Plants vs. Pirates!
"Stay calm--"
"Keep in check!"
Hearing Major Rogers's shouts, the front-line marines, in groups of three, used their swords and shields to fend off the Shepherd Pirates' relentless attacks. They coordinated perfectly, moved nimbly, and shifted back and forth in the limited space, cutting down one expressionless pirate after another.
Behind them, armed sailors repeatedly pulled the triggers of their rifles, accurately weaving through the gaps between their comrades.
[Bang! Bang!]
A dense barrage of fire and smoke erupted from the gun barrels. They moved in perfect order; when one of their comrades ran out of bullets, the others immediately switched positions to maintain suppressive fire against the pirates.
These pirates, whom Yes called the 'Dark Holy Guards,' reacted strangely. Although they would fall to the ground and bleed when hit by bullets, their screams of agony came within two seconds of being wounded. Then, with faces full of despair, they continued to charge forward, completely disregarding the bloodied bullet holes on their bodies.
"Ah, no, no! I don't want to die!"
"Waaah, please let me go, please let me go!"
Tears streamed down their faces, they wailed and begged for mercy, they were covered in blood, but they were fearless. Even with their legs injured, these guys would crawl on their stomachs. This scene presented an astonishingly stark contrast to the uninjured pirates behind them who remained expressionless.
What's going on?
Rogers and the other captains were also puzzled. Judging from the actions of these pirates, they all acted very bravely and were completely fearless, but their faces and mouths were crying and begging for mercy, like defeated soldiers whose reason had long since collapsed.
At the same time, the cold, dark muzzles reappeared in the gun turrets on both sides of the Oxhead Battleship.
"Put!"
"Put!"
[Bang! Bang! Bang!]
Round cannonballs shot out from the flames and crashed into the crowd behind the pirates.
Those pirates who had been waiting in the back for battle due to lack of space did not dodge or evade the dozen or so cannonballs that came hurtling towards them, and their faces remained completely expressionless.
The shells landed instantly, and the shattered bodies and splattered blood blasted a huge gap in the crowd. Those who were wounded but not dead at the edge were stunned for a second before clutching their wounds and crying out.
This scene was clearly seen by Vidal, who was standing on the warship 'Oxhead's Head', which made him fall into deep thought.
"Manipulating will? Or manipulating the body? Or both?"
It's obviously Devil Fruit at first glance, and I can guess its general abilities pretty much as well. The key point is the green collars around the pirates' necks, so I suspect it's the Paramecia Pet-Pet Fruit, but Pet-Pet Fruits don't have the effect of controlling one's will.
The battle continued, and the navy began to suffer casualties. However, they had been trained for this situation before, so they calmly retreated to the rear. Those with minor injuries waited for their wooden armor to heal them, while those with more serious injuries simply took out a Green Bean from their pocket, chewed it, and swallowed it.
"Up there, "Vidal thought for a moment, "This is indeed a good occasion to test new abilities."
He certainly didn't want to personally resolve the encirclement battle; rather, he wanted to find some help for his men, since the enemy had the upper hand and was outnumbering them.
[Smack!]
He clapped his hands together forcefully in front of him, but this time he didn't shout anything, because he hadn't decided what to say yet. So, the next second after the applause, clusters of green light began to emerge from the battlefield below.
The marines were now very familiar with the green light and knew it was their commander's Devil Fruit ability, so no one was alarmed. Instead, they felt a strong sense of curiosity and anticipation.
What will happen this time?
[Buzz--]
When the green light disappeared, the marines at the back of the battle formation, armed with guns, suddenly saw several large, almost identical green plants around them, with trumpet-shaped mouths!
The term "large size" refers to the fact that each of them is over one meter tall, and the reason they are described as almost identical is because some of them are three-headed!
As soon as these strangely shaped green plants appeared, they joined the group in spitting out bright yellow 'bullets' forward. Their rate of fire was far higher than the automatic Fire Pistol in their hands; they were essentially firing rapid-fire machine guns.
Gunfire erupted, forming an impenetrable Firepower Net that relentlessly reaped wave after wave of pirates. The swordsmen and shieldmen in the front lines, responsible for holding off the pirates, felt the pressure on them instantly lessen by more than half.
That wasn't all. Some of the marines in the back row also noticed that these green plants would occasionally pause their rapid-fire and then spit out a large, red, spherical object with a burning fuse. When it landed in the crowd in the distance, it would explode like a cannonball, bringing with it a bloody storm.
Wow! Look!
"Amazing!"
The actions of these green plants instantly ignited the marines' excitement. They watched in disbelief as a dozen or so Peashooters used their roots to leap from the spot and then, seven or eight meters in the air, unleashed a rapid barrage of bullets at the pirates' midsection!
"Hehe, not bad in actual combat, really good!" Vidal crossed his arms, enjoying the wonderful performance of the Peashooters below.
This is the magical plant he developed using the skills available on the Boin Archipelago.
The Peashooter has three active skills and one passive skill.
1. Pea Gatling: Fires 100 pea bullets in 30 seconds.
Second, the Chili Bean Bomb: Every eighteen seconds, it spits out a delayed-exploding explosive bean, with power comparable to a cannonball.
Third, Hyper, with its dozen or so root tendrils, allows it to move quickly and jump from place to place.
The last passive skill is the joyful and perceptible Photosynthesis, which allows them to absorb external light sources to continuously replenish their ammunition and stamina.
"Everyone, switch to swords and shields!"
Major Rogers naturally saw this scene as well. Since fire support could be given to these magical plants, why not let the gunners in the back row join the battle as well?
In the navy, there isn't a rigid division between swordsmen and spearmen; all marines have to practice swordsmanship and spearmanship, and now they also have to add the Three-Three System Tactics.
Therefore, at his command, all the marines in the back row slung their rifles over their backs, then drew their longswords and charged forward.
"Kill!" A Second Lieutenant shouted hoarsely, cheering on the surrounding marines. He then blocked a steel blade that came slashing at him with his sword. Immediately afterward, another long sword flew out from beside him and swiftly and accurately stabbed into the stomach of the pirate in front of him.
In an instant, the navy, numbering only a thousand, managed to suppress the pirates' offensive with excellent teamwork and the support of the Peashooters, pushing forward step by step over the blood and corpses scattered on the ground!
This pleased Vidal greatly, pleased with his subordinates' performance, and even more pleased with the Peashooter's performance, except that the latter was too dependent on the weather; without a bright sun or a sufficiently strong light source, the performance would last less than half an hour.
There's nothing we can do about it; after all, what Devil Fruit ability is absolutely perfect?
"But just Peashooter getting a bit boring. Let's add some new guys and see." For Vidal, this battle was just a form of entertainment.
With another snap, the power of the Woods-Woods Fruit activated, and immediately, some strange new plants appeared on the battlefield.
A purple, Chomper that can burrow underground, bite, and spit out a strong acidic mucus.
The Cactus is covered in sharp thorns, strong, brave and fearless.
A Tall-nut, as hard as iron, that rolls around and bumps into people.
As these magical plants began to wreak havoc on the battlefield, the entire battlefield, which involved three thousand people, descended into complete chaos. 'Shepherd' Yes, gripping the ship's railings with both hands, was completely stunned.
Plants can grow arms and legs to attack people? And they can even spit out bullets and shells?
"Lord, what adversary have I encountered? Amen."
The Peashooter here is based on the Peashooter from Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2. Those interested can check it out!