"More-More: Tenfold Buckshot!"
Zip, zip, zip, zip—! Crack, crack, crack, crack—!
A dozen small pebbles shot out with tremendous force, acting like a spray of shotgun fire that instantly leveled a wave of attackers.
"Damn it, there are more and more of them!" Dimitri's face darkened.
Because they were facing ordinary civilians, Dimitri and his men, despite being pirates, weren't the cold-blooded, murderous type. They found themselves fighting with their hands tied.
The priests of the Church of the Night were no fools; they quickly realized that while the Chris Pirates were ruthless toward the clergy, they were hesitating against the commoners. Seizing this advantage, the priests didn't just provide weapons to the believers; some even shed their liturgical robes, donned coarse linen clothes, and blended into the surging crowd armed with superior weapons.
With the aid of the City Defense Force defectors, they even hauled several heavy cannons from the armory to bombard the Chris Pirates.
Sshhh—! Boom! Boom!
A sharp flash of sword-light flickered, slicing a flying cannonball clean in half. The two severed halves exploded harmlessly in mid-air.
"Hey, Dimitri! We can't keep this up!" Cavendish had already drawn Durandal. His aristocratic white attire was now stained with blood and grime.
"Bastards! ROAR—!!"
Vito, who had reached his breaking point, finally snapped. Electric arcs danced across his skin as his frame surged in size, letting out a primal, beast-like howl.
In the blink of an eye, a towering, five-meter-tall dark blue monster stood before the crowd. Jagged currents of electricity coiled around his savage, terrifying form.
Splat—!
Lightning-fast claws swept through the air. A spray of hot blood painted the ground as three civilians wielding kitchen knives and hoes were eviscerated, collapsing into pools of their own blood.
"Vito! What are you doing? Stop!" Dimitri cried out in shock at Vito's sudden lethal turn.
"M-Monster!"
"An Ability User! He's a Devil Fruit eater!"
The sight of such a monstrous creature struck terror into the hearts of the masses. Screams of horror erupted, and the momentum of the mob's frantic charge stuttered.
Seeing the fear in the eyes of the fanatical believers and even the deacons, Razalo, who had just arrived, knew he had to act. He shouted to bolster their spirits: "Do not fear! He is merely an Ability User! The Goddess of the Night protects us! Let us be bathed in the night!"
As he spoke, a unit of heavily armored knights clad in black-and-white cross-emblazoned plate armor marched forward. Since they were on foot, these Church Paladins carried heavy melee weapons: broadswords, battle-axes, and maces.
"That's right! Just a mere Ability User!"
"The Goddess protects!"
"We bathe forever in the darkness of the night!"
Hearing Razalo's voice, the Church clergy regained their footing. They suppressed their internal terror, joining in the loud, hypnotic chants to brainwash the crowd, and themselves.
The Church of the Night had survived for centuries for a reason; their methods of psychological manipulation and mass hypnosis were disturbingly effective. Under the frenzied chanting of the priests and deacons, the ordinary citizens became fanatical once more. They screamed with renewed madness and swarmed forward again.
"If you don't care about your subordinates, I do!" Vito's vertical pupils flashed with a murderous red light as he snarled at Dimitri. "I'm not letting my men die for nothing at the hands of a bunch of rioters!"
Dimitri looked back at his crew. Dozens were already wounded or dead. These were elites with Doriki over a hundred—warriors stronger than standard Marines. They should have been able to crush the opposition and return to the harbor with ease!
Instead, they were pinned down by a mob armed with hoes and kitchen knives, taking casualties. It was a humiliating disgrace.
Phew...
Dimitri let out a long, heavy breath. His eyes instantly turned cold and sharp, returning to the ruthless state he maintained on the battlefield.
"Everyone, listen up! No more holding back! Full power, fight your way back to the harbor!"
His booming voice echoed through the entire street.
"Finally!"
"Kill them all!"
In an instant, a bloodthirsty glint appeared in the pirates' eyes. They swung their blades and raised their guns with savage intent, turning the tide against the rioters.
Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!
The sound of blades carving through flesh filled the air. Crimson blood splattered across the cobblestone streets like a wolf pack tearing through a flock of sheep. Bodies in tattered clothing piled up on the ground in a one-sided slaughter.
"Hiss—!"
Watching from the sidelines, Razalo and Bank gasped. The tide of battle had shifted instantaneously.
Despite outnumbering the pirates ten to one, the mob of ten thousand was being decimated. The commoners were one thing, but even the clergy and the strictly trained Paladins were no match for these pirates.
"It's the SS Drug!" Razalo hissed, clenching his teeth. "What a display of wealth. Even their common crewmen have been injected with SS Drug!"
As a high-level combatant of the Church and Vice-Commander of the Dark Tribunal, Razalo was well-acquainted with the Underworld. He knew all about the highly sought-after SS Drug. The Church of the Night had spent a fortune to acquire a few doses to establish the Dark Tribunal, ensuring their Arbiters were proficient in assassination.
But compared to the Chris Pirates, the disparity was staggering!
"More-More: Hundredfold Gun!!!"
A cold light flashed in Dimitri's eyes. He drew his large-caliber flintlock pistol and squeezed the trigger.
BANG!
The muzzle flashed, and a bullet streaked out. The moment it left the barrel, the thumb-sized lead ball expanded rapidly, instantly becoming a black cannonball the size of a soccer ball that slammed into the crowd.
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted. Searing flames and black smoke engulfed several people, while the resulting shockwave knocked back everyone in the vicinity. Some were killed outright; others were left mangled or died from the sheer concussive force.
"Whoa! As expected of Commander Dimitri!" Marcus grinned, his great-ringed blade dripping with blood as he stood amidst a circle of broken corpses.
"Hahaha! My turn! Big Gun: Rapid Fire!!!"
Rock laughed heartily, extending both arms. They transformed into two thick cannon barrels, nearly 300mm in caliber.
Boom! Boom!
Muzzle flashes strobed as the thunderous reports of cannons rang out. Two searing black cannonballs tore out from his arms.
"Cannonballs!"
Some in the crowd could only watch in despair as the projectiles bore down on them.
BOOM! BOOM!
Violent explosions tore through the masses. Thick black smoke and fire, mingled with debris and severed limbs, were hurled into the sky. The powerful air currents swept outward, flipping dozens of people over.