Crimson flames burned along the coastline, bathing the waters around Dressrosa in fiery red. The area near the blast looked as bright as day.
The terrified civilians were jolted awake by the explosions. They stood blankly at their windows, staring at the scene along the coastline.
In the offshore waters, several large ships were rapidly retreating from Dressrosa. Charlotte Katakuri stood at the stern of one of them, his expression grim.
Before Apollo was thrown onto the shore, Charlotte Katakuri had already foreseen what would happen. He immediately ordered everyone to retreat, but it was too late. All he could do was watch helplessly as countless ships and subordinates were vaporized by the intense heat.
"L-Lord Katakuri, should we... continue attacking this place?"
A pirate chief stood behind Charlotte Katakuri. Large patches of his exposed skin were badly burned. A moment before Apollo exploded, he had been about three hundred meters from the blast's center. Even so, the heat spreading through the outer area had nearly burned him to death.
"We... have to take this place."
Charlotte Katakuri clenched his fists until they cracked. At this point, the war was no longer merely about profits. It was about face.
For a top-tier pirate crew like the Big Mom Pirates, they could be cut by an enemy, but they absolutely could not be slapped in the face.
The Big Mom Pirates controlled nearly one-fifth of the islands in the New World. They had countless territories, and it was naturally impossible for them to station pirates on every island. At most, they would leave the Big Mom Pirates' flag behind, letting their enemies know that the territory belonged to Charlotte Linlin.
Once they lost face, the deterrent effect of those flags would be greatly reduced. They might even invite hotheaded pirates to