There was no pre-battle provocation, nor any exchange of furious curses. Countless Marines leaped down from the harbor, while a dense mass of pirates charged forward. When the two sides were several dozen meters apart, bullets flew everywhere, and in less than half a minute, the charge had turned into a bloody melee.
Blades tore through flesh, cannonballs struck the ice and blasted shards in every direction. The smell of blood mixed with gunpowder. That was the scent of the battlefield.
By then, most of the Marines and pirates had lost their fear. Their adrenaline surged, the smell of blood stirred them, and their thoughts became simple: kill everyone on the other side.
Squish, squish!
A pirate wielding a broad-bladed cutlass was hacking at a Marine, splattering blood all over his face. In the distance, a young Marine wearing goggles on his forehead witnessed the scene.
Blood stained the ice, steaming intestines spilled out, and a rib was hacked away. When the scene fell into the young Marine's eyes, his legs began to tremble.
"How rare."
A thin, gaunt pirate had appeared behind the young Marine at some point. The meat-splattered hook blade in his hand swung toward the side of the boy's neck.
With a squelch, blood sprayed high into the air. The headless corpse of the gaunt pirate staggered half a step back before falling stiffly onto its back.
"Recruit, whose subordinate are you?"
A major general with a head of brown curls spoke. As he did, he flicked the blood from his blade, completely unconcerned that a head had landed beside his feet.
"I'm..."
The young Marine named Koby had just been about to say, "I'm Vice Admiral Garp's subordinate," but the words caught in his throat. His performance just now had been truly pathetic. After seeing