The battlefield had descended into chaos.
Gunfire rattled through the air as Kaya, Nojiko, Raki, Zala, Robin, Vivi, Maya, Saphir, Alvida, and Ben charged forward. The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Then a loud whistling cut through the sky. A large shell slammed into the earth ahead of them, igniting a thunderous explosion. The force sent debris flying, dirt scattering in all directions.
Nojiko lifted an arm to shield her eyes. "This is getting a lot more hectic," she muttered.
"I wasn't expecting it to escalate this much," Maya exhaled.
"The island itself could suffer irreparable damage if this continues too long," Robin said as she observed the turmoil.
"Shimagame. We need to save her. We need to get her away from them," Vivi said.
At that moment, several men swung down, dropping from ropes. Their Marine uniforms flared in the light, sabers drawn as they rushed forward.
Kaya's eyes widened. "Marines," she shouted.
Meanwhile, one Marine battleship docked beside the Cipher Pol ship. Its gangplanks were lowered, Marines swarming forward like waves. Across the water, a second Marine vessel dropped its anchor, connecting itself to the first battleship, creating a massive platform for reinforcements. The third warship continued its approach, steering dangerously close to the Miss Love Duck.
Gorilla, Sharinguru, Very Good, Guard, and Gage stormed from the warship, dozens upon dozens of Marines falling in line behind them.
Sharinguru's voice carried across the battlefield. "Surrender now, Love Pirates," he shouted.
They looked around at the Love Pirates. He looked at the ancient zoan and mythical zoan standing among them.
"These guys," Kaya remarked.
Gage took a step forward, his stance strong. "We have you outnumbered," he said. Ben thought this was the guy Marianne defeated with the help of the blue Gorilla.
"You will be arrested and captured for your crimes at Enies Lobby," Gorilla said. His voice was sharp.
"We were only trying to save our sister," Vivi responded. She glared at them.
Very Good turned his attention to Alvida. "Captain Alvida, you're trying to take control of this island!" he said.
Alvida raised an eyebrow, confused. "Captain?" she thought.
"We will not let that happen," Sharinguru remarked as he stepped forward.
"We are trying to save Shimagame," Vivi said.
"Shimagame? What is that?" Very Good question.
"We've heard from the speakers that you plan to take control of the island," Gage said. "For world domination," he added.
"That's not us," Alvida stated.
"Lies," Sharinguru snarled. "You're not going to surrender peacefully, are you?" he said. He leapt down towards Alvida. "Force Punch," Sharinguru said as he spun his one arm rapidly. He fell towards Alvida. His one arm was spinning rapidly. He swung his fist.
"Demon Abyssal Chains," Ben said as he created black chains coming from the palm of his hands. It went towards Sharinguru and caught him mid-air and entrapped him. Ben threw him back. Sharinguru landed on the ground.
Gage's grip tightened around his sword as he leapt down from the Marine ship. A group of Marines followed, their blades gleaming under the harsh light. Saphir lunged forward, her spear slicing through the air. "You're not getting to them," she declared.
Gage raised his weapon just in time, the clash of steel against metal ringing out across the deck. Their blades locked, the force sending vibrations through their arms. Gage pushed back, trying to gain ground, but Saphir held firm.
The other Marines felt a sweat drop. "She only had a bounty of 10,000,000 Beli," one said.
Gorilla prepared to jump down. "Capture them," he ordered. Before he could move, Kaya shot upward, her wings flaring behind her like a streak of celestial light.
"Angel Smash," she said as her fist glowed white. She drove it downward towards Gorilla. He saw the attack coming and instinctively leapt back, avoiding a direct hit. Kaya fist collided with the Marine ship's deck, the wood splintering apart under the sheer force. The floor shattered, fragments flying into the air. Kaya slowly withdrew her fist, pulling it from the wreckage as her eyes glowed fiercely.
"A Demon," one Marine said.
"No, an angel," another Marine said.
Very Good saw Kaya on the deck. He was about to rush towards her. However, Nojiko acted first. "Cloud Spear," Nojiko said as she created clouds around her hand. She twisted the clouds into a razor-sharp spear and hurled it forward with incredible speed.
Very Good's reflexes kicked in. He twisted his body just barely dodging the attack, but the spear struck the deck behind him, shattering the wooden planks. The force sent splinters flying.
"You," Very Good said as he jumped down. "Tempest Nojiko with 15,000,000 Beli, surrender now," Very Good said.
"No," Nojiko responded.
Zala crouched low in her Craterosaurus form. She rammed through a group of Marines, her colossal head swinging like a wrecking ball. Their bodies went flying, crashing into the ground and tumbled around.
Guard stepped forward. "Stop it," he barked. "You had beaten me before but I will not lose again," he added.
Zala turned, eyeing him with an amused smirk. She saw the burnt marks.
Sharinguru rose to his feet. He thought he got caught off guard by Ben. He thought of Demon King Ben with a 300,000,000 Beli bounty. He will take him down. But before he could move, Maya was already upon him.
She swung her sword, the blade cutting toward him.
Sharinguru jerked back, barely dodging as the sword skimmed past his shoulder, slicing through the air with terrifying speed. He took a step back, eyes narrowing.
Maya held her position. "Ben, go ahead. We've got them," she said.
"Yes, Ben. We can handle this," Kaya added.
"We can take them," Saphir agreed while looking at Gage.
Ben glanced at the battlefield, taking in the onslaught of Marines swarming around them. "There are 3,000 Marines here," he commented.
"Like Alvida said, 30, 300, 3,000 or 30,000, we'll take them all," Nojiko stated.
Alvida's eyes shone with certainty. "*Trust them my love," Alvida siad.
Ben smirked. "Be careful," he said. "And give them hell," he added.
Robin sprouted six arms. "Seis Fleur," she said. The group of Marines barely had time to react before she grabbed their bodies, limbs locking them into place. "Clutch," she added as two arms wrapped around their legs, forcing them backward. Another pair gripped their backs, while the final two secured their upper bodies. Then she twisted. A sickening crack echoed through the air as their bodies collapsed, their strength vanishing beneath the crushing pressure. Robin smiled.
Meanwhile, Raki stepped forward, inhaling deeply.Her breath turned gray. "Breath of Basilisk," she said. The mystical mist spread outward, reaching the advancing Marines. They froze and their bodies turned to stone instantly,
Robin nodded in approval.
"That should help," Robin said.
Raki, Robin, Vivi, Alvida, and Ben moved forward, their sights set on Ratchet.
Meanwhile, Ratchet looked around from his castle. He saw four ships had arrived. They all were from the Marines and World Government. "This is getting complicated," Ratchet said.
"We did not expect them to come here, Ratchet Sir," Honki said.
"Our plans for world domination meant facing them," Ratchet responded.
"You always have a plan," Maij said.
"I do and we will capture them all and hold them as a ransom to show the world we are serious," Ratchet laughed.
"Ratchet Sir, there are two more ships," Hoki reported.
"Who is it now?" Ratchet questioned.