The next moment, that touch of azure expanded continuously in Ivan's hand, transforming into a soccer-ball-sized azure sphere in the blink of an eye.
The azure sphere emitted a terrifying gravitational force, distorting the surrounding air.
The bullets tore through the air, rushing toward Ivan at high speed. However, upon reaching a short distance in front of him, their flight trajectories instantly changed, and they were forcibly sucked into the azure sphere.
Unnoticed by many, the dense gunfire and the sound of bullets breaking the air ceased. The pirates looked at the increasingly massive azure sphere before them, their faces drained of color.
"This... what is this?"
"A monster! White Dove is a monster!"
As the Weakest Sea, Devil Fruits were already legends to the vast majority of people here. Even the pirates of the Alvida Pirates had never seen a Devil Fruit in existence.
When they saw that incomprehensible azure sphere distorting space and intercepting all the bullets, they understood that they absolutely could not harm White Dove!
No, this was not an opponent they could defeat. They had to run!
It was unknown which pirate fled into the distance first, but the rest of the pirates, who originally had ferocious expressions, immediately dropped their weapons and ran toward Alvida's pirate ship in extreme panic.
Seeing this, Alvida gripped her iron mace and roared in anger:
"Damn bastards, stop right there for me! He's just a Devil Fruit user; we can win!"
But just as her voice fell, she saw Ivan looking at her coldly, followed by a wave of his palm.
That terrifying azure sphere accelerated rapidly, rushing toward her at an astonishing speed.
A look of horror appeared on Alvida's face. However, at such a distance, she could no longer dodge and could only forcibly withstand it.
She gripped her iron mace tightly, the muscles all over her body knotting, and swung the mace toward the azure sphere, creating a piercing whistling sound.
At the same time, Alvida roared:
"Damn you, Ivan! Who do you think I am? I am Alvida!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the iron mace collided with the azure sphere. This scene attracted everyone's attention; both pirates and Marines stared fixedly at the spectacle.
Because the ensuing collision would determine the outcome of this battle.
But the scene that followed caused everyone to cry out in disbelief.
They saw Alvida's iron mace, capable of smashing through a warship's deck, shatter instantly upon contact with the azure sphere.
The entire mace turned into steel fragments and was absorbed by the azure sphere, making it even more massive.
The next moment, the azure sphere crushed Alvida's arm and body, pushing forward amidst a blooming mist of blood.
It crushed the deck and pirates in its path until it plowed into Alvida's pirate ship, piercing right through it and finally disappearing into the sea.
After a brief silence, the azure color fully erupted within the seawater. Terrifying gravity distorted everything around it, and the nearby Alvida pirate ship was dragged into it once again.
After an unknown amount of time, everything ended.
Looking ahead again, a fissure had torn through the deck. At the end of the fissure, Alvida's pirate ship had been snapped in half at the waist and was slowly sinking!
Whether pirates or Marines, everyone was frozen in place, looking at this scene in disbelief. The only things remaining in the world were the lightning and thunder still echoing above.
It wasn't until Ivan helplessly cleared his throat and suddenly raised his voice in a stern reprimand:
"What are you still waiting for? Hurry up and arrest the remaining pirates! Kill anyone who dares to resist! We have already won!"
This angry shout was like a thunderclap, waking the Marines from their daze. They instantly erupted into earth-shaking cheers, raising their muskets and pouncing on the remaining pirates.
As for those pirates, their faces were ashen. They collapsed on the deck, not daring to move, obediently allowing the Marines to tie them into a string with coarse hemp rope.
Are you kidding?
White Dove was now a ruthless character who could easily crush Alvida, who had a bounty of five million Beli. Where would small fry like them find the courage to resist?
Surrendering obediently might at least save their lives, but resisting meant certain death.
They didn't want to turn into a disgusting pile of meat paste like Boss Alvida!
In the distance, the pirate ship that had been torn down the middle sank with the waves and was now completely submerged. Aside from the broken sails and masts floating on the surface, no trace of Alvida's ship could be seen.
On the deck, numerous soldiers tied the remaining pirates to one side, while the other side was piled with treasures collected by the Alvida Pirates.
Tashigi excitedly counted the number of captured pirates. A moment later, she came to Ivan's side, looking at him with adoration:
"Ensign Ivan, in this battle, we captured twenty-three pirates from the Alvida Pirates alive, seized a total of 7.5 million Beli, and killed thirty pirates including Alvida. It is a complete victory!"
It was no wonder Tashigi was so excited. After all, even though Ivan's strength was comparable to pirates with bounties of several million, in the past, they had at most captured pirates with bounties of over a million.
This was their first time capturing a pirate with a bounty of 5 million like Alvida!
This merit alone was enough to promote Ivan one rank, allowing him to become a Lieutenant!
And as Ivan's adjutant, Tashigi would also receive a substantial reward.
Looking at the pirates tied in a row on the deck, Ivan nodded in satisfaction. He turned to face the many Marines and issued an order:
"Everyone, inventory the supplies and lock the captives in the bottom hold. We are setting sail to return to Loguetown!"
"Yes, Ensign Ivan!" the soldiers responded passionately.
When Ivan returned to the captain's quarters, Tashigi immediately went behind him, took off his Justice coat and jacket, and placed them on the clothing rack to the side.
The storm outside was isolated by the cabin, and under the warm yellow light, the room felt cozy.
However, Tashigi's heart was still not calm. The bespectacled girl stared at Ivan with adoration, making him feel quite uncomfortable.
Ivan asked in confusion, "Tashigi, what's wrong? Why do you keep looking at me?"
Tashigi snapped back to reality, realizing she had been staring at Ivan, and her face turned slightly red.
However, children of the sea were never too hung up on small details. She soon returned to normal and asked curiously:
"Ensign Ivan, was that azure sphere just now a Devil Fruit ability? Did you become a Devil Fruit user?"
As she spoke, Tashigi looked at Ivan with anticipation.
It was well known that in the Weakest Sea, the East Blue, the number of Devil Fruit users was ridiculously low.
So, as long as one became a Devil Fruit user, they could become a powerhouse.
Not to mention that Ensign Ivan was already strong. If a Devil Fruit were added to the mix, he might possess the strength of a ten-million-bounty pirate!
Ivan glanced at the System panel.
[Due to your recent performance, [Gojo Satoru Template] Synchronization +5]
Feeling the power in his body, which was now a bit stronger than before, Ivan smiled:
"That's right, I have indeed become a Devil Fruit user!"