"Are they really coming?!"
On the deck of the Raven, Gawain scanned the horizon.
With his keen eyesight, even at a distance of several kilometers, he could clearly see a massive pirate ship, full throttle, heading directly towards them.
Such a move wasn't a simple provocation; it was a blatant act of contempt.
"It's Big Mom Pirate!"
Van Augur leaped down from the lookout tower and quickly walked up to Gawain, asking: "What do we do, captain?!"
"Fight or retreat?!"
Gawain remained silent while glancing at him.
He saw Van Augur skillfully draw his gun, Senriku, then take out several specially made sea stone bullets, loading them into the chamber with a look of eager anticipation.
"You look quite eager, don't you?"
"No."
Van Augur raised his gun, a cruel smile curving his lips: "I will absolutely follow the captain's orders!"
"We will, too!"
Nearby, Zoro unsheathed his three swords, their sharp edge gleaming with a murderous intent.
A long tail with a blade swayed uneasily behind Kuro.
Gin had already activated his Bone-Bone Fruit, his body covered in a layer of dark bone armor.
The others also had eager expressions on their faces.
Clearly, after spending one or two months in Alabasta, aside from internal ranking battles, they hadn't had any real combat.
They have been itching for action.
Gawain's lips twitched as he turned to look at the approaching ship, his gaze fluctuating.
He knew his goal for this journey.
His objective was to bring Lucci back while avoiding getting caught up in the battle for the Pluton blueprints around Water 7.
At this moment, even if the ship had a marine disguise, fighting under the pirate with Big Mom's flag would yield no benefits and could easily cause trouble.
It would be a losing situation.
Thus, after a moment's hesitation, Gawain made his decision.
"We're retreating—"
Before he could finish the word, a burst of artillery fire suddenly erupted from the distant sea.
The shells, over 20 centimeters in diameter, swiftly crossed the distance between the two ships, landing in the water near the Raven.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Massive water columns rose up around the Raven.
One shell flew just past Gawain's face, but Kuro kicked it away, making it fall into the water.
If Kuro had been a moment slower, that shell would have hit Raven's vulnerable power system, the one that Lucci had painstakingly repaired before leaving.
Any impact could easily cripple the ship!
The splashing water hit Gawain's clothes, and his eyes turned cold at that moment.
"I'm retreating to give you a face, but since you don't want it, then come, and I'll take your life!"
Bang!
With an explosive sound, Gawain suddenly pushed off from the deck, creating a crater several meters in diameter on the Raven ship's deck, and the entire ship tilted forward.
Such overwhelming force resulted in an even more astonishing thrust, and in an instant, Gawain disappeared from the air, speeding along the water's surface toward the distant pirate ship!
He didn't want to cause trouble, but now that the enemy was right in front of him, he didn't hesitate to eliminate any potential threats!
Big Mom Pirate...
Even if Big Mom herself arrived, they had to fight to know who was stronger and who was weaker!
... ... ...
"The captain is too cunning!"
"He's trying to swallow all the opponents for himself!"
Zoro realized this and couldn't help but sneer, his tone filled with indescribable dissatisfaction.
Over this period of time, Zoro hadn't encountered any worthy opponents, and he was starting to feel bored.
Sometimes, he even began to miss the experience of the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament.
Although he had lost to Kuro in the end, which was a bit humiliating, he had to admit that it had been quite exciting, especially when...
Zoro thought of something and subtly touched the small sword at his waist, a slight smile forming on his lips as he began to reminisce.
"How boring..."
Sanji, noticing Zoro's thoughts, rolled his eyes and was about to step forward to support Gawain.
But just then, Kuro's serious voice echoed in his ears: "Don't move!"
"Fall back!"
"I have a bad feeling... I think Vice-Admiral Lancelot is going to get serious this time!"
"What do you mean?!"
Bepo was stunned and instinctively looked out at the sea, feeling a chilling sense of danger.
Something... Was coming!
... ... ...
On the pirate ship, Snack slowly drew the katana from his back.
Since becoming one of the Sweet Commanders, he had been thwarted at almost every turn, and his frustration had built up to an unbearable level.
He desperately needed to vent, and the Marines present were the perfect target.
Bavarois looked toward the sea in the distance, unable to suppress a hint of nervousness: "Snack, why don't we just let it go?"
"Attacking the Marines first... If something goes wrong, Mama will punish us."
"And for some reason, I have this awful feeling... I feel like something's coming."
"Do you think I'm going to lose?!"
Snack sneered, dismissing Bavarois's concerns.
He was the youngest of the Sweet Commanders, but that didn't mean his strength was weak.
On the contrary, anyone who reached such a position had fought through countless battles and emerged victorious.
Strength was relative; he might not be as strong as Katakuri, but could a mere Marines Vice-Admiral turn things around?!
"Wait... What is that?!"
Bavarois exclaimed, instinctively rubbing his eyes.
But the next moment, his breath caught in his throat: "It's coming!"
"What's coming?!"
Snack was stunned for a moment, feeling the hairs on his neck stand up.
His Observation Haki immediately detected an impending threat, and his mind screamed an alarm.
He'd felt this sensation before.
It was years ago, during a naval battle where Big Mom herself faced off with high-ranking Marines officers, and the presence of Conqueror's Haki had been overwhelming!
He lifted his head, looking toward the sea.
There, a figure raced toward them, skimming across the water's surface faster than even a cannonball.
The figure held a gleaming silver blade, and the overwhelming, mountain-like aura pressed down toward the pirate ship.
From Snack's perspective, he could even see the crimson lightning dancing in the air!
"It's just like Mama!"
"Radiance!"
With Gawain's cold voice, a flash of silver light, entwined with red lightning, appeared in front of Snack, and in an instant, it dominated his vision...
There was no mistaking it; this was the same type of Conqueror's Haki as their mother!
When had the Marines gained such a monster, comparable to an admiral?!
Wait...
There was something wrong with this ship!!!
Could it be that this guy wasn't from the Marines, to begin with?!
This bizarrely shaped warship could be a high-ranking Marines ship, but it could just as easily be a pirate ship... Damn!
It's a trap!
Snack suddenly woke up, but he didn't have much time to think because the next moment, he felt a chill in his chest.
Clang!
A sharp buzzing sound suddenly broke out.
A silver-white line, at this moment, almost separated the entire world.
From the pirate ship to the distant Sea Kings leaping out of the water, and even the pure white clouds in the clear sky...
The violent shockwave spread outward, and the pirate ship was torn apart by the residual force of the slash.
Yet the intensity of the shockwave didn't diminish at all; it spilled out across the surrounding sea, causing the ocean within hundreds of meters to suddenly sink.
The roaring wind and waves hit the Raven ship several kilometers away with violent force, causing the weaker crew members to struggle to stay on their feet!
Bepo, in particular, sat down hard on the deck, gazing at the tumultuous sea in the distance and then at Gawain, who was hovering above the water, sheathing his sword.
"Is this the power of Vice-Admiral Lancelot? Even Golden Lion can only be this level at most, right?!"