aircannonsinc Chapter 97 brings the first battle to a climax, with 10 heroic spirits falling under the gunfire.
Chapter 97 brings the first battle to a climax, with 10 heroic spirits falling under the gunfire.
Chapter 97 brings the first battle to a climax, with 10 heroic spirits falling under the gunfire.
Meanwhile, deep in the border rainforest, a battlefield of ferocious beasts...
Hercules' muscles shimmered like lava, and each clash between the giant axe and the divine bow of Gandhi produced a deafening roar.
The shockwaves that tore through the air erupted again and again, sending the sailors flying.
Arjuna moved like a calm hunter, his figure darting through the shadows, his arrows cunning and ruthless.
He continuously left deep, bone-revealing wounds on Hercules, which then healed rapidly under the terrifying life force granted by his berserk state.
Akainu was not idle either; he searched for any possible openings to burn and bombard, forcing Hercules to be distracted and defend.
"roar--!!!"
Hercules parried Arjuna's arrow once again, but took a heavy blow from Akainu's lava punch, his back sizzling as it was burned.
But at that moment, his crimson eyes, burning with raging flames, suddenly turned towards the direction of Yuba City!
A sense of crisis stemming from the soul contract pierced his chaotic consciousness like a steel needle.
Bonnie! Danger!
The will to protect instantly overwhelmed the berserk fighting instinct.
He completely ignored Arjuna's fully drawn bowstring and Akainu's next "Hound of the Dead" attack.
"roar!!!!"
The deafening roar temporarily created a gap in the clash between the golden sun ship and the Gate of Babylon in the sky.
Then, his massive body burst forth with unprecedented speed. No longer engaged in combat with his enemies, he charged headlong toward Yuba City with the momentum to crush all obstacles in his path!
Each step shattered the earth, stirring up dust storms.
"Trying to escape?!" Akainu roared, his giant lava fist giving chase.
"There's an opening!" Arjuna's icy arrows locked onto Hercules's vital point in the back!
However, Hercules did not dodge or evade at all.
He took all the damage with his back, the wounds healing and tearing open again in an instant, but his charging speed did not decrease at all!
Like a mad, ancient behemoth.
"Oh? What attracted you? What an interesting beast."
Ramses II raised an eyebrow on the solar boat, then looked at Gilgamesh on the throne opposite him.
"King Pikachu! Looks like you're not enough to keep this beast at bay! The prey's getting away!"
Gilgamesh's crimson serpent eyes flashed with annoyance.
"Hmph! You mongrel beast! How dare you disregard my majesty! Don't think you can escape!"
The array of Noble Phantasms behind him lit up again, but Ramses II's temple beams intercepted them once more.
"I didn't give you permission to leave!"
Arjuna and Akainu exchanged a glance and instantly reached a consensus to pursue them one by one.
This enormous threat must not be overlooked!
They looked in the direction the berserker was running, which was the direction of Yuba City.
Inside Yuba City. Most of the city has already been evacuated.
Karna and Quetzalcoatl's intense battle nearly destroyed the place; every collision made the houses teeter on the brink of collapse.
"Got the medicine!" Ace snatched the package full of precious medicines from the terrified pharmacy owner and stuffed it into his pocket.
Luffy had already stretched out his arm and grabbed a tall flagpole in the distance: "Uncle Roger, Sun! Let's go!"
Just then.
"Fire!!! Destroy the pirates!!"
Sharp whistles and cold commands came from the outskirts of the city.
It was after receiving an urgent notification from Smoker that the elite naval force led by Vice Admiral Onigumo arrived.
They completely disregarded the civilians in the city and the chaotic battle situation, only carrying out Akainu's ironclad order of absolute justice.
Eliminate all participants, at all costs!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hundreds of heavy artillery pieces mounted on the edge of the city roared simultaneously, their black shells raining down like deathly drops, accompanied by a piercing shriek.
The shells rained down indiscriminately on the block where the pharmacy was located and on the people who were engaged in fierce fighting.
Luffy and Ace were hit head-on, and their medicine packs were knocked out of their hands.
Roger, who was fighting with Capkuzan and his apprentice, looked at this somewhat familiar scene.
"Wait, your navy is shelling civilians again?"
Kuzan gritted his teeth, his expression changed drastically, and he instantly transformed into his elemental form, rushing towards the area with the densest concentration of cannonballs.
"Ice Wall—!" A massive ice wall rose from the ground!
"Damn it! Who gave you permission to fire?! Who gave the order?! Can't you see there are still civilians here who haven't been evacuated?"
Smoker's eyes widened in fury, and his lower body transformed into smoke as he charged in another direction to intercept the shells.
Garp roared and swung his fist, trying to deflect the cannonball with the shockwave.
But there were too many shells, and the coverage area was too wide.
Boom boom boom boom!
Violent explosions rocked Yuba City, tearing sturdy houses apart like paper.
Gravel, wood chips, and flames shot into the sky, billowing thick smoke!
"Help!"
"My child!"
"Mommy—!"
The cries and screams of civilians instantly drowned out the sounds of battle.
The streets were instantly turned into a sea of fire and ruins, and countless innocent civilians fell in the explosion or were buried by the collapsed buildings.
Like Roggetown, this place has become a living hell.
Karna's eyes turned icy cold. He abandoned his defense against his older sister's attack, and his golden armor shone with unprecedented brilliance.
He plunged the Undying Spear into the ground!
"Sun, transform into Kavacha & Kundala and be released!"
A golden sun-shaped shield made of solar fire instantly unfolded around him, enveloping a relatively intact area. The scorching flames burned the flying shrapnel and shockwaves, producing a piercing sizzling sound.
As the older sister gazed upon the hellish scene before her, the rage of Garp and the compassion of Quetzalcoatl erupted simultaneously in her eyes.
She roared at the army outside the city.
"Stop! This is not justice! This is massacre!"
She gritted her teeth, as if some rule within her body had been reversed.
"Medicine—medicine must not cause any problems!"
Amid the chaos, a petite figure nimbly darted through the smoke and dust of the explosion and the collapsed ruins!
It was Bonnie!
She couldn't rest easy, so she secretly followed him!
Using the power of the Year-Year Fruit, she temporarily transformed herself into an inconspicuous little girl, avoiding the initial barrage and the most chaotic area.
She saw the medicine packets that had been blown away.
Just as Bonney was about to rush to Ace's side and grab the medicine pack!
"Suspicious target detected! A little girl? Wait, she's an ability user! Open fire!"
A sharp-eyed naval lieutenant commander spotted Bonney's unusual behavior on a distant rooftop and immediately gave the order.
boom! boom! boom!
Several bullets and a whistling shell simultaneously locked onto Bonnie's petite figure.
Too close, too fast! Karna's shield couldn't cover too large an area, and Garp, Smoker, and Kuzan were all held back by other explosions!
"Bonnie!!!" Luffy and Ace cried out in fury.
Bonnie watched as the shells and bullets rapidly magnified in his pupils, and the shadow of death instantly loomed over him!
A close call!
A figure covered in deep red magic patterns, with a violent aura that could crush everything, descended from the sky like a meteor!
It was Hercules!
He used his back and broad shoulders to shield Bonney's location, protecting him tightly.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
The bullet struck his bronze skin as if hitting a steel plate, sending sparks flying!
boom!!!
The shell slammed into his back, and the intense explosion engulfed him!
"Barsaka!" Bonnie screamed in despair!
Smoke and dust filled the air. When the firelight subsided, Hercules was seen kneeling on the ground, his back charred black, the wound deep enough to expose the bone. Crimson magic runes flickered wildly, and the wound was visibly wriggling and healing.
His crimson beastly eyes swept over Bonnie, who was unharmed beneath him, and a low, muffled growl escaped his throat.
Then, he suddenly looked up, his crimson eyes, burning with endless rage and killing intent, fixed firmly on the artillery positions.
At the same time, Arjuna and Akainu followed closely behind, rushing into Yuba City, not far from Hercules.
As Akainu gazed at the hellish city and the countless civilian casualties before him, a barely perceptible flicker of emotion crossed his magma-like pupils, but it was immediately replaced by cold indifference.
"Target confirmed! Concentrate firepower and eliminate the Red Team!"
Roger wiped the dust off his face and looked at the person opposite him with a serious expression.
Akainu, Arjuna, Kuzan, Smoker, Garp, Qezar Koyatt, and the ever-watchful Onigumo, Kasugai, and the Marine forces.
Although there may be disagreements within the Navy, their current crisis is greater.
"Hey, you savage, there are more of them on the other side than we are! Is this fair?"
Roger shouted towards the sky, trying to summon the smoke mirror.
No one responded, just as the desperate disparity in troop strength was about to be met with another barrage of artillery fire.
"Feed Yi-yi!!! Navy!!!"
A loud, angry voice boomed like thunder from the entrance on the other side of the city.
Sabo's figure appeared at the end of the smoke-filled street.
Beside him stood Sanji, smoking a cigarette, and Usopp, whose fear was overwhelmed by anger.
Of course, there's also Napoleon, whose sharp gaze is as he delivers a declaration to the navy!
Behind them was a dense, dark mass of people.
They carried rudimentary weapons, but their eyes were filled with anger and determination. Those were the Alabasta rebels!
Napoleon pointed to the naval artillery array in the distance, his voice echoing across the battlefield, filled with bitterness and anger.
"Look at you! Look at this city, ravaged by disease! Look at these innocent people who have fallen!"
"Do you even deserve to be called artillery? Is your justice limited to pointing cannons at helpless civilians?! That's how it was in Loguetown! And that's how it is in Alabasta now!"
"Besides bullying the weak, what else can you do?! Is this the justice you're so proud of?! It's a complete joke!"
The cannon's muzzle flashed with a dangerous light as it aimed at the naval artillery position!
The roars of the rebels rose like a tsunami, their force astounding.
Ghost Spider and Fire Mountain's faces instantly turned extremely ugly. Napoleon's sarcasm was like a knife, precisely piercing their most painful spot.
The morale of the naval forces also suffered a setback.
"It's Sabo! And the artilleryman!" Luffy shouted in surprise.
Ace looked at Sabo in the distance, a tear welling up in his eyes, but a smile remained on his lips.
"Damn Sabo, we meet again—"
The situation reversed instantly, and a balance began to emerge.
Most of the Red Team's fighting force, along with the Alabasta resistance forces, have gathered together!
On the other side were the Navy Headquarters' top combat power and elite troops, and two heroic spirits.
And the black-bearded man who had been hiding in the shadows.
Hercules slowly stood up, blocking Bonney's path. His crimson beastly eyes swept over all the enemies, and he let out a furious roar that shook the entire city!
It's as if it's saying: Who dares to touch her?!
In the sky above Yuba.
The Golden Sun Ship and Vimana finally broke free from their entanglement and arrived here, like two giants overlooking the battlefield!
The Pharaoh and the Hero King both turned their gazes toward the city below, which was where almost all the contestants had gathered.
The figure of Smoke Mirror appeared in the void higher up, looking down at Yuba City, which was like a boiling furnace.
Looking at the gathered heroic spirits and the burning ruins of his master, the mysterious smile on his face reached an unprecedented height.
"Ah—how wonderful, how fair!"
"The game creator I've never met, I wonder if you can see this, the feast has begun—"
The first night of destiny reached its climax amidst the flames and ruins of Yuba, under the king's gaze and the whispers of the gods.