The appearance of Pluton, was like throwing a giant block of ice into a boiling pot of oil, instantly changing the atmosphere and balance of power on the entire battlefield!
That ancient ark, bearing the imprints of countless civilizations, was no longer a silent relic, but had fully bared its fangs. On its hull, all the patterns—the coral of the Sea of Mists, the veins of the Emerald Star, the gold of Tesoro, and even the newly emerging dragon scales and the shadows of the Torch Dragon —simultaneously erupted with dazzling light. The Whispers of All Spirits converged into a mighty and furious battle intent, resonating with the roar of the engines, echoing throughout the Xinghai!
"That's... Pluton?!" A horrified cry rang out from the World Government fleet. The terrifying legends surrounding this Ancient Weapon, along with its exploits in the Gold City and the Coruscant Ring, had already instilled fear in these soldiers.
"Main gun ' Genesis ' fully charged!" Franky roared excitedly from the bridge of the Pluton (communications connected). "Target: Dense area of enemy main fleet! Bomb them to hell!" Usopp's voice (fearful but even more excited) also came through.
The massive bow cannon of Pluton emitted a chilling, incandescent white light, a mixture of energies from various civilizations, so powerful that it distorted the very fabric of space!
"Fire!!!" Luffy's voice came through the loudspeaker, filled with anger and determination (he grabbed the microphone).
• Buzz--!!!!!! A terrifying torrent of energy, beyond description, like the lash of judgment from God, instantly traversed a vast distance and lashed fiercely into the core formation of the World Government fleet!
That wasn't a simple explosion! The warship directly hit was instantly vaporized! The surrounding warship shields shattered like paper, and the hulls were torn apart, twisted, and detonated! The flames of the explosion merged into one, as if a brief sun had been ignited in the starry sky! Even the Undercurrent, far at the edge of the battlefield, felt the violent shockwave!
With a single strike, a massive, irreparable breach was torn open in the World Government's encirclement! More than a tenth of their fleet strength was annihilated in that single blow!
"Monster... Is this the power of Ancient Weapon?!" The Gravity Admiral's face turned deathly pale, and he could no longer maintain his composure.
"Second wave of attack! Prepare ' Rain of Purification '!" Sabo's calm voice (commanding through Pluton ) came through.
The numerous secondary cannons on the sides of the Pluton opened, but this time they were not spewing out destructive energy. Instead, they were unleashing a pure rain of fireballs, centered on Ace's Flame of World Purification and amplified by the Heart of the Pluton Ark! These fireballs landed precisely on the World Government's warships, not aiming for instant destruction, but rather to adhere to and burn, continuously purifying and disintegrating the warships' energy systems and shields, causing them to overload and become paralyzed!
"Damn it! Stop it!" The heavily wounded Admiral struggled to order the fleet to focus fire on Pluton.
But at this moment, the Revolutionary Army's morale soared! "Counterattack! For Baltigo! For freedom!" Dragon roared, and the storm raged once more, sweeping away the warships that were trying to besiege Pluton! Sabo and Jinbe also felt much less pressure and attacked the enemy in front of them even more fiercely.
The Undercurrent, like Scalpel, swooped through the chaotic battlefield, specifically targeting command ships and CP0 agents attempting to reorganize their formations. Allen sat aboard the Undercurrent, eyes closed, concentrating. Although he no longer engaged in large-scale attacks, his Power of Zhulong subtly influenced the localized spacetime of the battlefield, making the Revolutionary Army's attacks smoother and ensuring the government forces' counterattacks always missed by a hair's breadth.
" Gild Tesoro - Resource Absorption!" Tesoro also demonstrated his value. He manipulated gold, infiltrating the nearby paralyzed government warships like a virus, frantically extracting their energy and rare metals to feed the Undercurrent and his own consumption. He even temporarily took over some intact weapon systems to attack the government forces!
The addition of Pluton is not merely the gain of a super battleship; it brings a complete combat system that integrates multiple powers! It is an invincible spear, a shield protecting comrades, and a sacred fire purifying illusion!
The World Government's fleet was thrown into utter chaos and panic. They had never faced such a bizarre and comprehensive attack! They suffered heavy losses, their formation collapsed, and their morale plummeted.
"Retreat! Retreat the entire fleet!" The fleet commander finally succumbed to the pressure and issued a desperate order. Continuing to fight would likely result in the annihilation of the entire fleet!
The remaining World Government warships, like stray dogs, turned around and fled the battlefield in panic. Even the two Admiral, under the cover of CP0, glanced unwillingly at Pluton and Dragon before quickly boarding their special speedboats and retreating.
The Revolutionary Army did not pursue them; they too had suffered heavy losses and urgently needed rest.
Pluton slowly approached the battered Baltigo Fortress, like a guardian deity returning home. The Undercurrent also drew near.
When Sabo, Allen, Robin, Tesoro, Jinbe stepped onto Baltigo's deck, they were greeted by the incredibly excited and awe-inspiring gazes of the Revolutionary Army soldiers who had survived the ordeal.
Dragon walked over. Although he was exhausted and wounded, his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle's. He patted Sabo heavily on the shoulder, then looked at the giant Pluton and Allen and the others in front of him.
"Well done... you arrived just in time." The dragon's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Is this... the true power of Pluton? And you..."
His gaze lingered on Allen for a moment, as if he could sense the unfathomable power of spacetime.
"Father... we've found crucial intelligence," Sabo said urgently, "About the source of Imu's power and his ultimate goal..."
Just as Sabo was about to report the discovery of the Eternal Mist, an urgent communication came from Pluton ' core control room. It was Chopper, who was on duty behind the scenes:
"Oh no! Luffy... Luffy just forcibly activated that Nika Form's power and fought that Magma Admiral again, and now... now he's exhausted and passed out! His body is still smoking, it's so hot! What do we do?!"
Everyone's hearts immediately tightened again. The joy of victory was overshadowed by worry.
"Get him to the medical room immediately! Use the best medicine!" Dragon ordered immediately, then looked at Sabo and Allen, "We'll discuss the intelligence later, go check on Luffy first. This victory came at a heavy price..."
Although the Battle of Baltigo was a Luffy victory, Luffy's condition, Imu's true objective, and the impending final battle all foreshadow an even greater storm to come. After a brief respite, the ultimate plan to strike at the heart of the enemy will commence.