Chapter 398: The Battle of Egghead Begins

Chapter 398: Chapter 398: The Battle of Egghead Begins


Chapter 398: The Battle of Egghead Begins


The island’s residents had already been evacuated under the command of Sentomaru, who led all 50 latest-model Pacifistas to guard the southwest coast.


A circle of crimson rock walls rose and fell, surrounding the coastline. Sentomaru shouldered a giant double-bladed battle-axe, his eyes resolute, as he stood firmly on a rock with his legs spread wide.


On the sea in front of him, countless steel warships filled his vision, arranged in formation and in a standoff from a hundred meters away.


The atmosphere of war grew heavier, and even the sea breeze that blew carried a hint of gunpowder.


"Yo~, long time no see, Sentomaru."


A frivolous voice sounded particularly clear in this grave atmosphere. On a warship, Kizaru stood at the bow with his hands in his pockets.


"Straw Hat’s crew is inside, right? Could I trouble you to have these Pacifistas stand down? If you can..."


Kizaru’s voice was very soft. He raised one hand and adjusted his glasses, a complex look in his eyes.


"After all, this old one doesn’t want to fight you either, Sentomaru..."


"Are you here to kill the Doctor too! Answer me, old man!"


Seeing his appearance, Sentomaru’s eyes hardened. More than apprehension, his eyes were filled with anger and confusion.


The days they had spent together in the past were unforgettable. To now meet on the battlefield was truly hard to accept.


"I will absolutely not retreat a single step!!"


Bang!


Sentomaru gritted his teeth, took a large step to the right, sank into his stance, and with a mighty stomp, he shouted:


"If you want to lay a hand on the Doctor, you’ll have to step over my dead body! Come on, old man! I am the man with the strongest defense in the world!!"


"Is that so..."


Kizaru let out a light sigh, looked up at the sky, his gaze somewhat distant.


On the bow of another warship, Vice Admiral Tsuru gave a quick scan and, after a brief judgment, said in a flat tone to Akainu at her side:


"Fifty Mark III Pacifistas... besides their fully upgraded performance, they are also all equipped with the latest model of bubble shields. Ordinary soldiers will probably have a hard time causing effective damage."


"I suggest we have the vice admirals take the lead, with the fleet’s cannons providing cover fire from the rear to destroy this line of defense. In addition,"


Vice Admiral Tsuru crossed her arms in front of her chest, her gaze fixed on Sentomaru on the coast, and continued:


"To avoid having control of them seized, our Pacifistas cannot be deployed for now. We have to find a way to restrain Sentomaru. Let Aramaki do it."


After hearing her words, Akainu thought quickly for two seconds and felt there was no problem. He nodded and replied in a low voice:


"Mm. Pass the order down as you said."


Tsuru specialized in combat strategy in the military and had countless large-scale battle experiences. At every important event, her figure would always be the first to appear on the front lines.


Even at her old age, her status in the military was still pivotal. Akainu was still very respectful of Tsuru’s attitude.


Soon, with a series of mechanical rumbles, countless cannons began to adjust their angles.


Soldiers carried cannonballs and loaded them. The pitch-black muzzles slowly aimed at Sentomaru on the coast, just waiting for the order.


"Movement on the island!!"


And just at this moment, an anxious shout suddenly came from the crow’s nest.


"Someone is coming out!!"


"Inside the research institute!!"


"Be on your guard!!"


Almost at the same time, one urgent shout after another came from the various warships. The Marines below all looked up at the crow’s nest, their expressions tense.


The soldier in charge of reconnaissance held his binoculars tightly. Unconsciously, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Through the magnified view of the lens, a dozen or so figures were walking out of the research institute in a line.


As time went on, the soldier gradually held his breath, as if even his heart was about to stop beating.


Until the appearance of those few figures gradually became clear, the reconnaissance soldier’s heart suddenly paused. He took a deep breath and, with all his might, shouted:


"Target confirmed!!"


"It’s the Straw Hat crew!!!"


The moment his voice fell, a commotion was instantly caused below. All the soldiers’ hearts began to feel uneasy. Their gazes were fixed on the cloud layer above the island, and they subconsciously tightened their grip on the weapons in their hands.


"Don’t panic!!"


"Follow the command! Prepare to engage the Straw Hat crew!!"


The officers shouted loudly to calm the soldiers’ emotions.


At the same time, a figure walked out from each of the warships in the front row.


Momonga, Hiyama, Onigumo, Dalmatian, and a total of more than twenty headquarters’ vice admirals stood out.


"Yare, yare. How exaggerated."


Hiyama, a cigar in the corner of his mouth, squinted his eyes as he looked up at the sky, a憨笑 on his face:


"We haven’t even seen them yet, and there’s already such an oppressive feeling."


"It’s normal. After all, their deeds have already spread throughout the world,"


Doberman’s scarred face showed a hint of ferocity as he said in a low voice:


"To defeat three Sea Emperor forces in two months... it would be strange not to be nervous facing an opponent of this level."


"To say that is a bit like boosting the enemy’s morale, Doberman."


A man with long, golden, wavy hair stood out, holding a long-handled heavy hammer with a shell-shaped head. Vice Admiral Pomsky’s lips curled up slightly.


"No matter what, we’ve dispatched such a powerful force this time."


"That’s right. The Straw Hat crew’s strength is beyond doubt, but we’re not to be trifled with either,"


another burly man with a thick beard spoke. Vice Admiral T-Bone stood out with a straight face.


"I haven’t fought a Sea Emperor-level force before. I’ve always heard you guys talk about it. I can’t help but want to see it for myself."


"Is that so? Then you’d better be careful later,"


Smoker said coldly, two cigars in his mouth.


"Hey! What do you mean by that, Smoker?"


"I mean what I said. You don’t have to thank me for the kind reminder."


Smoker gave him a faint glance, then turned his head and ignored him. Some things were useless to just talk about. You would naturally understand after experiencing it once yourself.


In these two years, in order to get more people to actively respond to the world conscription, some of the promotion conditions in the military that were not related to combat had been relaxed a little. This had made it slightly easier for many people with good leadership talent and combat potential to be promoted.


Since they could be promoted to the rank of vice admiral, these people naturally had enough ability to be competent. But the lack of experience and insight was also inevitable.


Many of the newly appointed generals had not even fought against a pirate force of this level. Once they let their guard down in battle, they could lose their lives at any time. Losing an arm or a leg would be considered a small matter.


"Still as cold as ever, Smoker."


A short-haired woman in a black, tight-fitting leather suit with a spiked collar stood up and came between the two.


A corner of Vice Admiral Doll’s mouth lifted slightly, her voice carrying a hint of sexiness:


"It’s not good for the soldiers to see you arguing here. You should save your temper for the battle later."


"No matter what, our opponent is a bona fide Sea Emperor. Everyone should be careful,"


Momonga also said in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the edge of the cloud layer above. He could already vaguely see a few figures.


"They’re here..."


On the island cloud of the research institute, Reiner and the others walked side by side to the outer edge of the cloud layer, and the view before them suddenly opened up.


The azure sea and sky complemented each other. The floating white clouds seemed to be within reach. Looking down, a sea of white flags was reflected in their eyes.


"For a Marine Fleet Admiral to personally lead troops... that’s not common. It seems the Marines are determined to get us this time,"


Reiner stood at the very front, his gaze passing through space and meeting Akainu’s.


Sanji lowered his head and lit a cigarette. He took a drag and slowly exhaled the smoke, then looked up and said faintly:


"All the headquarters’ admirals are present. This lineup is really scary."


"Ah. I see a lot of old faces. My swords are already getting excited,"


Zoro’s lips curled up slightly. He rested one hand casually on his sword hilt, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below.


His gaze passed over Momonga, Gion, and finally landed on Fujitora, who was sitting silently on a wooden box in a purple samurai uniform.


"I still remember the fight that was interrupted on the Sabaody Archipelago. You guys better not fight me for this one,"


a fiery glint flashed in the depths of Zoro’s eyes.


The restrained, terrifying sword intent could not be felt by others, but in the mind of Fujitora, who was also a master of the sword, it was extremely piercing.


"What a ferocious sword intent. It seems this old one has been targeted."


Fujitora used his cane sword to support himself and slowly stood up. He opened his cloudy white eyes and looked up at Zoro.


The two of them seemed to have tacitly acknowledged each other as their opponent.


Seeing this, Fujitora’s long-time adjutant, with a knowing look, took out a file.


"Swordsman Roronoa. A swordsman who uses the Three-Sword Style. His sword style is known for its ferocity and brutality."


"He became famous in a battle with the Whitebeard Pirates, where he defeated the fifth division commander, Flower Sword Vista. His most recent achievement was defeating the second ship captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, the former head jailer of Impel Down, Shiryu of the Rain, on Hachinosu!"


Finally, the adjutant looked up and reported:


"Bounty: 1,711,000,000 Berries!"


"What a beast-like man."


Fujitora said in a low voice. He held his cane sword and walked forward steadily on the deck, his expression serious.


He had fought Zoro on the Sabaody Archipelago. He knew very well that the strength the other had shown at that time was far from his limit. Naturally, he would not underestimate this man in the slightest.


Fujitora slowly raised his cane sword and held it horizontally in front of him. A purple wave of gravity coiled up from his hand. He said in a low voice:


"In that case, let this old one fire the first shot of the battle."


"Is Mr. Issho going to make a move!"


"Quick, get back!"


"An admiral is about to make a move!"


Seeing Fujitora’s action, the surrounding Marines immediately retreated, their eyes full of confidence and anticipation.


"Gravity Blade: Fire Festival!!"


A cold glint flashed. Fujitora’s sword-drawing motion was clean and crisp. By the time the others could see clearly, he had already slowly sheathed his sword and let out a long, turbid breath.


"—Phew. It seems I can only do this much at once."


Crack!


With the sound of the scabbard closing, a circle of gravity light shot up into the sky, straight into the clouds!


Usopp subconsciously looked up. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly realized something. His face turned pale with panic.


"Wait a minute! Don’t tell me it’s that move again!"


"Ah. It’s coming."


Zoro said out of the blue.


Compared to Usopp, who had just realized something was wrong, he had already put Wado Ichimonji in his mouth and had drawn the other two longswords from his waist with his left and right hands.


As if to confirm his words, a rumbling sound gradually came from the high sky, like the whistling of a club being swung, but this one was as loud as thunder!


The next moment.


Boom! Boom! Boom!


Boom! Almost at the same time, several holes were blasted in the thick clouds. From each hole, a giant meteor, wrapped in raging flames, descended from the sky with the force of ten thousand tons!


"T-t-t-t...!!"


"That’s too many!!"


Seeing this scene, the cowardly trio cried out, their faces pale with fright, almost scared silly.


A dozen or so meteors were falling at high speed with long tail flames!


Never mind them, even in the Marine camp, which was not within the range of the meteor shower, many people’s faces suddenly changed, and they broke out in a cold sweat.


Who would have thought that this admiral, who was usually so kind and amiable, would, the moment he attacked, use a move that was intended to sink the entire island.


The blazing firelight reddened everyone’s faces. They all looked up as the meteor shower brought fate to the Straw Hat crew.


But at this moment, in their vision, a green-haired figure leaped up, charging straight at the terrifying meteor shower!


Zoro couldn’t help but sneer. He, too, couldn’t help but frown slightly.


"Tch. This guy really doesn’t hold back."


"But..."


"...this time, it’s the same no matter how many come!"


A corner of Zoro’s mouth lifted slightly. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He crossed his arms, his two longswords held vertically at his sides. His full-powered Conqueror’s Haki coiled around his blades, gradually forming the illusion of a three-headed, six-armed figure.


"Kiki Kyūtōryū!!"


"Asura: Bakkei!!"


—ZING!!


A circular blade of light flashed between heaven and earth. A cold sword energy, like ice from hell, instantly extinguished the raging flames covering the meteors.


In the midst of the steam-emitting meteor shower, Zoro still held his sword-swinging posture. The dozen or so meteors stopped their descent, as if they had hit an invisible wall, and were suspended in the air.


Then, as the illusion on his body gradually dissipated, all the surrounding meteors suddenly detonated!


Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!


The sky seemed to bloom with a firework of rocks. Countless stones, with residual high temperatures, trailed long tails of black smoke as they scattered and fell.


"Ah... ah... ah..."


The group of Marine soldiers below all widened their eyes, their mouths agape in shock, unable to close them for a long time.


"He shattered sixteen meteors with his sword!"


"Is this guy really human...?!!"


Swish~ thud.


Zoro’s figure fell towards the coast and landed steadily on a rock.


Sentomaru turned his head and glanced over, unable to help but sigh:


"You bastard... compared to two years ago, you’re ridiculously strong."


"Heh. Thank you for the praise."


Zoro got up and let out a turbid breath. He pointed the black blade Shusui at Fujitora, a hint of provocation in his tone.


"Starting with a big move... it’s making me a little impatient."


Reiner glanced over, a meaningful smile on his lips.


"We can’t let the Moss-head steal all the limelight. In that case, I’ll return the favor."


Sanji slowly exhaled a puff of smoke and leaped down from the cloud layer.


"It’s Black Leg Sanji!!"


"Bounty: 1,732,000,000 Berries! On par with Roronoa! He excels in kicking techniques and is the inheritor of the world’s strongest destructive power, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit’s ability!!"


Seeing Sanji’s movement, the entire Marine force’s hearts tightened, and they immediately became vigilant.


"Prepare to engage!!"


(End of Chapter)


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