Chapter Forty-One: Boarding Action

"Waaah! We're doomed! The cannonballs are raining down!"

On the Ol' Jackson, the big-nosed man clutched his head, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Hey, Buggy! Isn't this exciting?"

Beside him, the Red-haired brat in a straw hat laughed as he wielded his sword, leaping up now and then to knock a cannonball aside. "Hahahaha! You can only experience a naval battle like this when you're fighting the Golden Lion!"

Cannonballs rained down.

They whistled in from all directions and crashed into the sea around the great ship, sending up towering columns of water like giants reaching for the sky.

But nothing could stop them! Even such a dense barrage couldn't halt the Ol' Jackson's advance.

"Hahahaha! Shiki! Looks like your preparations can't stop my crew!"

In the sky, aboard the Golden Lion Pirates' flagship, Roger brought his sword down, knocking aside Shiki's right-hand sword before following up with a heavy punch.

"Clang!"

Golden Lion raised his left arm and blocked Roger's iron fist with his sword, then kicked Roger in the stomach.

"Can't stop you?"

Golden Lion rested his sword on his shoulder and waved it casually. Beneath the flagship, a massive amount of earth surged up and turned into a gigantic Earth Dragon that swept toward Roger. "Don't get so damn cocky!!"

"Vwoom!"

The Earth Dragon crumbled in an instant, and a dazzling slash engulfed Golden Lion.

"Then let's wait and see!!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh!!"

Several figures shot down from Golden Lion's flagship, plunging straight toward the sea like meteors.

"The officers are finally making their move!"

Rhode exclaimed from aboard the Blood Hand Pirates' ship.

"So that's Shiki's Lion Pack!"

Louis tried to get a good look at the four figures hurtling down at high speed. They were the four most capable officers under Golden Lion, monsters feared throughout the New World.

"Keep firing!"

Rhode shouted. "Cover the officers!!!"

Up to this point, the Roger Pirates had been forced to take a beating. The Golden Lion Grand Fleet had them surrounded, and the cannon fire alone was enough to keep them scrambling.

Then, at last, the tide of battle began to turn.

"Stop them!!"

"Don't let them get aboard!!"

"Spread out! All ships, spread out! Leave some space!! Don't let them escape the firing zone!!"

The Ol' Jackson was every bit as fast as the Navy's most advanced warships. Every member of the Roger Pirates was a top-tier fighter, and the helmsman was just as formidable. Even amid such a dense barrage, they maneuvered with ease. With several monsters protecting them, the Ol' Jackson shot into the fleet like an arrow loosed from a bow.

"Hahaha! Now it's our turn to shine!!"

The Big Cat, a member of the Mink Tribe from Zou, the mythical land in the New World, wielded a double-headed trident. Cat Viper laughed heartily, his fat body displaying extraordinary agility as he raced forward, leaving afterimages in his wake, and leaped onto the neighboring ship.

"They're boarding! Fight back!! Prepare for a boarding battle!"

The pirate captain aboard the ship drew the long sword at his waist.

"Pfft!"

The trident had already pierced his chest. The Big Cat licked the blood from his lips and leaped into the air, dodging several long swords thrust at him. "Hahahaha!!! Who do you think we are, you bastards!"

"Don't let your guard down, Cat Viper!!"

The Big Dog raced in from behind, moving as fast as lightning. His sword sent up one spray of blood after another. His sword was too fast to see; all that was visible was a rain of severed limbs.

"Hahaha, let's see who can take down more enemies this time, Inuarashi!"

Cat Viper laughed as he slapped away a pirate sneaking up from the front. He casually turned around and crushed the sword that had struck his back; Haki had stopped it from hurting him. Then he drove his trident through the attacker's chest.

"Not bad!"

Inuarashi grinned.

"I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!!!"

The Big-nosed brat was dragged onto another pirate ship by the Straw Hat brat, wailing through his tears. "Shanks! You bastard! I'll never forgive you, even if I die!"

"Hey, Buggy, can't you already avoid getting cut to pieces?"

The Red-haired brat held onto his straw hat and leaped into the air, dodging the enemy's sudden sword thrust. His blade flashed, and his opponent's throat was neatly slit. His youth meant he wasn't especially strong, but neither his swordsmanship nor his courage was lacking.

"Waaah! Damn you, Shanks! Help me!"

As Shanks fought the other pirates, the Red Nose had caught the attention of some of them too. One of them raised his sword and brought it down with all his might.

"Waaah! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!!!"

Buggy cried out as his body was instantly split in two.

"Huh? Oh, right! Swords can't kill me!"

His two halves snapped back together. Buggy blinked, finally coming to his senses.

"Didn't I tell you that you couldn't be cut to death?"

With a hand on the Red Nose's head, Shanks leaped up and cut the pirate attacking Buggy's neck, then kicked another pirate away.

"Hahaha! I'm invincible!!"

Red Nose Buggy laughed heartily. "You Golden Lion Pirates scum! Come and die at the hands of the great Buggy!!"

"Hey, you..."

Shanks facepalmed. "Weren't you just trembling in fear?"

"Hey, damn you, Shanks! Stay out of this!"

Buggy already had a handful of throwing knives between his fingers. "These pirates are my prey!"

"Whoosh!"

"Boom!!"

A dark figure came hurtling down and slammed into the deck, sending dust billowing into the air.

"Hey! Buggy!!"

Shanks was alarmed.

"Really, this isn't the place for you two, Shanks and Buggy."

The bespectacled man stood on the railing with the Red Nose tucked under his arm. He glanced at the smoking hole in the deck, then casually tossed Buggy to Shanks. "Kids should go play somewhere else!"

"Uncle Rayleigh!"

Shanks caught Buggy, who was still staring blankly.

"Let's go, Buggy!"

Shanks carried Buggy and leaped off the deck, heading toward another ship.

"Ugh, damn you, Shanks! I can't swim! Gurgle gurgle—"

"Hey, Buggy, hang in there!!"

"Pluton, Rayleigh!!"

A deep voice came from inside the hole in the deck.

"Golden Lion's right hand, Colossus Soren."

"Don't hesitate! Keep firing!!"

The same order was relayed to every ship through Den Den Mushi. "Ignore those ships! Fire indiscriminately!! Don't give the Roger Pirates a chance to catch their breath!! The officers are making their move! Don't let Roger's crew get too cocky!"

"Mariō! Ready?"

Rhode stood at the railing.

"Do I have to go, Captain?"

Louis sighed.

"Don't be silly! Get ready to move! Admiral Golden Lion is watching from above!"

Rhode laughed heartily as he looked at Louis.

"..."

Louis could only smile helplessly before jumping straight off the ship. The storm was about to hit anyway, so staying here was even more dangerous.

"Ah-oh-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!!!"

Above, Rhode's enthusiastic laughter rang out.

Now it was time to fight for their lives.

A person's life should be lived this way: when he looked back on the past, he wouldn't regret having wasted his years, nor feel ashamed of having done nothing. Then, at the moment of his death, he could say, "My entire life and all my strength have been devoted to the most magnificent cause in the world."