The abundant gold resources on Sky Island were enough to sustain the Beasts Pirates' expenses for decades, and those miraculous Dials were excellent materials for crafting weapons. Kaidou had already calculated in his mind—this Sky Island was something he was determined to obtain.
Facing Kaidou, Gan Fall spoke with a firm tone: "Lord Kaidou, if you only need gold, you may take a portion. But Sky Island is home to my people. If you have other intentions, we will not surrender without a fight."
Kaidou laughed heartily upon hearing this: "Wororororo... So much nonsense, but it all comes down to a fight in the end. King, Queen, Bullet, I leave this place to you."
He issued the battle command without hesitation, clearly having prepared to resolve this by force from the start.
Tensions rose between both sides, and a battle was imminent.
Queen grinned upon hearing the order, revealing a mouthful of gold teeth. He leisurely pulled a new cigar from his pocket, lit it with a lighter, took a deep drag, and exhaled smoke that formed eerie shapes in the sunlight. "Muhahaha... The boss has spoken, so don't blame us for being ruthless."
King silently stepped forward, his black wings slowly unfurling behind him, gleaming with a metallic sheen under the sun. He looked down upon the people of Sky Island from his elevated position, his eyes filled with a cold killing intent. Bullet flexed his thick arms, his knuckles emitting terrifying cracking sounds.
"All Priests, prepare for battle!" Gan Fall's low but resolute voice echoed across the battlefield. The God of the Sky Island tightly gripped his medieval lance, his silver-white armor glinting coldly in the sunlight. His eyes revealed a determination to fight to the death, and his white cape flapped loudly in the wind.
"Muhahaha..." A piercing laugh suddenly cut through the sky.
Queen's obese body charged toward the Sky Island forces at a speed completely mismatched with his build, the cigar in his mouth leaving a red trail during his high-speed movement. "Let you country bumpkins see my new toy!" He cackled wildly as he pulled out a bizarrely shaped weapon from his pocket, its dark barrel aimed directly at the most densely packed area of Sky Island soldiers.
"BOOM—!"
A deafening explosion resounded through the skies, followed by a strange gray-green smoke rapidly spreading from the blast point.
The first dozen soldiers to come into contact with the smoke immediately clutched their throats in agony, their skin visibly beginning to fester. "It's poison gas! Spread out!" an experienced Priest immediately shouted a warning.
Amid the chaos, the sky suddenly darkened. King spread his signature black wings, hovering in mid-air like a demon from hell. Blazing flames swirled around him, gradually coalescing into a massive fireball over ten meters in diameter.
"Face judgment!" With King's cold voice, the fireball hurtled toward the command center of the Sky Island army with destructive force.
"Blue Sea dwellers, you shall not succeed!" Gan Fall roared angrily, leaping into the air with powerful thrusts of his legs. His lance traced a perfect arc, actually splitting the enormous fireball in two. This unexpected counterattack made King narrow his eyes slightly, but the next moment, his figure had already vanished from sight.
"Thud!" Gan Fall was struck in the side by a sudden heavy kick from King, who had appeared beside him. He flew through the air like a kite with its string cut, crashing hard into a distant rock wall.
"Lord God!" the Priests cried out in terror, but an even greater threat had already descended.
Bullet charged into the group of Priests with a maniacal laugh, his over-two-meter-tall frame moving like a human tank. His massive fists, wrapped in a gale force, sent three Priests flying dozens of meters with a single punch.
"Too weak!" the monstrous man sneered, completely unfazed by the Impact Dial energy striking his body as he continued to advance.
The battle took a drastic turn in just a few minutes. The poisonous gas released by Queen had already covered most of the battlefield, rendering a large number of soldiers incapacitated; the flames controlled by King mercilessly devoured lives; and Bullet rampaged freely through the enemy ranks, leaving carnage in his wake.
Meanwhile, the elite pirates led by Sebastian and Gavin flanked from the sides, steadily cutting down the remaining resistance.
Gan Fall struggled to climb out of the rubble, his armor severely deformed and blood continuously trickling from the corner of his mouth.
When he looked around, he saw a scene of despair: the once-proud Sky Island army was in complete disarray, with soldiers either lying in pools of blood or being hunted down by the enemy. The enemy leaders remained standing calmly in place, coldly observing the slaughter.
Gan Fall took a deep breath, the sharp pain in his chest nearly suffocating him. But when he saw another group of young soldiers charging toward the enemy, he finally made his decision. Trembling, he raised his right hand and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Stop... we... surrender." Each word cut his heart like a knife, but to save these young lives, he had to bear this humiliation.
The sounds of battle gradually faded.
Queen swaggered up to Gan Fall, blowing cigar smoke in his face: "Muhahaha, why didn't you do this earlier? Would've saved me all this poison gas!"
Gan Fall silently lowered his head.
"ROAR—"
An ear-splitting roar suddenly tore through the sky, causing everyone in the recently quieted battlefield to instinctively look up. They saw an enormous creature that blotted out the sky slowly revealing itself, its massive form nearly covering half the heavens and casting a shadow over most of the battlefield.
"This... this is too exaggerated!" Gavin looked up, his mouth hanging open, nearly dropping the dual swords in his hands. He had never seen such an enormous creature—its winding body resembled a moving mountain range.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes, calmly analyzing: "Judging by its size, it's on the level of the Sea Kings." His fingers unconsciously rubbed the hammer at his waist, a trace of gravity flashing in his eyes.
Coiled before them was a massive serpent of deep blue. Its thick body coiled layer upon layer, with just the upright portion standing over a hundred meters tall. Two crimson snake eyes glowed like bloody moons, flashing with dangerous light in the dim sky.
The giant serpent slowly swayed its enormous head, each movement stirring the surrounding clouds, as if the legendary World Serpent had descended upon the mortal realm.
"It's the Master of the Sky, Nola!" the Priests cried out in terror, their voices trembling uncontrollably. They instinctively retreated several steps, clearly harboring deep fear toward this giant serpent.
Most pirates instinctively tensed up, gripping their weapons tightly. Yet King and Bullet appeared exceptionally excited, their eyes gleaming with eagerness for battle.
"Captain, leave this giant snake to me!" Bullet shouted, leaping forward before King could make a move. His figure cut through the battlefield like a black lightning bolt. On the current pirate ship, aside from Captain Kaidou, only King possessed strength that could surpass his.
"Tch, he beat me to it again," King clicked his tongue in frustration. With his flight ability, he could have easily overtaken Bullet, but since the other had already taken action, he had no choice but to relent.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Though not known for his speed, Bullet's explosive power was astonishing. In just a few leaps, he closed in on Nola, using the serpent's coiled body as a springboard to scale its head in several bounds. Soaring high, he brought his right fist down with thunderous force upon the serpent's skull.
"Rumble—"
With a deafening crash, Nola's massive body collapsed to the ground. The entire Shandora trembled from the violent impact, dust billowing to blot out the sky. Surrounding trees were uprooted by the shockwave, and debris scattered in all directions.