On the outskirts of Dressrosa, on the sea.
"Hahaha! Dressrosa is right ahead, little ones! Let's kill them all!" On a pirate ship, a giant man over three meters tall swung a heavy gun used only by heavily armored cavalry and spoke while emitting sinister laughter.
"Ohhhhh!"
"We will rob them of their money, weapons, and women!"
Around the deck, the pirates roared with a glinted look in their eyes, they looked at Dressrosa as if it was a juicy piece of meat. Without the supply of weapons, the Rebel Army was greatly affected. Without the support of weapons, they had no confidence to resist the King's army.
At the same time, these pirates often worked for various factions as mercenaries. If there was no war to fight, it would have a significant impact on them too!
They had been preparing for so long just for this day!
Dressrosa was rich, abundant with weapons, and prosperous— it is a juicy piece of meat that they were extremely envious of. In the past, they refrained from taking action due to the influence of various forces and the presence of the "Oka Shichibukai."
Now, both of these shackles were gone, and they could finally plunder it without restraint. They also had to thank the Marines. It was the "efforts" of the Marines that gave them a reason to act.
"Look, that Battleship is coming here!" At this moment, the staff sergeants on the Qilin ship received orders and slowly turned the ship's bow towards them. The Qilin ship opened its large mouth, ready to fire its cannons.
This scene stunned the pirates, followed by uproarious laughter.
"Hahaha! Are they kidding me? Just one Battleship?!"
"Where the hell are the Marines getting their confidence from? Even if it's ten Battleships, it would still be a walk in the park for us!"
"Brothers, pick up your weapons!"
"Ohhhhh!!!"
This abnormal scene not only astonished the pirates but also left Monet, a covert member of the Donquixote Family within the United Army, dumbfounded.
"Have the Marines gone mad?!" She admitted that the War Behemoth named the Qilin had formidable firepower and it could possibly annihilate a small country. But even so, it was just one Battleship with a crew of only a thousand.
Meanwhile, the combined Rebel Army and pirates numbered over five thousand, with more than a hundred ships in their fleet. Faced with such a huge disparity in combat power, what exactly did they plan to do?
Were they seeking death?
Soon, the Qilin ship revealed the answer through its actions.
"Aircraft Force, Unit AS-1-10 has arrived at the designated position, requesting ground navigation."
"Aircraft Force, Unit AS-11-20 has arrived at the designated position, requesting ground navigation."
"Understood! Snail positioning has been released!"
Inside the Command room of the Qilin ship, Henry, who had risen from an Ensign to a Lieutenant, held the Den Den Mushi in his hand as he spoke. He now confidently took on the role of the commanding officer of this ship in the absence of Rowen and Dante, exuding an aura akin to an Admiral.
He watched the slowly moving red dot on the screen. When it merged with a large shadow, a sinister smile appeared on his lips.
"Now is the time. Fire!"
…
At this moment, The residents and tourists of Dressrosa witnessed the futuristic war methods advocated by the Marines for the first time.
Within the range, it was Justice!
The cannon fire cover was peace itself!
Just like Rowen's exclamation when the Aircraft Force appeared, the Marines, who had gained air superiority, posed a threat that was incomparable to a few top-tier fighters in the past.
As the Earth's wars evolved into an Over-The-Horizon mode, the point was not to reduce casualties but simply because this mode was more suitable for the concept of "War."
In the world of One Piece, due to the immense personal strength and inconvenient sea transportation, the understanding of war remained at the level of soldiers fighting soldiers and generals fighting generals. It was believed that as long as top-level fighters intervened to deal with the enemy's elite soldiers, the war would be completely one-sided.
Indeed, both sides aimed to annihilate their enemies.
However, when weapons were not only capable of achieving the same results but even better ones… the previous modes of war were no longer as applicable.
Zi zi… Bang rumble!
In the sky, clouds flickered with electricity.
That electricity pierced through the clouds at a speed that seemed slow from a distance but lightning-fast up close, quickly revealing its true form before everyone's eyes.
Behind each flickering cloud of electricity, there emerged clusters of high-voltage currents, creating cone-shaped layers of flame particles that were ejected due to their extreme speed!
The sky seemed to be showering with light, enveloping the entire location of the United Army!
"What is that?!"
"A flying whale?!"
"It's Marine aircraft!! I remember now, that Vice Admiral Rowen is the Command officer of the Marine Aircraft Force!"
Countless people in Dressrosa looked up at the sky, casting fearful and apprehensive glances at the enormous shadow hidden behind the clouds.
The rain of light descending from the sky overturned people's imagination of war. This terrifying war weapon, the aircraft, could only be truly understood when witnessed firsthand.
However, questions arose thereafter…
"Strange! Are the Marines engaged in a battle with someone?"
"Huh? Are there enemies at sea?"
The residents looked around in confusion. Although they saw the Marines firing their weapons, they did not see any enemies. Due to the towering rocks surrounding the country, many people in Dressrosa were unaware that enemies had appeared on the sea.
Doflamingo had done a good job in this regard. The soldiers of the Donquixote Family had taken over the entire country's defense, keeping war away from Dressrosa for a long time.
"Wait! I think I saw something!" A person climbed to a high place, looked into the distance, and suddenly had a shocked expression on his face as he spoke.
"It's pirates… so many pirates!!!"
"Nani?!"
"Have the pirates invaded our country?"
"Quick, inform King Doflamingo! Pirates have infiltrated our country!"
Chaos ensued as people hurriedly dispersed. They enjoyed watching performances in the Colosseum but did not like the idea of shedding blood themselves one day.
"No… It's probably unnecessary." The person who spoke first struggled to swallow his saliva, feeling a chill run down their spine.
"It's already… too late."
"What? Too late?!"
"Quick, hide the children and women! Men, take up arms and prepare for battle!"
The people around became even more frightened upon hearing these words, and in the blink of an eye, they scattered and disappeared. By the time the person realized the ambiguity in their statement and wanted to explain, there was no one around.
There was no need to inform the King anymore, as it was already too late!
…
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