Chapter 223: A Small Fry's Battlefield Observations
One after another, loud roars and shockwaves combined, sweeping up a sky full of wind and snow on this shattered, ice-covered land, knocking over many of the fiercely fighting pirates and Marines from a distance.
The huge roar even made many of the grunts vomit blood, their eyes dazed, their minds occupied by a ringing sound.
Marine HQ Major Sleimabo, with a red bandana tied on his head and his face painted with oil, knelt and then stood up. He abruptly raised the flintlock pistol in his right hand and fired three shots in a row at a blurry shadow in front of him.
BANG BANG BANG—
With the sound of gunfire, several brilliant flowers of blood bloomed on the body of the ferociously grinning pirate, and he fell with a mournful cry.
Sleimabo had no time to worry about the blood from his forehead that was already staining his vision red. He quickly sidestepped, plunged the Katachan combat knife in his hand into a pirate's body, and twisted it violently.
As another pirate fell with a wail, Sleimabo pulled out his combat knife and ducked under a sweeping axe. Immediately after, he raised his pistol again and emptied all his bullets into the pirate who had attacked him.
However, the next moment, something that made him feel a sense of dread happened. The tall, Abnormal Titan of a pirate had directly blocked the several lead bullets with his body and was now pouncing at him with a grin.
"Haki?" Sleimabo was fearless. He met the pirate head-on, using his thick arms and rock-like muscles to lock him in a hold. Then, Sleimabo gritted his teeth and, gripping the handle of his combat knife, repeatedly and forcefully struck the pirate's sparsely-haired head.
CRACK—
With more than a dozen powerful blows, the pirate's skull shattered with a crack. Blood and whitish brain matter splattered.
THUD!
Sleimabo casually tossed aside the corpse in his hands. After wiping the blood from the corner of his eye, he picked up a flintlock rifle from the ground and, roaring, charged at the Big Mom Pirates.
"CHARGE!!"
The high-pitched and piercing roar made this strong man attract the attention of many people nearby. It also boosted the morale of the surrounding Marines, who were on the verge of collapse.
"FOR JUSTICE!!"
One after another, impassioned battle cries rang out around Sleimabo. Immediately after, one by one, the Marines whose formation had been broken gathered toward him. Whether they were ordinary Marine soldiers or Lieutenant Commanders and Captains whose ranks were higher than his, at this moment, they all took him as their lead and launched an attack on the endless sea of pirates and Homies in front.
Nearby, the pirate captains under the Archangel and the ministers and "allies" of the Big Mom Pirates were all enraged upon seeing this.
"Where did that guy come from?!"
"Kill him!!"
Uta, in her mermaid form, who was launching soundwaves at the surrounding pirates and Marines with her unique weapon, stopped her movements. She looked at the Marine Major's face and fell into thought.
Sleimabo, with a rifle in one hand and a combat knife in the other, his passion as the tip of the spear, had forcibly pierced into the pirates' army, killing them until they were in disarray. Neither the sharp blades in the pirates' hands nor the stray bullets that flew from hard-to-detect angles could make him lose his will to fight. On the contrary, it only made his eyes become bloodshot, his whole being becoming incomparably fierce.
Sleimabo's bravery, even many of his fellow Marines were flabbergasted by it. They were all inspired, and this fighting spirit spread like wildfire, causing more and more Marines to become abnormally impassioned, their combat power surging.
"Kill him!" Not far away, an executive of the Big Mom Pirates with a bounty of several hundred million saw this inconspicuous small fry reignite the Marines' fighting spirit. He gave a decisive order.
For a time, many pirates who were somewhat famous in the New World abandoned their original opponents and rushed in Sleimabo's direction. And Sleimabo, upon seeing this, showed no fear at all. After emptying his rifle, he charged forward to meet them.
Several of the somewhat famous pirates saw this and, with ferocious smiles, wreathed their weapons in Armament Haki and surrounded this unlucky major.
Just then, one after another, burly figures like small giants charged from the distance, directly sending Sleimabo, along with several terrified pirates, flying into the air. Immediately after, one after another, giant ferocious beasts with scarlet eyes, yellow fur like steel needles, and bodies the size of elephants, charged over. They braved the dense bullets and small cannonballs, leaped up, and with their blood-stained claws and cavernous mouths, tore all the survivors in the air to shreds.
Sleimabo, who had been sent flying into the air by a heavy spear, coughed up another mouthful of blood. His eyes rolled back, and he almost lost consciousness. But soon, he gritted his teeth and woke up again. He used one of the Rokushiki, Geppo, to leap high into the air, away from the giant beasts that were dozens of times more terrifying than a fierce tiger.
He moved back and forth in mid-air with Geppo, and while dodging the gunfire, he watched helplessly as one Marine and pirate after another was reaped like wheat.
However, the good times did not last long. A tall and slender figure enveloped him.
BANG!
With a loud crash, before Sleimabo could realize what had happened, he had already been smashed heavily into the coral near a warship wreck, creating a huge pit.
"..."
In the huge pit.
A woman with brown skin, broad black wings, and searing flames on her back, wearing a pure white toga, stood with one foot on Sleimabo's head.
Artemis held a flaming greatsword with both hands. She expressionlessly looked down at the Marine Major she was stepping on and coolly assumed an executioner's stance.
Just as the flame-wreathed greatsword was about to fall, two Marine Vice Admirals, wearing Justice capes and suits, charged over together. "If you want to kill that brave Marine Major, you'll have to step over our dead bodies first!!"
BOOM—
Two weapons landed squarely on the brown-skinned woman, sending her flying straight out, crashing through the already dilapidated warship and scattering countless supplies. But the next moment, the dilapidated warship exploded directly, and Artemis, who had extinguished the flames on her back, shot out at a speed even faster than when she had been sent flying.
By the time her body was reflected in the eyes of the two Vice Admirals, the flames on her back had been re-ignited, coiling around her sharp greatsword, and she wreathed it in Armament Haki, instantly slashing at the two Vice Admirals who had joined through the World Draft.
Seeing this, the two Vice Admirals' vigilance was raised to the highest level. They took a conservative stance and blocked the blow.
BOOM!
An explosive roar erupted. A powerful impact sent the nearly-dead Sleimabo flying, and he crashed heavily into the warehouse of a half-sunken warship.
With a loud crash, more and more mid- to high-ranking officers rushed over, blocking the one after another Buccaneer and Lunarian warriors, and the ministers of the Big Mom Pirates.
Asmodai, dressed as a priest and holding a strange weapon, lifted the skullcap of a Rear Admiral. She then abruptly turned her head to look at a Buccaneer warrior at her side. "Hey, Dong Yi! Did Artus and that guy say what to do with these bastards from the Big Mom Pirates?"
The old man, who was over 6 meters tall, with a face somewhat similar to the former commander of the Sanbao Navy, and holding a heavy battle halberd, was in the middle of splitting one Marine and pirate after another. He fell into a brief thought. Soon, he came back to his senses and shook his head. "Doesn't seem like they did."
Raising his hand to split a minor executive of the Big Mom Pirates, along with dozens of Homie soldiers, into pieces, he said again, "Although there are Marines present, it's inevitable that some pirates will be affected, right?"
Asmodai glanced at the corpse that had been split in two by Dong Yi, then left thoughtfully.
In a dilapidated warship not far away, Sleimabo, covered in wounds and only a step away from death, lay weakly in a warehouse for storing fruits and vegetables. He felt his body gradually grow cold, and his thoughts drifted back to the deepest parts of his memory.
Just then, a series of light footsteps sounded, attracting his gradually fading attention. He struggled to raise his head and look in the direction of the sound. However, the next second, his eyes flashed with a strange light, and a hint of excitement appeared.
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