One Piece: A Warlord's Path

Chapter 708: Bivins Kingdom - The War of National Extinction (9)

At that moment, among the dozen or so vessels, the largest pirate ship rotated its massive forward turret. The turret, possessing a strikingly sci-fi aesthetic, crackled with arcs of azure electricity.

Suddenly, a beam of azure light streaked downward from the turret, moving so fast it was a mere flash, nearly invisible to the naked eye.

BOOOM!

Another deafening explosion erupted, and the earth convulsed as if struck by a violent earthquake. A moment later, a torrential gale of air, like a physical shockwave, burst outward, carrying a massive cloud of earth and stone with it.

SHIIII—

Only then did the piercing shriek of the projectile’s flight finally reach them. The attack was so fast that the sound simply couldn’t keep up.

"Brace for impact!" Sabo roared as he saw the rolling wall of dust and pressure. He grabbed Koala, pulling her close and shielding her with his own body.

Rumble—!

The powerful shockwave swept through the area, tossing aside weapons and equipment like toys and flattening several tents. When the dust finally settled, Sabo and Koala stood up, staring blankly at the wreckage of the camp.

A hundred meters away, a second crater, also over twenty meters wide, had appeared. The scorched earth hissed with rising steam. Dozens of motionless bodies lay scattered around the perimeter, their internal organs likely ruptured by the sheer pressure of the shockwave. Those at the center of the crater had fared much worse; there was nothing left of them to bury.

"Run! Run for your lives!"

"It’s... it’s the Grand Flying Fleet!"

"It’s the Chris Pirates! Get out of here!"

"There’s no stopping them! A weapon like that... it’s not something humans can fight!"

The two consecutive strikes from the heavens had completely shattered the camp’s morale. Panic spread like wildfire through the Revolutionary Army camp. Civilians, soldiers, and even some cadres fled in terror. The entire camp was in a state of absolute frenzy.

BOOM! ... SHIIII— BOOM! ... SHIIII—

The dozen pirate ships remained suspended thousands of meters in the air, while the flagship, the Chris, systematically bombarded the camp at a rate of one shot per minute. That flash of azure light was the harbinger of death; every strike left a massive scar on the earth and claimed scores of lives.

"Retreat! Move! Everyone, get out of the camp!" Sabo shouted in grief, waving his arms desperately to direct the flow of people and pulling up dazed soldiers who had simply collapsed in shock.

The camp was too large, and the attacks were coming too quickly. Sabo felt a crushing sense of helplessness; he could only watch as the bombardment continued, unable to intercept the strikes.

Amidst the flying dirt and debris, a yellow-skinned Fish-man with long, wavy hair rushed toward Sabo and Koala.

"Hack! What’s the situation?" Koala asked urgently.

"Bad! It’s catastrophic!" Hack replied grimly. "The army has basically collapsed. I managed to gather a few hundred men earlier, but a single shell hit us, half are dead or wounded, and the rest have scattered in terror!"

Hearing Hack’s report, Koala turned and grabbed Sabo’s arm. "We have to go, Sabo. We’ve lost!"

"Dammit!" Sabo slammed his fist into his palm, staring hatefully at the ships in the sky. To be defeated by a bombardment before even meeting the enemy face-to-face... it was a bitter pill to swallow.

And those azure cannons... they looked like upscaled versions of the weapons mounted on Sriya’s subordinates’ arms. He had never heard of or seen such technology before. Is this what Dragon-san meant? The power of science?!

"Let’s move! We save as many as we can, but we’ve lost the initiative!" Koala glanced nervously at the sky and urged him again. "If the bombardment stops and the Chris Pirates’ main force descends, we’ll never get away!"

This time, it wasn’t just Sriya and a few subordinates. The Captain himself, "Golden Ring" Aeridar, was here, along with two High Officers and over ten other officers. Even if the Revolutionary Army mobilized its entire strength, victory would be far from certain.

"ROAR!"

"SCREECH!"

"Jie-jie-jie!"

Suddenly, countless black dots swarmed out from the ships, forming a massive dark cloud that blotted out the sun as they dived toward the ground, accompanied by a chorus of blood-chilling screeches.

"Oh no! The vanguard is here!" Koala cried out, looking up.

The Revolutionary Army was aware of how Valanfort had fallen. Those avian Animate constructs had acted as the vanguard there, shattering the Church of the Night’s lines. Now, they were repeating the tactic.

"Retreat!" Sabo commanded, his decision-making sharp now that the situation was beyond recovery. "Hack, organize the evacuation immediately! Koala, contact Dragon-san, we need ships to get off this island!"

"Understood!" they replied and sprang into action.

However, the aerial Animate swarm arrived in seconds, savagely attacking any human in sight. A massive, metallic Black Dragon fanned its wings, creating gale-force winds; its heavy metal wings swept through the crowd, snapping bones and crushing men instantly.

The indestructible Ikou ignored blades and bullets alike, rampaging through the ranks and drenching itself in blood within moments. High above, the cackling of the two silver demons struck terror into the hearts of all who heard them.

Thousands of meters above, Aeridar, Enel, Oliver, and Mina stood on the open deck. At this altitude, the winds were fierce, but the upper-tier members of the Chris Pirates could withstand them with ease.

"Dr. Vade’s design is impressive. The power and precision of the ship-borne Railgun are even better than I anticipated," Aeridar noted, nodding with satisfaction.

While the others used binoculars, Aeridar observed the ground with his naked eyes. Due to his absolute control over his body and the vast amount of nutritional energy he had absorbed, his vision had evolved far beyond human limits, surpassing even that of an eagle. He could clearly see the slaughter unfolding below.

"Of course it is! That weapon was developed based on my power!" Enel said, crossing his arms with an arrogant smirk. Though he hated it when Vade poked and prodded him for "research," he couldn’t deny the satisfaction of seeing the Railgun’s devastating power.

"The air raid is in full swing. The Revolutionary Army has no way to mount a large-scale counterattack; they can only take the hits," Mina said, peering through her binoculars.

"I think we can deploy the Dragonians now," Oliver suggested, scratching his head lazily. "Let’s finish off their remaining fighting force."

"Agreed. Descend to one thousand meters and drop the Dragonians," Aeridar ordered.

Under the influence of the Float-Float Fruit, the dozen ships began a smooth, rapid descent. The Dragonians were hardy enough to survive a drop from a thousand meters. With fifty of them deployed to the battlefield, the Revolutionary Army was about to face a nightmare of extinction.