They had originally prepared themselves to receive Roya's sword slash, yet what descended was a torrent of flames. Instantly scorched and thrown into disarray, before they could even break free of the fire, a massive sword wave crashed down right after. Under these two moves alone, the Silver Sword Pirates were thrown into complete chaos.
Buzz!!!
At that moment, a figure swung his sword upward to meet the incoming Getsuga Tenshō.
It was the captain of the Silver Sword Pirates. With a bounty of 220 million Beli and being a New World pirate, his strength was naturally formidable. However, having his formation disrupted by the flames first and then being forced to face Getsuga Tenshō in haste, how could he possibly withstand it?
He knew full well that he could not block it, yet he had no choice but to try.
Leaping high to meet the descending Getsuga Tenshō, the Silver Sword Pirates' captain slashed upward with his sword. The clash produced a sharp metallic ring, and then, under the overwhelming pressure of the sword wave, his entire body was forcibly smashed down from the air!
Boom!!
Even the other core members of the Silver Sword Pirates rushed forward in an attempt to block Getsuga Tenshō, yet all of them were likewise crushed down by this single sword wave.
One sword suppressing all enemies!
Slash!
As the blade fell, the sword energy swept across the pirate ship. A massive crack appeared in the center of the vessel—so deep that it nearly split the entire ship clean in two!
In the distance.
The Marine rear admirals and other officers aboard the warship nearly dropped their jaws, their faces filled with exaggerated disbelief.
Just what kind of background did that trainee Marine from Marine Headquarters have… to be this powerful?!
"Quick! Stop the bombardment!"
Only now did the rear admiral aboard the warship snap back to his senses. No wonder Roya had asked them to halt the shelling—because their artillery fire would only interfere with him!
Above the pirate ship.
Roya stepped through the air with Geppo, hovering in midair. Looking down at the pirate ship engulfed in flames, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a faint smile.
"As expected of a New World pirate crew. Not a single one of you is dead. Well done."
"In that case, this suits me even better. Otherwise… this battle would be far too boring."
The moment his words fell, Roya's figure suddenly halted in midair. His body flipped upside down as he reversed his Geppo, charging straight toward the pirate ship below.
As he descended, Roya gripped Engetsu in one hand and swept it horizontally.
"Taimatsu!"
Boom!!
Blazing flames surged upward. Roya himself seemed to transform into a meteor wrapped in dozens of meters of fire, crashing straight down into the very center of the pirate ship!
The ship had already been burning fiercely, and now the flames raged even more violently. Some of the ordinary pirates were already scorched beyond endurance and, unable to withstand the inferno, jumped straight into the sea.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Towering flames erupted again and again, sweeping outward like waves. The entire pirate ship was engulfed in fire, as though it had become a gigantic furnace.
Those pirates who jumped into the sea were quickly captured by the Marines aboard the warship on the other side.
As for those who didn't jump…
The Marines aboard the warship stared at the Silver Sword Pirates' vessel, now continuously incinerated by towering flames, and couldn't help swallowing hard.
"This is… just too outrageous."
"It looks like all we can do is stand here and watch."
Even the five Marine rear admirals, gazing at the blazing inferno, could only smile bitterly. If they rushed in, they might manage to hold out against the flames briefly—but that would likely just get in Roya's way.
This was clearly… a battle that required no assistance whatsoever.
All they needed to do was capture every pirate who jumped off the ship.
Slash! Slash!
Within the raging flames, sword energy burst out from time to time, ripping through bulkheads and shooting into the sea, cleaving the water into trenches more than ten meters long before the waves closed in again, sending up sprays of foam.
No one knew how much time passed.
From the continuously burning pirate ship, a figure slowly emerged.
As this figure walked forward, the flames parted before him as if welcoming a king, splitting down the middle and gradually dissipating. What remained were countless charred ruins, collapsing one after another.
Whoosh!!
Roya lightly stepped forward, leapt into the air, and after several flashes, returned to the deck of the warship. Engetsu had already been sheathed.
There were bloodstains on Roya's body, but the blood had long since dried. Aside from that, there were no traces of burning—his clothes were intact, and not even a single strand of hair was singed.
"Go clean up. If you don't hurry, that ship is probably going to sink."
Back on the warship, Roya saw everyone standing there in a daze. He rolled his eyes, pointed at the distant pirate ship that was collapsing under the flames, and reminded them.
Silence.
After who knew how long, the voice of a Marine rear admiral finally broke the stillness.
"Hurry and clear the battlefield!"
Only then did the warship erupt into renewed noise and activity.
At that moment.
Roya had already returned to his cabin. He took off the clothes stained with blood and frowned slightly as he looked at them.
"Even though I wasn't injured… having flame abilities and Observation Haki, yet still getting blood on me. It seems my performance in battle still isn't good enough. I haven't experienced enough real combat."
When his blood ran hot, Roya loved the kind of reckless, all-out fighting where he threw everything away. At the same time, he also preferred an elegant style—reducing masts and sails to ashes with a flick of his fingers.
It was a contradictory mindset.
"If my training in sword pressure reached the level of nine-sword fusion, or even ten-sword fusion, then this battle would have been much easier. There probably wouldn't have been any bloodstains at all."
In the end.
Roya arrived at a single conclusion—he was still not strong enough.
---
Marine G-4 Branch
"You're back."
The base commander of the G-4 Branch sat in his office, smiling at the other vice admiral who had just entered. This vice admiral was the G-4 Branch vice admiral, second in status only to him here.
"Yeah. That pirate still got away."
The G-4 Branch vice admiral looked frustrated. He sat down, lit a cigarette, and started smoking.
After finishing one cigarette, he lit another, crossed his legs, and smiled at the base commander.
"Nothing happened recently, right?"
"Well, there was one thing," the base commander said with a wry smile. "A relative of Vice Admiral Garp came to our branch. He's a new recruit from the elite training camp, here to take part in the second stage of the graduation assessment. It's just that…"
He paused, then sighed.
"For some reason, Marine Headquarters assigned him the task of exterminating the Silver Sword Pirates."
"Second stage of the graduation assessment… the Silver Sword Pirates?!"
The G-4 Branch vice admiral's eyes widened instantly.
"Did he offend someone? If I remember correctly, the Silver Sword Pirates have a bounty of 220 million Beli. Back when I dealt with a pirate worth 130 million, I nearly failed…"
At that, he paused again and frowned, shaking his head.
"No, that doesn't make sense. If he's Vice Admiral Garp's relative, no one would dare deliberately make things difficult for him."
"I thought the same," the base commander replied. "So I didn't ask too many questions and followed Marine Headquarters' instructions. We just received intelligence that they've already encountered the Silver Sword Pirates. I don't know how it turned out."