[112] The Scorched Sea War (I)
[2715 words]
Might be late on some chapters... Not my fault both the Euro Cup and Copa America are happening at the same time.
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The war approached, and both sides were raring to go at each other.
The Marines had Zephyr, Garp and the Three Admirals: Sengoku, Basara and Kurowashi.
*Clang* *Clang* Over the blue seas was a powerful shockwave that echoed forth. It originated from the ship which houses the five powerhouses, Kurowashi's ship.
The vessel had black sails and wing-like additions to the side. A golden frame coated the exterior with soft white paint, making it a majestic vessel one may confuse with World Nobles.
Upon the raised bow of the ship was a giant, silver bell that carried a noble air.
*Bell Clanging*
The marines roared in joy as their cries harmonized with the bell, like a heartbeat matching a metronome. Its effects went beyond making noise; instead, it had lit a spark in soldiers' spirits!
Shakky sighed as she saw the display, rubbing her forehead.
Damien heard the Voice of All Things and noticed that each time the bell rang, it sent out a wave of mental force, much like Conqueror's Haki, but to reinforce will rather than break it down.
"The Legendary ship that brought justice of the marines to the greatest of foes," Damien thought out loud.
Shakky solemnly nodded at his words, "A beacon of marine naval supremacy… The Ox Lloyd's Warship that houses the fabled Ox Bell!"
The bell rang endlessly, declaring the arrival of Justice!
[Ox Lloyd's Warship and Ox Bell Images (in Discord)]
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Even without any difference in manpower, Damien was unsure of victory; after all, the three Admirals had come together with Garp and Zephyr.
He also knew that allowing the marine morale to skyrocket would be foolish.
*Thump* *Thump* Damien slowly walked forth and stopped all but a few inches before the railing of the Suicidal Rambo.
Even with the Ox Bell that rang with sounds that hit the very soul of its listeners, all marines still turned their gazes to Damien. The name of the Sin Incarnate had long made its way through the Navy, a pirate known to have disarmed Zephyr and defeated the invincible Basara.
"..." An ominous silence echoed through the marines' minds, forcing the clanging bell to dim into the background.
The infamous pirate slightly narrowed his eyes, and then…
BOOOM!
Like an eruption from a volcano, endless streams of black and red howled out from the young man. They spread out their dark hold in all directions, covering the distance and befalling the sea of Marines.
A dark crimson hue of dense Conqueror's Haki sought to dismantle all hopes and dreams of the tens of thousands of naval soldiers, transforming their desire to fight into the desire to escape.
*Crackle* Black lightning rained down, decorating the chilly morning with its disastrous sight and churning the seas in chaos.
"The Navy thinks they can storm into the New World just because they came with a fleet; give them a pirate's welcome to this hellish sea!"
The powerful words containing the volatile Haki reached the ears of both sides. The 30,000-strong force of pirates bellowed a thunderous roar, loud enough that the ocean began to shake!
Howls of greed, desire for power and rage toward their foes flooded the minds of the Rocks Pirates.
…
[On the Marines' Side]
*Thud* *Slam* *Bam*
Countless navy officers had begun to collapse from Damien's Haki as thousands were shaken to their very core.
Sengoku clicked his tongue in frustration, "He's nothing but trouble!"
"Bwahaha!" a laugh broke out. "He's got quite the fire; I like him!"
Garp cracked his knuckles, not overly worried about the shaken marines since it was expected.
Kurowashi narrowed his eyes, "At least 25,000 pirates have already died from the Festival. We aimed to take down the New World… Now, a few more obstacles remain."
Sol and Rocks were busy with their duel, and Newgate, Roger, Redfield, and Shiki were also occupied. This allowed the Marines to double their catch, from 28,000 to 55,000 pirates, if they took down the Rocks' Fleet. With their death would come peace to the world!
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*Thump* *Thump* Basara walked up, his boots slamming onto the deck, seemingly with the weight of mountains.
His hand reached his missing eye and muttered, "That pirate has his way of summoning chaos… it will not be an easy fight."
Under the words of the glum Admiral, not many would speak up.
"Bwahahaha! Basara-san, don't be so gloomy; it's a Festival, and you should enjoy it!"
The Mountain was about to respond angrily towards his young colleague; however, another sharp breeze broke out.
"T-They've begun to move!"
Eyes drifted to the center as they saw pirates had commenced the battle!
*Vvooo!* A cold wind picked up as hundreds of pirate ships sailed ahead with no intention of slowing down; a suicidal rush with no visible strategy.
"All ships prepare to fire once they are in range!" Sengoku ordered.
A bright gold hue of Haki followed the Admiral's words. Like the Sin Incarnate, Sengoku spanned his Will through the Naval Fleet, bathing his troops with a sense of spirit and divinity.
"That's right. Otherwise, I'll have to beat you into shape!" Garp followed, cracking his knuckles once more; each crack seemed to echo in tandem with the unleashing of his own Haki of Kings, swamping over the marine masses with a bright burst of blue.
The grace of the Buddha and the Fist was enough to break the soldiers from their trance.
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The ten Vice Admirals spread throughout the marine ships leading them loud and proud.
*Click* *Clank* Thousands of cannons lowered and aimed at the pirates that inched closer by the passing minute.
Beads of sweat fell off the younger officers as they gulped at the simple uproar from the Rocks Pirates. They were a pack of wolves hunting the distant sheep, clawing their way over the turbulent seas.
They deserved their title as the absolute most fearsome crew of the era!
*Clang!* The Ox Bell continued to ring, reigniting morale while the pirate ships had nearly entered the range of the cannons.
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Garp suddenly threw his marine coat to the ground; only a simple white shirt and Navy blue pants remained. He pulled back his sleeves, spread out his arms, and demanded, "Bring up my balls!"
Tires screeched as hundreds of racks rolled from the ship's deck to the front. Tens of thousands of cannonballs rested upon them.
The Vice Admiral picked up a ball in each hand and reeled them back:
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"Genkotsu... Meteor!"
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Like a bullet, the cannonballs were launched out with enough speed to cut through a mountain, one by one. The sheer speed of Garp was baffling; one hundred projectiles shot out in all but one second.
*Boom!* Garp's precision was impeccable, already sinking three enemy vessels.
Tens of marine ships at the front of the formation also fired, unleashing a rain of black projectiles that skidded across the waters.
…
Damien saw the hail of balls and grinned.
It was well known that the Rocks' Crew did not believe in teamwork; it was a foreign concept to them, and some even tried to eat it.
Most were more wary about being stabbed in the back rather than being hit by a meteor-like cannonball.
Thus, the Fourth Division Commander simply ordered all ships to sail ahead instead of using a tactic or strategy.
"Damien-chan, try not to lose too many ships. The shipbuilders at Myriam Island have been threatened one too many times by Shiki and John to make more ships and can't handle continued 'encouragement,'" Shakky cautioned from behind.
Her request was amusing, sparking a chuckle.
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Five minutes in, the sea had already seen significant blood and war. One to three ships were damned to fall every minute on both sides, taking down hundreds of lives with them.
"Indra, I'll leave the trump card with you."
*Fwooo* Like the flash of light, a shadow appeared behind Damien. "I won't fail, Commander," Indra calmly answered, his blade ready.
Damien cracked his neck as a smile was etched on his face. He heard a hum from the woman nearby, "You're joining in this early?"
Shakky received a nod from the young pirate. "I recovered enough in the past few hours to fight, so I might as well go now and continue polishing my Haki."
With that, he disappeared from the ship.
Shakky sighed, took out her trusty pistol, and began picking off dozens of marines in every magazine.
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[Marine Side]
The current marine formation had 5 standard ships and 9 warships at the front, 75 standard ships in the center, and another 11 warships at the back.
"S-Something is coming!" a voice yelled out from the leftmost marine warship; it was a man of Commodore rank.
"What is it?" a Rear Admiral asked and arrived at the soldier's side.
The man who had alerted the Rear Admiral was a user of the Sense-Sense Fruit that allowed him to sense attacks that had yet to occur in the immediate five seconds.
The Commodore was about to speak, but no words came out.
A spray of crimson liquid showered onto the Rear Admiral as he saw his subordinate's head being squashed into nothingness, the blood spurting out like a fountain.
Damien had appeared under the horrified eyes of the thousand marines on board. Ryushi was bathed in blood in Crusher configuration.
*Click* *Bang!*
Hundreds of shots followed as the Marines retaliated; they may have been fearful, but they had enough experience not to freeze in this situation.
Yet, much to their dismay, the bullets simply fell to the ground, having barely even touched the pirate but lost all momentum in the process.
"N-Not even a scratch…" a man muttered with an audible gulp.
*Vwooo* Damien didn't respond; instead, he raised the hammer and smashed it forth.
Cracks spread all over, followed by the complete collapse of the ship. The endless depths swallowed all cries of the fallen marines.
The enemy jumped up to the sky, utilizing Moonwalk. Damien's eyes glowed red as two beams of red energy blasted out.
*Zwip!*
They bounced and ricocheted through the air, zapping at awkward angles and leaving a trail of near-microscopic pieces of ruined flesh.
BOOM!
Five standard marine ships, 30 or so meters away, were destroyed as pieces of wood rained down upon the blood-soaked sea to the credit of the Omega Beams.
Damien then extended both hands to his left and right while he floated in the sky, allowing Ryushi to float at his side.
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"Abyssal Ruin."
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A broad stream of pulverizing energy shredded the air that surrounded it. The attack zoomed through the air as it met a marine warship.
BOOOOM!
The sails cracked, the floorboards snapped, and the very frame of the ship glowed red.
*Zwip* Sounds of pixelation went off as the behemoth of a ship was reduced to microscopic levels, converting the thousand-strong force into dust.
Meanwhile, Ryushi returned to Damien's hand as it vibrated in delight.
"FIRE!" A yell broke out. It was a marine Vice Admiral who gestured to the marines to fire.
*Bang!*
*BOOM!*
*Vwoom!*
Tens of cannons mounted upon the marine ships went off as the balls zoomed through the air. Damien hummed as a little grin formed on his visage, welcoming the bombardment.
BOOOOM!
A chained explosion went off in the air as nearly 100 cannonballs exploded, having reached the man in the sky.
Significant dust floated around from the shrapnel, leaving a sense of doom at its core.
"D-Did we get him…?" an optimistic voice broke out.
A few thousand eyes glared at the skies slowly cleared of the dust.
A man gulped as he saw two crimson orbs in the loose cloud of dust that peered into his soul.
Damien's untouched body graced the world. His regal attire was long gone, and his body displayed no physical injury.
"R-Ridiculous!"
"That had enough power to take down a thousand pirates!"
They then heard a voice: "Ryushi Combat Arts…"
The weapon in Damien's hand suddenly warped into the shape of something else, the Vanquisher Configuration. Its arrival sent out sizzling mists of crimson energy, shredding the air.
The young pirate grasped the weapon in both hands, and the blade was raised diagonally to his body.
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"...Broken World."
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The Supreme Weapon slashed down with infinite momentum in an arc of endless power. The bubble of Ryuo acted as a coating and allowed the attack to shoot through the skies!
It was brighter than the rising sun, lighting up the surrounding sea. *Fwooo!* High-pitched cries of the air screamed as the crimson slash found its way upon three warships at the back of the formation.
Cries of thousands of men burst out as every ship was thinly sliced in a diagonal half, causing them to entirely collapse upon themselves. Yet before it could fully sink, every ship glowed an eerily red before disappearing from the naked eye; reduced to dust.
…
[Twenty Minutes Later]
Thousands had already fallen from both sides.
Charlotte Linlin, aka the Evil Spirit, 'borrowed' the souls of some annoying Rocks members to create some Homies to aid in her attack.
Her children and other minions charged alongside her.
Katakuri's Mochi-Mochi Fruit rained down ranged attacks while Perespero brought down candy arrows upon the marines. The others were busy with the other ships while a few warships attacked in response.
She was about to shoot another bullet when a flash of black crashed into her.
BAM!
A black metallic fist smashed upon her desirable body, and the warm bubble of Emission Haki transferred into her frame.
"Ugh!" a stream of blood escaped the woman's mouth as she felt her entire body shake like a drum.
It took a second for her to process the aching pain. "Seastone!" Linlin growled out.
A figure floated in the air. It had purple hair, a stoic face, and a muscular body, all while sporting a metal arm that glistened with Haki.
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Katakuri grew somber at the sight. "Vice Admiral Zephyr. He was defeated by Sensei during the Amethyst Kingdom Crisis and lost an arm."
With his Seastone arm, Zephyr was a beacon of power, having taken down hundreds of pirate crews as he showed the capability of a non-fruit wielder to the world.
"Haah!? That Damien cut off your arm, so you came to me instead? Are you saying that I am an easier opponent than him!" Linlin roared out in indignity.
Her lacy bikini somehow held her massive jugs that heaved from her fury.
Zephyr, however, was unphased and rather disdainful, "You come to a battle pregnant; such a woman doesn't deserve to be a mother!"
The Vice Admiral had a lover of his own—a simple and mundane woman whom he cherished with everything. The two recently thought of having a child and seeing the current Linlin left him furious.
*Whizz!* He rushed out and crashed his metal arm onto the unsheathed Napoleon.
BOOM!
…
As for Damien, he had just destroyed another eight ships and was about to aim at another.
He was 30 meters in the air, ready to launch an attack. "!!!" His eyes lit up red as he mapped out the future.
Clang!
Ryushi was raised by reflex to guard Damien's chest and met an attack.
Waves of shock burst out from the exchange as waves of water were generated. The sheer strength of the enemy's attack sent out enough force to level a mountain.
Damien looked ahead and saw that his Supreme Blade struggled to hold under the might of a black fist.
Boom!
The air exploded as his body was launched back with significant momentum and skidded through the air. The Sin Incarante's chest rang with force as his bones shook from the dense Emission Haki dancing within.
Yet suddenly… *Pop* The tremendous force of the punch seemingly ceased as Damien returned to float freely, sending out a dull boom from the excess momentum.
*Purrup* Ryushi bubbled in anger, releasing a hazy crimson mist.
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"Bwahahaha! That weapon of yours is quite sturdy!"
The Sin Incarnate broke out a grin of his own, "Garp."
The cheerful Vice Admiral raised a black fist, blew on it and polished it with his shirt. "Such talented youths shouldn't be running through the seas unchecked. Let me teach you a quick lesson with my signature Fist of Love!"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
Zephyr vs Linlin and Damien vs Garp with all the other mess in the background.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q