East Blue, Oykot Kingdom, Royal Capital.
The gloomy sky was like a filthy canvas soaked in ink, hanging heavily over the broken walls and ruins.
The once-prosperous streets were now nothing but scorched earth and rubble. Gunpowder smoke mingled with the stench of blood, lingering heavily in the damp air.
Amid the ruins, cries of battle, the thunderous roar of muskets, and the piercing scrape of clashing blades intertwined into a symphony of despair.
A band of vicious pirates was locked in a brutal tug-of-war with a group of bloodstained Marines. Every flash of gunfire was accompanied by the loss of life. Members on both sides fell one after another like cut wheat, their blood soaking the blackened ground.
At the center of the Marine formation, Commander Bell-mère was shouting herself hoarse, trying to hold the line that was on the verge of collapse.
The bandages around her left shoulder had been completely soaked through with blood. Her face was pale as paper, and every breath tugged at her wound, bringing waves of tearing pain that inevitably left her voice weak and trembling.
"Hold the line! For the civilians behind us, we must not retreat!"
Her cry carried determination, but lacked strength, sounding so powerless amid the chaotic battlefield. Severe injuries and blood loss were steadily devouring her will and stamina. Her vision had begun to blur, and the shadow of death quietly closed in.
Above the clouds, on the deck of Herman's Revenge.
"What a coincidence again. My luck really is something else."
Dawn lowered his telescope and rubbed his brow, his face full of emotion. Not long ago, he had intended to snatch Perona away, only to run into Moria;
Now, he planned to take away the sisters Nami and Nojiko, yet he had run straight into their