"Vice Admiral O'Neill, Base Commander Raiser, Base Commander Eric, are we really just going to sit back and do nothing while these criminals run rampant on Frans Island?"
On this night, all the senior officers near the Lantis Islands had gathered to discuss the landing operation for the following day.
In the conference room, the lowest-ranking participant was at least a colonel. The one who had just spoken was a rear admiral from Marine Headquarters, who harbored an extreme hatred for pirates.
"Rear Admiral Morg, everything comes with a price. Even if conflicts break out elsewhere, civilians will still be affected. Now that the Andia Kingdom has taken action, we have no reason to intervene. We will assess the situation and make decisions based on how things develop," Eric responded calmly.
For now, he held supreme command of the operation, with the second-in-command being Base Commander Raiser, followed by Vice Admiral O'Neill.
If they moved against the pirates, they would be taking sides against the Shichibukai. If they coordinated with the pirates, they would be seen as supporting the Andia Kingdom. Neither option was viable at the moment, so they could only choose to remain neutral—this was a political matter.
"But..." Rear Admiral Morg still wanted to say more. Many of his subordinates' families lived in the conflict zone. Could the Marines really turn a blind eye to civilian casualties just to allow the Andia Kingdom to carry out its revenge?
"Rear Admiral, we're about to face a tough battle. If we fail, our last resort will be to request a Buster Call. At that point, not only Lantis Island but all eight islands of Frans Island will be affected. Are you really going to dwell on these minor details right now?" Raiser reprimanded him coldly.
Hearing this, Rear Admiral Morg fell silent. The term "Buster Call" was terrifying to both the enemy and the Marines themselves, as it signified indiscriminate bombardment.
"If you understand, then make the preparations for departure. Our first step is to establish a temporary stronghold on Lantis Island to secure our foothold. The Science Division will conduct research there while we work to weaken the island's creatures and establish contact with the island's leaders," Eric summarized the landing plan.
The discussion then expanded into a more detailed strategy, covering troop deployment, terrain control, and crossfire positioning.
Eric, despite being a World Government envoy with only an honorary title in the Marines, demonstrated exceptional strategic foresight.
---
Lodging District
"Is this all?" Rosen scanned his surroundings. More than 1,200 people had gathered, yet he could still sense eyes watching from the shadows in the distance.
"Arrogant fool! With such a small body, how much strength could you possibly have? Stop pretending and die!"
A burly man, nearly four meters tall with bulging muscles, leaped from a rooftop, brandishing a massive blade as he slashed toward Rosen's head.
"Whoosh!"
Rosen swiftly sidestepped, and the attack missed. The blade struck the ground, instantly shattering the solid surface. The brute was stunned—he hadn't even seen when Rosen had dodged.
Just as he raised his arm, a giant hand made of sand seized his head, its palm covering his forehead like an iron clamp.
"Let... let go..." The man's face was filled with terror. He struggled to speak, his strength completely overpowered. He attempted to swing his blade, only to find Rosen's foot pressing down on its back, rendering it immobile.
"Not much of a challenge, are you?"
With a slight increase in force, Rosen tightened his grip. The brute immediately released his weapon, using both hands to try and pry off the sand-formed hand—but to no avail. Pure fear was written all over his face.
Crack!
The first pirate who dared to attack had met his end.
At that moment, pirates from all directions charged in like fierce tigers. Gunfire erupted, shattering the eerie silence of the street.
Cannon fire, however, was off-limits. No pirate or bounty hunter dared to use cannons on the island. No matter how much the Marines wanted to feign ignorance, they wouldn't be able to overlook such destruction.
So instead, the combatants wielded swords, guns, clubs, and other melee weapons.
"Secret Technique: Leaping Slash!"
Among them were some formidable fighters. A sharp sword aura slashed through the air, deadly and precise, launched by a bounty hunter lurking within the crowd.
"Perfect. Time to test out my newly learned Rokushiki techniques, combined with my Devil Fruit abilities."
Facing the oncoming horde, Rosen remained unfazed—battle had long become second nature to him.
"Sandstorm Finger Gun!"
With a thrust of his finger, countless grains of sand coalesced into densely packed, piercing projectiles. These sand bullets shot through the air with a sharp whistling sound, intercepting the incoming sword aura.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The first ten sand bullets shattered the sword slash. The remaining hundred continued their trajectory, piercing through the entire area.
In an instant, dozens of people collapsed, including the bounty hunter who had launched the attack.
To Rosen, those who tried to hide in the crowd were meaningless. Instead of searching for them, he simply wiped out everyone in the vicinity.
As the sand projectiles riddled the ground with holes, more outlaws rushed in.
"Multiple Sandstorms!"
With a wave of both hands, Rosen conjured four sand tornadoes that swept down four separate streets, obliterating everything in their path.
Screams filled the air as countless individuals were sucked into the whirling sands. Rosen then accelerated the vortexes, sharpening the sand within, turning them into deadly shredding machines.
Some of the stronger fighters managed to resist being pulled in, but they were still suppressed, unable to launch effective attacks. All they could do was watch helplessly as their subordinates were torn apart.
Blood rained down.
Bang!
A Seastone bullet whizzed through the air.
Sensing it, Rosen sidestepped at the last moment. In response, the surrounding sand solidified into a long spear in his grasp, which he hurled along the bullet's trajectory.
*Whoosh!*
The spear shot through the air like a flash of light, piercing a sniper hidden in a building and pinning him to the wall.
"Don't back down! He's only one man!"
The sandstorm had already carried off the weaker ones, but many still remained. A pirate mustered his courage and shouted, reigniting the fighting spirit of the others.
Those who dared to be here were all hardened killers, their bloodlust ignited.
At his words, more than twenty elite fighters, who had been lying in wait on the rooftops, launched their attack. Simultaneously, a barrage of arrows rained down.
Rosen sensed the genuine danger in some of them—either laced with poison or embedded with Seastone. Since Lantis produced Seastone, it wasn't particularly rare or difficult to craft here.
"Earth Roll: Sandstorm!"
Pressing his hands to the ground, Rosen turned the nearby earth and buildings into sand. With a deafening roar, a wall of sand rose around him, encasing him in a protective barrier.
Weapons slashed into the sand but only got stuck, dragging their wielders in with them.
Bullets were completely ineffective, unable to penetrate the layers of swirling sand.
(End of Chapter)
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