The deck shattered as he launched himself like a rocket toward Ain.
Ain, midair, saw Weevil charging at her at incredible speed, pupils contracting sharply... too fast...
Her feet didn't stop as she stepped rapidly on Geppo, retreating at full speed.
Weevil shouted at the retreating Ain:
"Don't run! You little bug!!!"
"Ah!!!!"
He swung his naginata, slashing in Ain's direction.
A massive crescent-shaped slash shot toward her.
Just as it was about to hit, a surge of force burst from Ain's cloak, yanking her several meters to the side out of nowhere:
"Eh!!!"
A few strands of her hair drifted down, narrowly avoiding the slash.
Weevil, seeing his attack miss, looked confused but raised his weapon again.
At that moment, strange shouts echoed:
"Grow~ grow~ grow~~"
"Grow~ grow grow!!!!"
From the nearby battleship, countless vines erupted, surging toward Weevil.
They wrapped around him, slamming at the sea's surface.
Rip—
The vines were torn apart by Weevil's brute strength as soon as they struck.
Rage twisted his features as he stepped midair several times, charging toward that battleship in a frenzy.
...
On that battleship.
Binz watched the raging fool charging toward them, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead:
"Not good."
He directed the vines to converge and strangle Weevil.
But they were smashed and ripped apart violently, unable to slow him down for even a moment.
The soldiers on deck continued to fire, launch cannonballs, and unleash Shigan, Rankyaku, and countless attacks at Weevil.
...
On a battleship further back.
Skarn floated in the air, leaving the deck.
His right hand lifted slightly, the power of the Float-Float Fruit attached to everyone's cloaks, ready to burst forth at any moment.
Zephyr frowned slightly:
"The emergency response isn't bad, but gathering so many people together…"
"Are they just standing there as targets? Wasting all that Rokushiki training."
In war, there's no such thing as no casualties. That's why the two hadn't immediately gone to the rescue.
Before this, wiping out pirate crews had always gone smoothly, exposing no major problems. But this sudden powerful enemy changed everything.
All the issues were laid bare.
Skarn shook his head with a bitter smile:
"Forget it, I'll save them first."
Battleships aren't cheap, after all...
Zephyr nodded:
"Go."
At the same time, he turned his gaze toward the pirate ship.
As Skarn shot into the sky, Zephyr leapt up as well.
...
On the embattled battleship.
The massive vines tearing through the deck lay shattered across the deck.
All of them had been ripped apart at the roots.
Weevil swung his naginata wildly, each strike carrying immense destructive power.
The entire ship was split in half.
Boom!
Another slash sent the ship's hull sliding apart.
The surrounding soldiers swallowed nervously at the sight.
Just as Weevil charged at them again, everyone felt their clothes or cloaks tugged, lifting them uncontrollably into the air.
Whoosh—
They all flew back, landing safely on the other battleships. The soldiers breathed a collective sigh of relief:
"It's Skarn-senpai!"
"Thank goodness!"
"That guy's like a monster. Only Skarn-senpai can defeat him."
"Yeah."
"All our attacks couldn't even hurt him. He's terrifying."
Then, a cold, chilling voice sent shivers down their spines:
"We'll deal with you all later."
"Reflect on that battle scene."
"All of you bunched up like targets."
"Forgot how to use Geppo and Soru properly?"
Zephyr's voice cut through the air as he dashed toward the pirate ship.
Cold sweat streamed down the soldiers' faces... they were done for...
On the other side.
Skarn descended from the sky, Armament Haki covering his feet, and stomped on Weevil's head.
He slammed him straight into the lower decks of the battleship.
But Skarn frowned slightly, sensing that the man's aura hadn't wavered at all.
It was as if that kick had merely scratched an itch.
Without hesitation, he lifted his hand.
Crash—
The ship lurched violently.
Weevil, head spinning below deck, hadn't even stood up before being slammed again.
The entire battleship rose into the air!
It shot toward the sky, soaring thousands of meters up.
...
On the pirate ship.
Miss Buckin, grinning as she gathered treasure, froze when she heard the commotion:
"Wha... what!!!!"
Her greatest trump card, her son, had just been launched skyward along with the battleship, vanishing from sight.
Panic filled her mind, stripping away any sense of safety.
Boom!!!
A deafening sound erupted behind her.
Miss Buckin nearly jumped out of her skin.
Sweat poured down her face as her neck stiffly turned.
She saw the purple-haired figure clearly:
"Ze... Zephyr!"
Despite her panic, she felt a wave of relief—good, good...
Zephyr wouldn't kill. He wouldn't kill...
As long as she waited for Weevil to come back, she would be fine...
But suddenly, she was lifted into the air, unable to breathe.
"Ugh—"
Zephyr's massive hand clamped around Miss Buckin's neck, lifting her to shoulder height:
"You know me?"
"Which pirate crew's remnant are you?"
After all, Zephyr had withdrawn from public life at Marine Headquarters for over twenty years.
The new generation of pirates didn't even know him. The old generation... was mostly dead.
Zephyr frowned. This woman's presence felt far too weak.
So weak that she didn't match any of the enemies he'd fought before.
He loosened his grip slightly.
Miss Buckin gasped for breath, speaking fearfully:
"No... no... I've only heard of your reputation."
"I was lucky enough to see you in the papers!!!"
"And! I'm not a pirate! Really!"
"Look at me, at my age! How could I be a pirate?"
Zephyr glanced at the corpses littering the ground, then looked up at the sky:
"Not a pirate?"
"You control that thing, don't you?"
He slowly looked back at Miss Buckin.
In her eyes, filled with terror and despair—
Crack—
Her neck snapped under his crushing grip.
Damn... wasn't this man... not supposed to kill...
Darkness swallowed her completely...
-----------
The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total