Big Mom stared at the image from the Den Den Mushi, her eyes going straight.
Who would still use those broken guns and cannons with such good things? In the future, if she wanted an island or a country, she could just have her subordinates drop a hundred machines there. No need for her to appear personally.
Moreover, compared to others, Charlotte Linlin had even more ideas. She was the user of the Soru Soru no Mi, capable of creating Homies that anthropomorphized inanimate objects. If she bought these machines and used her Devil Fruit to bring them to life, their destructive power would be even greater.
Looking at it now, these machines were extremely efficient at clearing low-level forces, but their clumsiness was still apparent. This clumsiness didn't mean the Ruin Guards moved slowly. Once these machines entered war mode, their movements were actually very rapid.
But their actions were somewhat too rigid. Charlotte Linlin, after her shock, quickly saw through these machines' attack patterns. Anyone with sufficient Observation Haki, even if unable to counter these machines, could at least dodge.
However, this weakness wasn't very obvious on the battlefield. The countless screams, fear, and madness... various sounds constantly erupted. Many pirates who had just grasped Observation Haki couldn't catch useful information among these sounds. Instead, their brains were thrown into chaos.
It was already a killing machine for low-level battles. Many of these pirates hadn't even mastered two types of Haki.
But even so, as long as one stayed calm, they could see through these machines' attack patterns through observation. Worst case, staying far away always worked.
These were slight defects in the Ruin Guards, but Big Mom could completely eliminate these defects! By turning them into Homies, these machines would gain thinking ability, making their attacks more flexible.
In Big Mom's view, this robot army was tailor-made for her. Only in her hands could they unleash maximum power. And these machines' size and appearance reminded her of the giant Longarm Tribe.
"Mama, mama, if only these machines were bigger!" Her only regret was that they weren't as massive as real giants. She had always wanted a giant army. But due to childhood events, Charlotte Linlin's relationship with giants was hardly friendly.
Big Mom felt this army belonged to her, but others clearly didn't think so.
At that moment, Wang Zhi on Pirate Island also had burning eyes. No one could refuse such military power. Over two hundred machines had instantly routed eight thousand pirates!
If they'd had these during the God Valley incident, they wouldn't have been beaten so badly by the Marines.
But clearly, the Ruin Guards had more surprises in store!
On the battlefield, Shiki and John's subordinates began retreating. If they couldn't beat them, couldn't they at least hide? As long as they kept their distance and watched for them dropping from the sky, these things didn't seem that scary.
"Fall back to the sides, scatter quickly!"
The dark mass of pirates scattered in all directions. Once dispersed, the Ruin Guards' windmill attack became much less effective. These things weren't something the small fry could handle; let the strong ones deal with them.
Shiki and John had over eight thousand pirates, and not all were just rabble. Even if only one in a hundred was skilled, that was still eighty decent fighters.
The actual ratio might be even higher.
He had planned to play a single card, but the opponent played a straight. These scattered pirates couldn't handle it.
But before his order could be given, the battlefield situation changed again.
To be precise, those machines made a strange move.
Seeing the pirates start fleeing in all directions, these Ruin Guards bent their legs and leaned backward as if paralyzed. Their arms, longer than an ape's, became supports pressed against the snow.
At the same time, the glowing spheres on their spherical torsos that looked like eyes became scorching hot. The falling snow and ice evaporated before even touching the Ruin Guards' bodies, turning into thick white vapor that drifted away.
The entire battlefield was suddenly covered in white mist.
"I can't see..."
"What's going on?"
The loss of vision brought panic. The pirates were on edge, constantly turning their heads, afraid a Ruin Guard might emerge from the mist and slap their heads off.
But clearly they worried too much. The Ruin Guards had entered bombing mode!
Crimson firelight refracted through the white mist. Before these pirates could react, they heard artillery sounds beside their ears!
"Boom—"
"Boom—"
The snowfield constantly shook. Countless fireballs shot from the Ruin Guards' chests into the sky, then fell like meteor volcanoes toward the pirates!
(Akainu: ??? Bad news, I've become a substitute.)
The explosion's gale whipped up crimson snow and ice, rushing outward like red waves.
Many pirates hadn't yet figured out what was happening when flames from the sky rained down like meteor showers, blowing their bodies apart. In the white mist, it seemed as if countless fire dragons were roaring and howling!
...
White waves surged, nearly drowning Shiki and John. Both wore grim expressions. Shiki exhaled a puff of smoke, and the incoming snow waves parted to either side as if blocked by an invisible barrier. Their feet remained on untouched ground.
Witnessing this gruesome spectacle, he briefly considered charging into the fray himself. These useless fools were falling so fast it was becoming an embarrassment
He still didn't know he was being broadcast live to the world. John did have the Den Den Mushi that SakeTen had sent over, but he'd already thrown it away. In his view, it was unnecessary—after this battle, Inazuma would belong to John anyway. He could watch slowly then.
But he hadn't expected such a Waterloo right from the start. Those wastes were beaten into nothing but scraps.
Hey everyone,
I need to tell you what's actually happening.
I just got hit with mass cancellations. On top of being buried in academics until the 9th. I'm in deep financial trouble right now—like, genuinely don't-know-how-I-cover-next-month trouble.
I want to do more for you. I have another Naruto fic ready to drop the moment this academic hell ends. But I can't keep creating if I can't survive.
I'm not powerless about the work—I know I can deliver for you. But I'm powerless to stop the bleeding alone.
If you've ever thought about supporting, this is the moment. Not "someday." Now.
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