The Village-Annihilation Cannon in North Cliff Warehouse

"Don't chase me! The Village-Annihilation Cannon is already set up at North Cliff!"

Benns charged out of the narrow alley.

His right foot hit the stone steps of the mountain path. The drugs drove his blood faster, flushing his entire face dark red. Even his broken gums had stopped bleeding.

"Beckman, take the south slope and cut him off. I'll chase him up the mountain path."

Su Hang grabbed the eaves.

His stretched arm had barely pulled his body upward when both feet slammed into the corner of the wall, sending him tumbling into the vegetable patch beside the road.

Beckman vaulted over the low wall and glanced back as he landed.

"You sure you can catch him?"

"If I can't, drive him back."

"There's only an abandoned warehouse at the summit. The south slope leads to a cliff. He has nowhere to run."

"As long as there's a cannon, he doesn't need to run."

Su Hang pushed himself up and sprinted up the mountain path.

Every time his rubber legs hit the ground, they bent outward, making him half as fast as a normal runner.

"Su Hang, wait for me!"

Luffy ran out of the alley clutching his straw hat, dragging a drenched burlap sack behind him.

"Who told you to come?"

"I wanted to come."

"Go back to the tavern."

"You can't even run in a straight line. What would I go back for?"

"At least you won't get blown to pieces by a cannon."

"And you will?"

Su Hang dodged a protruding mountain rock.

But his left leg stretched two meters, his foot wedged into a crack in the stone, and his body was yanked sideways onto the ground.

"Not yet. Once I dismantle it, I will."

"You can't even walk properly!"

"Shut up. Stay behind the stone wall. Don't enter the warehouse unless you see me wave."

Luffy did not answer.

He only hugged the wet sack tighter and climbed upward along the drainage ditch on the outer side of the mountain path.

The North Cliff warehouse soon appeared at the end of the woods.

The wooden doors, once nailed shut, had been removed. Two wheel ruts stretched from the back door to the cliff's edge.

Benns smashed through the warehouse door and tore down the oilcloth hanging on the wall.

A black cannon barrel occupied more than half the warehouse.

The carriage rested on four sets of iron wheels, its base embedded in stone grooves. The muzzle passed through a gap in the north wall, angled down toward Foosha Village.

"Benns, if you light it, you won't be getting away either."

Su Hang stopped at the entrance.

His eyes swept over the cannon carriage before settling on the half-foot-long fuse beside the touch hole.

"Who said I was leaving?"

Benns grabbed an oil lamp and lifted the cover over the cannon's rear touch hole.

"The government ordered me to retrieve the fruit. I failed, so the whole village should disappear with me."

"You failed. Why make the villagers pay for it?"

"The fruit appeared in the village. Every witness has to be eliminated. That rule was set centuries before you were born."

"A rule made centuries ago won't stop you from getting beaten today."

"Try stopping the cannonball first!"

The oil lamp smashed onto the fuse.

Flames raced down the oil-soaked hemp rope toward the cannon's rear, while Benns turned and rolled into the narrow passage between the stone walls.

Su Hang rushed into the warehouse, flinging out both arms at once.

His right hand wrapped around the cannon barrel, while his left gripped the crossbeam of the carriage.

"The cannon corrects the world. I'll correct your muzzle first."

His fingers clenched, his feet braced against the stone grooves.

Su Hang twisted his waist and pushed toward the north wall, but the cannon carriage did not move.

The sound of iron chains tightening came from beneath the base.

"There are anchor stakes underneath!"

Luffy's voice came from outside the warehouse.

"I told you to hide behind the stone wall!"

"I'm behind the wall! There are four iron chains under the window!"

"Check the second one on the right. Is there a latch?"

"There is, but I can't pull it out!"

"Don't pull it. Use a rock to bend the clasp plate."

Benns poked half his face out from the passage.

"So what if you remove the anchor stakes? That's a Navy fortress cannon. One shell can blow away half a street. Can that body of yours even pull it?"

"You're hiding this far away after lighting it. Looks like you don't trust this wall either."

"When it fires, you'll know what to believe in!"

The fuse had burned halfway through.

The recoil mechanism inside the carriage gave a heavy rumble. The rear locking pin sprang open on its own, and the massive cannon slid forward half a foot.

Su Hang's arms were dragged longer, and two dull pops came from his shoulders.

His right shoulder gave out first, then his left slipped forward as well.

Both arms hung limp beside the cannon carriage. He could no longer lift them.

"Su Hang!"

"Don't come in!"

Luffy had just climbed up to the window.

Benns picked up a musket from behind the stone wall and aimed it at the straw hat.

"You brought that little brat too. Saves me the trip back to the village for him."

"If you dare shoot, I'll throw you off the cliff first."

"Can your arms still move?"

Su Hang tried to clench his right hand.

His fingers were still hooked around the cannon barrel, but his shoulder had no strength left. The dislocated bone bulged beneath his flesh.

Only three inches of fuse remained.

Luffy ducked back from the window.

Benns pulled the trigger. The bullet punched through the wooden frame and flew over the straw hat.

"Luffy, jump down!"

"I'm not jumping!"

The wet sack sailed through the window and landed squarely on the fuse.

The flame soaked into the waterlogged sack, and white smoke rose from beneath the burlap.

Benns rushed out of the passage.

"Move that sack!"

Luffy hugged the sack from outside the window, his whole body dangling beneath the frame.

"Su Hang, the fire isn't out! It's still burning!"

"How long can you hold it?"

"I don't know! Smoke's coming from under the sack!"

"Enough."

Su Hang shouted toward the south.

"Beckman, if you don't come out now, I'll assume the Red-Haired Pirates are ready to replace their vice-captain."

Gunfire rang out from the warehouse's back door.

A bullet struck the stone slab by Benns's feet, forcing him back behind the wall.

Beckman stepped over the dismantled wooden crates, his gun trained on Benns the whole time.

"I went to block the south slope, and you got yourself hung on a cannon first."

"Quit watching and put my shoulders back in place."

"A rubber man's joints. First time I've handled them."

"Line up the bones and push. If anything breaks, it's on me."

"Bear with it."

Beckman supported Su Hang's right arm.

His thumb pressed against the bump on Su Hang's shoulder. With a shove of his palm, the joint slid back into place.

Sweat beaded on Su Hang's forehead.

His right hand immediately tightened, and his entire arm wrapped around the cannon barrel three times.

"The left one too."

"This one's farther out."

"How many inches are left on the fuse?"

Luffy lifted one corner of the sack. The flames had already burned through the wet cloth.

"One inch—no, only half an inch!"

"Push!"

Beckman grabbed Su Hang's left arm, braced one foot against Su Hang's lower back, and forced the joint back into its socket with both hands.

Su Hang did not wait for the pain to fade.

His legs wrapped around the bottom of the cannon carriage, his waist and abdomen pressed against the barrel, and his entire body coiled around the black cannon.

"Luffy, break the second anchor chain on the right!"

"I've already bent it!"

"Beckman, shoot through the lock on the left!"

Two bullets struck the same iron ring.

The lock shattered, and the cannon carriage slid forward half a foot.

Benns charged toward the wet sack despite the gun trained on him.

"You're too late!"

"Then let it fire."

Su Hang's feet hooked into the stone grooves. He twisted his waist and back to the right, his rubber body tightening more and more around the cannon barrel.

The carriage's iron wheels crushed over loose stones.

The muzzle, once aimed at Foosha Village, slowly turned toward the northern sea.

Benns tore away the sack.

A spark slipped into the cannon's rear.

The heavy cannon roared, blasting dust from the entire warehouse.

The cannonball flew over the cliff and crashed into the northern sea.

Seawater surged dozens of meters into the air, drenching half the cliff face as it fell back down.

The recoil drove the cannon body into the warehouse door.

Su Hang pressed his back against the carriage and used the force to smash through the wooden door, slamming into Benns along with a shower of splintered wood.

The musket flew from Benns's hand.

Benns rolled out of the warehouse.

His knee scraped across the rocks at the cliff's edge. By the time he stood, he was already in front of the precipice.

Su Hang raised his head from the broken wood.

His two arms stretched out again, sealing off Benns's paths to the left and right.

"The muzzle's turned. What do you have left?"

Benns wiped the blood from his chin and looked past Su Hang's shoulder toward the sea.

Flames lit up along the side of the distant support ship. Its second naval cannon had already finished loading.

"Fire. I've been wanting to know whether that body of yours can stop a warship's main cannon."