"Woooo!!"
The pirates grabbed the weapons at hand, raising their swords and guns as they followed with ferocious momentum.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They had barely stepped onto the deck when deafening roars exploded.
Several black cannonballs hurtled toward them.
Alan glanced once but didn't move.
Judging from the flight trajectory, the shots wouldn't hit the ship.
But he didn't let his guard down; having been a Marine, he knew the first volley was mostly for calibration. The next volley would be the true display of the warship's overwhelming firepower.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
The cannonballs slammed into the sea around them, raising high plumes of water. Their ship shook lightly with the waves.
Looking toward the direction the cannonballs came from, they saw a small marine ship approaching.
When he saw the number on the ship's side, Alan's brows subtly tightened.
Sanji stepped out of the restaurant, stopping beside him. Noticing his expression, he asked in confusion: "What's wrong? Is it someone you know in the Marines?"
"I never met them, but..."
Alan's gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at the ship's markings.
"That's a headquarters warship. Normally, you wouldn't see one in a place like the East Blue."
The Marines were divided into headquarters, Grand Line branches, and the four-sea branches.
Grand Line branches generally had numbers starting with G-, and the four-sea branches used only numerals.
The ship before them was built to high standards but lacked a clear numerical branch ID, which could only mean one thing: it belonged to the Marine Headquarters.
If not for the ship's bow lacking that iconic dog-head figurehead, Alan might've suspected he'd run into Garp.
But that shouldn't be the case; this model was a small vessel, usually commanded by Lieutenants or Captains.
Thinking this, Alan relaxed slightly. He really didn't want to reenact boarding Garp's ship suicide tactics.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The second volley came soon after. This one wasn't just a handful of shots; every broadside cannon fired at once.
Black cannonballs lined up in a row, raining toward them like a black storm.
Alan tapped his toes against the deck several times while snatching a long sword from a nearby pirate as he moved.
With a few strides, he leapt onto the headless bow and jumped high.
He drew in a deep breath, puffed his chest, pointed the blade's tip at the incoming cannonballs, and threw it with all his strength!
Whoosh!
Boom!!
The long blade sliced through the air while whistling sharply as it pierced one cannonball precisely and detonated it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fire consumed the sky.
Several nearby cannonballs were caught in the blast and exploded in succession, generating a powerful shockwave.
The trajectories of the remaining shots were disrupted and hit the sea surface dozens of meters away from the pirate ship.
Cool water hit the deck.
Watching Alan above, Sanji frowned, secretly shocked: "Using that method to deal with a full-broadside bombardment? This guy's a monster."
Landing atop the broken, headless bow, Alan reached a hand backward and shouted: "Bring me more weapons!"
"Y-yes, sir!!"
The pirates froze for a moment, then rushed forward to hand him weapons.
Meanwhile, on the marine warship…
"What's going on? Why are the cannonballs exploding mid-air?"
A pink-haired man in a suit walked out onto the deck, unhappy, stepping to the bow to peer through a telescope at the pirate ship.
Beside him, a marine, flustered, stammered: "S-sir... I-it looks like someone from the other side... Threw something... And hit the cannonballs..."
"Hah?"
Hearing this, Fullbody the Double Ironfist lowered the telescope, grabbed the marine's collar in irritation, and barked: "Are you kidding me, idiot?! Prepare for the second round of firing!"
"Y-yes, sir!!"
The marine responded with a panicked salute.
"Tch!"
Fullbody clicked his tongue, released him, and raised the telescope again.
"I was supposed to be on break, taking someone to the ocean-going restaurant for a date, and now pirates keep lining up to bother me. What a rotten day."
After watching for a while and failing to recognize the pirate flag, Fullbody lowered the telescope and asked, "Have you identified which pirate crew that is?"
"Reporting, Lieutenant! We can't find a matching flag in the bounty records!"
"Small-fry trash without even a bounty? Tch. What a waste of my time."
Fullbody's tone dripped with disdain. He turned and looked at the thin pirate on the deck, hands bound behind his back.
"Whatever. At least catching a pirate with a 12-million-belly bounty counts as a nice surprise."
Fullbody slowly walked down the deck, stopping before the thin pirate sitting on the floor. With a mocking expression, he looked down at him.
"Gin the Man-Demon, I didn't expect you'd one day fall into the hands of me, Fullbody the Double Ironfist, did you?"
"If you want to suffer less, you had better obediently reveal the location of your leader, Krieg. Otherwise, once you get dragged to Enies Lobby, don't blame the judges for being merciless."
Fullbody leaned down and brought his face close while provoking him with every word.
Gin didn't speak. He only stared at him with cold, icy eyes.
There was no expression on his face, yet a fierce aura faintly seeped out.
"Tch. Stubborn idiot."
Seeing he had no intention of talking, Fullbody sneered disdainfully.
But at that moment…
"Lieutenant Fullbody! The pirates have entered the fifty-meter range!"
A panicked shout came from behind.
"What did you say?!"
Fullbody snapped in rage.
With this ship's firepower, how could a normal pirate ship get within fifty meters?!
He instinctively turned his head and saw a pirate ship drawing closer, dozens of pirates holding blades and guns at the rails, glaring fiercely at them.
With no time to think, Fullbody barked: "Prepare for boarding combat!!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Every marine on deck shouted and hurriedly drew their sword or loaded their rifles.
"The Black Cat Pirates?"
Seeing the dark-red, headless pirate ship, Gin frowned slightly, then glanced up at the flag.
No, it wasn't a flag he recognized.
He didn't know which pirate crew it was, but their timing was perfect.
He still had a little strength left. Once the marines and pirates started fighting, he could take the chance to break free.
As long as he could find food to restore his stamina…
A fierce glint flashed in Gin's eyes.