One Cannon, One Island: Infiltration

Sunny Merry

"Captain Luffy, Mr. Roman..."

When Brulee bowed and thanked him, Luffy just put his hands on his hips and grinned.

"I said it a long time ago, I want to fight all Four Emperors! And that Blackbeard guy even 'killed' Ace, I've wanted to beat him up for a long time!"

"That's right, the last Road Poneglyph is most likely in Teach's hands, so we are bound to have a battle with him, it's unavoidable."

Faced with Luffy and Roman's contrasting yet unwavering answers, Brulee's three trembling eyes began to well up with tears, prompting Sanji to gently pat her shoulder.

"I told you, Luffy and Roman would definitely come, given their tempers. Don't worry, we'll rescue your brothers and sisters, Brulee."

Blood is thicker than water; no matter what, they are all Brulee's family. Just like Sanji didn't give up even when faced with the even more ruthless Vinsmoke Family.

You may be ruthless, but I will not be heartless.

"Thank you, thank you everyone! Mr. Sanji ~~"

Ignoring Sanji, who was comforting Brulee in his arms, Roman released a large number of white doves to fly towards Whole Cake Island in the distance as scouts. But Roman soon frowned.

"What's wrong?"

Roman shook his head at the questioning looks from the other members of the Straw Hat crew.

"My white doves have been wiped out; it was 'Sound-Sound' Van Augur who did it. It seems the other side was prepared—which is to be expected, after all, Blackbeard isn't one of those villains who are easily underestimated."

Van Augur, a former sniper of the Blackbeard Pirates and now the third captain of the Blackbeard Grand Fleet, is undoubtedly a formidable force. His ability to silently strike targets several kilometers away demonstrates his mastery of 'ultra-long-range' attacks! This poses a significant threat to the Straw Hat crew; those not proficient in Two-Color Haki could easily be killed without even knowing how. However:

Roman hadn't considered the option of 'sneaking in,' after all, Blackbeard was a true pirate, cunning and treacherous, and professional raiders were his specialties, so of course he would be wary of being ambushed.

Just like Cao Cao, who was adept at cutting off supply lines, he always sent large numbers of troops to escort his grain shipments. Therefore:

"Proceed according to plan! Merry, Sonny, you two help Nami go all out!"

"Understood!" X2

Hoo hoo hoo~~

Black smoke billowed continuously from the blowers that Franky had modified at the rear of the Sunny Merry, exploding into blinding flashes of Electric Light as it rose into the air, looking like small dark clouds.

Oh no, it seems like this really is a cluster of small dark clouds!

Incidentally, Usopp also contributed to this, and its principle is basically the same as the 'Weather-Egg' that was originally intended to be Nami's weapon, except that it was changed from a single-person weapon to a ship-borne tool. Its function...

The Ark Maxim calls this a true expert!

Rumble~~~

Dark thunderclouds accompanied the approaching Sunny Merry Going Merry, creating an aura reminiscent of a demon king's descent. As the outlines of the Whole Cake Islands of Whole Cake Island appeared in the distance, the masts and sails of warships came into the Straw Hat crew's view. Of course:

Clang!

Roman cleaved a sniper bullet in two with a single strike and nodded to Zoro was standing at the bow of the ship.

"Zoro, the defense work is now in your hands."

Van Augur's long-range sniping is a significant threat to the rest of the Straw Hat crew, but not to Zoro! Zoro was already incredibly skilled at deflecting bullets with his sword Water 7, and now he's virtually infallible. Even if those bullets are specially crafted high-tech... or something created by his abilities.

It's impossible for them to break through Zoro's sword circle!

"Good,"

With Zoro nodding, everyone else went into spectator mode. Usopp and Franky had already gone down into the cabin to check the Sunny Merry's machinery. With Merry and Sonny's help, the cartoon lion figurehead at the bow opened its mouth:

"Let's begin! 'Pluton Cannon,' prepare to charge!"

Nami, the central figure of everything, looked up at the sky. The thunderclouds above the Sunny Merry immediately began to churn violently, causing the positive and negative poles of the clouds to collide violently, creating lightning that crashed down! The Lightning Flash bolts snaked their way across the Sunny Merry's mast, then were drawn down by the superconducting alloy embedded within, being absorbed into the internal storage devices and converted into energy...

"Hey, hey, hey, Franky, this won't affect us, will it?"

Inside the ship's cabin, amidst a crackling, electric grid of machinery, with its coiled and slithering electric snakes, Usopp, drenched in sweat, felt that he wouldn't be surprised if he were electrocuted to a crisp any second.

"Super safe!"

Franky gave a thumbs-up, looking like he had everything under control.

"Don't worry, although these lightning bolts look terrifying, they're nothing to your body! And with a cyborg like me here, you don't need to worry at all."

"Hearing you say that makes me—"

Crackle!...

Just as Usopp breathed a sigh of relief, a bolt of lightning leaped across the mechanical pipes and suddenly transformed into a whip, lashing him heavily and unleashing a powerful lightning strike! Electric Light crackled and flashed, and incandescent light emanated from Usopp's body, making his entire body appear transparent for a moment, revealing his stark white bones.

Just like Brook II!

"Aaaaaaah, this is what you meant by 'absolutely foolproof'?"

Forehead·····

Franky wiped away nonexistent cold sweat, his eyes darting around as he tried to change the subject:

"It's about to launch!"

Outside, dazzling Lightning Flash was already leaping all over the Sunny Merry, making Zoro, who was standing on the deck, look rather grim.

This experience of standing in the lightning... subconsciously reminded him of Enel from Sky Island...

"Charging complete,"

Nami, whose skin was crackling with tiny Lightning Flash and whose long orange hair flowed freely behind her, raised her finger and aimed at the island in front of her where a large number of Blackbeard Pirates were gathered.

"Pluton Cannon, fire!"

Call out--

A flash of light instantly tore the sea apart!

It was so fast that before anyone could react, the Electric Light had already pierced through the 'world' before them. Only a thin, blinding red line remained, expanding rapidly along the trajectory of the shell!

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, the red line transformed into a burning cloud of fire, roaring and churning wildly as it spread outwards, bringing with it the roar of thunder Inazuma and an overwhelming heat, splitting the entire sea in two like a peerless swordsman! The air in front of the Sunny Merry was practically burning; this was the ionized shockwave generated by the unimaginable speed at which the shelling had penetrated the atmosphere, demonstrating its terrifying power. And the target island:

A massive explosion came from afar, and with a deafening roar, a gigantic fireball—or rather, a 'sun'—rose into the sky from the direction of the opposite island! Before Nami and Zoro's eyes, the distant island was blasted to pieces by the shockwave!

Moreover, the shockwave spread outwards, and the sea around the giant fireball seemed to boil as it was blasted into the sky by the shockwave, then turned into layers of hundred-meter-high giant waves, which, together with the shockwave, rushed towards the island.

One shot, and the island is destroyed!

As for the Blackbeard Pirates' warships located around the bombardment?

Hehe, the weather is so nice today!

"Hey, is this really our ship...?"

Seeing the extraordinary power of this cannon shot, which sounded like a top-tier expert taking a serious stance, Zoro couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. If a mere weapon could achieve this... could Roman's joke about Pluton being called "Little Sunny Merry" not be a joke after all?

"Zoro, the Impact is yours."

Just as the giant wave was about a thousand meters away from the Sunny Merry, a deafening roar filled the air. Only then did the deafening explosion of the 'Pluton Cannon,' which had sunk the opposite island, truly resound. At the same time, the petite Sunny Merry appeared so small before the hundred-meter-high wave, as if it would be swept into the sea at any moment. However:

"Cut!"

Zoro didn't even bother to name it. With a horizontal swing of his three Kitetsu, a massive Flying Slash swept across the sea, instantly splitting the surging waves in two! Waves as large as skyscrapers were forcefully cleaved into the air like jelly!

Even the invisible seawater was turned into a stagnant solid by Zoro's sword, remaining suspended in mid-air for a few seconds—

Rumble!!!

The massive amount of seawater crashing down violently against the waves below, creating a spray hundreds of meters high, instantly forming a chaotic and intense vortex and a surging tsunami. The waves pounded against each other, resisting the impact and preventing the shockwave from affecting the Sunny Merry.

With a single strike, a giant wave capable of capsizing a fleet vanished without a trace!

"Alright,"

Sheathing its sword, the remaining minor disturbances were no longer enough to affect the Sunny Merry.

"Hehehe, that's amazing~~"

Luffy, holding his Straw Hat, laughed enthusiastically, while the others displayed their own expressions and postures. However:

If you look closely, you'll notice that most of the people on deck have a subtle sense of awkwardness, and even the usually boisterous Straw Hat Trio are unusually quiet. All of this is because:

Excellent, we've perfectly drawn the attention of the Blackbeard Pirates.

Now it all depends on whether Roman and Luffy's situation goes smoothly.

"Turn the rudder, prepare for conventional artillery fire!"

Nami, in command of Jinbe, piloted the Sunny Merry and began to distance themselves, "flying a kite" to buy time for the second squad.

Although a single cannon shot blasted an island away, there are still powerful beings in this world capable of destroying an island with a single blow. Therefore, after the initial chaos subsided, various warships immediately surrounded the Blackbeard Pirates from other directions! However, this time the ships were spaced far apart, clearly preparing to avoid being wiped out by a single shot.

And the so-called 'second squad'—

"Nami has already made her move, so let's speed things up too."

On another island, hearing the sounds coming from not far away, Roman, who had rested for a while, pushed forward with both hands:

An Air Door suddenly appeared in front of everyone.

"Tone down your domineering Haki, or I won't be able to lead you experts."

Nami, Zoro, Usopp, and Franky piloted the Sunny Merry to draw the Blackbeard Pirates' attention, while the White Knight disguised himself as the others as puppets. Roman used the Door-Door Fruit to open a portal in the air, transporting the remaining Straw Hat crew as a surprise force towards Whole Cake Chateau.

As for why they didn't sneak in from under the sea?

It's obvious to anyone with a brain that Whole Cake Island's prized 'Sea Slugs' reconnaissance network has also fallen into the hands of the Blackbeard Pirates.

At the same time, hopefully Blackbeard only mastered the Soul-Soul Fruit for a short time, so he didn't have time to create a large number of 'Homies'.