Buster Call: The Twilight of Hachinosu

In the Intelligence Room on Hachinosu, Ginny lowered her fingers, the purple light in her eyes still lingering. Her voice was a beat faster than usual. "The Navy has been mobilized. Sengoku is leading a fleet of ten warships. Heading towards Hachinosu. It's Buster Call, not an encirclement."

Lin Yuan stood at the door. "How long will it take?"

"Two days."

Lin Yuan didn't speak, turned and walked towards the port. Jin and Bullet followed behind him. Huijin stood at the corner of the corridor, glanced at their backs, and didn't follow.

At the port of Wano Country, Kaido was squatting on the gunwale of a ship, gnawing on meat. Lin Yuan walked up to him, raised his hand, and opened a door. Behind the door was the coastline of Wano Country —the ruins of the Flower Capital shimmered gray-white in the morning light.

"Stop chewing. Go back."

Kaido paused for a moment. "Go back? I just arrived."

"Buster Call. The Navy is to bomb Hachinosu."

Kaido stood up, threw the meat into the sea, and slid the Iron Club from his shoulder to his hand. "Ora ra ra... Buster Call. I haven't seen it yet."

He stepped through the door, and Lin Yuan followed, the door closing behind them. The remaining samurai on the Wano Country coastline stared blankly into the distance as the door disappeared, and no one spoke.

Two days later, at the port of Hachinosu, the masts of warships appeared on the horizon, one after another, arranged in a fan-shaped formation. Ten warships lined up in a row, all their cannons pointed towards Hachinosu.

King stood atop the mast, golden flames dancing in the morning breeze. He glanced down at the harbor's defenses— Bullet stood on the harbor steps, Kaido crouched amidst the ruins behind, Kuma stood before the Castle, Moria's shadow stretched along the island's edge, Inazuma sat beside Moria twirling scissors. Caesar burst from the laboratory, carrying a pile of boxes, his hair more disheveled than usual.

"My achievement! My achievement can finally be used!"

Lin Yuan stood on the rooftop terrace of the Castle, looking at the ten warships, a water glass in his hand. "Is there anything usable?"

Caesar opened the crates and began taking out the items one by one. "Seastone Armor-Piercing Bullets, mass-produced version, five rounds per person, easily penetrates Seastone Alloy. Gas Grenades, to be placed in the port ruins, detonate if anyone gets too close. Interference Bombs —to work with King's Float-Float Float-Float Fruit, can prematurely detonate shells or disrupt warship fire control." He paused, then took out the last crate, "And this. Artificial Devil Fruit, mass-produced, weakened version. Eating it grants half an hour of basic Zoan combat power, but leaves you paralyzed for a day afterward. Don't eat it unless absolutely necessary."

Kaido squatted down beside him and picked up one. "You can eat this?"

"I can eat. But don't blame me if I get paralyzed."

Kaido put the fruit down. "You can keep it then."

Caesar: "I won't eat it either."

Ginny ran out of the Castle and spread the sea chart on a wooden crate by the dock. "Defensive deployment—King will intercept from the air, using Interference Bombs. Prepare for an assault behind Kaido's port. Bullet's port will be positioned at the front. Launch catapults around Kuma's Castle. Patrol the edges of Moria and Inazuma Island, using gas traps. Equip the grunts with Artificial Devil Fruits, as spares. Any questions?"

"Yes," Caesar raised his hand, "Can I be transferred to a safe place?"

"Cannot."

"... OK."

Sengoku stood at the bow of the Flagship, lowering his binoculars. "Buster Call —Target: Hachinosu. Full ship fire, leave no survivors."

Crane stood beside him. "Lin Yuan might not be on the island."

"Whether he's here or not, the island will vanish." Sengoku didn't turn around. "If he's here, we'll all disappear together. If he's not here, his stronghold will be gone too."

The cannons roared. Dozens of shells rose into the air simultaneously, streaking across the sea and whistling as they hurtled towards Hachinosu. Jin leaped from the top of the mast, his body enveloped in golden flames, the invisible power of the Float- Float-Float Fruit spreading outwards. Some of the shells froze in mid-air—then flipped, reflecting back towards the warship. But the distance was too great; the reflected shells landed halfway, splashing up white sprays of water.

Caesar's Interference Bombs was carried by King. He pulled one out, wrapped it in Float-Float Fruit, and pushed it into the barrage of shells. With a "boom," the Interference Bombs exploded above the sea, scattering debris. Several shells detonated prematurely in mid-air, bursting into flames like fireworks. However, half of the shells still managed to cross the defense line and hurtle towards Hachinosu.

Kaido charged up from the back of the port, smashing a cannonball heading towards the Castle with his dragon claw. Fragments scattered and clattered against Kaido's scales. Bullet smashed another cannonball with a punch, the fragments falling at his feet without him even blinking. Kuma stood on the open ground in front of the Castle and struck out with four consecutive palm strikes, deflecting four cannonballs that landed on the sea on either side, creating splashes.

But cannonballs still landed. The harbor was shattered, the wooden piles on the dock were thrown, and seawater rushed into the harbor's depressions. A crack appeared in the outer wall of the Castle, and stone fragments rolled onto the steps.

The first round of shelling lasted fifteen minutes. Smoke filled the space between the port and the Castle, and debris and stone chips covered the ground. Ginny ran out of the Intelligence Room and glanced at the port. "The port is completely destroyed. The Castle's outer walls are damaged. The residential area was unaffected. Personnel—"

"Eight lightly wounded, zero seriously wounded," Huijin's voice came from behind her. "I'm taking a count."

Ginny glanced at her and nodded. "Continue."

The second round of bombardment began half an hour later. The Sengoku gave them no time to catch their breath.

King ascended into the air once more, his golden flames leaving a trail in the sunlight. He had already used half of his Interference Bombs, and held the remaining three in his hand, ready to use them during the most intense barrage. Kaido stood amidst the port ruins, his Iron Club rod planted on the rubble, watching the shells streak overhead. Bullet stood a few steps ahead of him, his fist Armament Haki Hardening, which had already extended to his forearm.

"This time it's more intense than last time," Bullet said.

"Last time was just a greeting," Kaido grinned, "This time it's the main course."

The shells rained down. Embers froze some of them, Interference Bombs detonated others, but there were too many—at least half of them penetrated the defenses and landed on the island. The port ruins were bombarded again, with rubble and wood chips flying through the air, and another crack appeared in the Castle's outer wall. A shell landed near the edge of the island where Moria and Inazuma were. Moria's shadow suddenly contracted into a shield in front of him, swallowing the shrapnel and preventing anyone from being injured.

Caesar crouched in a corner of the warehouse, hastily making Gas Grenades with the last of the materials. Without looking up, he muttered, "Almost done. Almost done."

"You've said it three times," Ginny's voice came from the Intelligence Room.

"This time it's really fast."

But Lin Yuan didn't intend to defend indefinitely. After dark, he stood on the rooftop terrace of the Castle, the water in his glass rippling in the night breeze. "Defense alone won't last long. Every round of their bombardment is wearing us down, and we need to wear them down too."

Kaido stood up from the ruins. "Just tell me."

"Night raid. Go dismantle the ship. Leave as soon as you're done."

"Kaido and Bullet, go. Jin, provide aerial cover."

The three ascended into the air, their silhouettes obscured by the night. King hovered above the nearest warship, while Kaido and Bullet jumped simultaneously. The moment Kaido landed, his Dragon Breath erupted, blue flames engulfing the deck, and the ship's cannons warped in the intense heat. Bullet slammed his fist into the ship's hull, shattering the planks and sending seawater flooding the lower decks. In less than five minutes, the first warship was rendered combat inoperable, listing and taking on water.

"The next one."

The second warship's cannons turned upwards, but King's flight path left them disoriented. Kaido and Bullet landed on the bow, their dragon claws overturning the deck and their Iron Club smashing through the gun turrets. The navy reacted quickly to the third warship, their searchlights simultaneously turning and their cannons firing in a crossfire along their flight path. King abruptly stopped mid-air, and he and the other two swerved to avoid the attack, diving into the Hachinosu coastline.

"Three ships were dismantled. Seven remain." Jin squatted on the rubble, panting.

Kaido shook the seawater off his hands. "Tomorrow they'll have at least a third less firepower."

"That's enough. There will be another round of shelling at dawn, but it won't be as intense as the first day."

The shelling began as scheduled the next morning. The firepower was noticeably lighter, with nearly a third fewer shells. The pressure on Jhin to intercept was reduced, Bullet stood on the harbor steps, shattering the falling shells with each punch. Moria's shadow covered half the island, Inazuma flashed through the ruins, severing the fallen Seastone netting.

Sengoku stood at the bow of the Flagship, looking at the smoke rising from the direction of Hachinosu: "They're dismantling our ships. We lost the firepower of three warships last night."

Crane: "Roger is here too."

Sengoku was silent for a moment. "What's he doing here?"

"He went to the Final Island and saw the truth. Lin Yuan is more useful alive Roger himself."

As evening fell, the outline of a red sailboat appeared on the horizon.

Rayleigh stood at the bow. "We've arrived."

Roger stood beside him, his long black hair billowing in the sea breeze. "The Marine Fleet is still there?"

"Seven. There are still seven left."

Roger took a swig of his drink. "Haha, let's go through then."

The red sailboat did not slow down. Cannon fire exploded around the ship, water splashed, and the hull passed between two warships. The splashing waves wet the deck, but not a single piece of debris landed on the ship. Roger jumped off as the bow bumped against the rubble of the harbor ruins.

He glanced at the walls and ground sculpted by artillery fire, then walked towards the Castle gate. Lin Yuan stood on the steps, Roger stopping three steps in front of him. "I've seen the truth of the Final Island myself. But my body can't hold on much longer—after a lifetime of chasing, it's long since worn itself out." He looked up. "You're more useful alive than I am. You won't follow my path; you'll forge another one. That's why I came."

Lin Yuan looked at him. "You didn't come here to help me?"

"I'm here to make sure you survive to the next step." Roger held out his hand. "Is that enough?"

Lin Yuan didn't hesitate. "Enough."

Roger glanced towards the harbor. "Who's staying on the ship?"

"Ember."

"Alright." Roger turned and walked towards his ship. "I'll keep the Navy up tonight."

On the distant sea, the cannons of seven warships were still pointed towards Hachinosu. But in the night sky, the lights on two ships were simultaneously lighting up.

(End of Chapter 103)