Chopper clutched his head and screamed. Sanji suddenly launched Geppo, springing into the air off the empty sky and kicking at an incoming cannonball.
Diable Jambe: Mincemeat!
His blazing kick collided with the cannonball, erupting into a fireball in midair, but even more cannonballs came roaring after it.
Zoro sliced one apart with his blade, only to be thrown away by the blast wave and slammed heavily into the cabin.
"We'll get hit sooner or later at this rate. Luffy, think of a way to shake them off!"
Zoro wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spoke tensely.
Luffy took a deep breath, his arms suddenly stretching out to tightly wrap around a floating reef nearby.
The Going Merry abruptly changed direction under his powerful pull, narrowly dodging a barrage of cannonballs.
But the warships behind them immediately adjusted their cannons, and another round of bombardment was already poised to fire.
After all that, Luffy and the others finally shook off the pursuing warships. Mu Chen lowered his telescope and said evenly, "Return. There's no need to chase them."
Kong Ming finally understood. This Admiral had never intended to truly sink the Straw Hat crew from the start.
Kong Ming knew that Mu Chen was giving Garp face. After all, he knew Luffy was Garp's grandson. Still, he could not help worrying that letting Luffy escape like this was inappropriate. Sengoku would probably scold them again. Why?
"We've completed the Buster Call mission. Enies Lobby's defensive system has been destroyed. As for the stragglers, follow-up forces will handle them. Besides, I'm an Admiral. Chasing one tiny pirate crew with over a dozen warships would be too humiliating."
The Going Merry's sails had been torn open by the cannonball shockwaves, and the ship was still tilting slightly. On