Landing Battle

"Rear Admiral Arita, this is bad! There are a huge number of pirate ships at the port ahead. Judging by their flags, they belong to Phantom Sword Roy's Grand Fleet, the rising pirate force with a bounty of fifty million Beli!" the navigator shouted in panic.

"What? Damn it, wolves ahead and tigers behind! Is heaven punishing us?" Some Marines broke down on the spot. After all, the most painful thing in life was not despair, but falling into despair again just as you saw hope and were about to reach it.

"Why are Phantom Sword Grand Fleet pirate ships appearing at Gilia Kingdom's port? Why haven't we received any news at all? Could the 25th Branch have already been wiped out without sending a single message?"

"Maybe Gilia Kingdom has already fallen to them. Those damned pirates."

However, Rear Admiral Arita was overjoyed. "There's no need to worry. Though they both have bounties of fifty million Beli, the Phantom Sword Pirates cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the Drunken Pirates. They're only relying on their numbers. Once we charge in, don't get drawn into a prolonged fight. Go straight to the 25th Branch base, seize some warships, and leave. Let the Phantom Sword Pirates and the Drunken Pirates tear each other apart."

Deep down, he even harbored an unrealistic hope that he did not voice aloud. He wanted to wait for the two pirate groups to fight each other, then reap the benefits. If he wiped out two pirate groups of this scale, such a great contribution might even get him transferred back to Headquarters.

"Rear Admiral Arita, they're both pirates. Will they really fight each other?" a rookie Marine asked doubtfully.

Arita was in an excellent mood now, so he even explained, "You need to understand that pirates are nothing but scum and vermin on the seas. They aren't united like us Marines. Even with powerful enemies before them, they still enjoy fighting among themselves. That is one of the main reasons we Marines can suppress the Grand Line."

"All hands, prepare for battle and stay alert. The Phantom Sword Pirates aren't idiots. They should have already received word. They may be lying in ambush somewhere in the city, ready to launch a surprise attack. Let them see what we're made of. Don't let a bunch of pirates look down on us."

"Yes, sir!"

In truth, Roy was indeed waiting in full battle formation. Of course, his target was not the so-called Rear Admiral Arita, but the terrifyingly powerful Drunken Pirates.

The entire Phantom Sword Grand Fleet had assembled, ready to fight the fiercest battle since the fleet's founding. Roy and the Senior Executives stood shoulder to shoulder, prepared to deal the enemy a thunderous blow.

When Arita pushed open the city gates and entered, he froze at the sight. In his mind, the Phantom Sword Pirates should have been hiding in dark corners, ready to launch deadly ambushes at any moment. It seemed this Phantom Sword Roy was merely a fool with courage but no strategy.

He grinned viciously. "That works too. It saves me the trouble of staying on guard. Time is short, so I can't spend more than a minute on you."

He was clearly planning to capture the leader first. If he caught Roy, the pirate group would be forced to hold back. There were simply too many people in this grand fleet, and judging from their auras, they were all hardened veterans who had fought countless battles. He had no idea how Roy had gathered so many unruly pirates together.

Roy wore an amused expression. So he was being underestimated. Arita wanted to capture him within a minute? This guy really thought he was somebody. Did he think he was a Marine Admiral?

Before Roy could say anything, Yonji, Roy's Brain-Dead Fan, could no longer hold back. He charged out and attacked Arita directly. "Damn it! You want to challenge Lord Roy? Get past me first! Winches Heavy Blow!"

Seeing a Seaweed Head suddenly rush out, Arita was stunned for a moment. What the hell? Wasn't this supposed to be the time for king versus king? What was this little mob doing here? He suddenly felt like a hero in some knightly novel going to defeat the Demon King, only to have to fight through every minor monster before challenging the final boss.

"Hmph, get out of my way." Facing Yonji's attack, he neither dodged nor retreated, choosing to meet him head-on.

Seeing this, Yonji revealed a cruel grin. He was wearing a high-tech Combat Suit. In a direct clash of strength, he would definitely have the advantage. Yet when his fist slammed into Arita's body, he immediately realized something was wrong. The other man's body was as hard as steel. It felt as if he had not struck flesh and blood, but refined iron.

"Is that one of the Six Powers—Iron Body? Looks like today is destined to be a bountiful day. We'll have to be careful later. We absolutely can't let Arita get beaten to death." Roy licked his dry lips, staring at Arita as though he were an unparalleled beauty.

Arita seized the chance to whip his leg out and kick Yonji into the ground. Though he was inwardly shocked by the monster's tremendous strength, he disdainfully curled his lips on the surface. "Trash. You're wasting my time."

But when he saw that Roy and the others remained completely unmoved, he knew something was wrong. Sure enough, the ground suddenly collapsed with a boom, and the Seaweed Head emerged once more, swinging his iron fist amid explosive bursts of air. "Bastard, it's not over yet!"

Roy and the others were no longer surprised. The Vinsmoke Family's high-tech equipment was truly absurd. Even Roy's immensely powerful attacks could not destroy it in a short time.

Feeling the terrifying force in Yonji's hands, Arita no longer dared to take it head-on. Iron Body was not invincible; it could not withstand every kind of force.

But becoming a Marines Commodore did not rely on Iron Body alone. He twisted aside to evade the attack, then kicked Yonji in the abdomen again.

Unexpectedly, Yonji was not sent flying. He endured the blow by force, wrapped both hands around Arita's lower leg with all his strength, and squeezed down viciously. The crisp sound of bone breaking rang in everyone's ears.

"Ah!"

Arita screamed, but he did not give up. Instead, he used a special Iron Body technique, gathering all the strength used to activate Iron Body into his right fist and smashing it into Yonji's face, knocking him away. Only then did his lower leg finally escape its predicament.

Yonji was knocked unconscious by Arita's full-force blow. Fortunately, Yonji was a monster who had undergone Lineage Factor modifications since childhood. Aside from being a bit slow in the head, his entire body possessed superhuman constitution. Otherwise, if an ordinary person suffered such a powerful blow, even their skull would have been shattered.

Though Arita had won, he felt no joy whatsoever. The Phantom Sword Pirates were simply too terrifying. A random officer-level figure had been able to battle him fiercely and even leave him with serious injuries. Looking at the few people behind Roy who were eager to make their move, he felt that his prospects today were bleak.

"Boom!"

It was the sound of a ship dropping anchor and docking. Damn it—the Drunken Pirates had caught up. Arita's heart turned cold. This time, it was truly over.

"Hmm, the main cast has arrived. The blockbuster is about to begin, and it's time for your curtain call too," Roy said in a flippant tone.

Arita was already desperate, and Roy's mockery only made him even angrier. His eyes nearly spat flames as he glared at Roy. "Damn you, you bastard! Even if I die, I won't let you off easy! Take this—"

Before he could finish, Roy's figure abruptly vanished. Then he instantly appeared above Arita's head, as though he had teleported, and drove him into the ground with a whip kick, killing him in a single blow.

Arita felt his body completely restrained, and his mind collapsed. Though Yonji had injured him moments ago, he still retained eighty percent of his fighting strength. Yet before Roy, he did not even have the ability to resist.

This was another opponent who had been severely underestimated. What the hell kind of strength was this for a fifty-million bounty? He suddenly understood one thing: if Headquarters' intelligence officers were not idiots, then they had to be Revolutionary Army spies. Those false reports had completely gotten him killed.