(Flashback - Planning Room)
— When facing Admiral Akainu and Kizaru, the most effective way is to meet them on the open sea.
Back when Kuro was still leading the defense and rebuilding of Mopuchi Country and the Mogwa Kingdom, he also spent time planning with his officers how to deal with the navy if they became enemies.
— Especially Akainu. You must fight him at sea. If he sets foot on land, he can fully use his power.
— But on a ship, made of wood, there is a limit to how much firepower he can put out.
–
"True, magma fireballs may look effective against wooden ships."
Daz Bones, the man who took part in all those meetings, had studied every part of the plan in his own way.
Since the pirate union incident began, he often had to make decisions without Kuro's guidance, and in the last half year, the man known as Steel Blade had trained not only his own strength, but also how to fight as a group.
"But magma is still melted rock. If it is gathered into one strong blow like Galdino's creations, that's one thing. But when he spreads it out into many smaller fireballs, then we have a chance."
"Horohorohoro! Who knew the hoses and pumps we stole from Germa would help us like this!!"
Every front-line ship—even the flagship—had extra fire-fighting gear installed.
Germa had designed these machines for their own ships, where fire was the greatest enemy.
"We cannot fully put them out," Daz explained, watching the steam rise. "But if we cool them enough to harden the rock even a little, we can break them. And we have something normal sailors don't—The Guards."
Next to the sailors holding the hoses, the three-person squads of the Silent Step Guard slide their swords back into their sheaths as their slashes finish. Calm, focused, ready to strike again.
This was the same technique the guards once used on Kanan Kingdom Island to blow apart Crocodile's sand storms.
A powerful flying slash created by three fighters acting as one.
A lighter version of that technique now breaks the cooling magma fireballs, sending them falling harmlessly into the sea.
"Logia users truly are fearsome," Daz admitted. "Especially your kind of ability—just getting close is dangerous."
— Restart the water flow! Hurry!
— Tank one and two normal! Tank three at thirty percent!
— Add the backup hoses! Forget cooling! Just refill and compress seawater!
Around the pumping gear, the soldiers of Silent Step move under the orders of the Guard, preparing for Akainu's next volley.
"But Logia abilities are still bound by the nature they come from. Even if they use Haki."
All these soldiers trained near Mopuchi where the navy could not see them.
Some were stiff from this being their first big battle, others pale with fear, but the older fighters helped steady them. There was almost no disorder among the unit.
"Daz! They ask if the First Fleet can move forward!" Robin calls out, covering fleet movement while Perona handles fireball tracking and explosions to knock away any magma that might spill toward the ship.
From that call alone, Daz knows Hancock and Mihawk have sensed an opening.
"Approved. We'll support them. All guns target the ship in front of the First Fleet."
"Yes! All guns ready! Aim at the ship ahead of the First Fleet!!" Amisu commanded the artillery crews.
Their cannons, upgraded with weapons developed by the Mogwa Kingdom, have far greater range and power than before.
"And that is why—if it comes to an exchange of shots, Silent Step has the advantage."
"Begin attack," Daz ordered.
"All ships—fire!!"
A roar shakes the sea as the cannonballs fly toward the navy ships.
They lack the raw force or strange power of Akainu's magma.
But their precision—sharpened by many real battles in a short time—carves into the navy ships one shot at a time.
–
"So, they truly are not marines," Hancock muttered, watching the enemy formation falter through her binoculars. "Fools… how dare they think an improvised fleet can stand against Silent Step…"
The fireballs that should have been unstoppable are cut apart and drop harmlessly into the ocean.
Normally, the navy's return shot would be a large volley of cannon fire, but they are clearly too slow.
"Hancock! Keep going! We'll support you from here!" Robin's voice rang in Hancock's ear.
Even if they blocked the worst of the enemy's attacks, they cannot take endless magma. They need to strike now.
So the strongest assault force—the First Fleet led by Hancock—must attack first, hit the enemy core, or at least hold them in place.
"MAIN… FORCE! First Fleet, charge! Straight in!"
At nearly the same moment she gives the order, the main force unleashes a full volley.
Through Perona's high-altitude ghosts, countless drills, and careful calculations, Silent Step's artillery had become sharper than most marine crews.
Even though this is only the adjusting volley, half the shots already form perfect bracketing fire, and many hit the hull, exploding and disrupting the enemy formation.
Hancock's six ships seize that opening, steering to bite into the navy fleet's left side and catching the wind in their sails.
Three-Claw Marks.
The flag of Silent Step shows three-claw marks, but on Hancock's fleet, a snake circles around it, biting its own tail.
The First Fleet's banner flies bright over the West Blue.
"Wind direction is good. Wind strength too," Hancock observed, her hair whipping in the gale. "All guns—load grape shot!"
"Yes! Repeat! Load grape shot!!" the gunnery chief roared.
When Hancock first became fleet commander, she wanted a way to weaken enemy morale and reduce injuries for her soldiers in close combat. So she studied how to strike the enemy deck before boarding.
And so grape shot was created, after discussing it with Kuro and the officers.
A tough canvas bag filled with small iron balls—when fired, they burst above the enemy's deck and rain down like a storm of metal.
Mihawk named it "grape shot" because the packed iron balls looked like a bunch of grapes. The name stuck.
When Kuro heard the name was official, he looked strangely unhappy.
"When we reach them, aim at the deck and fire in one volley!" Hancock commanded, pointing her finger like a pistol. "Break their formation and open a path for Mihawk!"
"Yes!"
"Archers! Half of you equip hookshot arrows! When in range, aim at their masts and ropes! Slow their movement!"
"Understood! Everyone, hold your aim!" the archer captain signaled. "Don't fire until after the big shake when we get close! Keep your eyes on your target!"
Each arrow carries a strong rope with a sharp hook. If it latches onto a rope, it cuts it clean. That alone can keep the enemy ship from moving.
Only the archers personally trained by Hancock can use this gear.
"The Guard will take the front!" Hancock yelled, stepping onto the figurehead. "They will handle any dangerous cannon shots!"
With perfect wind, Hancock's fleet moves at full speed, cutting through the blind spot of the enemy cannons. The navy tries to turn their ships, but the second volley from the main force slows them even more.
Other navy ships try to fire from long range, but the shots fall short or get cut down or shot down by the guards and elite soldiers.
Their skill is equal to any elite marine's.
"Commander! We are in range!"
Hancock's eyes narrowed. "Good! Fire!!"
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