Bang! Bang! Bang!
Very quickly, the battle erupted amid a round of dense gunfire.
The marines leaned against the railing of the warship and set up a row of flintlock guns while firing in unison.
On the opposite side, Alan stood motionless on the broken bow of the ship, letting pellets of lead whistle past his ears one after another.
Firearms in the hands of small fry, one can't say they are completely useless, but they're basically useless.
He didn't even need to dodge; he could just stand there and let them shoot…
Sssht!
Alan tilted his head slightly.
A thin cut was opened across his cheek, then a burning stream of blood seeped from the skin.
Alan raised his hand and wiped it with his index finger, then he lowered his gaze to the blood staining it.
He acted cool too early.
Below, the pirates held up wooden shields wrapped in iron plating at the front, while those behind them carried planks with grappling hooks, waiting to bridge the ships once they drew close.
On the opposite side, the marines were equally prepared, forming a flintlock gunline on the deck, rows of black muzzles aimed at the pirates.
At the same time, three light cannons were mounted on the ship's foredeck.
The leftmost one was being adjusted by two marines, slowly aiming the cannon mouth at the pirate ship's deck while loading the cannonball.
It wasn't hard to tell that before the ships actually closed for boarding, they would likely suffer another brutal round of firepower.
However, conventional boarding tactics often turn powerless in the face of overwhelming individual strength.
Alan had no intention of simply watching the Marines fire. Seeing them finish loading the cannon, he bent his knees slightly and then exploded forward with a powerful kick!
Bang!
The wooden boards beneath his feet instantly shattered as he shot out like a cannonball.
Before the terrified marines could even blink, he crossed twenty meters in an instant and smashed violently onto the cannon platform on the warship's deck.
"Good morning, boys."
Alan looked up with a grim grin. Before the marines could respond, he raised his leg and launched a straight kick, sending one of the cannon operators flying.
"W–wait... Wait a second...!"
The other marine panicked while his trembling hands tried frantically to reach for his gun, only to have his collar grabbed by a big hand and him lifted off the ground.
Using the marine like a human cannonball, Alan swung him half a circle and smashed him down into the flintlock formation on the deck below, knocking over a cluster of marines.
"Fire! Fire now!!"
In the crowd, Fullbody pointed at Alan and roared furiously.
The Marines aimed and fired in unison!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets rained toward him like a violent storm. Alan flipped backward and landed behind the cannon.
The dense gunfire clanged off the barrel of the cannon in crisp metallic echoes.
Alan raised his leg and kicked the cannon barrel fiercely.
The entire cannon swiveled instantly, pointing directly toward Fullbody on the deck below.
"Eh!!!"
Seeing the pitch-black, monstrous cannon mouth aimed at him, Fullbody's eyeballs nearly popped out of his skull.
The surrounding marines blanched, their... well... Back doors were tightening in fear, and they immediately broke the formation and fled in panic.
"Watch out!!"
"Run!"
"Nooo!!"
Alan narrowed his eyes slightly and grabbed the lanyard, then pulled it hard!
Boom!!
A deafening explosion tore through the air as the cannonball blasted out mercilessly, landing on the deck and erupting in a violent blast.
Wood fragments shot everywhere, and the shockwave hurled several marines into the walls.
"It's go time, brothers!!"
"Follow the boss!!"
Sham and Buchi shouted excitedly, leaping from the pirate ship's railing and crossing ten-plus meters onto the warship's deck.
Thud.
They landed on the deck and grinned while revealing the sharp metal claws extending from their gloves before charging like lightning straight into the marines.
"The Nyaban Brothers?"
In a corner of the deck, watching the two of them carve through marines, Gin couldn't help frowning.
He wasn't familiar with them, but anyone who'd spent time in the East Blue would know.
Captain Kuro of a Hundred Plans was once infamous, his bounty and strength comparable to Don Krieg's.
Gin was no stranger to the Black Cat Pirates.
Unfortunately, three years ago, Kuro was captured and executed by the Marines, and since then, the Black Cat Pirates have practically disappeared. He didn't expect to encounter them again today in this situation.
"So that's it, a complete makeover, huh"?
He glanced up at the pirate ship's flag, and it felt like a few things clicked in his mind.
Gin's gaze shifted to Alan, who had been the first to rush onto the warship.
The corners of his thick lips curled slightly as he muttered, "Looks like they've got a new captain. Must be that guy. He doesn't seem weak."
...
Soon, a large group of pirates charged across the planks, weapons drawn, swarming onto the warship to clash with the marines.
Gin shrank into a corner. Taking advantage of the chaos on the deck, he broke free from his ropes and slipped into the cabin unseen.
Meanwhile, at the ship's rail…
"Head chef?!"
Seeing Sanji walk forward with his hands in his pockets and a cigarette in his mouth, a few pirates froze, then urged anxiously: "It's too dangerous here, head chef! Hurry back to the ship!"
"Yeah, leave the fighting to the combat team!"
"We still want to eat your cooking, no way we're letting you get hurt!"
"Thank you for the concern, but there's no need."
Exhaling a puff of smoke, Sanji replied calmly.
He swept his gaze across the battlefield, quickly locking onto Fullbody, who was knocking several pirates back with his fists.
Sanji then looked toward the foredeck, where Alan was.
Alan had also noticed Fullbody, but didn't seem to be planning to act; his eyes instead shifted toward Sanji.
"So he wants me to go show off a bit."
As if reading Alan's intent, Sanji turned back toward Fullbody, the corner of his lips rising.
"In that case, I might as well loosen up."