Lynch's eyes suddenly transformed, becoming golden beast-shaped pupils in their Sun Candle form. His vision expanded, and he saw the chaos unfolding at Reverse Mountain.
A dense pirate fleet crowded the narrow passage, with ships constantly crashing into the stone walls, splintering into pieces.
Either the reefs pierced the ships' hulls, or the violent turbulence capsized them.
Every minute, hundreds of ships were lost, yet these deaths were but a fraction of the massive fleet.
One ship struck a stone wall, triggering a massive explosion in its gunpowder hold. A mushroom cloud of black smoke rose into the sky.
Kaido and the other high-ranking pirates never intervened. They knew that while it would take a toll on them, they could save many if they acted.
However, since none of the casualties were elite members of their crew, they felt little remorse.
After all, there were countless pirates eager to join the Four Emperors.
"Brilliant fireworks," Lynch mused, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched the destruction.
"Husband, should I step in?" Gion asked.
"Not yet. If you act, Kaido and the others will follow suit. Just wait," Lynch replied, gently holding Gion's cattails to comfort her.
For the upcoming alliance of the two emperors, he had prepared many "gadgets."
A loud crash echoed through the air. The ships continued to fall, and the first one finally passed the mountain, plummeting from the waterfall.
Sadly, the ship's descent was disastrous. It crashed headfirst into the sea, shattering upon impact.
The crew was torn apart in an instant, their blood turning the water red.
The first drop of blood had been spilled in the West Blue, but it wouldn't be the last.
The second pirate ship was fortunate enough to land safely on the West Blue.
"Ooooo~ We made it!"
"We're the first! Boss Kaido will definitely reward us!" The pirates cheered, their excitement palpable.
But joy quickly turned to disaster.
The ship hit one of the mines planted by the West Blue authorities beneath the Reverse Mountain.
With a massive explosion, the pirate ship was torn apart, and most of the crew was killed instantly.
Lynch suddenly recalled something. "Robin, how many mines have we planted in West Blue?"
"One hundred and three thousand and twelve," Robin replied, her fingers gliding over her green-white jade as she conjured the numbers from memory.
"Very good," Lynch muttered with a satisfied smile.
Those mines alone would be enough to send the pirate alliance into chaos.
One by one, more pirate ships broke through the treacherous terrain of Reverse Mountain, crashing down into the West Blue from the waterfall.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions rang out with every ship, each one detonating as it hit a mine, obliterating it and its crew.
"Wori! Be careful, everyone! West Blue has buried something in the water!" Even the slowest pirates realized something was wrong.
"Shameless! Shameless Lynch! What's the point of laying a minefield in the water after the Reverse Mountain?!"
"Damn it! I thought we pirates were bad, but this West Blue is even worse! Not only did they block the way, but they've set traps too!"
The pirates charging ahead were already cursing in frustration.
They had thought that once they crossed Reverse Mountain, they'd be rewarded by Boss Kaido. But instead, they faced an even deadlier threat.
If there were enough time, the pirates could clear the mines, but the situation was urgent.
The West Blue forces were ahead, and behind them, a steady stream of pirate ships pushed forward. If a ship didn't move, it was shoved ahead by those behind it.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One by one, pirate ships hit the mines and sank into the sea. With over a hundred thousand mines buried densely, one explosion would trigger nearby mines, leaving no chance for survival.
To survive the minefield, the pirates had no choice but to take risks.
Suddenly, a sharp sound rang out from above Reverse Mountain.
A colorful candy slide appeared, stretching more than ten nautical miles down the mountain, stopping just beyond the minefield. It was a bizarre and unexpected solution to the chaos.
It was Perospero, Big Mom's eldest son and the user of the Lick Lick Fruit, who took action.
He diverted some seawater from Reverse Mountain into the candy slide, making it stronger and more stable.
Pirate ships began sliding down the candy slide, which was tougher than steel, in an attempt to avoid the minefield.
"Finally couldn't resist, huh?" Lynch thought, watching the move unfold.
In a situation where both sides were evenly matched, the first high-ranking fighter to act would force the other side to respond. Lynch exchanged a look with Doflamingo.
"Fuh, fu, fufu~ Super hit whip!" Doflamingo laughed, his flamingo suit fluttering as he took to the air.
With a swift motion, he unleashed dozens of nearly invisible silk threads from his hands, forming a massive white whip that stretched for thousands of meters.
He slashed through the candy slide, splitting it in half.
The pirate ships on the slide plummeted to the sea below, shattering upon impact.
"Damn it! It's that guy, Doflamingo! How could he be helping Lynch?" Perospero muttered in disbelief after his plan failed.
The reason they had sent troops to West Blue was because of Doflamingo.
But, in truth, the tension between the three parties was deep-rooted. Even without Doflamingo, a conflict was inevitable, he had only sped up the war.
"No need to ask," Daifuku growled. "That guy must have pledged allegiance to the Emperor of West Blue!"
Compared to the enemy, an "ally" who was once a partner but turned into an enemy was even more infuriating.
"Hmph, I knew from the start that Doflamingo and his mother were never really cooperating. They're just two-faced," Cracker sneered, adding to the attack.
With the candy slide cut off, the plan failed. Who knew how many bombs the enemy had planted underground?
If hundreds of thousands were buried, the casualties could be enormous once the pirates managed to cross.
Clearing a large minefield wasn't an option. Unless someone could launch an island-wide attack, there was no chance of getting rid of all those bombs.
"Linlin, lend me your cloud!" Kaido shouted.
"Shuugarin Rai Hinaraku!"
A deafening boom echoed through the sky as Kaido made his dramatic entrance.
A thunder pillar crackled down, striking the sea as Kaido, wrapped in lightning, floated above on a "flame cloud." The gathered electricity surged into his mace, which he then smashed into the sea.
Lynch's Sun Candle Fruit, a Mythical beast with powers of thunder, fire, frost, and an aura of mystery, was always with him.
Kaido's Blue Dragon Fruit, another Mythical beast, granted him powers of fire, storm, thunder, hail, and clouds.
But even Kaido knew that clearing all the mines hidden underwater alone would be a difficult task.
Since then, whenever Kaido swung his mace, Big Mom's thundercloud would attach to it, amplifying its power.
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
___________________
I've added an advanced chapter on P@treon, where you can read 130+ chapters ahead of everyone.
Link : patreon.com/MoonEater18