However, the Marines were still the Marines. Led by a group of elite Vice Admirals, they quickly stabilized their formation. They didn't dare to confront Linlin head-on, but instead used their numerical advantage and exquisite coordination to form nets of interwoven cannon fire, continuously wearing down and pinning Linlin, preventing her from having a devastating impact on the entire battle.
Gatz was also in trouble. Although he was brave, knocking down enemies with every swing, the number of marine soldiers was simply too great. As soon as he cleared the soldiers from one ship, soldiers from another would immediately swing over on ropes, charging at him with no fear of death. He was like a giant elephant trapped in a swarm of ants; although he could trample countless ants, he was being endlessly harassed.
"Dammit! Why are these guys like cockroaches? You can't kill them all!" Gatz roared, gasping for breath after sweeping seven or eight marines into the sea with his anchor.
The battle seemed to have fallen into a strange stalemate. Although the individual strength of the Rocks Pirates was terrifying, the Marines, with their vast numbers, superior equipment, and tight organization, had managed to drag this fierce beast into the quagmire of war.
On the bridge, Dolum's face was pale. He looked at the continuous damage reports coming from all over the ship's hull, his heart aching so much he was about to faint. "The number three armor plate on the port side is cracked from the shockwave! The energy shield generator at the stern is overloaded by thirty percent! If this goes on, the Azure Dragon will have to be retired early!"
"Quiet," a calm voice said from behind him. It was Ren. He had left the kitchen at some point and had come to the command console on the bridge. His gaze wasn't on the god-like battle outside, but was fixed on the red dots that were constantly changing positions on the radar screen.
"Dolum, bring up the holographic projection of the battlefield. Synchronize the energy fluctuation data of all combat units." Ren's tone was unquestionable.
"Huh? Oh!" Although Dolum was confused, he subconsciously carried out the order.
Soon, a huge, three-dimensional battlefield map made of light dots and lines appeared in the center of the bridge. Ren walked up to the map, his eyes quickly scanning the complex data streams. The entire battle situation was quickly deconstructed and reassembled in his mind.
"I see..." A flash of understanding appeared in Ren's eyes. "This isn't an encirclement and annihilation. It's a trap. A huge trap with Sengoku and Garp as the bait and the entire fleet as the cage."
He discovered that the Marine fleet's every move, every shot, was not random. They seemed to be fighting their own battles, but in reality, they were slowly and stealthily tightening the encirclement, herding the Azure Dragon and all its crew members toward a preset central point. There, in the heart of the Maelstrom Sea, the currents were the most violent, the magnetic field was the most chaotic, and it was also where the Seastone chains were most densely deployed. Once forced into that area, the Azure Dragon would completely lose its mobility and become a sitting duck. And Sengoku, the brilliant strategist's true killing move, must be hidden there.
"A classic move, inviting the king into the urn," Ren praised softly, then a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Unfortunately, you chose the wrong opponent."
He looked up and, through the internal Den Den Mushi, gave a series of bizarre commands to his comrades who were fighting on the battlefield, his voice calm and steady.
"Silver."
"Here," a response came from the shadows.
"Abandon your current target. Proceed at full speed to coordinate D-7. There is a communications relay ship there, number 'Dove of Justice 07'. Sink it with your fastest attack."
"Linlin."
"What?! Can't you see I'm having fun?!" Linlin's impatient voice came through.
"At your three o'clock, that seemingly empty patch of sea. Use your strongest lightning to attack that area indiscriminately."
"Gatz."
"Head Chef! What's up!"
"Return to the ship immediately. Go to the engine room at the stern. See that red emergency pressure release valve? After I count down from three, I want you to smash it open with all your might."
Three commands—concise, strange, yet filled with an unquestionable authority. Silver didn't hesitate for a moment; his figure vanished instantly. Although Linlin was a little annoyed, the thought of Ren's food made her snort and urge Zeus to fly toward that empty patch of sea. Gatz, without another word, scrambled back to the Azure Dragon.
On the main flagship, Sengoku, who was in a fierce battle with Newgate, suddenly felt that something was wrong. He noticed that the Rocks Pirates' attack had suddenly become disorganized, even chaotic. "Trying to break through? Too late," Sengoku snorted. He was confident that his net was unbreakable.
However, the next second, the confidence on his face froze completely. BOOM! An indescribably thick pillar of purple lightning descended from the sky, viciously striking the "safe" sea area he had ordered his fleet to avoid! The seawater was instantly vaporized, revealing the dozens of phantom submarines hidden beneath the surface, which were secretly moving into an encirclement! They were the true main force of this ambush, the trump card that Sengoku had prepared to deliver the fatal blow!
On the other side, as the communication ship in the D-7 area was pierced by Silver's spear, the entire Marine fleet's command system experienced a three-second-long period of chaos and delay.
And in those three seconds! BOOM! At the stern of the Azure Dragon, the huge pressure release valve was smashed open by Gatz's anchor. A massive amount of energy, mixed with high-pressure steam, instantly spewed out, creating an unparalleled propulsive force! The Azure Dragon, like an arrow released from a bow, shot out from the weakest point of the closing encirclement with a self-destructive madness!
Sengoku's net was torn open by Ren's three seemingly unrelated commands, in the most barbaric and unreasonable way!
"H-how is that possible?!" Sengoku stared at the black behemoth that had broken through his encirclement, at his submarine fleet that had been struck by lightning and was in disarray. A look of shock appeared on his Buddha-like face.
Sengoku's plan had been foiled by Ren in an incredible way, and the rhythm of the entire battle was instantly disrupted. The Azure Dragon, having broken through the encirclement, did not choose to flee. Instead, under Dolum's emergency control, it made a beautiful tail-whip turn, aiming the hundred black cannon muzzles on its side at the chaotic Marine fleet.
"Fire!" Rocks's roar echoed from the bridge.
BOOM! A saturation bombardment, this time initiated by the Rocks Pirates! Countless cannonballs, trailing black smoke, descended upon the Marine fleet's formation like a vengeful iron storm, instantly blasting several warships into a sea of fire.
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