It wasn't just Perospero who harbored such thoughts. Others watching this broadcast, and even Shiki himself on the battlefield, didn't believe the machines Ren had sent would make any difference.
Soon, both sides drew closer together. Shiki and John's subordinates had already charged to the front of the Ruin Guards. A pirate leaped up, raising a massive spiked club high and slamming it down toward a Ruin Guard!
"Get out of my way!"
"Thud—"
The spiked club struck the Ruin Guard's torso precisely. In his imagination, this blow should have easily smashed the machine to pieces, but surprisingly, the Ruin Guard's surface showed barely any damage. Instead, the pirate himself felt his hands go numb from the recoil.
"What?"
He froze for a moment, not expecting such an outcome. But soon he heard a sharp sound from within the machine. In the next instant, a powerful gust of wind struck him.
The Ruin Guard's right arm swung rapidly, striking his body and sending him flying.
The heavy impact caused multiple fractures throughout his body, and he spat blood from his mouth.
"Oh my, not ordinary wood?" Big Mom laughed as she watched the broadcast from the sea. Clearly, these machines' bodies weren't made from ordinary trees. They probably just looked like wood but were actually steel, or perhaps some special tree species.
There were many strange trees on the sea, and quite a few were as hard as steel.
"These things are moving faster too." Katakuri said suddenly. As soon as he spoke, Perospero saw those originally slow-moving machines become agile like gibbons.
On the battlefield, over two hundred Ruin Guards swung their arms continuously. They marched into the pirate horde, and those struck by their massive arms suffered greatly. The weaker ones almost instantly lost their combat ability.
"Damn it!"
An arm swung toward a pirate, instantly twisting his body as blood splattered to the side.
The Ruin Guards behind hadn't yet caught up. Their legs bent like springs, and suddenly they jumped into the sky, crashing down toward the center of Shiki and John's pirate forces.
"Boom!"
It was like a crane falling from the sky, nearly collapsing the snowfield. If this winter island had mountains, the entire island might have been buried by an avalanche.
"Damn it, what kind of monsters are these!"
The Ruin Guards falling from the sky not only killed many but also disrupted the pirates' charge formation. Many pirates were caught off guard; they were following the main force charging forward, unable to see the front lines, when suddenly something loomed over their heads. Then they were smashed, killed, or injured.
"Don't panic, calm down everyone!" A pirate's eyes flashed as he shouted. His strength was passable among the small fry. He thought he'd seen through the Ruin Guards' weakness and immediately called out: "Attack these things' legs!"
His judgment wasn't entirely wrong. The Ruin Guards' legs were indeed a weak point. If severed, these machines would be paralyzed in place.
But he didn't know that the Ruin Guards' design had already accounted for these issues. One countermeasure was their energy and long-range bombing attacks. The other was the attack even Zhongli's Jade Shield couldn't withstand—the Windmill!
Seeing the pirates start attacking their legs, these Ruin Guards' attack patterns changed.
They charged forward, rushing at the pirates like wild boars. Their arms spread wide, their spherical torsos beginning to spin rapidly. This made their arms spin like propellers at high speed!
Due to their torso and leg structure, high-speed sprinting and spinning didn't interfere with each other.
Their massive arms whipped up gales. If not for their astonishing weight, Ren would have worried these things might suddenly fly into the sky. The Ruin Guards' arms became the sturdiest barrier protecting their legs.
At the same time, they spun like tops, unleashing indiscriminate attacks on the pirates surrounding them!
Those pirate fodder couldn't withstand these attacks at all. They were instantly swept away by the Ruin Guards' arms, looking like insects caught in fan blades, instantly torn apart by the terrifying power!
The battlefield suddenly looked like countless ripe tomatoes, bursting open one after another.
Other pirates on the battlefield's edge widened their eyes. Their legs trembled like plucked instrument strings. No, not even as sturdy as strings—at least strings were taut. Their legs were softer than noodles.
"This can't be real..."
"This is... a massacre, isn't it?"
Many could no longer hold their weapons steadily, retreating subconsciously, afraid these machines' shadows would fall upon them.
No wonder they felt fear. In just an instant, these machines swept through the battlefield like meat grinders. As they stood frozen, countless pirates were being swept into the sky, their bodies shattered!
"Thud."
A limp arm fell before a pirate. Along with it came blood splattering through the air.
The entire ice field was no longer pure white. Viewed from above, it looked like a vast field of blood-red flowers blooming across endless snow. The frozen blood spread recklessly in all directions, penetrating deep into the ice!
Not just those on the battlefield, but even the great pirates watching the broadcast fell into stunned silence.
Charlotte Linlin's eyes went wide, even forgetting to stuff the cake into her mouth.
She subconsciously squeezed, crushing the cake in her hand. But she paid no attention, shouting instead: "Perospero, order a hundred of these machines from Inazuma, now!"
No wonder she was shouting; these machines' combat power simply exceeded her expectations.
Though the pirates killed by these machines were mostly small fry who couldn't even withstand Conqueror's Haki intimidation, honestly, not everyone possessed Conqueror's Haki. Charlotte Linlin couldn't personally appear in every battle.
With these things, she could dominate low-level battles. Weren't these better than those cannons and flintlocks with lead bullets?
Big Mom thought this robot army was made for her. Only in her hands could they reach maximum power. And these machines' size and appearance reminded her of the 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 because of childhood events, Charlotte Linlin's relationship with giants wasn't exactly friendly.
Big Mom felt this army belonged to her, but others clearly disagreed.
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 to retreat. If they couldn't win, couldn't they at least dodge? As long as they kept their distance and watched out for them dropping from the sky, these things didn't seem so 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 they fodder could handle; let the strong ones deal with them.
Shiki and John had over eight thousand pirates. Not all were rabble—even if only one in a hundred was competent, that was still eighty decent fighters.
The actual ratio might be even higher.
In reality, those who could single-handedly disable a Ruin Guard numbered at least two hundred. They just hadn't entered the fray yet. It was like playing cards—opening with a bomb was understandable, but opening with a pair was unusual.
Shiki watched with a dark expression as the crowd scattered to avoid the machines. He exchanged a glance with John, both knowing they'd have to send stronger subordinates.
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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