The skies turned black.
This wasn't the darkness of the Five Aggregates, but a true, pitch-black void. The acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air, stinging everyone's nostrils. Round cannonballs arced through the air, launched from beyond the walls of Ilinulay Palace. They reached their apex, blotting out the sky and obscuring all visibility.
Xiū xiū xiū xiū!
The black cannonballs traced dark arcs as they reached their highest point, paused momentarily, and then began their descent.
"Who is this?! How dare they launch an artillery strike from outside?!"
"We're doomed! We're all going to die!"
Chaporos trembled violently, tears welling up in his eyes, paralyzed by terror.
He couldn't imagine anyone surviving such a massive barrage. Even with the combined might of the three powerful figures present, defending against this terrifying assault seemed impossible. This was cannonfire capable of engulfing the entire Ilinulay Palace!
"Someone wants us dead!" Crocodile's expression turned grim as he glanced at Ilinulay lying behind him. "Including him!"
"In short, we're in extreme danger!"
"Is there anything we can do, Crocodile? Your Devil Fruit ability!" Jason shouted urgently.
Under such massive cannonfire, only Crocodile stood a chance of making a difference.
"I don't know, but I have to try!"
Crocodile slowly extended his right hand toward the sky, his face unusually solemn.
The power of such concentrated artillery fire was immense. The Marines' most fearsome tactic, the Buster Call, relied on overwhelming cannonfire to obliterate entire islands. He had no doubt that the combined force of these shells could vaporize them in an instant, incinerating them completely. This was an attack capable of destroying Ilinulay's entire palace in a single strike.
"Sandcover!"
A faint voice emanated from Crocodile's lips as the sand grains on his shoulders erupted into motion, swirling outward in all directions. In the blink of an eye, everything the sand touched rapidly weathered, crumbling into more sand. Within moments, vast quantities of sand materialized, surging into the air to form a Sandcover that enveloped everyone.
Boom!
The cannonball finally struck, slamming violently into the thin Sandcover. The newly formed barrier, unable to withstand the cannonfire's destructive force, immediately shattered, leaving a gaping hole.
Crocodile's eyes narrowed. He clenched his right hand, causing the sand grains to flow rapidly, repairing the Sandcover and continuously reinforcing it.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the first cannonball struck, a barrage of follow-up shots rained down, each impact shaking the Sandcover violently.
Saaahhh.
Sand grains trembled overhead, showering down on the group and putting everyone on edge.
"Can we hold out?" Jason asked, his face grim.
They had all noticed that the Sandcover had been torn open by cannonfire multiple times, only to be swiftly repaired. But the repairs never lasted long before the next barrage ripped through it again.
"It's getting tough!" Crocodile gasped, his right hand trembling violently.
Cannonfire comparable to a small-scale Buster Call was no easy thing to withstand. Through the shifting sand, he could see that the entire Ilinulay Palace had been reduced to rubble, engulfed in roaring flames. Under that merciless bombardment, the once-grand palace had collapsed completely.
"Ahhhhh, help me!"
"Who is this? Who dares point cannons at Ilinulay? How audacious!"
"We're doomed! We're all going to die!"
Piercing screams echoed throughout the palace, punctuated by the thunderous roar of cannons. The once-glorious and opulent Ilinulay Palace now stood on the brink of collapse, its gilded walls and lavish furnishings reduced to rubble.
In the main hall, Ilinulay heard the commotion outside and numbly raised his head.
As he watched buildings crumble and flames erupt, his entire body began to tremble.
"Who is it? Who dares attack us!"
Fury burned within him, driving him to roar in rage.
"Who? Who dares do this! To attack the Celestial Dragons—this is Ilinulay!"
But no one answered him. All the guards and servants were too busy fleeing for their lives.
Boom!
A cannonball struck the main hall, tearing a hole in the roof. Bricks rained down, crashing onto Ilinulay's body with a deafening thud, causing him to howl in agony.
"It's over!"
Gasping for breath and spitting blood, Ilinulay's eyes filled with despair. He knew he wouldn't survive this day.
His enemies had no intention of sparing a single member of his family. The once-mighty Ilinulay Family was about to be annihilated.
Anger, despair, regret, and resentment churned within him.
As another four or five cannonballs crashed into the grand hall, Ilinulay's body was engulfed in searing flames, vanishing completely, utterly erased from existence.
Every corner of the Ilinulay Estate now bore the brunt of the cannonfire's fury and roar. Everything was burning under the intense heat, reduced to ashes.
The first wave of bombardment lasted nearly three minutes before pausing briefly. But in that fleeting moment...
"Prepare the second wave of bombardment!"
"Fire!"
The enraged command echoed just three seconds later, and the voice that sent the faces of everyone in Sandcover darkening to despair once more rang out.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The ear-splitting, air-rending sound made every body tremble.
Under such relentless cannonfire, they could only wait in despair.
"Damn it!"
Jason clenched his fists, utterly helpless. He knew that even a Vice Admiral-level combatant would be powerless against such a barrage. The dense hail of cannonballs would ignite everything, reducing it to ashes.
Unless... one truly possessed Admiral-grade power!
Even Crocodile, a Logia Devil Fruit user, found himself forced into a purely defensive position, unable to venture outside.
The heat generated by the converging cannonfire was so intense that even grains of sand would melt instantly.
"I can't hold out much longer!"
The enemy seemed to have detected their stubborn resistance within the layers of flames. The cannons shifted their aim, and the next barrage was far more intense than the previous one.
"Who is it? Who dares to destroy a Celestial Dragon family?"
Chaporos trembled violently, his eyes wide with disbelief. Even Yilu's expression betrayed a hint of panic.
The sheer power of the cannonfire clearly indicated a premeditated attack.
"Damn it!" Jason roared, his face contorted with frustration.
They had infiltrated the area, successfully rescued Lordling, and even taught the brat a lesson. Yet, at the final moment of their escape, they were confronted with this overwhelming force.
Above the Sandcover, the sand trembled as five consecutive cannonballs struck. Crocodile's face paled, and everyone looked up.
The once-impenetrable Sandcover now had a massive hole torn through its apex.
(End Of This Chapter)
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