Chapter 238: An Embroidery Needle
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Alice was struggling to suppress her anger, but suddenly she perked up.
"The artillery fire has stopped! It seems their shells have finally run out!"
"Wait a minute, Your Highness. Logically, it shouldn't happen this quickly," Huck said, his expression tinged with confusion. He cautiously peered toward the horizon.
Two pirate ships were closing in fast on the shore.
"Are they really out of ammunition? Could it be that they were in such a hurry they didn't bring enough?" Huck pondered aloud.
As he spoke, a red shadow darted past him. Reacting instinctively, he reached out and grabbed it.
Alice shot him a displeased glare. "Huck, what are you doing? When they were bombarding us, you told me not to retaliate. Now that they're landing, why are you stopping me again?"
"Your Highness, please remain calm. We've endured so many of their shells. How can we not fight back now?" Huck said, momentarily brushing aside his doubts.
The battlefield was ever-changing, and anything could happen. No matter why the enemy had suddenly stopped their bombardment, it was an opportunity they couldn't waste. Their task now was to seize the moment and build on their advantage.
Alice frowned. "Fight back? How? And stop calling me 'Your Highness.' Call me General!"
Huck scratched the sparse hair on his head. "You'll see soon, General."
Alice snorted but obediently stepped back.
The pirate ships steadily approached the shore.
The first to disembark was a curly-haired man wielding a mace. A sinister grin spread across his face as he barked out commands.
"Brothers, follow me! Kill all the men and capture the women! Heh, you may not know, but our princess is right ahead! Before we set out, I made sure to ask the boss for instructions. As long as we don't kill her, we can do whatever we want! You all know what I mean, right? Today's your lucky—"
Before he could finish, a cannonball whizzed down from the sky, landing squarely at his feet.
Boom!
Flames erupted, and the shockwave rippled outward.
The curly-haired man's leather jacket was blown to shreds as he flew backward, blood spurting from his mouth. Two nearby pirates screamed in agony, their legs torn apart by the explosion.
"Cannon fire?!"
The armored man's expression shifted as he surveyed the chaos.
Behind the rocks, Alice's eyes widened in surprise. "Where did that artillery come from?"
Huck grinned. "Although our ship was heavily damaged, one of the cannons wasn't beyond repair. I've been working on it for days, and it just so happens to be ready now."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The cannon roared to life again.
The gunner's precision was impeccable; each shot claimed at least one pirate's life.
But pirates, undisciplined as they were, had a remarkable instinct for self-preservation.
"Don't just stand there! Charge forward! They only have one cannon! Don't be afraid!" shouted the armored man, leading the charge onto the shore.
At that moment, a flash of red streaked into his vision. A sharp whistling noise filled his ears, like the grim promise of death itself. Acting on reflex, he swung his sword.
Clang!
A dark fist slammed against the blade, sending a massive force rippling through it. The impact drove the sword into the armored man's chest, forcing him back two steps. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
Only then did he fully grasp who had attacked him.
A woman stood before him, her long, fiery red hair flowing like a banner in the wind. Her slender waist contrasted sharply with her powerful physique. But neither her striking appearance nor her commanding figure were the first things one noticed.
It was her unyielding iron will, her overwhelming murderous aura, and the wild, feral gleam in her eyes.
Alice didn't say a word. Her fierce determination was evident in her every move. With a fighter's grace, she sprang forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. Her fist, wrapped in the destructive power of armed-color haki, came crashing down.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fists and swords collided violently, each strike echoing like thunder across the battlefield.
Alice's attacks were relentless and seemingly without any discernible strategy, yet they overwhelmed the armored man to the point that he had no chance to counterattack.
A dark shadow crept up behind her, preparing for a sneak attack.
Alice spun around abruptly, catching the assailant off guard. The man barely managed to raise his weapon in defense.
Boom!
Her fist came crashing down with terrifying force. The man staggered, nearly losing his grip on the mace. The curly-haired attacker stumbled several steps back before regaining his balance, his eyes now filled with fear.
"She's really a mad dog!" he spat, glaring at her.
"The shell didn't kill him?" Alice muttered, her gaze growing colder. Without hesitation, she charged toward the curly-haired man.
His expression shifted, and he began retreating instinctively.
The armored man took the opportunity to strike from the side.
Meanwhile, the rest of the battlefield descended into chaos as others joined the fray.
"The situation is highly unfavorable," Aoki observed from atop a nearby cliff, surveying the scene below.
Alice's forces consisted of about fifty elite soldiers, all of whom had clearly seen their share of bloodshed. However, they were still just elite soldiers among ordinary humans.
The pirates, while undisciplined, had slightly superior individual strength. Worse yet, their numbers more than doubled those of Alice's side.
Aoki shifted his gaze toward the battle between Alice and the two pirate leaders.
"This is the key to the outcome," he murmured.
Alice was clearly stronger than either of her opponents. Though they could hold their ground by working together, it was clear they couldn't defeat her outright.
But time wasn't on Alice's side. If the stalemate dragged on, her soldiers would be overrun before she could claim victory.
"Her fighting style is... intriguing," Aoki muttered, observing her movements.
Her attacks appeared chaotic and uncoordinated at first glance, yet they always managed to intercept her enemies' strikes in advance, forcing them into defensive positions.
"Isn't this death sentence?" Aoki mused with a faint smirk.
The technique he had once practiced tirelessly now seemed almost obsolete. After becoming the Demon King, his body had transformed, rendering combat moves designed for human physiology increasingly ineffective.
He raised his hand, and an embroidery needle materialized out of thin air.
In battle, brute strength was crucial, but there were times when a precise, well-executed strike could achieve results far beyond raw power.
Aoki flicked his fingers.
Swoosh!
The embroidery needle shot through the air, silent and precise, weaving its way through the chaotic battlefield. It closed in on the trio locked in combat.
"Mad dog! Go to hell!" the curly-haired man roared, his face twisted in rage as he charged Alice with his mace raised high.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his ankle and faltered.
Alice seized the opening, spinning around and delivering a devastating kick like a falling axe.
Boom!
Her haki-infused foot struck his head with incredible force. Blood sprayed as stars danced in his vision, yet the curly-haired man stubbornly refused to fall.
"What's going on? What's wrong with him?" the armored man muttered, his expression grim as he swung his sword to force Alice back on the defensive.
At that moment, the embroidery needle pierced his neck.
The armored man froze, his eyes wide with sudden, unexplainable terror.
Alice had been preparing to defend against his strike, but she caught the subtle change in his movements from the corner of her eye. Without hesitation, she shifted her focus back to the curly-haired man and delivered a crushing punch to his skull.
Boom!
The curly-haired man crumpled to the ground, his eyes dimming as his body flew backward.
"Finished!" the armored man thought, his limbs turning cold with dread.
The situation had turned so rapidly that he hadn't even processed what had happened.
The only certainty was the presence of another enemy, hidden in the shadows.
Backing away with trembling steps, the armored man stammered, "Wait... I... I want to..."
Phew!
Before he could finish, his head exploded.
Alice lowered her fist, a puzzled look crossing her face.
"Was he trying to say something just now? Eh, forget it," she muttered, brushing the thought aside.
There were more pressing matters to deal with.
Her sharp gaze swept over the battlefield, and her eyes hardened once again. She pounced toward the nearest enemy without hesitation.
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