Ballistic Adjustment

Experiencing more is never a bad thing.

Especially for a young princess.

Cobra himself, along with his guards like Igaram, certainly cared for their little princess, but they didn't keep her locked away in a tower.

This fostered the princess's strong character, laying the groundwork for her future infiltration of Baroque Works and her role in stopping the civil unrest.

Who knows what fate awaits Vivi this time, with the "breeze from butterfly wings" blowing through?

Regardless, Dalton's fate has already changed.

He is an Zoan-type, Ox-Ox Fruit, Bison Form user, and the captain of the Drum Kingdom's guard. He was already assisting the old king in his youth.

After the old king's death, the spoiled Wapol succeeded to the throne and began a tyrannical reign.

Although Dalton served under Wapol, he always opposed his brutal rule.

In the future, after several twists and turns, Wapol would be driven out of the Drum Kingdom by the Straw Hat Pirates. Dalton, with his gentle nature, would be elected king by the people, renaming the Drum Kingdom to the "Sakura Kingdom," and later attending the World Conference as a representative.

Time returns to the present.

At this moment, Dalton should still be serving as the captain of the Drum Kingdom's guard, and his conflict with Wapol has not yet escalated; they merely harbor mutual dissatisfaction.

This is also what confuses Lindsey.

Dalton, as the old king's aide, held immense prestige within the country. Wapol was extremely displeased with him but was temporarily powerless.

But why was Dalton severely injured? And why was he fleeing to Alabasta on a Drum Kingdom warship?

Moreover, looking at the warship he was on, its keel had been broken by cannon fire, and it had numerous holes in its hull. It was already overloaded and could sink at any moment.

"Huuu..."

He still held the front of the warship tightly with both arms.

A few wisps of white smoke escaped from between Lindsey's teeth. Then, twisting his waist, he used astonishing strength to lift the entire warship slightly, adjusted its direction, and landed it steadily on the sandy shallow waters.

"Heave ho!"

Vivi released the Demon Horns from the top of Lindsey's head and then, with a light jump, landed on the warship's deck.

Seeing the severely wounded Dalton bleeding profusely, Vivi wasn't scared. Instead, she walked directly towards him, intending to bandage his wounds.

But just then, a wary voice reached her, drawing her attention.

Several people climbed out of the ship's cabin. Judging by their appearance, they weren't soldiers, and they all bore some injuries.

The young man at the front said cautiously, "Don't come any closer! Otherwise..."

He trailed off at this point.

Because the person who appeared before him was not a fearsome enemy, but a little girl with blue hair.

Facing Vivi, the young man couldn't muster any ferocity. Finally, a sense of exhaustion washed over him, and he promptly fainted, his eyes rolling back.

"You guys..."

Vivi noticed that besides these few people who had climbed onto the deck, there seemed to be more inside the cabin, and each of them looked utterly exhausted.

Ring-ring-ring-ring!

A piercing alarm interrupted Vivi's thoughts.

An alarm was sounding for a second time at Nanohana Port!

It was the end of twilight, and the afterglow of the setting sun was becoming increasingly fiery and blinding.

Looking against the light, several more warships could be seen sailing on the horizon, looking aggressive.

On the leading warship, a heavy cannon was brought out and aimed at the ship on the shallow beach, firing a shot.

Whoosh—Boom!

The first cannonball landed in the water near the shallow sea, stirring up a large amount of seawater and sand.

The second adjusted its angle slightly and followed!

Whoosh—

"Huh?"

Seeing the danger, Vivi called out to the people on the warship to take cover quickly, but the cannonball was moving too fast, and it was too late to disembark.

She instinctively turned her head, only to collide with a huge, burly dark silhouette.

It was Dalton, who had transformed into his bison man form!

"Nnngh..."

Before Vivi could react, Dalton grabbed her and then turned his body, positioning his back towards the direction the cannonball was coming from.

"Nnngh!"

Dalton's consciousness was hazy; he hadn't even figured out what was happening, but his subconscious didn't want a young girl to get hurt right before his eyes.

BOOM!

The cannonball hit the deck and exploded, but the severe pain Dalton had expected didn't come.

He turned his head and saw a shadow larger than himself blocking the path between him and Vivi.

It was a massive "monster" with thick limbs and dark green Demon Horns, a creature Dalton had never seen before!

The cannonball struck its face, leaving only a bit of black gunpowder residue.

"Pfft!"

It casually exhaled, blowing away the gunpowder and leaving no trace.

"..."

"Princess!"

Jaka stayed behind to protect Cobra, while Bepo spread the wings of his Falcon Form and soared onto the warship's deck to reach Vivi.

Seeing Vivi was unharmed, Bepo finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked towards the distant warship and asked in surprise, "These are all Drum Kingdom ships; why are they attacking you?"

"I..."

Dalton wanted to explain, but the strength he had just regained was completely gone, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Helpless, Bepo had no choice but to look up at Lindsey nearby and shout, "Mr. Lindsey, let's retreat from here first!"

"..."

Lindsey didn't reply.

Bepo was about to say something else, but Crocodile on the dock noticed several tattered black cloth strips gradually floating around Lindsey.

It was Ancient Armament Haki!

Realizing the crucial point, Crocodile immediately roared, "Forget that Primitive Man, take the valuable people first!"

"Oh, okay!"

Bepo paused, then twisted his zoan-transformed body, slashing the side of the ship with his clawed feet.

Grappling Hook!

SWISH--CRASH!

With a single slash, half of the ship's hull was ripped open by the sharp claws of his Falcon Form.

Taking this opportunity, the people hiding inside finally managed to escape the warship and reach the land of Alabasta.

"Mr. Lindsey..."

Bepo noticed Lindsey's strangeness. When their eyes met, he couldn't help but shiver.

Seeing that the other party seemed to be waiting for him to leave, Bepo simply grabbed Vivi and Dalton, spread his wings, and flew off the deck.

The moment he distanced himself from the warship, Bepo's sharp eyes in his Falcon Form seemed to catch something.

It was a wisp of black cloth floating in mid-air.

But it was changing at a visible speed, eventually taking on a sharp quality and becoming a hard "shard"!

Scales?!

Bepo didn't understand why, only feeling the pressure behind him growing more terrifying, so he flew away even faster.

Compared to Bepo, Crocodile was bolder.

He simply grabbed one of the "shards" and felt its Armament Haki, his pupils involuntarily constricting slightly.

This must also be a characteristic of Ancient Armament Haki!

When Aiven Lindsey was in his normal state, those ancient Armament Haki were like tattered cloth strips.

But when he activated his Devil Fruit ability, those strips would transform into different corresponding properties to better suit Lindsey's current state!

He looked up, and sure enough.

Aiven Lindsey's limbs became elongated again, and a few emerald scales emerged from his spine, mixing with the black Ancient Armament Haki like some irregular rust.

His limbs touched the ground, and several earth spikes erupted, piercing the tattered warship and providing Lindsey with a more solid footing!

He opened his fanged mouth.

Aiven Lindsey took a deep breath...

Earth Fiend Howling Wind Composite Form!

Roar!

"ROAR!"

Invisible airflow left a scratch in the air.

Shockwaves, debris, Ancient Armament Haki...

These things mixed together, forming a highly destructive airflow that Lindsey roared out, heading straight for the distant fleet!

WHOOSH!

The leading warship noticed something amiss, but it was too late to dodge.

The next second—

CRASH!

The airflow struck the top of the mast, instantly snapping it and shattering it into countless fragments.

"Heh!"

Witnessing this, Crocodile couldn't help but laugh and say, "Looks like it's your first time using this move, not quite accurate enough!"

Hearing this, Lindsey's roar didn't stop.

"Ha!"

Under Crocodile's astonished gaze, he let out a loud laugh and then violently flung his head downwards.

SWISH!

The airwave that destroyed everything moved downwards along with Lindsey's motion, striking the hull of the leading warship in the blink of an eye!

CRACKLE!

The keel of the warship was destroyed, causing it to immediately fall apart, with scattered wooden planks covering the sea!

"..."

Crocodile stared at the scene, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.

He could still adjust the trajectory of that?