G-5 Branch
Outside the fortress, dozens of pirate ships braved the bombardment of cannon fire, frantically charging at the fortress gates.
Amid the smoke-filled sea, over a dozen massive ships, struck by cannonballs, burst into flames, casting the pirates on other ships in a ghastly light.
"Blast it open! Blast open this damned fortress gate!"
On one of the pirate ships a tall man wearing a military cap, a cloak with flame patterns and wooden sandals, gripped a longsword his eyes blazing with fury as he stared at the fortress gate that had withstood their assault for so long.
He roared at the top of his lungs "CONCENTRATE ALL FIRE POWER! BLAST IT OPEN!"
Sasaki, one of the Flying Six under Queen in the Beast Pirates, a user of the Ancient Zoan-type Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Triceratops.
Long before the Beast Pirates left Wano Country, he had secretly led three thousand members of the Beast Pirates aboard merchant ships arranged by the "King of Shipping."
While the Marine attention was fully focused on the main forces of the Beast Pirates and Big Mom, they made a direct assault on the G-5 base.
Thanks to the cover provided by the merchant ships arranged by Ummit, they encountered no obstacles along the way, which filled him with confidence in capturing the G-5 fortress.
However, he had underestimated the defenses of this Marine stronghold. Despite the relentless bombardment from dozens of pirate ships, they not only failed to breach the base but couldn't even destroy the fortress gates.
To make matters worse, the base was also infiltrated by assassins arranged by the Peclo who were working from within.
Faced with such a dire situation, the Marine inside the base had managed to hold out until now, which infuriated him, who had arrived so confidently.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of explosions echoed continuously.
Cannonballs roared in from the direction of the fortress, detonating around the warships.
Waves of water splashed higher and higher, mingling with the thick, billowing smoke, making it impossible for Sasaki to get a clear view of the situation ahead.
***
Inside the Base
The battle between the hundreds of infiltrating assassins and the Marine had reached another level.
These assassins were elite fighters trained at great expense by Peclo.
Although they were outnumbered, they had thrown the soldiers inside the base into chaos.
If it weren't for Smoker and Vergo holding the critical path to the fortress gates, the assassins would have already opened them!
At the highest point of the fortress, Tashigi fought off the assassins who kept charging up while keeping an eye on the movements of the warships outside the base.
Distracted, she narrowly avoided being killed by the assassins several times.
Even when she managed to dodge, she was left with several grievous wounds.
"Trying to seize this vantage point to help the pirates outside break in?"
After forcing back two assassins who had closed in on her, Tashigi supported her injured shoulder with one hand and gripped the hilt of her long sword with the other, staggering to her feet.
Her cold gaze fixed on the assassins charging up relentlessly below.
With a slight flick of her blade, she assumed a fighting stance.
"You'll have to step over my corpse first!"
Before her words faded, Tashigi, who had been on the defensive, suddenly lunged forward.
Her sword, Shigure, traced a sinister arc as it slashed toward two assassins who had just reached the top of the fortress.
Two sprays of blood erupted as the assassins, who hadn't even had time to draw their swords, fell to the ground with their throats slit.
However, more than just two assassins had charged up.
As soon as those two fell, several more surged forward. Facing these experienced assassins, Tashigi, who lacked much combat experience, quickly found herself in trouble.
In the chaos, she sustained several more wounds.
Yet she refused to retreat.
Her small frame stood like an insurmountable barrier, preventing the assassins from breaking into the fortress.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, a series of deafening explosions rang out, shaking the entire fortress violently.
The already injured Tashigi nearly lost her balance and fell.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly, using Shigure to steady herself.
At that very moment, another thunderous explosion echoed.
Immediately after, the fortress gate, which had been bombarded by the pirate ships' concentrated firepower, could no longer hold and collapsed with a loud crash.
"Not good!"
The moment the fortress gate fell, Tashigi expression changed drastically.
Ignoring the assassins in front of her, she turned and shouted toward the base.
"REAR ADMIRAL SMOKER!"
"Worry about yourself first, Marine girl!"
"You've killed so many of our comrades. It's almost a shame to finish you off directly!"
"Ha ha ha~"
The assassins, seizing this perfect opportunity, revealed bloodthirsty grins and lunged at Tashigi from three different directions.
Seeing this, Tashigi clenched her teeth, gripping the hilt of her sword, Shigure and charged forward instead of retreating.
At the same time.
On the pirate ship outside the fortress gate, Sasaki, seeing the gate finally collapse, was overjoyed.
He immediately raised his sword and rushed to the bow of the ship, shouting madly.
"MEN, CHARGE IN! FOLLOW ME AND KILL THEM ALL!"
As Sasaki frenzied shouts echoed, the pirate ships on the sea accelerated, braving the relentless barrage of cannon fire as they recklessly charged toward the fortress gate.
However, just as the lead pirate ship was about to breach the fortress, a sharp, piercing sound suddenly tore through the sky from behind the fleet of the Beasts Pirates led by Sasaki.
In the next second, a dense volley of cannonballs traced fiery white trails across the sky from above the pirate ships, raining down on the vessel about to enter the base.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Deafening explosions erupted, and the pirate ship, on the verge of entering the fortress, was instantly engulfed by the shockwaves.
It began to disintegrate at a visible speed amidst the rapidly spreading flames.
"Where did that bombardment come from!?"
Watching the lead pirate ship being obliterated, Sasaki face turned pale.
He turned around to look. What he saw caused his pupils to uncontrollably contract.
On the sea behind them, one warship after another emerged from the billowing smoke. The cannons on these warships continuously spat fire, accompanied by the piercing sound of projectiles cutting through the air.
The pirate ships, which had been on the verge of victory, were now enveloped in a storm of cannon fire.
Seeing the approaching warships, Sasaki heart sank. He roared in frustration.
"Damn it! How did the Marine reinforcements arrive so quickly!"
On the deck of one of the warships, which was approaching at full speed, Vice Admiral Ain stood majestically at the bow, her cold gaze devoid of any emotion.
Behind her, the Marine soldiers brimming with fighting spirit stood in perfect formation, their murderous intent silently spreading.
As the warship closed in on a pirate ship, Ain, standing at the bow wasted no time. She pointed her sword directly at the pirates on the deck and commanded.
"Kill them all! Leave none alive!"
Before her words had fully faded, Ain led the charge, her sword flashing as she cut down the pirates who were still in shock.
"KILLLL!"
The Marine soldiers behind her surged forward like a tidal wave, leaping from the warship's deck.
In just one charge, more than half of the pirates on the deck were slaughtered.
The remaining pirates, terrified by the Marine overwhelming momentum, forgot to fight back and fell in droves under the hail of gunfire.
At the same time, several other warships closed in.
The Marine officers and soldiers on their decks, seeing the opportunity for glory, howled with frenzy charging one after another toward the pirate ships.
A one-sided massacre had begun.
Half an hour later, all the pirates on the pirate ships at sea had been annihilated.
Even Sasaki, one of the strongest Tobiroppo members of the Beasts Pirates and a formidable fighter, was suppressed by Ain before he could unleash his Devil Fruit ability and his head was swiftly severed.
The battle within the base also took a turn with Ain timely arrival.
Without the constant threat of exploding shells raining down on the base, the Marine soldiers, led by Smoker and Vergo, launched a counterattack and quickly eliminated all the assassins who had infiltrated the base.
When the warship entered the base and Ain led the reinforcements to the base port, everyone inside, except for Vergo and Smoker, including Tashigi, had sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Moreover, over a dozen soldiers had lost their lives in the fierce struggle against the assassins.
Ain surveyed the base, her gaze eventually settling on Smoker and Tashigi, who had returned to her post despite her severe injuries.
"You've worked hard!"
Seeing this, Ain quickened her pace and approached Smoker.
"Your mission is complete. I salute you!"
"From now on, I will take over the defense of G-5 base."
After a brief pause, Ain turned to the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives in the battle and were carried out from the pile of corpses by their comrades.
"Attention, all!"
"Salute to our brave fallen brothers!"
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