As bullets flew, Gatling transformed into a massive chain sword.
The three-meter-tall mecha gripped the weapon and charged into battle, tearing through the endless waves of pirates.
Against mechas, ordinary pirates stood no chance, they were cut down one by one.
The arrival of the mecha units filled the gap in close-quarters combat on the front lines.
While the mechas held off the pirates, crew members returned to their cabins and suited up in heavy exoskeleton armor, grabbing their firearms to support from a distance.
Exoskeletons aren't true mechas they're more like metal frameworks worn over the body, shaped like a human skeleton.
Different models serve different functions. Most are designed to help soldiers carry more gear and offer some protection, allowing them to stay in the fight longer. However, they reduce speed and flexibility, which is why few people wear them at the start of battle.
Combat exoskeletons are also costly and inefficient compared to standard weapons, which is another reason why they're so rare. In most cases, they're used by logistics personnel in the military.
Now, with the support of the mechas, soldiers on the fleet could rely on their guns from a distance. The chance of enemies getting close was much lower.
"Hey, Monk! What are you doing on the deck? Aren't monks supposed to avoid killing?"
A soldier shouted over the gunfire as he fired bursts from his AK-47, spotting his friend stepping out of the cabin.
As his nickname suggested, Monk had once been a real monk before joining the army.
"Amitabha, this poor monk never kills any living being."
He said calmly, pulling out two special bullets from the West Blue. "Namo Bullet Sound,"
"Bodhisattva. This poor monk never kills, the poor monk just sends them to see the Buddha."
Before finishing his sentence, Monk raised both hands and fired. Flames roared from the muzzles, bullet casings flying through the air. His comrades stared in shock.
"Monk, I misjudged you, you're such a bald ass!"
The monk turned back with a smile, raising the bullet in his hand.
"Lynch-sama was right. Times have changed. This is the only thing that works now."
After finishing the bullets, the monk calmly walked back to the cabin. A moment later, he returned carrying a Gatling gun.
Eighteen hundred rounds per minute. The Compassionate Gatling Immortal saves the world!
West Blue's Buddha—delivering salvation through firepower!
"My Buddha is merciful," the monk said kindly as he pulled the trigger.
…..
Meanwhile, Giant King Loki leapt across hundreds of miles in just a few powerful jumps, landing behind the West Blue army and charging straight into the enemy ranks.
"Die!"
With the power of the Muscle Fruit, his arm expanded unnaturally to ten meters long. Muscles twisted and bulged as Loki unleashed his furious fists.
In just moments, dozens of elite fighters from the Big Mom Pirates were crushed.
Loki's height swelled to fifteen meters. He rampaged through the battlefield like a living war machine no one could stop him.
Anyone hit by his massive fists had their bones shattered. Even a graze could be fatal.
"You think you can do as you please while my sister and I are here?!"
Siblings Mascarpone and Joscaporne charged forward, swords drawn, ready to fight.
"Anyone who dares to come, leave your name. My sister and I don't kill nobodies."
"Giant Loki!"
As a user of the Muscle Fruit, Loki's fighting style was always straightforward and brutal.
The two siblings charged at him from both sides, swords flashing. But Loki's massive arms swelled again like houses crashing down. With one punch, he crushed Joscapone.
It was a gruesome death Joscapone's body was smashed into a mess of flesh and bone.
"Sister!" Mascarpone's snake-like pupils trembled. She couldn't believe the strength of this unknown giant standing before her.
"Don't worry. You're next," Loki said coldly.
He squatted low. The muscles in his legs stacked and tensed like coiled springs—then he launched forward.
The steel deck beneath him shattered on impact. Loki shot through the air like a cannonball, his speed leaving only blurred afterimages.
"So fast!"
Before Mascarpone could react, she was hit head-on. In the next second, her body exploded into a mist of blood.
Since the start of the war, these were the first high-ranking casualties of two of Big Mom's own children, gone in an instant.
Loki calmly shook off the blood and continued clearing out the pirates around him, like it was nothing.
"A bunch of trash!"
"Trash fish~ all trash fish~"
On the front lines, Jack, Ulti, and the others were getting ready to enter the battle, angry that the pirate coalition still couldn't break through the West Blue Marines.
"Hey, look! Up in the sky!" someone suddenly shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.
The sky darkened again—but this time, it wasn't Kaido.
"What the hell is that?!"
"The city… is the city flying?!"
"There are two more over there!"
Above them, a massive brass-colored structure, shining with a metallic glow, floated through the air. It looked as big as a fortress.
The pirates stared upward, jaws hanging open, shouting and guessing wildly.
"No matter how many times I see it, it still blows my mind," Yakushi Kabuto said with a sigh.
He had no idea how the people in the Military Science Division managed to invent something like that.
But from what he'd heard, the idea came from Lynch.
"Is that gold? It's sparkling in the sunlight… maybe King West Blue built it to boost morale?"
"You idiot! If it were gold, it'd be way too heavy to fly!" another snapped.
But there was nothing they could do—they could only watch.
The floating fortress was flying too high. Their attacks couldn't reach it.
Even pirates who could use Moonwalk didn't dare fly up to check. What if it was a trap?
"Look, something's being dropped from up there!"
A pirate squinted hard, trying to see through the clouds.
The bottom of the brass-colored structure cracked open and black objects began falling out.
At first, the falling objects looked no bigger than pinheads, but they grew larger and clearer as they plummeted toward the sea.
Boom!
The first black sphere smashed into a ship, causing a massive explosion. Flames erupted instantly, engulfing several nearby pirate vessels.
"Sh*t! It's dropping bombs!"
With bombs falling from that height, they couldn't do anything but get blown up.
And the bombs were incredibly powerful.
The name of the flying fortress: Annihilator.
It flew through the sky like a city in motion.
It was developed with tech support from Sky Island's Ark Maxim.
Using brass and steam in place of gold and electricity, the fortress was built with modified technology.
305 meters long and 71 meters wide, it required only 200 crew members to fully operate thanks to its automation.
Brass armor, steam-powered engines, a flying weapon of destruction.
Inside the flying fortress are power systems, storage areas, and spaces for the crew to operate.
The bottom can open up to drop various types of bombs onto targets below.
On top, there's a 300-meter-long airstrip that can launch up to 50 T-type fighter jets at the same time.
The fighter jet technology was generously provided by Yakushi Kabuto and co-developed with the West Blue Military Department.
Kabuto also drew inspiration from his master, Orochimaru.
In another world, Orochimaru once created a robot that could transform into a fighter jet, equipped with missiles and machine guns.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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