No one knew exactly how the Nightfall Pirates had annihilated so many fleets. Each battle ended the same way, silence, fire, and no survivors. Word of their victories spread, but the truth behind them was buried beneath the waves.
Now, on the open sea, Teach stood at the bow of the Lucky Goddess, laughter booming over the roar of the ocean. His black coat whipped in the wind as the Marine fleet drew near.
"Fire first!" he commanded, teeth gleaming in a wild grin. "Let these Marines see what real suppressive firepower looks like! After all guns and cannons are a man's romance!"
Sixteen cannons thundered in perfect unison.
Beside him, Baccarat raised her hand, golden light flickering between her fingers. Even after the last battle, she'd stolen plenty of luck from the enemy. Now that luck flowed freely, weaving itself into every cannonball the crew fired.
The gunners roared in excitement. None of them fully understood Baccarat's ability, but they knew one thing, when she stood beside them, they couldn't miss.
They fired again, and again. Ninety percent of their shots struck home.
"Fire first? They think they can win that way?" Commander Spank sneered from the central Marine warship, watching the Lucky Goddess erupt with flame and smoke.
He believed in the Marines' firepower. But as the first wave of cannonballs screamed through the sky, his confidence cracked.
"Brace!"
The two Marine Commander and a colonel, Spank, Hien, and Robert, reacted instantly. Robert's figure blurred as he kicked a cannonball mid-air, sending it hurtling away. Spank launched a Rankyaku, the crescent slash splitting another shot clean in two. It exploded harmlessly in the air. Hien's sword flashed, severing two more.
They saved their own ship, but the two flanking warships weren't so lucky.
The next moment, twin explosions ripped across the sea. Flames erupted, tearing open decks and scattering bodies. Shattered steel rained down as fire devoured everything in sight.
They turned just in time to watch their comrades vanish in the blaze.
"No—!"
They couldn't move fast enough. Cannonballs slammed into the hulls, shaking the ships to their core. Bodies flew, blood splashed, and men screamed as the sea swallowed them whole.
Even with steel plating, the Marine ships couldn't endure the constant barrage. Under Baccarat's luck, each cannonball struck like divine judgment.
"Damn it!" Spank roared, veins bulging on his neck. "Why are their shots so accurate?!"
No one could answer him. The Marines aboard the surviving ships scrambled to rescue the wounded, their morale collapsing under the weight of the devastation. Half the fleet crippled... after a single round.
But Teach wasn't done.
"Reload! Keep the pressure on!" he bellowed.
The gunners obeyed with manic glee.
"Counterattack!" Robert's voice cut through the chaos. "Don't just stand there, return fire!"
The Marines rallied, firing desperately toward the Lucky Goddess. Cannonballs screamed through the air, but none struck true. Every shot fell short or veered wide, splashing harmlessly into the sea.
Meanwhile, the second wave from the Lucky Goddess hit like thunder.
Teach chuckled, eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "They won't last long in a straight fight. When those three marine high officers come, they'll use Geppo to close in. They've trained in the Six Powers, strong, but not enough. I'll deal with them myself."
"Captain, there's no need," Wallace protested. "They're just Colonels. We can handle it." [T/N: Yes all their official ranks is Colonel. It is just that two of them are Commanders of a Branch, while Robert is not.]
Others nodded in agreement. For Teach to act personally against mere Colonels felt excessive. A Vice Admiral would've been more fitting prey.
"Zehahahaha! I just want a new bounty poster!" Teach's laughter echoed across the deck. "The old one's too ugly."
He tilted his head toward the sky. A News Coo bird froze mid-flight, its camera clicking frantically. Teach's eyes locked on it.
"Make sure you get my good side," he called up, voice like gravel and thunder. "Otherwise, I'll pluck your feathers and boil you for dinner. Got that?"
The bird trembled violently, nodding so fast it nearly fell out of the sky.
The crew laughed, and even Baccarat smirked.
Then came the Marines' second barrage, followed immediately by the Nightfall Pirates' own. Cannonballs collided mid-air, bursting apart. Yet again, none of the Marines' shots found their mark.
"Why can't we hit them?!" Spank shouted in disbelief.
The Nightfall Pirates' cannonballs rained down with merciless precision. Sixteen at a time, every round striking true. The Colonels darted through the air with Geppo, blocking what they could, but some still slipped through.
Another explosion. Another scream. Another ship crippled.
"This can't be happening," Hien muttered, sweat pouring down his face. "Four rounds already, just four rounds, and we're done for?"
Robert's jaw clenched. "We can't keep defending. Everyone jump! Into the sea! We'll board them and fight directly!"
Spank hesitated, pride warring with reason. But he knew Robert was right. "All Marines, abandon ship! Move!"
The soldiers leapt into the sea, relief mixing with shame. Facing that cannon barrage any longer was suicide.
Teach watched them calmly, then smiled. "They're coming."
His figure blurred and vanished.
In an instant, he reappeared mid-air, right in front of Robert. "You're too slow," he said, and his foot shot forward like a bullet.
Boom!
Robert's body folded around the impact, sent flying back into the warship with explosive force. The deck splintered beneath him.
Hien and Spank froze, disbelief etched across their faces.
"You two can follow him," Teach said, voice soft but cold.
He kicked twice more, two blinding strikes that sent both Marines crashing down, carving fresh craters into the wood.
Teach landed lightly, boots clicking against the ruined deck. The three Colonels groaned, struggling to rise as he approached.
"Who… who are you?" Hien rasped, clutching his chest. "How can someone like you exist in the East Blue?"
Teach grinned. "Guess."
A gunshot rang out behind him. A Marine had tried to ambush him from the shadows, and died for it. Blood sprayed across the deck. On the Lucky Goddess, Van Augur lowered his smoking gun without a word.
"Execute all the others," Teach said coldly.
The order spread like wildfire. Pirates leapt from the Lucky Goddess, guns and blades flashing. Marines in the water screamed as bullets rained down. Those still alive on deck were cut down where they stood.
Within moments, the sea turned red.
"Stop! They can't even fight back anymore!" Robert roared, his voice cracking with rage.
Teach glanced at him, amused. "Isn't that just how this world works? The strong live. The weak die. I'm just helping the inevitable happen a little faster."
"You bastard!" Hien lunged, blade flashing toward Teach's chest...
...but froze mid-thrust, eyes wide. Blood gushed from his mouth.
He looked down to see a massive, dark claw piercing through his chest.
Teach's voice was calm, almost gentle. "You should've stayed in the sea."
He withdrew his hand, and Hien collapsed, lifeless.
The deck was silent except for the crackle of flames and the distant cries of the dying. The remaining Commander and Colonel trembled, faces pale. They couldn't even track Teach's movements anymore.
The Lucky Goddess floated through the smoke, its black sails glowing faintly red from the firelight.
And Teach, grinning in the midst of chaos, looked every bit the Lord of Darkness the world would soon come to fear.