At Wheat Ear Harbor's coastline, waves crashed violently against the shore, and the storm, carrying heavy sheets of rain, howled across the massive and imposing Marine warship.
Bacchus stood upright on the swaying deck, his expression filled with unconcealed excitement.
Bringing the warship here had indeed been the right decision.
Originally, his plan had only been to use the warship's presence to pressure Luna into leaving the Dareleka Islands, since her actions had caused too many civilian casualties.
If he had not personally come, he might not have interfered at all. Duke of Bones was troublesome to deal with, and more importantly, Duke of Bones was stronger than him.
But Alvin had not left the Dareleka Islands. He had even returned.
Now Bacchus no longer cared about Duke of Bones or anyone else. As long as he killed Alvin, he was confident that Admiral Aokiji would back him up.
That previous shot should have struck Alvin. Thinking of this, Bacchus felt his excitement surge like a rising tide.
He fixed his gaze on the Tide Kitchen Hotel in the distance, clenched his fists, and roared:
"Red Hawk has gone completely mad, slaughtering so many civilians!"
"Fire!"
"Level the place!"
"We must completely eliminate Red Hawk, Garfield Alvin!"
"Yes, Colonel Bacchus!" the Marines responded in unison.
With Bacchus's decisive order, the warship instantly erupted into action. Rows of cannons ignited at once, spewing flames and thunderous blasts.
Shells streaked across the storm-darkened sky, gleaming coldly as they tore through the air toward the rooftop of the Tide Kitchen Hotel and the surrounding buildings.
On the hotel's top floor, after evading the first barrage, Alvin immediately retreated from the Tide Kitchen Hotel.
Naval bombardment was no joke. The hotel would never withstand a second round.
Sure enough, as soon as he leapt down, the second barrage followed. Several shells struck the building directly, nearly reducing it to rubble.
Alvin was caught in the shockwave of the explosion. Fortunately, he had already reached ground level, and his physique was strong enough to withstand the impact. Otherwise, he would have been seriously injured.
He did not hesitate. Before the bombardment expanded further, he dashed through the storm at high speed, escaping the artillery zone.
The Marine bombardment had inadvertently created an opportunity for him to break free from Luna's pursuit.
At that moment, Luna, who had been forced to the ground by the blast, spat out a mouthful of blood and glared furiously at the warship offshore.
Those damned Marines. If not for their sudden bombardment, she would have already taken control of Alvin. She had to make them pay.
Without another word, she moved swiftly toward the coast.
————
After leaving the bombardment range, Alvin rushed into the dense forest.
The rain was pouring and the wind howled relentlessly. In such weather, setting sail was impossible. For now, he could only take shelter in the forest and avoid Marine pursuit.
Fortunately, he discovered a cave. Otherwise, he would have had to endure the storm outside all night.
"These past two days have been nothing but trouble," Alvin muttered while changing out of his soaked clothes.
He was certain he had not provoked anyone from Skull Bay, so why had Luna targeted him? The situation left him completely puzzled.
Still, he made a silent vow. Once he mastered Armament Haki, he would wipe out Skull Bay entirely.
However, in order to obtain an Armament Haki ability through the system, he needed to defeat someone who possessed Armament Haki. That opponent could not be too powerful, or he would stand no chance.
"It seems I still need to keep strengthening my physique until it can contend with Armament Haki head on," Alvin thought.
The island was ravaged by the storm, yet the distant sound of naval bombardment still reached him, allowing him to gauge the scale of the attack.
No wonder a Marine Buster Call was considered a power capable of destroying nations.
Even Benn Beckman of the Red Hair Pirates had once implied that if one intended to confront such forces, at the very least a warship was required just to qualify for the battlefield.
————
The warship's bombardment did not last long.
Luna was furious. Under Duke of Bones' protection, she had not suffered such humiliation in years.
Moreover, Skull Bay paid a substantial tribute to the Marines every year.
And yet these Marines dared to bombard her?
Enraged, she arrived at the coastline and, without hesitation, unleashed her Devil Fruit ability, instantly taking out nearly half of the Marine soldiers.
Even Colonel Bacchus nearly fell under her control.
If Bacchus's Haki had not been superior to hers, she might have killed him on the spot.
"Bastard!" Bacchus roared, his eyes blazing with fury. "Luna, do you intend to make an enemy of the entire Marine?"
The deck of the warship had turned into a gruesome scene.
The remains of Marine soldiers were scattered everywhere, blood and shattered bodies staining the deck in a horrifying display.
The surviving Marines were utterly terrified by Luna's brutal methods. They shrank back into corners, trembling as though the end of the world had arrived.
Luna stood silently, ignoring Bacchus's roar.
Rain poured relentlessly onto the deck, which swayed violently in the storm. The heavy downpour gradually washed away the thick scent of blood in the air.
But Bacchus could no longer endure it.
So many Marines had died.
Even if he eventually killed Red Hawk, he would likely face severe punishment from Marine Headquarters at Marineford.
Dismissal, investigation, perhaps even imprisonment.
And the source of it all was the cold and beautiful woman standing before him.
Luna.
At that thought, Bacchus's fury erupted like a volcano.
His eyes widened, muscles tightening as he pushed off the deck. Like a cannonball propelled forward, he charged toward Luna with overwhelming rage and killing intent.
For a brief instant, time seemed to stand still.
Amid the raging storm and crashing waves at Wheat Ear Harbor, the two figures collided.
An intense battle began.
Meanwhile, Alvin, who had been monitoring the coastline with Observation Haki, focused on Bacchus and Luna as soon as the bombardment ceased.
"Hiss…"
"They're actually fighting?"
"That works for me. If they're fighting, I'll have my chance…" Alvin murmured.
He stood up and stepped out of the cave.
Upon reaching the entrance, he glanced down at his clean clothes and felt a trace of annoyance.
"I should not have changed…"
Muttering under his breath, Alvin retrieved his sniper rifle from his system space and calmly made his way toward the remaining Marine soldiers at Wheat Ear Harbor.
...
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