Chapter 237: Pirates Arrive
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Alice, with her long red hair and strikingly exaggerated figure, spotted Aoki and walked over.
"Mr. Aoki," she greeted.
Aoki nodded politely.
"General Alice, I'm afraid the ship you've built won't hold up for long-term sailing," he remarked.
Even with every effort to polish and strengthen it, the ship might barely manage to float. But what good would that do?
In the New World, where the climate and ocean currents were treacherous, a single wave could easily shatter such a vessel. Unless they had extraordinary luck, venturing to sea on this ship would be no different from courting death.
"No matter how bad it is, it's better than staying here and waiting to die!" Alice replied, her voice tinged with frustration.
Aoki glanced at her but refrained from saying more.
"Mr. Aoki, don't worry too much," Alice continued, gesturing to the side. "If the big ship doesn't work out in the end, we can always leave on these small boats."
Aoki's eyes followed her hand, landing on a canoe-like boat. His mouth twitched involuntarily.
If forced to choose, he'd still take his chances with the big ship. At least it offered some faint hope. These small boats, however, provided none—any minor gust of wind or ripple in the sea could destroy them, dooming everyone aboard.
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"No! General, no!"
A man came running toward them in a panic, shouting at the top of his lungs. His frantic voice instantly drew everyone's attention.
Alice stepped forward, her tone stern. "What happened?"
The man struggled to catch his breath, fear etched across his face.
"Pirates are coming!"
Those four words were all it took.
The crowd fell silent, their worst fears confirmed. Strangely, some even felt a twisted sense of relief—there was no longer any need to worry about if disaster would strike. It had already arrived.
"They're fast!" Alice muttered under her breath. Her eyes flicked to the oddly shaped ship they'd been working on before raising her arm and issuing a sharp command.
"Everyone, grab your weapons and follow me to fight the enemy!"
"Yes!" came the unified response.
Their weapons ranged from kitchen knives to wooden spears, crude and unprofessional. Yet their collective resolve was palpable.
Even the messenger, who moments earlier had been quaking with fear, seemed to find his courage again.
Aoki followed silently.
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Before they even reached the coast, the booming roar of artillery fire echoed in the distance.
After passing through a forest, the view suddenly opened up.
On the horizon, two ships floated just offshore, both flying pirate flags. They were indiscriminately bombarding the coastline, cannonballs turning the beach into a smoking, fiery battlefield.
Alice crouched behind a rock, watching the carnage.
Boom!
A shell exploded nearby, sending flames skyward. The shockwave slammed into her, leaving her chest tight and her mouth filled with sand and grit.
"Those bastards!" Alice growled, slamming her fist against the rock in frustration. Her face twisted with fury.
"I'm going to kill them!" she snarled, springing to her feet, ready to charge.
Just then, Huck appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her arm.
"Your Highness, they haven't docked yet," he said urgently. "The ships are stuck offshore. You can't reach them on your own."
Alice froze, her anger momentarily subdued.
"Then what do we do? Just let them keep bombing us like this?"
"Of course not," Huck replied calmly.
He pointed toward the beach. "Spread out. Their firepower looks strong, but they've only got two ships, so their coverage is limited. If we disperse, the cannons will pose little threat. When they run out of ammunition, they'll have no choice but to land. That's when we strike."
Alice's expression hardened as understanding dawned.
"Got it!" she said. Raising her hands, she shouted, "Scatter! Everyone, spread out!"
The group quickly obeyed, scattering across the area. Though it was clear they were far from professional, none showed fear. They moved with purpose, preparing for what would come next.
The pier, miraculously still intact despite the shelling, remained a focal point. For now, everyone's attention turned to the incoming battle.
Out at sea, the two pirate ships continued their relentless bombardment. Cannons fired indiscriminately, sending shells raining down on the island. The pirates on board bustled about, loading, aiming, and igniting the cannons.
At the bow of one ship, two men stood apart from the chaos, puffing on cigars as they watched the island ahead.
The first man, with black curly hair and wearing a leather jacket, exhaled a puff of smoke and cursed. "Didn't they say that mad dog was impulsive? We've been bombing the hell out of them for ages, so why isn't there any damn movement?"
Beside him, a man in ornate armor with a broad-bladed sword remained calm, his expression indifferent.
"She is impulsive," the armored man replied. "But she's got an old fox watching her back."
The curly-haired man's mood darkened further.
"So, what now? Just keep bombing? Why don't we just rush in and kill them already!"
The armored man remained composed. "Are you volunteering to deal with her? That woman may be all brawn, but her strength isn't to be underestimated. If not for her, Etania would've fallen long ago."
The curly-haired man scratched his head irritably. "But what's the point of this? There's no point in continuing to bomb like this!"
The armored man's lips curled into a cold sneer. "Then let's change our objective. Our mission isn't to kill them—it's to keep them from leaving. We're just buying time until the boss arrives. Didn't we observe them building a ship earlier?
"People can hide, but a ship that big can't. Let's blow it to pieces and see how they plan to escape!"
The curly-haired man's frustration melted into a cruel grin. "Hah! I like that idea. When they see the ship they worked so hard on go up in flames, their expressions will be priceless."
The order was given.
The pirates quickly adjusted their aim, redirecting their cannon fire. The new barrage bypassed the coast and struck deeper inland, targeting the ancient town of Shuigu.
One shell landed on a ruined site with a thunderous boom, causing the fragile structure to collapse completely.
"Keep firing!" the armored man barked coldly.
The pirates reloaded with haste.
Just then, several dark shadows descended from the sky, striking the cannons with pinpoint accuracy.
Boom!
The barrels crumpled, massive cracks splitting them apart as the shells inside detonated prematurely. Explosions tore through the deck, engulfing nearby pirates in flames.
The armored man and the curly-haired man were momentarily stunned.
A cannon near them exploded violently, sending shards of metal flying. One fragment whizzed past the curly-haired man's head, leaving him feeling a sticky warmth as he touched the wound.
Shocked and furious, the curly-haired man roared, "What the hell just happened? Why are the cannons exploding? Are your brains full of shit? If you're tired of living, I can fix that right now!"
A trembling pirate stammered, "S-something fell from the sky and hit the cannons."
The curly-haired man's face twisted in rage, his expression demonic. Just as he was about to lash out again, the armored man raised a hand, silencing him.
"Is this what fell?" the armored man asked coolly, gesturing to a jagged piece of black metal embedded in the deck.
The curly-haired man's anger simmered as he bent down to inspect it. It was clearly foreign—something that didn't belong on their ship.
"What the hell is going on?" he muttered, a hint of unease creeping into his voice. "Are rocks falling from the sky now?"
Though irritable, he wasn't stupid. From the beginning, he'd sensed something was amiss. A single cannon misfire could be blamed on operator error, but for every cannon on both ships to be destroyed simultaneously was far too suspicious.
"It could be someone with special abilities," the armored man said, narrowing his eyes as he stared toward Shuigu Town. His expression grew colder.
The curly-haired man frowned. "I don't remember any capable fighters among the ones who escaped!"
"Perhaps they stumbled upon a devil fruit," the armored man mused. "Or maybe they've got help from someone else."
The armored man spoke, his tone calm yet cold. "No matter the truth, this ability user's strength can't be too overwhelming. If it were, they wouldn't need to sneak around to destroy the cannons—they'd have attacked us directly."
"What do we do now?" the curly-haired man asked, his voice laced with irritation.
The armored man raised his broadsword, its blade gleaming under the sunlight. "With the artillery gone, there's no other option. We'll launch a direct assault!"
The curly-haired man burst into a cruel laugh. "Hahaha, finally! We should've done this from the start!"
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Meanwhile, Aoki stood some distance away, casually holding a fist-sized piece of black metal in his hand. He examined it with mild interest before glancing toward the distant pirate ships.
"It's one thing to bombard the coast," he muttered to himself. "But what's the point of targeting the town? Do they have any idea what they're messing with? If my Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit is damaged, can they even afford the cost of compensation?"
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