Ren scoffed at the preparations Shiki had made. To be honest, people in this world basically had no concept of intricate strategies.
Take the future Marineford War for example - the fact that Whitebeard approached from underwater using the ship membrane actually caught the so-called "brilliant strategist" Sengoku completely off guard.
But honestly, this wasn't particularly brilliant. For ordinary people, it might not be immediately obvious, but for such a massive organization as the Marines, no one considered this possibility.
It's like being in the 21st century yet having absolutely no defense against enemy submarines during naval warfare. The ship membrane wasn't some secret, especially for such an important war.
Every aspect should have been considered thoroughly. If it were Ren, defensive lines would have been set up both underwater and in the air.
Even putting that aside, the only real strategy in the entire Marineford War seemed to be turning one of Whitebeard's captains against him. So saying Shiki only set up one layer of ambush doesn't mean he wasn't intelligent - it's just that very few people in this world were skilled in that area.
The trap having failed, Shiki didn't want to beat around the bush anymore. With a wave of his hands, his pirates immediately began to charge!
They trod through the snow, holding swords, guns, and cannons, crazily rushing toward the ships anchored by the coast. The more people they killed, the greater their rewards would be.
Killing a hundred would instantly make them a subordinate officer! This was quite a temptation for these low-ranking pirates.
Even if they couldn't kill a hundred, killing ten would still bring considerable rewards. As a result, they looked at the pirates on Ren's fleet as if they were walking treasures.
"Charge! Kill them all!" The atmosphere of war made them go crazy. Even before the actual battle began, their eyes had already turned bloodshot!
Even those pirates who had been feeling fear and tension about this war were temporarily swept away by the crowd, forgetting what fear was. They only knew to charge! Charge forward!
In reality, when the actual fighting started, these people might not even be able to distinguish friend from foe, likely attacking anyone they saw. This was where Kaido showed his wisdom.
His cannon fodder always wore uniform attire. Although the style was a bit edgy, at least on the battlefield, they could tell who was who.
These people charged desperately forward, holding their swords higher than their heads, their eyes fixed on the ships by the shore. Watching the ship compartments lower like a drawbridge of a castle fortress, the frontmost heard a "Kara-rong" sound.
At first, it didn't sound intense, but upon closer listening, it seemed like countless sounds overlapping. The Dead Star and other ships shook violently.
"Be careful!" "The enemy is coming out!" "Charge quickly!"
Soon, those at the front began to shout, their voices without a trace of fear, but full of excitement! Eight thousand men were like an unstoppable avalanche!
The numbers gave them great courage. With so many powerful individuals gathered together, even the weakest had passed the trials of the Grand Line to reach the New World.
A force like this could probably even conquer Marineford Headquarters, right? Who could possibly stop them?
They were full of confidence, but the slowly emerging figures from Ren's ships soon made them doubt themselves. "Hey... what is that thing..."
Those at the front were dumbfounded, unconsciously slowing their pace. What walked down from the ships were not people, but a group of tall, strange things...
Round trunks with glowing centers, long limbs like heavy chains. "Thump..."
Guardian Remains continuously walked off the ships, still in a semi-activated state, appearing somewhat clumsy. But over two hundred Guardian Remains emerging brought an indescribable sense of shock.
Moreover, the later models were even larger than the first batch, reaching a height of six meters! The original Guardian Remains were built by Ren based on the size of the Ruin Guards from Teyvat, standing about three meters tall.
However, the later models were twice that height. It wasn't just the Guardian Remains; the later Guardian War Machines were also scaled to about twenty meters, matching the average giant's size.
People in the pirate world were mostly tall, but most stood between two to three meters. Figures like Shiki, Shutenmaru, and even Kozuki Oden were over two and a half meters tall but didn't reach four meters.
Those over four meters often had some other race's blood, or if not, they were a very small minority. Thus, just the first one hundred three-meter-tall Guardian Remains already brought great pressure to the pirates charging at the front.
Not to mention the six-meter ones behind them. "Hey hey, what on earth are these things?"
The pirates slowed their pace, unable to help but swallow their saliva. Where had they ever seen such high-tech? The most advanced thing on the sea now was the Marines' battleships, but battleships didn't walk.
However, they weren't too frightened. Although these machines looked somewhat intimidating, they didn't believe they would lose to something like this.
Even if some were cautious, on the battlefield there was no time for overthinking. If they stopped, the people rushing from behind would trample them underfoot. To be killed by one's own men would be too humiliating.
"Smash these wooden dolls!"
"...What on earth are these things..." Big Mom stared at the image transmitted through the Den Den Mushi, unable to help but say.
"Probably the 'new weapon' that was mentioned from Inazuma, Perospero," Perospero explained. "But can these slow-moving wooden puppets really defeat the enemy?"
He wasn't very optimistic about the so-called new weapon from Inazuma. At first, he had thought it might be some kind of powerful cannon.
But these things, the only notable thing seemed to be their size. As for combat power... as the saying goes, speed is power.
Not to mention the destructive power of these puppets, just this movement speed meant they would be ineffective. Anyone with even a little strength wouldn't be hit by things like these.
Not to mention the material looked like just wood, probably easily destroyed. Things like this, can they really work?
[
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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