Taking advantage of the pirate captain's unstable footing, a dense volley of gunfire suddenly erupted. "Hmph, I knew there was an ambush!" Makugai sneered, his combat knife dancing up and down, deflecting the incoming bullets.
Onigumo had even led a small group of navy soldiers to personally assault the first floor, deliberately creating the impression of overwhelming firepower outside the main entrance. He was betting that this shrewd pirate captain wouldn't risk heavy casualties by charging head-on.
But in reality, only about twenty people were guarding the front, while the rear admiral cleverly used blind spots near the hotel windows to deploy a large force on both sides.
To make it convincing, he had the civilians, who were supposed to be evacuated, leisurely stroll away from the garden path on the side of the hotel.
More pirates leaped out of the windows, charging with great momentum under the captain's leadership towards the navy's encirclement.
Onigumo had indeed anticipated that the enemy would break out from the side of the hotel, but he never expected Makugai to gather over three hundred pirates to assault one side of the navy's formation instead of splitting up and escaping from both sides.
In this psychological battle, Onigumo won the first half but lost the second. The navy ambush on one side numbered just over four hundred, led by a colonel. Although they had the numerical advantage, they were outmatched in combat power. Not to mention [Thunder Lord], who was on par with Onigumo, the pirate captain's cadres were no pushovers either, with the weakest able to hold their own against navy officers of lieutenant rank.
"Quick, report to the rear admiral! We need reinforcements!!!" Sensing something amiss, the colonel bravely stepped forward, but unfortunately, not everyone had such good judgment.
"Charge! We have the numbers!!!" A lieutenant waved his military knife, leading over twenty subordinates in an attempt to surround the pirate captain, hoping to replicate the previous encirclement.
But they had chosen the wrong opponent this time. Makugai was no ordinary pirate leader with a bounty of around twenty million berries.
Before the navy soldiers could form an encirclement, the few soldiers who engaged Makugai head-on were directly repelled by a thunderous slash, crashing into their comrades behind them and knocking them out of the fight.
Taking advantage of [Thunder Lord]'s slash, soldiers trying to flank from the left and right stabbed and slashed in unison, hoping to overwhelm the pirate like before. But Makugai's defense was faster than their offense. "Ding ding ding!" The crisp sound of clashing blades accompanied the piercing buzz of electric shocks. The navy soldiers surrounding him spat black smoke, their hair standing on end, and were directly electrocuted to the ground.
Without even looking, [Thunder Lord] swiftly placed his combat knife against his wide-open back, easily blocking a high-speed slash from a soldier using "Soru." Using the rotational force from his waist, Makugai countered with a slash that struck the panicking lieutenant.
"That idiot!!" The colonel, witnessing blood gushing from the lieutenant's chest, forcefully pushed away the pirate cadre he was grappling with, allowing another navy squad to form a battle array and surround the pirate second mate. The colonel quickly closed in on Makugai, who was maneuvering towards the edge of the formation. The keenly perceptive pirate captain naturally noticed the approaching officer and couldn't help but smile: "Heh, you think you can stop me?"
Their blades clashed, "Argh!!" The electric current coursed through the navy officer's body, and despite being mentally prepared, he couldn't help but scream in pain. However, his tightly gripped military knife still pointed firmly at [Thunder Lord]. "I... I know my limits, but even if I can't beat you, I must stop you!!" The colonel's face bore scorch marks, and residual electric currents still caused him to twitch, but his expression was resolute. If he didn't hold the pirate captain back, his subordinates wouldn't stand a chance.
The already torn formation couldn't withstand heavy casualties in a short time. The colonel rapidly tapped his feet, using "Soru" to propel himself closer to Makugai. Their blades clashed fiercely again, and the navy officer, who had been directly repelled, suddenly changed direction mid-air and pounced down once more.
"If you're seeking death, then I'll grant your wish!" [Thunder Lord] slashed down fiercely, his blade, crackling with chaotic thunder, once again repelling the relentless colonel. He changed his slash into a thrust, aiming to kill the officer on the spot. "Clang!" A military knife slashed diagonally, blocking Makugai's attack, while several other knives simultaneously struck at different parts of the pirate's body.
Onigumo had arrived!
"If you can still move, join the reinforcements coming from the east and block these pirates!" Onigumo, his eyes locked on Makugai's movements, issued orders to the colonel behind him.
Caught off guard by the rear admiral's eight-sword style, Makugai, despite his swift reaction and backward dodge, still suffered minor injuries. He glanced at the large gash on his left arm: "Do you navy folks only know how to ambush?"
Onigumo ignored the taunt, slashing multiple times to lock down [Thunder Lord]'s escape routes. The long-nosed pirate captain flicked his wrist, electric currents swirling at the tip of his blade, creating chain lightning that defended his immediate vicinity as he swung rapidly.
"Bzzz bzzz!!"
One of Onigumo's hair spider arms, controlled by Life Return, suddenly slowed, failing to connect with the previous blade strikes. He took a step back, switching from offense to defense to block the incoming electric blade.
The rear admiral's expression was grave. His earlier suspicions during their initial clash had become reality. The pirate's electric blade was truly troublesome; even during blade clashes, the current could conduct through the metal to his body.
The slight numbness was a minor issue, but the real headache was how the electric current disrupted his precise control over Life Return. His brown-black hair didn't conduct electricity, but the residual charge from his electrified body caused his hair strands to repel each other, making it difficult to coordinate their movements. Even with his mastery over Life Return, he could only exert seventy percent of his strength, which frustrated the navy officer greatly.
However, the four hundred navy soldiers quickly reinforced their numerical advantage in various small battle circles. With the influx of fresh troops into the navy's defensive units, the tide of battle gradually turned. Sufficient mid-level combatants like lieutenants and majors filled the ranks, and the navy's intricate battle formations finally began to shine. Now, it was the pirates' turn to feel the pressure.