The Silent Dark Holy Guards?

[Boom! Boom! Boom!]

Before the Shepherd Pirates' ship even got close, Vidal's side had already opened fire. Relying on their greater range and larger caliber, they unleashed the full firepower of the triple-mounted cannons and side guns on their warships, and for a time they were able to overwhelm the five pirate ships.

However, the captains soon discovered that there were skilled fighters on all five pirate ships, and whenever their own cannonballs flew over with good aim, someone would always use various means to intercept them.

[Boom! Boom! Boom!]

Finally, the Shepherd Pirates' fleet closed the distance, continuing to approach while opening fire in retaliation. Instantly, a fierce exchange of fire ensued, with scorching cannonballs drawing black lines across the sea before landing in the turbulent waters, creating towering waves.

Suddenly, something strange happened: the marines on the warships discovered that the pirates had stopped firing!

"Who gave you permission to fire the cannons, Amen?"

"I want that big warship. If it's damaged, will it still be usable? Amen."

On the Shepherd Pirates' flagship, the Dark Holy Spirit, a man named Yes, wearing a red Gentleman hat and a black priest's robe, was cursing at the Den Den Mushi Yes his hand.

"Get close and engage in boarding action, Amen!"

"I not only want their warships, but I also want their naval officers to be my 'sheep'! Amen!" With that, he angrily slammed down the Den Den Mushi.

But when his gaze returned to the 'Oxhead Battleship,' his eyes immediately changed from anger to joy.

"I truly am God's chosen representative on earth. I was just thinking of a grand ship befitting my status when this lone warship was sent my way! Amen!"

The past year had been so incredibly lucky and smooth that Yes had transformed him from an ordinary Protestant into a fervent believer. He felt this was all because God had chosen him, and the reason for that choice must be because he was special.

So what makes him special?

He racked his brains for a long time and finally found a reason that satisfied him.

He is a messenger of God, whose mission is to make everyone a follower of the Dark Holy Church. This explains why God bestowed upon him this ability!

Surrounding Yes were crew members dressed in black shirts and trousers, with a white bandage pattern printed on their chests and green collars around their necks; all of them wore indifferent expressions.

If any permanent residents of the Sabaody Archipelago saw them, they would find their eyes very familiar—a numb gaze devoid of any hope for life.

"Bishop, the ship has stopped moving!"

Just then, Darnell, who was directing the artillery fire from the forward deck, shouted to Yes behind him. Yes then noticed that not only the ship beneath his feet, but also four other warships nearby were stationary.

At this point, the two sides were less than 200 meters apart, and anyone with good eyesight could clearly see the situation on the other's deck.

What's going on?

Just as the Shepherd Pirates were in a state of panic, Vidal was getting impatient. The main problem was that the shooting was too noisy and not very effective.

This is the most annoying aspect of naval warfare: the lack of sufficient fighting space, forcing players to squeeze between ships.

However, if there were islands nearby, both sides would tacitly agree to go ashore and settle the battle there. But there are no islands nearby right now, so Vidal is prepared to provide them with a good fighting environment.

"Nine Pillar Domain!"

A low groan escaped Vidal's lips, then was carried by the wind to the sea and sky. The next moment, centered on the 'Oxhead' warship beneath his feet, a layer of green light swept outwards along the surface of the sea, only stopping when all the Shepherd Pirates' ships were within its range.

[Buzz--]

The moment the green light dissipated, the more than 3,000 people from both the navy and the pirates were shocked to find that beneath the ship was no longer a turbulent sea, but a flat and clean land.

At the same time, the pirates at the edge also saw the nine strange statues with animal heads and human bodies rising around the 'earth'.

"What, what happened?"

The Shepherd Pirates ' 'followers' were completely dumbfounded. They had never seen anything like it before; a piece of land had appeared on the sea in the blink of an eye?

Archbishop Yes was now completely panicked. Although he didn't know who was responsible, it meant that there must be someone extraordinary on that warship.

"The ship, can the ship still move, Amen?" Yes asked nervously, he wanted to run.

Darnell rushed to the railing and looked down at the bottom of the boat. When he saw that the boat was firmly blocked by the 'ground,' he was horrified. "No, the boat is fixed in place!"

"It seems they're trying to force us to disembark and fight, amen." Yes's face darkened. "Now we have no choice but to fight, prepare for battle, amen!"

"Yes!!"

Yes stared fiercely at the warship that was also 'stranded' in the distance, and sneered.

"Even if there's a powerful ability user up there, how many people can he handle? I have a full two thousand fearless Dark Holy Soldiers on my side! Amen!"

Meanwhile, Vidal calmly watched the warship below, where Major Rogers was directing the marines to quickly form a three-by-three formation, as they would be the ones to fight the upcoming battle.

However, we should still provide the support we need to, after all, we can't just stand by and watch them suffer heavy casualties.

[Buzz--]

Another burst of green light erupted, but this time it was smaller, with the light source coming from the wooden strips on the right wrists of the marines. Immediately afterwards, a set of close-fitting wooden armor appeared on their bodies.

This wooden armor was used by Vidal in the Special Training Camp for Momonga, Yamakaji, and Vincent. It could not only protect against bullets and blades to a certain extent, but also generate some Photosynthetic Energy to recover from injuries and restore physical strength in the presence of sunlight. At the time, he called it the 'Vigor Armor'.

But now he's changed the name, and it feels like 'Natural Power' sounds more sophisticated.

The green light armor that appeared on his body during his duel with Gecko Moria was actually the complete version of 'Natural Power'. The ones the Marines are wearing now are just defective products, but they're still fine for low-level battles.

Besides, as his direct subordinate marines, these guys all carried a few Green Beans in their pockets, which could be lifesavers in a critical moment.

With the support of the Three-Three System Tactics, if he still dies in battle, then he's probably doomed!

On the other side, twice as many pirates disembarked and attacked the warship from five directions. They were a dark mass, and although they were disorganized, the sheer number of them and the sound of their running were enough to be awe-inspiring.

To Vidal's and the others' surprise, the Shepherd Pirates did not utter a single roar or shout of killing throughout the entire process; they silently approached step by step.

"This is interesting," Vidal finally became interested in them. He was curious about how that 'shepherd' Yes had trained them.

Major Rogers was also surprised, but hesitated for a moment before shouting at the marines, "Spread out! Form ranks! Escort the ships!"

"Yes!"

The well-trained marines, almost simultaneously, spread out to both sides, protecting the 'Oxhead Battleship' behind them, and resolutely faced the surging pirates.

They don't care if you're a Dark Holy Guards or not; a pirate is a pirate, at most just a pirate who doesn't shout.

I wonder if you scream when a knife cuts you?

Can anyone guess what the shepherd Yes's ability is?