Those Who Awakened Haki
The main battle on Ovendo Island was fierce from the very beginning, with more than two hundred standard Germa 66 soldiers using the uneven hillsides to fire wildly at the navy surging onto the beach.
These hillsides are not actually natural; they are defensive fortifications deliberately built up when the secret base was constructed here.
These fortifications were perfectly suited to their fighting style. Although they consisted of only two hundred men and twelve gun emplacements, they were more than enough to withstand an attack from thousands of naval forces for an entire day.
However, this can only be guaranteed if only soldiers below the rank of colonel participate in the battle. Officers who have mastered one or two of the Six Powers will play an important role in such a war.
Naval amphibious landings have been conducted in this manner for centuries: officers and soldiers lead the way, guiding the marines behind them in a slow advance.
However, this method might work against ordinary pirates or ordinary kingdom soldiers, but against Germa 66, whose entire crew is equipped with firearms, it would inevitably result in heavy casualties.
Even a naval officer at the colonel level wouldn't dare say he could withstand a hail of bullets and countless grenades and artillery shells and still manage to reach the front of the Germa 66 Army alive.
Germa 66 originally thought that they had been ordered to cover the rear, so it was impossible for them to leave Ovendo Island alive.
Therefore, these two hundred-plus people were prepared to die in battle, but they wanted to kill as many marines as possible before they died!
But once the fighting started, they discovered that the navy that surged up was different from the navy they had seen before.
It's not that they're different from the navy in the North Blue. After all, the scope of their Germa 66's warfare extends beyond the North Blue to the Grand Line, where powerful figures abound.
The difference is that these marines are all holding a round shield in their left hand!
I've never heard of the Marine Headquarters being equipped with shields as standard issue.
Aren't they all Fire Pistol with a long sword or an outdated flintlock musket, even though their flintlock Fire Pistol are strangely capable of firing in rapid succession?
On the chaotic battlefield, Sergeant Rogers lay prone in a crater created by artillery shells, gritting his teeth as he stared at the barrage of fire sweeping in from above.
He had been in the navy for several years, and this was truly the first time he had encountered such a difficult battle; even getting close to the enemy was proving so challenging.
"Captain Rogers!"
"Ryan has collapsed! Come quick, save him!"
He heard some unclear shouts and instinctively turned around to look, only to find one of his marines hugging another and shouting at him.
He abandoned the ten meters or so he had painstakingly advanced, using his shield to block the incoming bullets as he quickly crawled to the two men's side.
"What happened to him? Was he shot?"
Rogers nervously examined Ryan's body and found that the wooden armor attached to his skin was riddled with holes of varying sizes.
He also has this kind of wooden armor, as thin as paper but as hard as iron, or rather, every marine on the battlefield now has it.
While it can't stop artillery shells or machine gun fire, it can still protect against stray bullets.
These were all protective measures that Colonel Vidal prepared for everyone before setting off, using his Woods-Woods Fruit ability.
Oh, and that round shield they're holding, with a diameter of 0.76 meters, is one too!
"No, Ryan was blown up by a grenade!"
"Captain, save Ryan! Save him!" the young marine cried out through tears.
"Okay, hold me tight!"
Seeing that Ryan could indeed be saved, Senior Sergeant Rogers immediately took a green bean from his pocket and stuffed it directly into Ryan's mouth.
Swallow it, Ryan!
Perhaps it was his survival instinct at work, but in his dazed state, Ryan subconsciously chewed up the beans and swallowed them.
The next moment, a pale green glow emanated from his body, and as his wounds slowly healed, shrapnel from grenades was expelled.
"Alright, take him to the back and put him away. I'm going back to fighting!"
Senior Sergeant Rogers surveyed the battlefield, and his keen battlefield vision allowed him to discover that although they were being suppressed, their casualties were not as high as he had expected.
Although it was still bloody, considering the intensity of the firepower, the enemy did not actually inflict normal damage.
Moreover, the navy is constantly advancing its battle lines, even managing to use shields for protection while simultaneously retaliating with guns.
With the added cover of naval gunfire, Colonel Rogers felt that they were the ones who truly had the advantage.
The only problem now is the lack of a sharpshooter to break into the enemy camp and disrupt their rhythm. Even if that happens in less than a minute, it would be enough to secure victory on the battlefield.
Actually, it's quite simple; the Sengoku only needs to send one or two Rear Admiral. But as mentioned before, it's best not to intervene unless absolutely necessary.
Senior Sergeant Rogers, having grasped the situation on the battlefield, did not hesitate to pick up his shield and charge forward. This time, he did not choose to crawl forward, but stood up to attract a lot of attention.
Before joining the navy, he was a shield-and-sword knight of the kingdom, and he had been at least dozens, if not hundreds, of times taking the lead and being at the forefront!
With the familiar shield in hand, Senior Sergeant Rogers' blood boiled. Facing the hail of bullets head-on, he noticed without realizing that the bullets coming at him seemed to have slowed down!
They were slow enough that Rogers could easily deflect them with the curve of his shield, or simply sidestep them by turning slightly.
Now he became the most eye-catching person on the entire beach. Just imagine, while most people were lying on the ground, he was the only one striding forward.
Surprisingly, even though Germa 66 rained more bullets on Rogers, it still couldn't slow him down.
Sparks flashed incessantly on his shield, but they couldn't leave a single mark on its surface. The rain of bullets couldn't even wet an inch of his uniform.
At this moment, Senior Sergeant Rogers seemed to have activated a cheat code that granted him absolute evasion and absolute invincibility, and under the astonished gazes of the Germa 66 soldiers, he approached step by step.
At the same time, one marine after another seemed to be inspired by his majestic figure, and began to try to stand up, hold their round shields in front of them, and rush towards the island with all their might.
If he can do it, then I should be able to too!
Unfortunately, in that short time, some marines who had just stood up and hadn't even taken two steps were shot in the lower body and fell down again.
But their comrades, still burning with fervor, did not stop their charge as they fell; instead, they roared and quickened their pace.
On the warship, Xibasi Rear Admiral Yubas looked at Rogers charging forward and said hesitantly, "That couldn't be..."
"He must have Awakening Observation Haki. What a lucky guy!" another Commodore exclaimed.
This is the benefit of not easily interfering in the battles at the grassroots level; among thousands of marines, there will always be a few who Awakening their extraordinary talents on the battlefield.
Haki is only one aspect; some people with unique racial bloodlines may also experience atavism between life and death.
For example, some people who are not actually superpowered can emit flames or electricity, or rapidly expand in size, turning into a small giant or something similar.
In conclusion, the mystery of this sea will always bring surprises!
"Look closely, it's not just the Observation Haki Awakening."
At this moment, the Sengoku Admiral spoke up, saying, "He even figured out a rudimentary way to use Armament Haki on his own, but he just subconsciously focused it on his shield."
"Xibasi, go there. Don't let this promising talent die young!"
"Yes!"
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