Dense cannon fire tore through the rain, the sharp whistling of the projectiles whipping through the air. Shanu's black hair flew wildly in the gusts of air.
Yet he didn't move, his cold gaze fixed on the distant warships.
Behind him, four figures suddenly surged forward.
"Ichi-ji Heizan: Deer's Might!"
Kuina shouted, stepping into the air with Moon Steps. Wado Ichimonji drew with a flash, cutting a bright, curved arc through the rain.
Whrr!
Where the blade passed, waves of air rippled outward.
A dozen or so cannonballs were sliced neatly in half, their gunpowder soaked by the rain before they could explode, dropping to the ground in plumes of blue smoke.
"Prime Hammer Shoot!"
Jep flew to the opposite side, his metal right leg delivering precise, chopping kicks, as if he were slicing meat on a cutting board.
Cannonballs approaching from the flanks either fell into the sea or exploded in midair, scattering countless fragments.
Gin and Nojiko used walls to spring themselves through the air.
Swish, swish, swish!
With deft movements, one using fists, the other claws, every stray cannonball was intercepted.
Clack!
In barely ten seconds, all the cannonballs were cleared, and the four figures returned to stand behind Shanu.
The second round of cannon fire—over fifty shells—hadn't breached their defense even once.
"Huh?"
Onigumo raised an eyebrow, glancing at the rooftops.
Encountered a tough one, huh?
He had assumed a few rounds fired at the plaza would be enough to sweep the battlefield clean.
Vent his frustration, entertain Altai's fat face with a fireworks show, and if the higher-ups complained about civilian casualties, he could easily shift the blame.
Perfectly efficient.
But then came Smoker, a rebellious thorn in his side.
And now, out of nowhere, this group of people could physically block cannon fire.
This kind of strength? Not something an East Blue pirate crew could have.
Interesting…
"Hey, tell them to cease fire."
Onigumo lit a cigar and licked his lips with interest. "I'll go ashore alone and have some fun with these pirates."
"Hound, you vice admirals stay on the ship and protect His Majesties. This fight doesn't need your involvement. Just assign a few officers to block all the plaza exits."
"Yes, Mr. Onigumo!"
Vice Admiral Hound saluted promptly, though secretly a little disappointed. He would have liked to go ashore and have fun with these pirates too.
…
Soon after, Onigumo, cigar in mouth, stepped onto the dock.
Behind him, a large contingent of his elite marines passed on both sides, entering Logue Town and surrounding the plaza completely.
Marines from the local Logue Town branch were pushed into corners, bewildered, unsure why the warships had opened fire.
Even if the goal was to capture pirates, there were safer ways—like now, going ashore and encircling them. Why fire directly?
"Vice Admiral!"
The lead branch captain stepped forward, calling out to Onigumo's back:
"Aren't you going to explain? Why didn't you notify us before firing? Don't you know civilians on both sides of the plaza could be hit?"
"And where is Mr. Smoker? Just now there was thick smoke on the ship—was he on board too?"
Hmm?
Onigumo paused, frowning.
"Annoying."
He turned coldly, drew a pistol from his coat, and fired directly at the branch captain.
A mere branch captain, barely a sergeant at HQ, dares question him?
Bang!
The young captain's body stiffened and fell backward, a bullet hole in his forehead, blood gushing out.
"…"
The surrounding Logue Town marines went completely silent.
Disbelief filled their eyes, flicking between the corpse and Onigumo's back.
In the crowd, Tashigi covered her mouth, shocked, almost screaming.
She had been curious to see the HQ vice admiral in person, feeling somewhat cheered after the earlier frustration of missing a meal with Shanu.
And now…
This was the person? Killing a subordinate without hesitation?
Someone like this, a vice admiral?!
…
Tap, tap, tap.
Onigumo strode toward the plaza, cigar in mouth.
He ignored the murmuring behind him; what low-level marines thought was irrelevant.
And shooting subordinates? He had done it countless times—school-level officers disobeying him were executed without question. A branch captain in this remote area was even less significant.
On the wide plaza, the assembled pirates noticed the figure striding through the rain. Seeing the shoulder insignia and recalling the terrifying, concentrated fire, they all gasped.
"—It's a Navy HQ Vice Admiral!!!"
Someone yelled. Panic spread instantly.
"Damn it! I should've stayed out of the East Blue! Why is this guy here?!"
"Is this the time to think? Run!"
"Too late! All exits are sealed!"
…
Amid the chaos, Onigumo didn't even glance at the group.
Swish! He leaped onto a rooftop, scanning the few figures opposite.
Except for the one in the white hood, the others were all young boys and girls, no more than a dozen years old.
"Interesting."
Onigumo raised an eyebrow, blowing a smoke ring. "So the ones that caught my interest… are just a bunch of kids…"
"Hey, what are you doing?!"
From the second floor of the café, Nami suddenly shouted, interrupting him in anger, "Why are you firing at us for no reason? We're not pirates!"
Not pirates?
Onigumo's gaze swept over Shanu and the others, running through their faces in his mind. He had no record of them on any wanted poster.
But…
"Does it matter?"
Onigumo shook his head slightly, expression cold:
"You're helping these pirates intercept cannonballs, aren't you? That already makes you enemies of the Navy. Being treated as pirate accomplices and executed on the spot is only natural. Nobody to blame."