Chapter 70 Cunning navy

"Heh, instead of wasting time chatting here, you'd better think about your own fate, Straw Hat crew. Today, you won't escape!" A cold voice suddenly interrupted, breaking the tense silence.

It was Admiral Nelson, arriving aboard his battleship, with Erik leading the charge. He glared coldly at the Straw Hat crew. Without Moonlight to suppress them, they were nothing in his eyes. With a swift movement, Erik launched himself through the air, gliding menacingly toward them.

"I've got this!" Zoro shouted, drawing all three of his swords as he rushed forward to intercept Erik.

Boom!

The clash of their powerful strikes caused a fierce shockwave, with both fighters standing their ground evenly matched.

"Leave it to Zoro!" Luffy nodded confidently, trusting in his crewmate's strength. Meanwhile, the others continued to steer the ship, guiding Dragon Grandpa as they followed the direction he had indicated.

But after a while, Luffy and the crew were startled to realize that they had circled back to the same island that looked like a giant warship—the same Warship Island they had started from.

"What's going on? Why are we back at Warship Island again?" Luffy asked, confused.

"Abis, what's happening here?" Sanji questioned, his brow furrowed.

"I… I don't know. Dragon Grandpa's memory comes and goes. He said it should be around here," Abis responded helplessly, glancing at the confused dragon.

"Damn it, is he really losing his memory?" Sanji muttered in frustration. Things were becoming much more difficult.

Suddenly, BOOM! A massive wave surged around the Merry, sending the ship spinning violently. Dragon Grandpa was caught in the chaos, letting out a painful roar as he was struck by the force of the water.

"This is bad! That scumbag Nelson is bringing the battleship right at us!" Abis cried out in fear.

Sure enough, Nelson's enormous battleship loomed closer, its cannons trained on the Merry. The cannon barrels were massive, each as large as a water tank, and the recent wave had been the result of a warning shot.

"A battleship… The Navy's ultimate weapon for sea combat. There aren't many ships that can withstand a direct hit from one of those cannons," Usopp stammered, trembling in fear.

"The reason the Navy dominates the seas is because of these warships. Even the greatest pirate fleets don't always have one. We're in serious trouble," Nami said, her face tense with concern.

"That first shot… it was a warning. If they had aimed to hit us, we'd be in big trouble by now," Sanji added grimly, taking a deep drag on his cigarette as he stood on the deck, his expression darkening.

"No need to worry about that now. Keep moving forward!" Luffy shouted, his fists clenched and his spirit unbroken.

"Right!" The crew responded, focusing on steering the Merry as quickly as possible toward their goal.

"Straw Hat crew, prepare to be obliterated!" Nelson sneered as he gave the order. Out of a twisted sense of Navy justice, he had held back with the first shot. But now, seeing their defiance, he decided it was time to be ruthless. His eyes gleamed with greed as he glanced at the Millennium Dragon behind the Merry. The promise of immortality was too tempting.

"Fire! Give it everything!" Nelson commanded with a crazed grin.

Boom! The battleship's cannons roared to life. This time, the water-barrel-sized cannonball shot forth with terrifying speed—three times faster than the average ship's artillery.

Boom!

The cannonball struck Dragon Grandpa directly, causing the ancient creature to let out a thunderous, pain-filled roar.

"This is bad!" Nami gasped, the speed of the shot too fast for any of them to react in time.

"So fast!" Sanji muttered through gritted teeth, realizing they had underestimated the power of the battleship.

"Aaaah!" Usopp trembled uncontrollably as he frantically steered the ship, trying to escape the deadly range of the cannons.

"Damn it!" Luffy growled, his frustration clear. Even he hadn't been able to react in time to stop the attack.

"Sanji, you take that side! I'll cover this one! Usopp, Nami, move fast!" Luffy called out, quickly forming a plan.

"Right!" Sanji acknowledged, taking his position to cover the ship's flank while Luffy inhaled deeply.

"Gomu Gomu no Fusen (Gum-Gum Balloon)!" Luffy's body expanded like a massive rubber balloon, shielding the Merry from any direct hits from the front.

"Let's go!" Sanji shouted as he prepared to defend the other side of the ship, while the others focused on guiding Dragon Grandpa and steering the Merry to safety.

"Crush them!" Nelson ordered, his voice dripping with contempt. The Straw Hat crew may have been difficult to deal with, but in the face of his battleship, they were powerless. The massive warship charged toward the Merry, intending to smash it to pieces.

"Damn it, they're going to ram us!" Luffy cursed as he realized the battleship was speeding toward them, intending to tear through the Merry with sheer force.

"This is the true power of Admiral Nelson. We're completely outmatched here," Sanji muttered as he flicked his cigarette into the sea. He could see clearly now that every move they made had been anticipated and countered. It wasn't that they lacked strength; it was that their every plan had been dissected and preempted by Nelson's tactical genius.

"This guy is playing us like puppets. It's terrifying," Usopp shuddered, his usual clever tactics rendered useless against Nelson's overwhelming strategy.

"Usopp, turn the helm 45 degrees left! The battleship is going to ram us!" Nami shouted, using the ocean currents to try and steer them to safety.

"I'm on it!" Usopp quickly followed Nami's directions, keeping the Merry as nimble as possible.

"Heh, you're all done for. Nelson may be a fat, lazy fool, but he's still the East Blue Admiral, cunning as a demon. No matter how strong you think you are, without your ship, you're just sitting ducks!" Erik sneered as he watched the struggle unfold.

"Damn it!" Zoro cursed, still locked in battle with Erik. Try as he might, he couldn't break through the enemy's defenses in time to help his crew.

"That battleship really is something. Even the Navy Headquarters has only a limited number of them. The firepower alone is terrifying, but under Nelson's command, Luffy and the others are being completely outplayed!" Moonlight thought, his anxiety growing as he remained pinned down by the relentless cannon fire. He couldn't move, trapped under the never-ending barrage.

"This guy… is he even human? We've been firing at him non-stop, and he still looks like he hasn't broken a sweat!" The Navy captain was in utter disbelief. They had been bombarding Moonlight for what felt like an eternity, but the man remained unfazed, his stamina seemingly boundless.

But when he saw Nelson preparing to ram the Merry with the battleship, the captain couldn't help but smile. Nelson was truly a master strategist.

"Finally! The Straw Hat crew is finished!" cheered one of the Navy officers.

"Admiral Nelson is invincible! We're about to win this battle for sure!"

"All hail Admiral Nelson!" the Navy crew shouted triumphantly.