"What?!" Captain Scylla's pupils contracted violently. Before he could even react, an even more incredible scene unfolded.
Silver's figure shot across the sea like a bolt of silver lightning. His feet actually stepped on the waves kicked up by the cannonballs as if on solid ground, and he charged toward a warship on the left flank at a speed the naked eye could barely follow.
"Fire! Stop him!" the marines on the warship shouted in panic.
Bullets rained down on Silver, but they couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes. He was like a phantom moving through the downpour, appearing on the deck in just a few flashes. With a flick of his long spear, it bloomed into several silver flowers. Wherever he passed, the weapons in the marines' hands were sent flying, and the men themselves were knocked off balance by a clever force, yet none suffered a fatal injury. In the blink of an eye, the combat strength of an entire warship's deck was completely neutralized by him alone.
On the other side, Dolum chose a more direct approach. He stood at the ship's rail, not even flinching at the incoming cannonballs. He swung his giant axe.
CLANG!
A whistling cannonball was precisely split in two, whizzing past both sides of the ship and into the sea. "The quality of this iron isn't bad. Much better than the nails on my ship," Dolum commented like a professional blacksmith. Then, with another swing, he split another cannonball.
Captain Scylla stared blankly at the surreal scene before him, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Just three crew members had effortlessly dismantled his fleet's proud assault. He finally realized that he hadn't kicked an iron plate; he had run into an immovable continent of steel.
Just as he was about to order a retreat, a mocking voice sounded in his ear. "Isn't it a bit late to think about running now, Captain?"
Scylla whipped his head around. Rocks was standing on the railing of his flagship's bow, arms crossed, looking down at him with a devilish grin. No one knew when he had gotten there.
"You... how did you get here?!" Captain Scylla staggered back in horror. None of his elite soldiers had noticed the man's approach.
Rocks didn't answer. He simply leaped lightly from the railing and landed steadily on the flagship's deck. He glanced around at the rigid, terrified marines and his smile widened. "Don't be nervous. I'm just here to borrow a few things."
"All hands, on alert! Fire!" Scylla was a battle-hardened veteran, after all. He suppressed the fear in his heart and roared the command. At the same time, his body began to transform. His muscles swelled rapidly, a hard, gray keratinous layer grew over his skin, and his mouth and nose protruded forward. In just a few seconds, he had turned into a half-man, half-rhinoceros figure.
He was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user: the Rhino-Rhino Fruit.
"Rhino Ram!"
The transformed Scylla charged on all fours, like an out-of-control heavy tank, rushing at Rocks with the force of an avalanche. He was confident his charge could pierce through three layers of steel plating.
Faced with this deadly assault, Rocks didn't even move his feet. He just lazily raised his right hand and made a grasping motion in the air.
VWOOM—
An invisible, distorting force instantly enveloped Scylla. His ferocious charge came to an abrupt halt. Scylla felt as if he had crashed into a block of solid concrete. Every bone in his body screamed in protest, but he couldn't move forward another centimeter. He was frozen in place by an unseen power, stuck in his charging posture.
Wh-what is this ability?!
An emotion called despair filled Scylla's eyes. This wasn't a battle; it was a game. It was a dimensional beatdown from a higher being to a lower one.
"Too weak," Rocks shook his head, looking bored. With a casual wave of his hand, Scylla's massive body was violently thrown aside, smashing into the mainmast with a loud crash. He reverted to his human form, coughed up blood, and passed out.
The entire deck was deathly silent. Every marine stood frozen as if their throats had been seized, staring in terror at the man who had defeated their commanding officer with a leisurely stroll.
On the other side of the battlefield, the fight was also coming to an end.
"Head Chef, jerky!" Gatz yelled back after sweeping away a group of marines with his anchor.
Standing at the entrance to his own ship's kitchen, Ren calmly tossed over several pieces of warm jerky wrapped in oil paper. It was made from the leftover meat of the Rockhorn dragon, with special herbs added to quickly replenish stamina.
Gatz caught it in his mouth and swallowed it in a few bites. He felt a warm current spread through his body, and most of his spent energy was instantly restored. "Wahahaha! That's the stuff! I could take on a hundred more!" His spirits soared, and his laughter echoed across the sea. To the marines, it sounded like the roar of a demon.
Silver and Dolum received the same supplies, making their fights even more effortless. For the Rocks Pirates, this battle was more like a hearty armed picnic.
Rocks walked straight over to the unconscious Scylla, kicked him awake, and then sat down in the captain's command chair. "Hey, wake up. The game's not over yet."
Scylla struggled to open his eyes. Staring at the demon-like man before him, his eyes were filled with nothing but fear. "Who... who are you?"
"Me?" Rocks smiled. "Just a rookie who recently set out to sea." He crossed his legs and shouted toward his own ship, "Ren, got anything to drink?"
A moment later, Ren's small figure appeared, carrying a food box. He dashed across the dozens of meters of open sea as if it were flat ground and arrived on the flagship. From the box, he took out a pot of steaming herbal tea and two cups, placing them in front of Rocks.
Rocks poured a cup for himself and pushed another toward Scylla. "Try it. My Head Chef's skills can calm the nerves. It's good for your injuries."
Scylla stared at the clear tea, his body trembling.
"Alright, now that you've had your tea, let's chat," Rocks said, taking a sip, his tone as casual as if he were catching up with an old friend. "Tell me, what's with the G-5's grand formation? You couldn't possibly be here for a small, shabby boat like ours, right?"
Scylla's mental defenses had been completely shattered by Rocks's inhuman strength. He knew that in front of a monster like this, any resistance was meaningless. He tremblingly picked up the teacup and drained it. The warm liquid entered his stomach and actually did soothe his pain and fear.
"We... we're here to clear the sea route for a Celestial Dragon who will be touring the area soon," Scylla revealed the truth, his voice hoarse. "The World Government issued the highest-level directive to ensure there are no mishaps. We're just the advance party. Behind us... there's a grand fleet led by a Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters."
Celestial Dragons? A Vice Admiral?
A cold glint flashed in Rocks's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an even stronger interest. "I see. Just a boring trip for some nobles, huh?" He stood up and patted Scylla's shoulder, the force making the captain wince. "Thanks for the intel. As a thank you, I'll spare your lives today."
-------
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