White Ghost and his crew were watching the sunrise when a fleet appeared on the horizon—more than thirty ships, sweeping in like a dark tide.
"Looks like trouble," Kuro said, pushing up his glasses. The cold gleam on the lenses couldn't hide the bloodthirsty look in his eyes.
"Finally! We can go all out," Zan Gao grinned, arms folded, staring at the approaching ships with fanatic excitement.
Señor Pink didn't say a word. He stood at the edge of the high ground, cigarette between his lips, silently preparing.
"SUPER FRANKY!" Franky struck his signature pose, vibrating with excitement. "Hahahaha!"
Kontena raised his telescope and scanned. "There are people packed on every deck. This is going to be a real war."
As the fleet drew closer, White Ghost's Observation Haki caught something—one presence, heavy and sharp.
"Everyone," White Ghost said as he stood and rolled his shoulders. "We've got real trouble this time. If you don't want to die, then fight like hell to stay alive."
The crew froze for a beat, then their eyes shifted back to the fleet.
So there was a monster among them.
Stella and Elena calmly pulled out the Desert Eagles Franky had built and began loading magazines with practiced hands. Wanda drew her sword and positioned herself beside them like a shield.
After eating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Nami's already fearless nature had only gotten bolder—she looked ready to leap straight into the storm.
White Ghost's voice cut through it. "Nami. Wanda. Na Qin. Protect Elena and the others."
"Got it, White Bro." Nami clearly wanted to charge in, but she obeyed. She moved to Elena's side and held position, electricity faintly crawling over her fingertips.
Señor Pink released Lucian's hand. "Relax. Nothing's going to happen. A little injury isn't a big deal for a real man."
"Mm." Lucian nodded, worry still lingering in her eyes. "Be careful."
"Big one's here," Pedro murmured, lighting a cigarette. He'd sensed it too—then smiled slowly. After getting beaten down by Garp, he'd trained his body like crazy. Now he finally had a chance to test it.
Enel slapped his palm to the ground.
His Devil Fruit ability activated—metallic sheen rippling like liquid as the silver spread, flowed, and hardened in seconds, building upward layer by layer until a compact war-fortress rose up around the non-frontline members and the "little squirrel."
A-Da, A-Er, Urouge, and Akin cracked their necks and clenched their fists, ready to tear into a massacre.
On the fleet's flagship, a vicious-looking brute—Spidey—bellowed, "They're on the hilltop! All ships—aim and fire!"
"Roger—!"
Cannons pivoted in unison, muzzles lifting toward the tiny figures on the mountain.
Nearby, Shura stood with arms crossed, gaze locked on the peak.
He could feel it clearly: the man up there… wasn't weaker than him.
Troublesome.
But these youngsters had little real killing experience. It was still manageable.
"FIRE!" Spidey roared.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shells screamed through the sky, a storm of iron and flame falling toward White Ghost's position.
Ain drew her twin blades and swung casually.
WHUM—!
A slicing wave cut across the incoming barrage.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The shells detonated midair, none getting through. Gunpowder smoke spread over the whole mountainside like a filthy cloud.
"Keep firing!" Spidey shouted. "If we can drain even a little of their stamina, it's worth it!"
The cannons thundered again.
"Tch." From inside the fortress, Nami clicked her tongue. You think cannons matter?
She spread her fingers, curling them like claws.
"Storm Claws."
Thin lightning threads shot from her fingertips, weaving through the shells like needles through cloth.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The shells continued exploding in the air—
and then the payback came.
Nami raised her hand toward the clouds. "Thunder God's Judgment!"
The sky churned. Lightning writhed like living serpents.
Shura narrowed his eyes, looking up. A Logia of lightning…?
Everyone—pirates and crew alike—looked up as the rolling electricity pressed down on their nerves.
"Judgment." Nami's lips curved. She gathered power for a moment, then pointed down.
A pillar of lightning—nearly ten meters thick—slammed down with the force of divine punishment.
"AAAAH—!"
The men on deck didn't even have time to react before the ship was struck.
BOOOOM!
The vessel exploded, and the sea itself was punched open—an ugly crater forming.
The crater began to twist, pulling into a whirlpool that dragged nearby ships toward it, grinding them apart.
Then—
A terrifying sword aura came streaking in from the fleet.
SHRAAAK—!
It struck the whirlpool dead center and split it apart, killing the vortex instantly.
Spidey swallowed hard. Have I been provoking a monster this whole time…?
Shura slowly lowered his massive sword, clearly satisfied. The surrounding men looked at him with awe and fear—exactly what he liked.
"Lightning…" Far from the fleet, a small boat drifted quietly. A hooded fat man watched the scene and spoke low.
"He really does have more good stuff," the woman beside him said, still glancing up at the clouds as if terrified another bolt would hit their position.
Spidey's eyes burned with greed as he stared at the hilltop. So the rumors were true—White Ghost still had treasures in his hands.
A lightning Logia. One of the most terrifying abilities on the sea.
The fleet reached shore.
Spidey roared, "CHARGE! Even if we have to bury them with bodies—wipe them out!"
"RAAAH!"
A flood of men leapt from the ships—pirates, assassins, bounty hunters, and gangsters. Their goal was simple:
Rush up the slope. Kill the man worth two billion.
Nami's face went pale. The previous strike had looked effortless, but it had drained her hard. She was still a kid—her stamina wasn't endless.
Elena pulled her into a hug, rubbing her smooth cheek against Nami's head. "You were amazing, Nami. I didn't know you could do something like that."
"Hehehe—itchy, Elena sister, itchy!" Nami squirmed, but she didn't resist much. She liked the warmth of it.
Off to the side, Olga watched with envy and a complicated look. Should I eat a Devil Fruit too? White Ghost had said he still had some—if she wanted one, she could ask.
Ashie saw that look in his daughter's eyes and silently made a vow: I'll build something better. Something worthy. Then I'll have the face to ask Captain for a truly powerful fruit.
"Lightning really is terrifying," Kuro muttered as he watched the enemies surge upward. "Even a little girl can dish out destruction like that."
BANG!
Kontena fired his 98K. A leader's head snapped back—gone.
"No surprise," he said calmly, cycling the bolt. "That's our captain's little sister."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Every shot removed another leader-type figure—men who shouted the loudest, pushed the hardest, and kept the crowd moving.
"ROAAAR!"
A-Er transformed—an Ancient Zoan beast-dragon nearly seven meters long.
He charged straight into the crowd, and with one sweep of his tail, a wave of screams went up as bodies flew.
"Kiii—!"
A-Da transformed into a Wind God pterosaur and took the sky. Every wingbeat sent gusts blasting men off their feet, tumbling down the slope like trash.
Wyper transformed too—small raptor form—darting through the mass like a knife. One claw, one kill.
Akin's fingers elongated into tough, blade-like spikes. He carved through the mob while combining Devil Fruit power with physical technique—exactly as White Ghost had taught. Having just awakened Haki, Akin's killing efficiency was rising by the second.
And at the very front—
White Ghost still hadn't moved.
He only watched.
As if waiting for something to finally be worth his hand.
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