One Piece: Marine's Justice

"Fan out! Prioritize the roads leading out of the city!"

Seated atop a sleek, metallic black dragon, Cross barked out orders with a steely expression. The wind howled violently, whipping his coat around him as he addressed the swarm of Enlivened creatures behind him in a low, commanding voice.

"Chirp-chirp—"

"Screee—"

"Rooaaar—"

Hundreds of bird-type Enlivened creatures cried out in response, seemingly able to understand the command. They flapped their wings and scattered in all directions, fanning out across the city of Skoggy, also known as the City of Sculptures.

To those below, hundreds of meters down in the city, it would seem as if a giant black cloud had suddenly burst apart into a flurry of birds, scattering toward the horizon.

But these resurrected statues and sculptures were no ordinary constructs. They were imbued with the property of "life," an uncanny form of existence with rudimentary intelligence. As long as Cross, their Creator, didn't withdraw his power, they would continue to exist, much like an entirely new species. The only difference was that they lacked the ability to reproduce.

Surveying from his aerial vantage point, Cross quickly located something suspicious in a sparse forest outside the city. With the advantage of open skies and sharp perception, his gaze locked onto a group of people moving quickly through the trees, over a dozen individuals, with one towering man among them standing out.

Even though he wore a long black cloak to conceal his identity, it couldn't hide his massive frame or the violent aura radiating off him.

Seriously? You couldn't even bother hiding that gaudy championship belt? The gilded gleam of the Gladiator Champion's belt at his waist reflected sunlight directly into Cross's eyes.

So you're a champion gladiator. Big deal.

Well, guess what? You're my target today.

Still, Cross didn't strike right away. He hovered silently in the air, tailing them from above. He wanted to confirm the location of the rest of the Impaler Pirates before contacting the Marines. The goal was to trap them all on Carocal Island and wipe them out in one decisive strike.

"Shit!"

Suddenly, Cross's face shifted. Observation Haki flared to life, danger incoming!

Without hesitation, he commanded the black dragon to swerve and climb sharply. The creature responded instantly.

FWOOOM!

A black spear shot up from below like a bolt of lightning, narrowly missing the dragon's wing. It sliced through the air with such force it generated a thunderous sonic boom that only reached Cross's ears moments later.

The spear had flown faster than sound.

Had it made contact, even the dragon's full-metal body would've been torn apart.

Wings beating hard to stabilize itself, the dragon soared higher. From its back, Cross peered downward toward the source of the attack.

Atop a small hill beyond the sparse forest stood a group of armed men, some wielding blades and other cold weapons, others carrying firearms. Behind the slope, hundreds more were gathered.

At the crest of the hill stood a man in a flowing crimson cape and golden crown. His presence and attire made him stand out like a monarch among peasants. His style didn't even match the others.

Yeah... the art style doesn't lie. That guy's a boss-level threat if I've ever seen one.

"That's... Vlad Uren, the Impaler Duke!"

Cross's brows knit tight. He recognized the man immediately, captain of the Impaler Pirates, a notorious pirate with a bounty of 762 million Berries, one of the New World's dreaded pirates.

Just then, Cross watched as Vlad Uren accepted another long spear from one of his subordinates. He weighed it in his hands and started aiming, at Cross himself.

Even from nearly a kilometer away, Cross felt an intense sense of dread. His instincts screamed at him.

"Go, go, go!" he shouted.

The black dragon shot upward again and veered off, fleeing at full speed.

If even Oli Baka, one of Vlad's lieutenants and known as the Gladiator Fiend, had nearly overwhelmed him, he had no intention of taking on Vlad Uren himself. Not now.

Forget pride, I've got backup to call!

Suddenly, a series of sharp whistling sounds tore through the air.

Fwoosh—Fwoosh—Fwoosh—

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!

A second later, the forest below erupted into a chain of massive explosions. Fire and shockwaves tore through the sparse trees, blasting everything into splinters. Flaming debris and burning splinters filled the air.

Even from nearly a kilometer up, Cross could feel the concussive pressure buffeting his body.

"What the hell?!"

He quickly ordered the black dragon to circle in place and began scanning the area.

Where did that firepower come from?

He traced the source of the blasts. Several hundred meters from the forest, nestled in a rugged, crater-ridden terrain, was a hidden Marine artillery position.

Over a thousand Marines and dozens of cannons lay hidden in the craters, all manned and ready. Specialist artillery teams scrambled between positions, reloading and firing in rhythmic coordination. Their barrage extended beyond the forest, raining explosive shells on the hillside where Vlad and his men had been.

These weren't standard iron cannonballs, they were impact-detonation explosives, spherical rounds that exploded on contact.

These were the heavy shells used by Marine units in the Grand Line, not the mixed loads of solid shot and blast rounds typical of the Four Blues. Only a few advanced nations had the firepower to rely entirely on such munitions.

After several rounds of bombardment, the cannons fell silent.

What had once been a sparsely wooded area and a half-green, half-yellow hillside was now a scorched wasteland. The ground was cratered and charred, littered with fallen trees and smoke. Only a few trees remained, miraculously spared, standing like lone survivors in a battlefield of ruin.

"Charge!!"

"For Justice!"

"Marines, forward!"

From the trenches and craters, squads of Marines surged forward. Under the command of their officers, they raised their weapons and stormed the battlefield, battle cries echoing across the smoking terrain.

The ambush had been textbook: a sudden bombardment, followed by an infantry push.

Cross nodded in approval. Their tactical execution was excellent. Compared to the army of the Tobias Kingdom, the Marines' fire coordination, precision, and morale were leagues ahead.

Satisfied, Cross directed the black dragon back into a holding pattern above the battlefield. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a standard-issue blue-and-white Marine transponder snail and dialed.

"Moshi-moshi~"

"Vice Admiral Borsalino, I've located the Impaler Pirates' main force."

"That's right, Vlad Uren is here too!"

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