The Swordfish had only just sailed away from Alabasta.
The whole crew was still immersed in the exhilaration of their success—rescuing Leon, humiliating the pursuing soldiers, and escaping in style.
"Haha! Did you see those idiots jumping around on the dock?"
"The captain's the best! He said we'd storm the prison—and we did! Hahaha!"
At that moment, however, the lookout in the crow's nest suddenly sounded an alarm.
"Captain! Captain! Ships ahead! No—wait… it's a fleet!"
Sammy's heart tightened.
He snatched the telescope and rushed to the bow.
Sure enough—
On the dark horizon ahead, three ships had appeared.
They were sailing in a blocking formation, directly intercepting their path.
"Everyone on alert!"
As the distance closed, the images in the telescope became clearer.
Three standard-issue Marine warships.
"The Marines… they're fast."
Sammy lowered the telescope.
"All hands—battle stations!"
"Those are Marines ahead! Give me one hundred and twenty percent of your focus!"
Marcus stared at the three steel giants closing in like pincers.
"Three against one… this is trouble."
Behind them lay Alabasta.
Ahead—the Marine blockade.
But if they wanted to reach the next island, they had no choice but to break through.
At that moment, a female voice amplified through a Den Den Mushi loudspeaker cut across the sea wind.
"Attention pirate vessel ahead!"
"This is the Alabasta Sea Patrol Fleet under Marine G-2 Headquarters!"
"I am Colonel Brugras, fleet commander!"
"I order you to immediately lower your sails and stop your ship for inspection!"
"I repeat—stop immediately!"
"Failure to comply will result in the use of force and the sinking of your vessel!"
"Stop our ship?"
Aldo spat on the deck.
"In your Marine dreams!"
"Boss, they've blocked the route. Should we change course?" someone asked.
Sammy's eyes scanned the approaching warships, then glanced back at the fading coastline of Alabasta.
"No."
"If we turn, we lose speed—and they'll surround us."
"It's just a Marine colonel."
"Full speed ahead!"
"We break straight through!"
"Isaac—navigation team ready for damage control and emergency repairs!"
"Feiqi—artillery crews to full readiness. Fire freely and disrupt them!"
"Aldo—combat teams prepare for boarding!"
"If we want through, we're going to run them over!"
"Yes, captain!"
Marine Flagship
"Colonel Brugras!"
"The Jellyfish Pirates aren't slowing down—they're accelerating directly into our formation!"
Brugras raised an eyebrow and pushed her sunglasses up.
"Oh?"
"Trying to force their way through?"
"Brave… but foolish."
She calmly issued orders.
"Signal the fleet."
"Right-wing ship—accelerate and cut off their retreat!"
"Left-wing ship—maintain distance and apply artillery suppression!"
"Flagship main guns—target their rudder and sails."
"Let's give them a proper greeting."
"Yes, Colonel!"
On the Swordfish
"They're in range!"
Feiqi shouted.
"Fire!!!"
Almost simultaneously—
Both sides unleashed their artillery.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dozens of flashes erupted in the darkness.
Cannonballs screamed across the sea, exploding into towering columns of water.
On the Swordfish's deck—
Marcus and Kahelo became two flashing streaks of steel, slicing incoming cannonballs mid-air whenever possible.
Aldo was even more brutal.
Roaring like a beast, he swung his spiked club directly at the flying shells.
"Get the hell away from my ship!"
Explosions erupted around him.
Shockwaves staggered him.
Smoke blackened his rugged face.
Yet his monstrous physique allowed him to stand again and again.
Even so—
Several cannonballs still struck the Swordfish.
BOOM! CRACK!
"Starboard hull hit!"
"Minor structural damage—repair crews responding!"
"Don't stop!"
"Keep charging!"
"Return fire! Hit them hard!"
The Swordfish's cannons roared in response.
Pirate gunners fired everything they had, explosions blooming against the Marine hulls.
But their accuracy and sustained firepower couldn't match the trained Marine artillery crews.
Worse—
The Marine warships were built with steel hulls, far sturdier than the Swordfish's wooden body.
Their cannons did limited damage.
Marine Flagship
"Hmph."
"Their gunnery is better than expected."
Brugras lowered her telescope.
"So they're not completely incompetent."
"But…"
Her expression cooled.
"This game is over."
"All units prepare for boarding combat!"
"Let's show them the difference between a professional navy and a bunch of sea bandits."
The ships closed in rapidly through smoke and thunderous cannon fire.
Suddenly—
The Swordfish twisted its bow sharply.
Instead of charging the central flagship, it lunged toward the left warship attempting the pincer maneuver.
It looked like they intended to break through the weaker side.
"Nice try."
Brugras immediately saw through the tactic.
Her flagship signaled with command flags.
The three warships shifted formation smoothly.
Instead of leaving an opening—
They closed the trap.
The Swordfish was now fully surrounded.
"Throw grappling hooks!"
"Board them!"
At the Marine officer's command, dozens of iron hooks attached to ropes flew through the air.
They clamped onto the Swordfish's railings.
"Cut the ropes!"
But it was too late.
Marine soldiers were already swinging across the ropes and boarding planks onto the pirate ship.
"For justice!"
"Kill the pirates!"
"Brothers—fight them off!"
Two surging tides of men crashed into each other.
Steel clashed.
Gunshots roared.
Shouts and screams filled the deck.
Blood quickly spread across the planks.
Amid the chaos—
A tall figure wearing a Marine justice coat leapt gracefully from the flagship.
With several light steps across the air—
She landed squarely in the center of the Swordfish's deck.
Her white justice cloak fluttered in the wind.
Her yellow uniform stood out sharply among the battling men.
"I am Colonel Brugras of Marine G-2 Headquarters."
She adjusted her sunglasses calmly.
"Abandon this pointless resistance and surrender immediately."
"Your pirate journey ends here."
"Here."
The pirates blinked in surprise.
"A… a female colonel?"
In the West Blue, female Marine officers were rare.
A young and beautiful officer of colonel rank was even rarer.
Aldo wiped soot from his face and snorted.
"Man or woman—I don't care."
"If you're a Marine, stop talking!"
"Take this!"
Without another word he swung his massive spiked club in a brutal horizontal strike aimed at Brugras's waist.
"Oh?"
"Full of spirit, big guy."
Facing the devastating blow—
Brugras simply bent her body with astonishing flexibility.
The club howled past her hair.
In the next instant—
She flipped lightly.
As Aldo leaned forward from the momentum of his swing—
Her body shot upward.
Her long legs crossed like scissors—
And she landed directly on his broad shoulders.
Her thighs locked tightly around his neck.
"?!"
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