"Open fire! Open fire!"
The moment the Dawn warship took flight, Kashi and the other Marine Vice Admirals immediately gave the order to attack.
As the cannons aboard the warships rose, their pitch-black muzzles aimed at the Dawn. With a barrage of thunderous blasts, cannonballs shot straight toward the warship in the sky.
"Enemy attack!"
On the deck of the Dawn, a Marine keeping watch immediately shouted a warning when he saw the fleet on the sea open fire.
Mihawk stood at the bow, watching the incoming cannonballs. Just as he was about to act, he heard Issho stop him.
"Everyone, grab the railings. Don't get thrown off."
"Don't worry about the bombardment."
As Issho spoke, the incoming cannonballs had already neared the hull. Yet the instant they approached the warship, every single cannonball broke free of gravity and abruptly froze in midair.
Seeing this, Mihawk smiled faintly. Then he lightly leaped into the air and swung a slash toward the sea.
A blue-green blade of light flashed past the cannonballs in an instant before plunging rapidly into the ocean.
As the cannonballs exploded in midair from the blade light, thick gray-black smoke immediately blotted out the sky. The next moment, Mihawk's slash struck the sea, and a towering wave surged upward.
The warships anchored on the sea began rocking violently the instant the waves rose. Their cannons, which had been aimed at the Dawn, lost their target at that moment.
"Whoosh—"
A fierce wind swept across the sea as the Dawn burst through the gray-black smoke, rapidly breaking through the Marines' encirclement and flying toward the setting sun.
On the sea.
The Vice Admirals stood steadily atop the violently rocking warships. Ignoring their panicked subordinates, they all raised their heads to watch the Dawn rapidly depart, remaining silent for