After his little request, both Marines and pirates nearly spat blood.
They had braced themselves for some legendary powerhouse, only to realize this youth was… a clown.
"Riding a Sea King just to hitch a ride? That's a first…"
"Is he kidding us? Hitch a ride? Does he not see we're fighting for our lives here?"
"Karl, ignore that brat and keep firing at the Marine warship!"
"But… what if our cannons hit him."
"Damn it, stop whining! You call yourself a pirate? If he gets blown up by accident, that's his bad luck!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"Zephyr-sensei, what should we do?"
"Keep firing. Capture those pirates first!"
"Yes, sir!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cannons thundered once again. The Lion Pirates poured fire into the Marines, while the Marine warship struck back just as fiercely. Fire lit up the skies.
"Damn it… they ignored me!"
Standing atop the Sea King, Rakuya's face darkened with black lines of frustration.
So he and the beast were just background scenery to them? He thought someone would at least offer him a spot on board, but the moment they realized he only wanted a ride, both sides dismissed him completely and went right back to blowing each other to pieces.
Who cared about some hitchhiker in the middle of a war?
"Hey! Can I get a ride?"
He shouted again, his voice ringing loud and clear. Still, no one paid him any attention.
"…Guess I'll have to do this myself."
Rakuya sighed heavily, weighing his options.
"Take out the Marines?"
Sure, they claimed justice, but plenty of them were corrupt.
"Or the pirates?"
Most were cruel and wicked, though some weren't all bad.
"…To hell with it. That one will do!"
Decision made, he raised his hand, fingers curled as if gripping the air. His expression was calm, almost bored.
"Almighty Pull!"
This time, he raised the gravitational force to five hundred.
BOOM!
The Lion Pirates, locked in desperate combat, suddenly staggered as their ship lurched violently. The deck splintered with a deafening crack. Pirates were flung across the planks, some toppling straight into the sea.
Then, with a screeching roar, the entire ship accelerated unnaturally fast dragged toward Rakuya.
It didn't even make it to him.
With a thunderous crash, the pirate vessel shattered mid-voyage, ripped apart by sheer force. Splintered beams and planks exploded across the waves.
"AHHHHH!"
"Captain! Captain!"
On the Marine warship, soldiers stared in stunned silence.
The ship they had been locked in battle with only moments ago had been annihilated in an instant. Their pupils shrank in shock, jaws dropping as they gawked at the wreckage.
"What… what just happened?"
Every Marine stood dumbfounded.
The pirate ship hadn't been hit by cannon fire. It had simply… collapsed, as though seized by an invisible giant and crushed with one hand.
The Lion Pirates were even more baffled. They were fighting fiercely one moment, and the next, their ship was gone. It made no sense.
"Look! It was that young man."
A voice rang out.
The Marines turned. It was Zephyr, his expression cold and steady.
"Zephyr-sensei, you mean… the ship's destruction was his doing?"
One Marine, his ears sharp, couldn't help blurting out the question.
"Yes. I saw it clearly. He reached out, grabbed at the air… and the pirate ship sped forward until it shattered."
"What? Just a single gesture? He crushed a ship like that?"
The Marines were horrified. They had guessed the youth was responsible, but to think it had been that simple a mere grab of the hand… that was beyond their imagination.
"To crush a pirate ship barehanded… what kind of terrifying strength does he possess?"
"He must be a Devil Fruit user! No ordinary man could possibly destroy a ship like that. To grab and crush a pirate ship… that's Admiral-level power!"
"Thank heavens he chose the pirates. If he had destroyed our warship instead…"
The Marines broke into a cold sweat. Some even wondered whether their earlier cannon fire had accidentally targeted him.
If it had, things would have turned very, very ugly.
And this was only the beginning. From here on, Rakuya's name would spread across the seas like wildfire.
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