"Damn it... I got played."
I managed to blow away most of the horrific rain of debris, but I couldn't get it all.
If anyone was caught in that, they wouldn't escape unharmed.
(When I got blown away in that explosion, I searched desperately for any presence in the area, but I only found that fishman. I think it should be fine, but...)
I'd exhausted almost all the stamina and haki I'd been conserving for what I thought would be a prolonged battle.
Seriously... this is supposed to be a shounen manga world, right?! Sure, I was a boss character from the very early stages, but let me dominate a little more! In a world where one strong pirate is overwhelmingly more dangerous, why am I struggling so much against sheer numbers?!
"More importantly, what the hell are the Marines and CP doing...?! Especially Kizaru!!"
Well, I suppose if CP had shown up, having to fight while watching my back would have been even worse...
If just one person good at aerial combat had been there, even if we couldn't stop that old bastard, we could have protected the food storage!
(If only one of the Imperial Guard had been here...)
Of course Amis would help, but if Chris, the strongest of the Imperial Guard in pure combat power, had been there, we might not have been able to take him down, but we could have put much more pressure on him.
Toya or Catharine would have been perfect for wide-area surveillance, and if even one Imperial Guard member had been present, we could have disrupted that rooster bastard's tactics.
(No, there's no point dwelling on it. If they had been here, Golden Lion might have tried to kidnap them as hostages against me, and if I'd allowed that, I might have seriously broken down)
He was strangely obsessed with me for some reason...
Otherwise, he would have just grabbed the food storage and fled immediately.
Why, really... what the hell was that guy anyway? Having a character with such a broken ability who didn't appear in the comics is just unfair, logically speaking.
(There's still sounds of things being blown away... being held up by the debris rain... I guess?)
When I get back to West Blue... no, before that, how am I going to handle future negotiations...
No matter how you look at it, the food problem is going to be catastrophic. I don't know how much I can interfere, but the slave situation too...
If there were a vigorous anti-government force like the Revolutionary Army, I could serve as a check, but at this rate...
"Enemy?!"
Someone was approaching at clearly unfriendly speed.
I instinctively coated my legs with haki and blocked the blade swing according to the future image I saw.
"...Ah."
Seeing my opponent's face, I understood completely.
I understood in one glance why backup hadn't come and what the current situation was.
"Well, no wonder they couldn't come help."
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"Jiha... about time for the Marines to start ignoring damage to the Holy Land."
The giant ship floating in the sky.
From the deck of the great pirate 'Golden Lion's' vessel, Golden Lion and the pirates who followed him looked down at the burning Holy Land.
"Well, I ended up taking back the food I was planning to burn to ash... what to do about it. Should we hold a feast to celebrate the Holy Land's flames?"
"Plans going off track doesn't seem like the 'Golden Lion' I know. Something happen?"
While the others were dressed uniformly in suits, one particularly large, muscular man with his chest wrapped in bandages spoke arrogantly to the ship's owner.
"Nothing much, just ran into an interesting guy. Got a bit carried away playing with him."
"Did you kill him?"
"I said I was playing, didn't I? I might end up killing him eventually, but it's too early for that now."
He placed the cigar that had shortened during the battle into an ashtray brought by a subordinate, replacing it with a fresh one and lighting it.
"More importantly, are you really fine with your soldiers? Since you said I could use them up, I'm going to leave them behind and take off."
"Yeah, no problem. The modified ones are a bit of a waste, but with your scientist around, they're soldiers we can mass-produce anyway."
"Jihahaha, well, I'll provide the materials."
"I'm counting on it. Well, I'll properly repay the debt of being picked up when I nearly fell into the sea with military force."
"As long as there are corpses..."
"Kishishishishi!"
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"What is the Navy doing?! Drive those people away quickly without destroying our Holy Land!!"
"Hurry up and clean up those creepy guys!"
"If you don't hurry, my expensive slave collection will burn up!"
"That's right! I invested so much money! If they die, I need them stuffed immediately!"
Pangaea Castle, which had become a shelter to protect the Celestial Dragons.
Thousands of pirates who looked like rioters were swarming the castle gates that formed the defensive line.
"Fire! Just keep firing and reduce their numbers!"
"Yes sir!"
"B-but Rear Admiral, no matter how much we shoot, they won't fall! They're zombie soldiers!!"
"There are just too many! With this much firepower, we can't..."
"I can see that! Just keep firing!"
Most of the soldiers weren't particularly strong.
But an overwhelming number approaching an avalanche was surging to break down Pangaea Castle's sturdy gates.
They'd fall if you crushed their heads properly, but otherwise they'd never stop advancing even if they lost arms or legs.
The Navy officers were shouting at their subordinates while ordering counterattacks, but...
"What are the Cipher Pol doing?! Hina is dissatisfied!"
"They're dealing with the army swarming from the north with everything they've got. The knights are at the south gate... right now we can only defend this position to the death."
"But Sensei, Kuro is!"
"I know! ...We can only believe in him."
While the Navy dealt with the crushing debris and CP and the knights handled evacuating the panicking Celestial Dragons, it suddenly appeared from several giant ships that had been dropped.
Countless corpses with faces clearly different from the living. A zombie army.
While you could tell they had once been human, many were grotesque zombies with animal or different species' body parts forcibly sewn together.
"The modified zombies are honestly strong. The most troublesome group is currently being handled by the Fleet Admiral and Vice Admirals, but given the location, it's hard to go all out. There might still be civilians caught in the fires."
"But we can't spare any forces... the enemy is Golden Lion!"
"That's exactly why we can't send half-hearted forces. Sending a few soldiers with rifles as backup would just get them killed. ...In terms of skill, he's the only one who can hold off Golden Lion."
When the situation occurred, while Hina and the other Marines didn't know how to respond, the pirate who had quickly regrouped with the Fleet Admiral exchanged a few words with the Admiral and Vice Admirals, then disappeared the next moment, heading alone to the battlefield.
"Hina, Second Class Petty Officer. Continue intercepting here..."
Still distant from the defensive line, but a particularly large zombie clearly different from normal ones was running toward the soldiers.
From the thickness of its arms, anyone could see how much power it possessed.
Regular Marines would be no match. They'd just be scattered.
The man who had trained many Marines clenched his fists and glared at them.
"I'll take care of the modified zombie soldiers!"
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"Damn, swarming everywhere! Sengoku, I'm blowing them all away!"
"Wait, Garp! Some have explosives packed inside, don't carelessly crush them!"
"Zephyr and the other soldiers are working hard too, so both of you hang in there. We'll hold these guys here."
The elite forces counted among Navy Headquarters' highest combat power were fighting against a horrific number of grotesque armies away from the defensive lines.
Even soldiers that looked normal at first glance had arms extended by sewing snake bodies to them, or guns built in.
"Damn you, Golden Lion! When did you team up with Gecko Moria?!"
"Based on timing, probably after Kuzan and Kuro drove him off."
Zombie soldiers of various sizes were being hung thin on ropes to dry.
Tsuru, the ability user who had done this, looked at the giant galleon ships scattered around and clicked her tongue in rare irritation.
"I thought they were projectiles to burn and destroy the Holy Land, but to think he'd use the ships themselves to sneak soldiers in."
"His power attaches shadows to corpses, making them into soldiers. That ability should depend on the shadow's original owner, but..."
"The strong individuals probably use shadows from skilled subordinates. Even if we defeat these guys, the shadows just return... how annoying!"
Zombie soldiers were still pouring out of several of the galleon ships.
"Where did they collect so many corpses?!"
"Not all of them, probably, but they're likely using humans taken from West Blue. Or maybe they're being used for the shadows of common soldiers."
"Then Sengoku, what about these enhanced soldiers with modified bodies?"
"...Gecko Moria lost his forces in battle with Kaido. So this must be Golden Lion's subordinates' work."
"Troublesome..."
The Navy's strongest forces weren't just for show.
But even so, the fact that they had too few forces against overwhelming numbers weighed heavily on the battle situation.
"Sengoku, what happened to Borsalino?!"
"He's been assigned as direct guard to the Celestial Dragons on their orders."
"Can they only hold us back?!"
"Do you know where we are, Garp?! Watch your mouth!!"
The Navy hero blew away a crowd of zombie soldiers filling the entire corridor with a single punch.
But even more soldiers pressed forward, trampling over those zombies.
(Even if Kuro holds off Golden Lion's movements, in this battle situation we'll have to abandon the food supplies. I can't say anything given my position, but we'll probably be ordered to requisition food again)
While turning zombies back into mere corpses and facing the zombie soldiers trampling over them, Fleet Admiral Sengoku inwardly agreed with Garp's opinion.
(To think the Celestial Dragons' authority living in the Holy Land would become shackles preventing us from defending this very Holy Land...)
"I'm going ahead to intercept the enemy that has descended near the food storage. Once I've suppressed the chaos somewhat, please handle explanations to the government and provide support."
The pirate who grasped the situation faster than any soldier, took action immediately without wasting words, was strong.
When they reunited at the Holy Land, witnessing growth that could only be called overwhelming compared to when they first met at the West Blue branch headquarters was unbelievable.
(Kuro now has strength that even Vice Admiral-class opponents couldn't easily stop)
In just half a year, what kind of deadly situations had he survived through?
Sengoku estimated that even against himself or Garp, it probably wouldn't be easy enough to achieve immediate victory.
(But going alone against Golden Lion is far too reckless! If only... if only I could attach just two squads!)
More than anything, regardless of his personal strength, Kuro's strategic vision that could survey the entire situation, reports with the minimum appropriate amount of words with unnecessary embellishments removed to avoid misunderstandings, the leadership he'd demonstrated thoroughly during the Pirate Alliance incident, and flexible response capabilities in emergencies.
And the ability to win hearts and minds seen by the Marines who followed him, plus the educational skills to train elite forces skilled in coordination.
(If only that man were a Marine...!)
Kuro, a particularly valuable asset in this critical situation, was a pirate.
Therefore, from his position as Fleet Admiral, he had to maintain a line with him.
Moreover, this was the Holy Land, the very doorstep of the Celestial Dragons who stood above them.
If Kuro had been a Marine, he could have immediately assigned subordinates before any unnecessary orders came from the Celestial Dragons.
But the single fact that he was a pirate made Sengoku hesitate in his judgment.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"Ugh... this has become a textbook example of quantity warfare."
After blowing away stray zombies, I climbed to a high vantage point and ran toward the continuous battle sounds from Pangaea Castle direction. What I saw was an incredible number of zombie soldiers pushing against the castle... or rather, the gates and defensive lines in front of it.
Hmm... this is bad.
(I should assume most of the Marines I accepted as supervisors were lost in the initial debris drop. That means Marine forces are significantly outnumbered...)
The fact that Shiki left means he doesn't intend to capture it.
It's just meant to deal damage.
Plus, probably a test of the zombie soldiers.
Most likely, even if left alone, Sengoku and the others would eventually win.
Actually, if not for the constraints of Celestial Dragons, slaves, and guards trapped in the debris, the chain of command should have recovered long ago.
But from here I could see modified soldiers scattered about, overwhelming numbers, and the disadvantageous terrain that had split up the Marines.
Ultimately, individual elite forces could turn things around, but if casualties mounted in the meantime, it would be meaningless.
The flow of battle had to be changed as quickly as possible.
Probably, the frontline Marines were already showing effects on morale.
(If I jump in, to achieve maximum tactical efficiency...)
Honestly, both physically and in terms of haki, kicking all these guys away would be seriously tough.
More than anything, I... feel like I could fall asleep any second now.
Ever since the fight with Shiki ended.
I didn't sleep at all yesterday, and since coming to the Holy Land, I've only managed brief naps at most.
...Wait? Come to think of it, I didn't sleep the day before yesterday either, so this is my second all-nighter.
Why am I doing the same things I did in my previous life in such a sad place...
I'd planned to live doing whatever I wanted this time, but thanks to that gorilla, here I am again...
(If this were inside a castle during peacetime, Hina would notice I'm tired and make coffee for me... I hope Hina's safe)
The original story is completely blown away now, so anything could happen. Even if they're original characters, I can't be sure they'll survive safely.
Please don't die, Hina.
If you died here, I'd feel too guilty to sleep.
Admiral Zephyr should be nearby, so I think it should be fine, but...
(There's no sign of zombie soldiers coming this way. They probably only received orders to attack the castle from the start. For assault troops, simple commands after setting targets work better)
The enemy had been riding those ridiculously huge galleon ships clustered where they fell.
...And they're still coming out.
How many total forces... ah, I see. They're using shadows from humans taken from West Blue and such.
If they collected corpses during raids too, that makes sense. That would explain why there were so few bodies at the scene.
After Kuzan and I blew them away, somehow that muscle-bound fool joined up with the rooster bastard.
Damn it, if I'd had my current strength back then...
Anyway...
(Since the orders are simple, they head straight for the castle and first crash into the defensive line the Navy set up)
Some elephant-sized zombies got blown into the air, then exploded, probably with bombs packed inside.
Dirty fireworks. Based on location, probably Sengoku and the others.
...Huh? Come to think of it, I don't feel like Kizaru is fighting. For such a flashy ability, I don't see any light at all.
Was he assigned to directly guard the Celestial Dragons?
...
That seems likely. Blegh.
(So while putting pressure on the defensive line, forces overflowing from the main stream are circling around to other gates)
Then...
"Stopping the overflowing forces... would be a poor strategy. That would just increase pressure on the main stream."
Right now it's balanced.
If pressure increased further, the front might be broken.
There's also the ammunition problem.
Adding quality-over-quantity CP to current Navy forces wouldn't mean much.
Better to have them handle the waves spilling from the main stream as they are now.
Knight forces, the Celestial Dragons' soldiers... even if they're strong, I can't trust them, so counting them is out of the question.
Just protect the Celestial Dragons and hopefully get Kizaru to the front lines...
Well, that probably won't happen. So to improve the battle situation with current forces...
(First, let's slow down the enemy flow a bit)
I did some stretches and lightly extended my knees to check my legs' condition.
Mm, no effects from Ikoku.
The fatigue and sleepiness are tremendous, but my legs aren't malfunctioning.
"Well then..."
"One more job, huh? Ah, what a pain."
***
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