"What is going on? Could that be the fleet of the Kingdom of Zephir?"
Hearing the scout's exaggerated cry, Beleman turned toward the eleven-o'clock direction as well.
His brows knitted together as a strange sense of unease rose in his chest.
After a brief hesitation, he raised his hand and shouted in a deep voice:
"All units, battle stations!"
"Prepare for combat!"
Clatter! Clatter!
At Beleman's command, the three warships instantly shifted into combat readiness.
Soldiers grabbed their weapons and took their positions.
The artillery crews hurriedly adjusted their cannons, aiming all gun barrels toward the eleven-o'clock direction.
Seeing the fleet fully prepared, Beleman's earlier tension eased.
A confident smile appeared on his face.
"So you finally showed yourselves."
"Since you came, you might as well surrender quietly."
He sneered while staring at the dark figures approaching across the sea.
However—
As time slowly passed and the shapes on the distant horizon became clearer—
The smile on his face froze.
Shock and disbelief replaced it.
On the sea ahead—
More than a hundred figures were racing across the ocean at incredible speed.
They wore tight black combat suits with white harness vests, and mysterious masks covered their faces.
Because of their tremendous speed, long trails of white spray followed behind them.
"What… what in the world is this…?"
Beleman was stunned.
The soldiers aboard the three warships were equally frozen, staring wide-eyed at the unbelievable sight.
Running across the surface of the sea with nothing but their feet—
None of them had ever seen such a thing before.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Beleman's mind.
"Devil Fruit users…?"
It seemed like the only explanation.
But when he looked again at the hundreds of figures running across the ocean, he couldn't help swallowing nervously.
Over a hundred Devil Fruit users with similar abilities?
Was that even possible?
As the mysterious figures drew closer and closer, Beleman finally snapped out of his shock.
His expression changed dramatically.
"What are you standing around for?!"
"Fire the cannons! Fire immediately!"
"Yes, Commander Beleman!"
The soldiers hurried into action.
The distance was still too far for rifles, so the artillery crews quickly adjusted the cannons.
Meanwhile Beleman's heart grew increasingly uneasy.
"Who exactly are these people…?"
"I must report this to the kingdom immediately!"
With that thought, he rushed toward the cabin.
At the same time—
The mysterious group had already closed the distance to five hundred meters from the Luss fleet.
Across the turbulent sea, the ANBU forces charged forward like a storm.
Leading them was a white-haired man wearing a mask.
His gaze was cold as frost.
"Begin."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The moment the order was given, all 104 ANBU members rapidly formed hand seals.
Meanwhile, the Luss fleet was still busy adjusting their cannons.
Two seconds later—
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!!!"
All ANBU shouted in unison.
In the next instant—
Countless fist-sized fireballs burst from their mouths.
They streaked through the sky like blazing meteors, forming a rain of flames that shot toward the three warships.
In an instant—
The sky turned crimson red.
Even the air seemed to ignite from the heat.
The scale of the attack looked less like an assault—
And more like a natural disaster descending from the heavens.
"This… this can't be…"
The soldiers aboard the warships turned pale.
Their faces glowed red under the reflection of the blazing fireballs filling the sky.
The artillery crews stopped moving.
No one ran.
No one screamed.
Everyone simply stared blankly upward.
Then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!!!
There were no screams.
No frantic escapes.
No desperate cries.
Only the deafening roar of explosions shaking the heavens.
The fireballs rained down like meteors upon the three warships.
Flames erupted everywhere.
Decks shattered.
Masts snapped.
Sails burned instantly.
The soldiers didn't even have time to run or scream before being swallowed by endless fire.
Ten seconds.
In just ten seconds—
The three warships of the Kingdom of Luss were completely destroyed, reduced to blazing wreckage.
Steam rose everywhere as many fireballs plunged into the ocean.
Soon the sea was covered in a thick white mist.
When everything finally settled—
Only charred debris and floating corpses remained.
Among them—
Was the blackened body of Commander Beleman.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
Footsteps echoed across the ocean surface.
The ANBU had never slowed down—not for even a moment.
From the instant they unleashed their jutsu until the enemy fleet was annihilated, their charge never stopped.
They ran straight across the wreckage floating on the sea.
Then—
They continued sprinting forward.
Their destination lay two nautical miles ahead.
The Kingdom of Luss.
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