Chapter 16: Ambush of Flying Pirates

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As Rear Admiral Jerry had predicted, the next few days for Arashi and his crew passed without encountering a single pirate. 

All they saw was the vast, empty ocean stretching out before them. 

An interesting thing happened: Arashi noticed an extra point was added to his system. 

"I haven't died, but the points increased," Arashi quickly realized. "It just so happens that yesterday marked one month since I arrived in this world."

"It seems like points increase by one every month, even without dying," he thought. "It's not much, but it's a guaranteed gain." 

This meant his strength would still steadily improve even if he played it safe and avoided unnecessary risks. 

Without hesitation, he added this point to his Conqueror's Haki, raising it to level 86.

Two more days passed. Unlike the clear skies, a massive, dark cloud now loomed over the crew, with the distant sound of thunder rumbling in the background. 

The sea beneath the warship began to swell, causing the ship to sway back and forth.

"A big storm is coming!" Saul rumbled. 

"In weather like this, we need to be extra vigilant. Dangers are everywhere when you're on the sea during a mission."

"Heavy rain and sudden weather changes can drastically affect visibility on the sea. This could be deadly," Shimbu added with a serious expression. 

For some reason, he had a bad feeling about what was coming. Arashi shared his unease, nodding lightly. 

He vividly remembered a massive storm forming during the battle between the Golden Lion Shiki and Roger in the Edd Bay Sea. 

This could only mean that unknown dangers were looming.

He glanced toward the ship's bow, where Rear Admiral Jerry stood, his back to them, shrouded in smoke, lost in thought. 

Soon, the sky grew even darker, the sea beneath them churned violently, and thick lightning bolts flickered between the clouds, occasionally striking the ocean and sending up plumes of mist and sparks. 

The sheer power of the storm was awe-inspiring and terrifying.

Time passed slowly as the thunder continued to roar in the clouds, and the sea's movements grew more intense, yet the storm hadn't fully broken.

"It looks like this will be an unprecedented storm," Shimbu remarked gravely, turning to Arashi. 

"Arashi, remember, sometimes the most dangerous thing on the sea isn't the enemy—it's the weather."

Arashi nodded in agreement. The crew was busy preparing for the incoming storm and securing everything on the ship. 

The wind howled, sweeping over their heads. Then, all of a sudden—

A sharp whistle pierced the air, startling everyone. 

Arashi quickly looked up to see an officer in the lookout tower, his face pale with shock. He pointed straight ahead. 

Arashi immediately turned his gaze in that direction, and the first thing he saw was Rear Admiral Jerry's smoke-covered back. 

Then, out on the stormy, churning sea, countless black dots appeared, densely packed, stretching endlessly into the distance.

A wave of shock washed over Arashi, almost stopping his heart. 

At that moment, it was as if time had frozen; everyone around him seemed to be paused, caught in absolute stillness. 

After two or three breaths, the tense, sharp cries finally erupted, tearing through the air.

"Pirates! Pirates ahead!"

"It's the Flying Pirates' fleet!!"

"They're heading straight for us!"

No one could have expected that the sector deemed the least likely to encounter enemies by Sengoku would face an attack. 

Judging by the sheer number of black dots on the horizon, there was no doubt that this was the enemy's main fleet. 

Arashi took a deep breath, his eyes locked on the approaching fleet, his heart pounding.

As time passed, the black dots grew more distinct, revealing ships of all shapes and sizes emerging on the sea, forming a massive arc that filled the entire visible area. 

Along with these ships, vessels with paddles slicing through the air appeared in the sky, flying ominously under skull-and-crossbones flags. 

The overwhelming pressure was unimaginable.

The sheer number of seemingly endless ships created an unimaginable sense of pressure for everyone. 

"Flying Pirates' fleet spotted in A13 sector," 

Rear Admiral Jerry reported steadily, though the beads of sweat forming on his forehead betrayed his intense anxiety. 

"Repeat, Flying Pirates' fleet spotted in A13 sector!"

The Den Den Mushi's response was swift, and since Arashi was standing nearby, he could clearly hear that it was Sengoku on the other end. 

"Received. Report the enemy's numbers!" Jerry pursed his lips, then responded, "Unable to calculate."

There was a brief silence on the other end. Standing on the Marine warship deck, Sengoku tightened his grip on the Den Den Mushi. 

"Rear Admiral Jerry," Sengoku's voice was firm, "Your mission is to do everything in your power to escape the attack range of the Flying Pirates."

Jerry's body trembled slightly as he responded loudly, "Understood!" 

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, he took a deep breath, looking again at the endless fleet ahead. The despair in his heart was indescribable. 

No matter how he looked at it, escaping from such a massive fleet seemed nearly impossible.

Due to the weather, the Marines in the lookout tower had impaired vision, and by the time they noticed the enemy, there was little time left for their warship to retreat. 

Moreover, the enemy had both sea and air fleets, with the airships moving at much faster speeds.

"Everyone, listen up!" Jerry shouted. "Put all your strength into retreating, immediately!"

The warship quickly turned, setting its course to escape. 

But to the officers' despair, the Flying Pirates' fleet had already completed a surrounding formation without them realizing it. 

They would inevitably encounter the enemy no matter which direction they tried to flee. 

The fleet ahead, densely packed, was closing in on them at an alarming speed.

"Fish!" Jerry lit his cigar, took a deep drag, and spoke slowly, "Arashi, do everything you can to survive."

Arashi was taken aback and turned to look at this superior officer, with whom he wasn't particularly familiar. 

Jerry seemed about to say more, but suddenly, his body jerked. 

The cigar in his mouth snapped, and a small bloodstain rapidly expanded in the center of his forehead, leaving a gaping hole. 

Only then did the faint sound of a gunshot reach their ears.

Arashi was stunned, but he quickly came to his senses. 

The Rear Admiral who had just been speaking to him was now dead, killed in an instant by a bullet from an unknown source.

Simultaneously, the entire warship descended into chaos, with piercing whistles blaring. 

Groans of pain echoed as the officers on deck were hit by bullets from all directions, their bodies riddled with wounds, and blood sprayed everywhere.

"Take cover!"

"The enemy has snipers!"

Shouts echoed across the warship. Arashi, snapping back to reality, glanced at Rear Admiral Jerry's lifeless body and started to duck down. 

But just as he did, a cold figure on a pirate ship about two kilometers away pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

Arashi's body shuddered as a bullet struck his forehead, leaving a bloody hole.

<End Chapter>

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