Boom!
Three rounds of massive, compressed air cannonballs—refined through precision tech—blasted out of the turrets in rapid succession.
As they tore through the air, the very atmosphere seemed to bend around them, vibrating violently.
A strange suction formed in their wake, pulling the surrounding air toward them.
"Air cannons?"
Magellan and Hannibal, observing from behind, frowned in confusion.
They had seen the turrets fire—there was no mistake about that.
But no physical projectiles followed.
It was as if they had shot nothing at all.
"Something's not right…"
Magellan narrowed his eyes. "Something's approaching the pirate ships. Fast!"
At that moment—
On the pirate ships.
"Ha ha ha!"
"Was that supposed to scare us?"
"He forgot to load the shells!"
"He thinks three turrets can stop all of us? That's a joke!"
The surrounding pirates broke out in wild laughter at the seemingly harmless attack.
But in the next instant, a devastating force crashed into reality.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
No one saw what hit them.
But the result was immediate and catastrophic—an overwhelming impact struck all three pirate ships squarely.
With one devastating blow, the hulls of the pirate ships split and splintered.
"AAARGHH!!"
The pirates were thrown into the air, blood spurting from mouths as their bodies were internally crushed by the pressure.
Screams echoed across the water.
CRACK!
One after another, the three pirate ships fractured from the center, turning into debris.
The shattered vessels were sent flying in all directions, raining destruction on those nearby.
Many pirates died on impact, while the survivors plummeted into the sea, helpless.
Wooden wreckage followed, drifting into the ocean like confetti from a war god's wrath.
The bay fell into a deadly silence.
The jeers and curses of the remaining pirates were cut off immediately.
Magellan and Hannibal stared in stunned disbelief.
"W-What just happened?!" Hannibal rubbed his eyes furiously. "Did they just... vanish?!"
"No..." Magellan muttered. "It's an air cannon."
Realization hit him.
The turrets weren't empty—they had fired air-based weaponry.
Compressed to a lethal density, the cannonballs were invisible and silent... but devastating.
"No wonder Bai Yu's so confident…"
Magellan glanced at the white-haired swordsman at the forefront.
Back to Bai Yu.
"As expected," Bai Yu murmured, satisfied as he watched the destruction unfold. "One blast is enough to obliterate a standard pirate ship."
These advanced turrets were leagues beyond the old naval models.
Unlike traditional artillery, which needed careful angle calculations, shell loading, and gunpowder ignition, these air cannons bypassed all of that.
Their compressed-air design allowed for near-straight-line firing—lightweight, fast, and impossible to track with the naked eye.
"And since they're invisible," Bai Yu thought, "the enemy won't even realize what's coming until it's too late."
"Reload! Fire again!"
A new command rang out from one of the surviving pirate ships.
It was none other than Eustass Kid, the hot-headed captain of the Kid Pirates.
Unwilling to believe what he had just witnessed, Kid ordered a full-speed charge toward Impel Down.
Splash!
Responding to the command, multiple pirate ships surged ahead, tearing through the waves without hesitation.
None dared slow down.
They were determined to break through to the first level of Impel Down's waters—no matter the cost.
"Continue bombardment!" Bai Yu commanded.
"Target acquired. Fire!"
BOOM!
Under Bai Yu's direction, the Maya trio—his trusted allies—again aimed and fired the air turrets.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
More pirate ships were torn to pieces.
The pirates on board, unprepared, were hurled into the sky like rag dolls before splashing into the ocean.
The battle had officially begun.
The pirates pressed forward over the wreckage of their comrades, hoping to overwhelm Impel Down by sheer numbers.
But for Bai Yu, this was almost effortless.
He had entrusted the turrets to the Maya trio and support marines.
Without the need for fuses or manual reloading, the air cannons could fire in rapid succession.
No gunpowder meant no overheating—just non-stop, punishing bombardment.
Despite having only three turrets, the team made perfect use of Impel Down's narrow bay and natural defenses.
They had managed to halt the combined assault of three major pirate crews.
Bai Yu's forces grew increasingly confident.
The pirates, however, began to realize they were facing more than just an ordinary naval defense.
"You trash!"
"Get out of my way!"
Suddenly, a voice barked across the ocean, and the other pirate ships immediately veered aside.
From the bow of one approaching vessel, a figure emerged.
Long purple hair, pale white eyes, with the right side of his face obscured by bangs.
On his head sat a white-green horned hat.
It was none other than Page One, one of the Tobi Roppo—the elite "Flying Six" of the Beasts Pirates.
A user of the Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Dragon-Dragon Fruit: Spinosaurus Model.
As Page One barked orders, the surrounding ships gave way, allowing his vessel to take the lead.
Standing tall at the bow, he glared ahead, eyes focused.
Unlike the lesser pirates, he had seen it—the air cannon attack.
And he believed he could withstand it.
Back at Bai Yu's position—
"One of the Flying Six, huh?" Bai Yu smirked.
"You guys just love making your appearances one at a time."
"I guess it's only polite that I take you down one by one."
"Fire!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
All three turrets locked on Page One's ship, unleashing another volley of invisible air blasts.
"Here they come…"
Page One's eyes sharpened as he felt the air ripple unnaturally.
ROAR!!
With a battle cry, he activated his Devil Fruit power.
His body swelled, muscles pulsing, rough reptilian scales breaking through his skin.
The transformation began—he was ready to meet the air cannons head-on…
End of Chapter.
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