KABOOOMMMM!!!!
The cannonballs struck the town square with devastating force, each impact sending shockwaves that rippled through the cobblestone streets like vengeful earthquakes.
CRASH! BOOM! CRUNCH!
Stone buildings exploded into clouds of dust and debris. Market stalls disintegrated. The surrounding mob of enemies transformed into a mess of people and rubble within seconds.
'And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you don't gather all your forces in one convenient location. Basic military strategy—don't cluster your troops where they can be taken out by wide area attacks.'
The bounty hunters scattered like cockroaches when someone turned on the lights, their professional formation dissolving into pure survival instinct.
CRASH! BOOM!
Another volley hit, and I watched with detached satisfaction as more of their numerical advantage became the equivalent of scattered schools of fish.
'Artillery. The great equalizer. Doesn't matter how skilled your individual fighters are when you're getting bombarded from range. Numbers mean nothing when your entire formation is being torn apart by explosives.'
"RETREAT! FALL BACK!" someone screamed below us, their voice cracking with panic.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
"WHERE ARE THE CANNONS COMING FROM?!"
'From the ship you idiots forgot about. The ship that's now in your waterway with a clear line of fire to the entire town center. Really, did none of you consider that pirates travel by ship? That ships have cannons? Is that the first thing that pirates do when they attack a town, is to bombard it?'
But I couldn't really blame them. What can a ship do without a crew? I am the freak in this situation, not them. Nevertheless, I had to admit there was something darkly satisfying about watching earlier confidence get dismantled by simple, brutal firepower.
"HACHIMAN!" Luffy's voice cut through the chaos, his grin visible even in the smoke and dust. "That was awesome! Now let's go!"
'Right. Phase two. From artillery bombardment to ground assault. Time to see if numerical superiority matters when your enemy is the personification of walking tanks.'
I watched as my crewmates prepared to descend, each one settling into their particular brand of pre-combat readiness.
Zoro's hand moved to his sword hilts, his expression carrying that dangerous satisfaction that came from finally getting to fight something.
Sanji's cigarette was lit in his mouth, his leg already cocked back in preparation for his first kick.
And Luffy—Luffy just grinned wider, his rubber fists clenching with anticipation.
"Remember!" I called out, making sure they heard me over the sounds of panic below. "Different directions! Don't let them regroup!"
'Basic tactics. If they scatter, we scatter too. Hit them from multiple angles, and prevent any kind of organized resistance. Keep them running, keep them confused, keep them too busy surviving to mount a counterattack.'
WHOOSH!
Luffy launched himself from the rooftop without hesitation, his rubber body stretching as he flew toward a cluster of bounty hunters who were trying to organize some kind of defensive line.
"GOMU GOMU NO—" His voice carried across the square with absolute enthusiasm.
WHAM!
"—PISTOL!"
The impact sent bodies flying like bowling pins, scattering the attempted formation before it could even form.
And there goes our captain, leading by example as always. Though 'example' is a generous term for 'charging headfirst into danger with zero planning.
SLASH!
Zoro dropped from his rooftop like a predator descending on prey, his three swords already drawn and gleaming in the moonlight.
The bounty hunters who'd been unfortunate enough to be in his landing zone barely had time to raise their weapons before—
SHING! SLASH! CLANG!
—They were disarmed, disabled, and unconscious on the ground.
"Too slow," I heard Zoro mutter, already moving toward his next group of opponents. "Way too slow, are you guys really bounty hunters?"
THWACK! CRACK!
Sanji descended with considerably more style, his descent turning into an aerial kick that caught three bounty hunters mid-turn.
"How dare you," the cook said, his cigarette trailing smoke as he landed gracefully. "HOW DARE YOU USE THOSE BEAUTIFUL LADIES IN YOUR TREACHEROUS SCHEMES!!!!!"
WHAM! SMASH!
"UNFORGIVABLE!!"
His legs became a blur of motion, each kick precise and devastating, sending opponents flying into walls and collapsing into heaps.
'No, no, no, these "beautiful ladies" were also part of the culprits, they are as guilty as everyone else.'
I sighed and turned my attention to Usopp, who was still on the rooftop next to me, his face pale but his slingshot ready.
"Usopp," I said, making my voice carry authority without shouting. "You stay up in an elevated position and protect the Going Merry."
His head snapped toward me, relief and concern warring on his face. "But—"
"The ship is our escape route," I interrupted, already moving toward the edge of the roof. "If they take it, we're trapped. Someone needs to make sure nobody with heavy weapons gets close enough to do real damage."
'Give the coward the important support role. Let him feel useful while staying out of direct melee combat. It works with his skill set and keeps him functional instead of panicking.'
Usopp straightened slightly, his grip on his slingshot tightening. "Got it! Leave it to me! Nobody touches the Merry!"
"Good," I replied, then added, "Jump between rooftops. Stay mobile. If you see anyone trying to bring cannons or explosives toward the waterway, take them down. Always make sure that we can retreat back to it at any time!"
THUNK!
I landed in the square, my cloak billowing dramatically as I absorbed the impact by bending my legs slightly.
CRACKLE! FLASH!
Golden energy rippled through my body, the familiar warmth of Ripple flowing through my limbs as I drew both my swords—the Barbossa in my left hand, the Sword of Gryffindor in my right.
'Time to work.'
Around me, the chaos was beautiful in its disorder. Bounty hunters were running in every direction, trying to regroup, trying to mount some kind of defense, trying desperately to remember their training while artillery fire and superhuman pirates tore through their ranks.
A group of five spotted me, their weapons coming up with professional speed.
"There! The eccentric guy!"
"He's alone!"
"Take him down!"
WHOOSH!
I moved forward, my enhanced speed carrying me into their formation before they could properly aim.
SLASH! CLANG!
I dodged through them, my cloak billowing around, the Barbossa sword glowing from the Hamon.
My right hand came around with the Gryffindor sword, the silver blade glowing like the moonlight.
My counter-slashes were swift and precise.
WHOOSH! SLICE! SLICE!
A moment later, the bounty hunters began falling one after another.
One was launched backward as if hit by a cannonball, another collapsed unconscious, one started bleeding from every orifice, one started convulsing as electrical signals misfired throughout his body, and the last developed a sword gash across his side as he fell.
I didn't stop moving, already flowing toward the next group of bounty hunters who were foolish enough to engage.
"HE-HE IS A DEVIL FRUIT USER!!"
"SHOOT!"
"SHOOOOT!!!"
BANG! BANG!
Gunshots rang out, and I twisted mid-step. My Mantra was alarming me before the bullets even left the barrels.
CLANG! CLANG!
Both swords moved in precise arcs, deflecting the projectiles with Hamon-charged steel.
WHOOSH!
I closed the distance to the shooters, my enhanced speed making their reloading attempts useless.
SLASH! THWACK!
The Gryffindor sword's edge caught the gun of the first one, cutting it and causing a long cut to appear on his back.
The second shooter tried to shoot me in the face, which would have been admirable if it weren't so slow.
WHOOSH!
My Hamon glowing Barbossa sword reached him first, causing him to fall unconscious before he completed his aiming motion.
'Two down. Approximately ninety-eight to go… Or maybe less because of my energetic crewmates.'
But it will still take a while, let's speed it up for a bit.
The ship was still in my field of view, so I controlled it for another bombardment.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Another cannon volley from the Going Merry lit up the night, the explosive impacts sending bounty hunters diving for cover.
'Alright, that will keep them scattered. Artillery support is working exactly as intended.'
I moved through the narrow alleyways between buildings, using the confined spaces to negate any attempts at surrounding me. Three bounty hunters tried to ambush me from a side street, their weapons raised.
'Predictable. Obvious. I don't even need to use my Mantra.'
SLASH! CLANG! SHING!
My dual swords moved in a flowing pattern—block, parry, disarm, incapacitate. The entire engagement took less than three seconds.
I continued moving through other parts of the town while taking down other Baroque Works agents in my way, occasionally meeting my crewmates doing the same.
Luffy's rubber-enhanced attacks create distinctive WHAM! sounds, Zoro's swords producing their characteristic SLASH! and CLANG!, Sanji's kicks generating THWACK! and CRACK! with each impact.
THUNK! BOOM!
From above, Usopp's slingshot sang out, his projectiles intercepting bounty hunters who were trying to bring heavy weapons toward the waterway.
"EXPLODING STAR!"
KABOOM!
'The sniper's doing his job. Good. Means our escape route stays secure no matter how this plays out.'
I rounded another corner, my Mantra sense detecting a larger group ahead—at least twelve bounty hunters, finally showing some sign of tactical coordination.
'About time. Was beginning to think they'd just keep running around like headless chickens.'
"There he is!"
"Surround him!"
"Don't let him escape!"
They were trying to surround me in a narrow alley.'
But I didn't give them the chance to execute their plan.
CRACKLE! FLASH! WHOOSH!
I leaped upward, my Hamon-enhanced legs carrying me to the rooftop in a single bound, my cloak flourishing under the moonlight.
"What?!"
"He can jump that high?!"
Before I landed on the roof, I was controlling the Going Merry again through the Barbossa sword's ship-controlling ability.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two more cannon shots thundered through the night, their targets carefully chosen—not the bounty hunters themselves, but the buildings flanking the alley where they'd gathered.
CRASH! RUMBLE!
"IT IS THE CANNONS AGAIN!!"
"WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?!"
"THE BUILDINGS ARE FALLING!!!"
"RUN AWAY!!"
"UWWWAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
Stone and wood collapsed, falling on the entire group.
'I...kind of always wanted to do that...'
I moved across the rooftops, scanning for my next target, when movement below caught my attention.
Zoro was engaged with what looked like an entire team of bounty hunters—at least six of them, all armed, all trying to coordinate their attacks.
It wasn't working.
SLASH! SHING! CLANG!
The swordsman moved through their formation like death incarnate, his three-sword style creating a wall of steel that nothing could penetrate.
"ONI—" His voice carried absolute confidence.
WHOOSH! SLASH!
"—GIRI!"
The technique cut through the entire group in a single flowing motion, sending weapons flying and bodies collapsing.
"Too weak," Zoro muttered, already looking for his next opponent. "Is there no one among you who is strong?"
WHAM! CRACK!
Across the square, Sanji was demonstrating the limitations of trying to fight a Black Leg style practitioner in close quarters.
His kicks were precise, devastating, and impossibly fast. Bounty hunters went flying with each impact, their weapons useless against the guy who was like a kicking machine.
"MOUTON SHOT!"
THWACK!
A particularly large bounty hunter tried to rush the cook, only to meet Sanji's descending kick with enough force to crater the cobblestones beneath him.
The cook's technique is actually impressive when you strip away all the pretentious posturing about chivalry and romance. Pure leg-based combat, each kick is powerful enough to break bones. No wasted movement. No unnecessary flourish. Just efficient, brutal force.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Somewhere behind me, Luffy's rubber-enhanced punches were creating their own brand of chaos.
"GOMU GOMU NO—"
I turned just in time to see our captain stretch his arms forward to impossible length and speed.
"—GATLING!"
WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAM!
His fists became a blur of motion, each punch landing with enough force to send bounty hunters flying into walls, through market stalls, into unconscious heaps on the ground.
"Shishishi!" Luffy's voice carried genuine enthusiasm. "Thanks for the party!"
Our captain is treating this like entertainment. A hundred trained bounty hunters trying to capture or kill us, and he's having the time of his life. I'd say it's concerning, but honestly, this is just normal Luffy behavior at this point.
I jumped down from my rooftop position, landing in another narrow alley where three bounty hunters had been trying to circle around toward the Going Merry.
"Stop right there!" one of them shouted, his sword raised.
'Really? That's your opening line? "Stop right there"? What are you, a town guard in a bad play?'
I didn't bother responding verbally.
CRACKLE! FLASH!
Hamon energy flowed through both weapons, the golden light was drawing their attention to the weapons.
"What is that?!"
"He's glowing!"
"Is that Devil Fruit power?!"
SLASH! SHING!
I moved through their defense like it didn't exist, my dual-sword style overwhelming their attempts to block or parry.
Two seconds. That's how long the entire engagement lasted.
'And that's three more bounty hunters down. At this rate, we'll clear the entire town in less than an hour.'
I thought while controlling the Going Merry, which came to my vision again.
BOOM! KABOOM!
More cannon fire from the Going Merry, more destruction raining down on carefully prepared ambush positions.
'The beautiful thing about artillery support is that it doesn't require finesse or much precision most of the time. Just point at enemy concentrations and fire. Simple, effective, and addicting.'
I continued moving through the town, taking down any bounty hunter foolish enough to engage, always keeping in motion, always trying to be aware of my crewmates' positions through Mantra.
Zoro was cutting through the southern section of town, his swords never stopping.
Sanji had claimed the eastern district, his kicks echoing through the narrow streets.
Luffy was absolutely wrecking the western area, his rubber body making him nearly impossible to damage even when surrounded.
And Usopp maintained his position on the rooftops, his slingshot taking out anyone who threatened our ship.
'We're winning. Easily. These bounty hunters never stood a chance. Not against our elite crew. Not with artillery support. Not with the tactical advantage we'd secured.'
But then I felt it through my Mantra sense—four presences, stronger than the others, moving with purpose and coordination.
'The number agents. Finally decided to stop watching and start actually fighting. Took them long enough.'
I leaped to another rooftop, scanning the battlefield to see where my crewmates were engaged.
And there they were—Miss Monday intercepting Zoro, Mr. 9 moving to engage Sanji, Mr. 8 heading toward Luffy's position.
And Miss Wednesday—Vivi—was coming directly toward me.
'Hm? Out of all of us, why did she come specifically to me?'
It was something that puzzled me a little, and most likely, I will have my answer soon.
———
Luffy's Third Person POV
———
Mr. 8 stepped into Luffy's path, raising his strange instrument. The Baroque Work agent's face was set in determined lines.
"Monkey D. Luffy!" Mr. 8's voice carried across the square. "Your rampage ends here! Face the might of my—"
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
WHAM!
Luffy punched him mid-monologue.
He didn't even try to listen. Why listen to villains explain their powers when you can just punch them?
But Mr. 8 rolled with the punch, using the momentum to create distance. He raised his instrument—Something that anyone, even Luffy, could see was not a normal thing—and blew into it.
BWWWAAAAAAAMMMMM!
The sound that emerged wasn't music.
It was weaponized noise.
BUUUZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!
A visible shockwave of air rippled outward from the instrument.
Luffy's eyes widened. "Whoa, that's—"
The shockwave hit Luffy and sent him skidding backward, leaving trails in the cobblestones.
SCREEEECH!
"That's my Orxonesta!" Mr. 8 announced proudly, switching to a different valve configuration. "A treasure I acquired from a certain kingdom in the Grand Line! It can produce sound tones of any frequency, any intensity, any effect!"
"For any musician, this is the treasure among all treasures."
"And in the hand of the right musician, it is the most dangerous weapon!!!"
He blew again, and this time the note was higher, sharper.
SHRIIIIIIIEEEEK!!!!
"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! What is that?!"
Luffy clapped his hands over his ears.
———
Zoro's Third Person POV
———
North of the square, Zoro was having a similar revelation to his captain.
Miss Monday stood before him, having abandoned her nun disguise entirely. She wore what could be called military combat gear now, and carried a massive pillar-like staff as if it weighed nothing.
"You're the one they call Pirate Hunter Zoro," she said, her voice surprisingly soft for someone so muscular. "I've seen how you fight just now, you obviously have a lot of strength."
"Then you know this is pointless," Zoro replied, his tone flat. Three swords are already drawn and ready. "Get out of my way."
"Sorry. Can't do that."
She charged forward with shocking speed for someone her size, that pillar staff spinning like a helicopter blade.
WHOOOOOSH!
Zoro brought his swords up to block.
CLANG!
The impact sent him sliding backward a foot.
'Oh. She's actually strong.'
Miss Monday pressed her advantage, her combat style a brutal combination of military efficiency and raw power. Pillar thrust, spinning kick, elbow strike, pillar sweep—all flowing together in practiced combinations.
CLANG! CLANG! WHOOSH! CLANG!
Zoro blocked, parried, and countered, but his expression had shifted from bored to focused.
"Not bad," he admitted, actually having to work for it. "You are not only strong, you also have actual combat training."
"Former assault forces of a North Blue kingdom," Miss Monday said, continuing her assault. "Court-martialed for refusing an immoral order. Been a bounty hunter ever since."
She pulled something from her belt—a compact crossbow—and fired it mid-combination.
TWANG!
Zoro deflected the bolt with his sword, but it forced him to shift his stance, and Miss Monday used that opening to land a solid hit with her staff against his shoulder.
CRACK!
"Tsk." Zoro's eyes narrowed. "Okay. Maybe you're not completely boring."
———
Sanji's Third Person POV
———
West of the square, Sanji was discovering that Mr. 9 was more than he appeared.
The acrobat moved like water, those heavy metal bats somehow weightless in his hands. He flipped, twisted, spun, and struck from angles that should have been physically impossible.
WHOOSH! CLANG! WHOOSH!
"Collier!"
Sanji's kick aimed for Mr. 9's head, but the man bent backward at a ninety-degree angle, and the kick passed harmlessly over him.
"Nice try!" Mr. 9 chirped, sounding almost cheerful. "But I'm a contortionist! Normal attacks won't work!"
He sprang back up and swung both bats in a devastating overhead strike.
WHAM!
Sanji barely dodged, and the bats cratered the cobblestones where he'd been standing.
'Those bats weigh at least a hundred pounds each. How is he swinging them that fast?'
Mr. 9 didn't give him time to think. He flipped backward, then forward, then sideways, always moving, always attacking from unexpected angles.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Sanji blocked and dodged, his expression serious now. "You're annoying."
"I get that a lot!" Mr. 9 laughed, somehow swinging his bat while upside-down in mid-flip. "But that won't help you beat me."
———
Hachiman First Person POV
———
I dropped from the rooftop, landing in a wider section of the street that would give me room to maneuver.
THUD!
Miss Wednesday appeared from the shadows, her movements fluid and practiced. She wore a knowing smile, and her hands were positioned in a way that she could retrieve anything on her at any moment.
"Dead-Eyes Hikigaya," she said, her voice carrying false sweetness. "You have an interesting Devil Fruit ability. It is certainly powerful, but I have dealt with other Devil Fruit users before, and all of them were killed by me."
'Wonderful. She's trying psychological warfare. How adorable.'
"Is that so?" I replied, my voice dry. "But if this is the part where you try to convince me to surrender, I should warn you—I have very high standards for what constitutes convincing argumentation."
FWOOSH!
She moved, and suddenly the air between us filled with a fine mist.
'Gas. Sedative gas, most likely. Classic assassination technique—odorless, colorless, spreads fast, incapacitates without alerting the target.'
I immediately breathed deeply into the Hamon Rhythm, my Hamon training allowing me to expel drugs and toxins while maintaining full combat capability.
WHOOSH!
Miss Wednesday's next attack came fast—hidden knives flying from her sleeves, their trajectories designed to force me into the sedative cloud.
CLANG! SHING!
Both my swords moved in precise arcs, deflecting every blade with Hamon-enhanced reflexes.
'I see, force the target into the sedative, then finish them while they're unable to stand. Effective against normal opponents, even the strong ones. Useless against someone who is just immune to it.'
I advanced through the gas cloud, my movements not even slightly affected.
Miss Wednesday's eyes widened with genuine shock. "How are you—"
SLASH!
The Barbossa sword cut through the air where her arm had been a heartbeat before, forcing her to leap back.
SHING!
The Gryffindor sword followed immediately, its trajectory forcing her to abandon her hidden weapon advantage and focus on pure evasion.
"Short answer, you're wrong in your assumptions," I observed, my voice still carrying conversational tones despite the combat. "Long answer, I can't be bothered to explain."
'Professional assassination techniques. Hidden weapons. Sedatives. This is a high-level skill for a random bounty hunter, who mostly prefer straightforward things like swords and guns.'
'This level of training speaks of former assassin organizations or intelligence operatives. Which means Miss Wednesday is exactly what I suspected—Princess Nefertari Vivi of Arabasta, infiltrating Baroque Works.'
FWOOSH!
She released another cloud of sedative perfume, combined with throwing more knives to keep me at range.
'She's trying to maintain distance. Knows she can't match me in close combat. Smart. But ultimately futile when I can just expel the gas the moment it enters my system.'
I continued advancing, my swords deflecting her projectiles with almost casual ease.
CLANG! SHING! SLASH!
Each deflection forced her back, each step I took narrowed her options, and each second that passed made her victory less possible.
"Give up," I said, channeling Hamon through my swords to create golden light that made me look even more supernatural. "You can't win this."
CRACKLE! FLASH!
Miss Wednesday's face showed determination mixed with growing desperation. She was trained, skilled, competent—but she was also outmatched, and we both knew it.
Her hand moved to what looked like one final weapon—probably a last-resort explosive or another type of sedative.
WHOOSH!
But before she could deploy it, something completely unexpected happened.
A flying carpet appeared.
An actual, honest-to-god flying carpet descended from the sky, flying through the air at Vivi's direction.
'What. WHAT. Is that—that's a FLYING CARPET. Why is there a FLYING CARPET in this world?!'
The carpet positioned itself between Miss Wednesday and me, creating a barrier that forced me to halt my advance.
FWOOSH! SPIN!
It moved with obvious intent, protecting Vivi like some kind of… guardian?
'A sentient flying carpet. In the middle of a battle. In this world. Because apparently, magic carpets are normal here now. Sure. Why not. Add it to the list of impossible things I've witnessed in this insane world.'
I backed up cautiously, both swords raised, activating my Mantra, trying to understand what I was seeing.
And then—
SHIMMER! PHASE!
QUACK!
—A duck appeared.
Not a normal duck. A duck larger than a human, phasing out of the carpet like some kind of ghost or spirit, its form solidifying into actual physical matter right before my eyes.
'A DUCK. A GIANT DUCK. PHASING OUT OF A FLYING CARPET. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW?'
"Karoo!" Miss Wednesday—Vivi—shouted, her voice carrying genuine relief and happiness. "You are back!"
The giant duck—Karoo, apparently—positioned itself protectively in front of her, its expression somehow managing to convey fierce determination despite being, you know, a duck.
QUACK! QUACK!
'It quacked. The giant ghost duck that phased out of a flying carpet just quacked at me.'
I stared at the scene before me—the princess pretending to be a bounty hunter, protected by a giant duck that could apparently turn intangible—and felt my brain struggling to process the sheer absurdity of it all.
…
A/N: The battle of Whiskey Peak Start!!
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