One Piece: Ascending the Divine Path

The Kingdom of Luens is a small island nation located in the gateway region of the New World.

However, the term "kingdom" is no longer quite accurate for this country today.

There was neither a king nor a country.

The royal family had long been slaughtered, and national order had essentially collapsed.

There are only two kinds of people living in this country now: pirates and slaves.

The Leonard Pirates have been ruling this country for three years. Because it is a non-governmental member state, the Navy turns a blind eye to it.

At first, some people resisted, but it was all in vain. All the resisters were killed by the man wielding the giant axe.

Then, in retaliation against the people of this country who dared to rebel, a man named Leonard sold large numbers of young men and women to slave traders.

The remaining elderly, weak, sick, and disabled were not wanted by the slave traders, so they became slaves serving the Leonard Pirates.

A magnificent seaside palace was built for Leonard, and houses were built next to the palace for the pirates to live in.

They cultivate the land for the pirates and hunt and raise livestock for them.

The pirate palace on the coast is magnificent and resounds with jubilation, while in the distant slums, many people starve to death every day.

Hope no longer exists in this country.

So hope came from the sea.

Five giant warships sailed across the sea, their outlines already faintly visible on the distant horizon.

Inside the No. 1 ship.

Zefa spread out a map of the Kingdom of Runes and pasted it on the blackboard.

"Based on the known intelligence,"

He pointed to a bay on one side of the island. "The bay we're approaching now is the gathering place of the Leonard Pirates, which is separate from the residential area for ordinary civilians."

"But there are many civilian slaves in this area. In order to minimize casualties, we mainly fired at enemy ships in the bay port and then carried out decapitation strikes under the cover of artillery fire."

"Simon, you take command on Ship One. I'll lead the rest of the crew and infiltrate using Moonwalk."

"clear."

Simon nodded solemnly.

"Then let's prepare for action!"

Zefa slammed his hand on the blackboard, his tone resolute.

Knight stood lazily to the side.

Well, no one said whether the shells would hit the civilian areas, and no one said what kind of casualties the scattered pirates would cause.

Navy personnel are human too, and this is the limit of what they can do.

In any case, the operation began.

  

The five warships advanced at full speed and soon approached the island, which was not very large.

Knight, standing at the bow of the ship alongside Zephyr, held a telescope and gazed at the distant island.

From here, you can clearly see the pirates operating in the harbor, as well as the ships docked on the shore.

Those ships were much smaller than the giant vessel beneath our feet, like the difference between an adult and a child.

At that moment, the warship stopped advancing and began to slowly turn sideways on the sea, its numerous gun turrets aimed at the distant bay.

Zephyr straightened his tie. Knight stood behind him, along with two major generals and five brigadier generals.

"Then, fire!"

The messenger immediately began using flag signals.

The command was passed down the chain of command.

The gunners in the gun emplacement opened the emplacement and pushed out the loaded heavy cannons from the hatch.

then.

boom!

After one loud bang, more loud bangs followed, the heavens and earth began to rumble, and the atmosphere suddenly began to tremble.

Amidst bursts of fireworks, shells rained down on the distant harbor.

"Set off!"

At Zefa's command, he took the lead, suddenly leaping into the air and flying forward like a phantom.

"Then I'll be going first, Moonwalk: Instant!"

Knight chuckled lazily, and in the next instant, he appeared in the sky as if he had teleported. The moment his foot stepped down into the air, his figure had already appeared out of thin air dozens of meters away.

"A combination of Moonwalk and Shave?"

Major General Gavin couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "So fast!"

"If you keep lamenting, you'll really miss your chance!"

Dor had already seen Knight's retreating figure and chased after him.

However, it's impossible to catch up.

The spirited female brigadier general gritted her teeth inwardly.

The others naturally didn't hesitate any longer and immediately sprang into the air.

As Knight sped through the air, the first volley of shells landed in the harbor ahead.

The first shell landed on a ship in the harbor. The next moment, flames exploded and a storm howled. The ship was instantly blown to pieces, and the aftershocks of the explosion even affected a nearby ship.

And this shell was just the beginning; shells rained down from the sky.

In an instant, the entire harbor was engulfed by a series of massive explosions, turning the bay into a sea of ​​fire. Even the buildings next to the harbor were affected, with several shells landing in the area, causing the earth to shake violently.

"Oh."

Knight narrowed his eyes slightly; the power of that artillery barrage was truly impressive.

As expected of top-tier warships capable of carrying out the Buster Call, the firepower of just these five ships would be enough to flatten this island.

On the island in the distance.

In the civilian district far from the bay, people with sallow complexions and numb expressions stared blankly at the fireworks display in the distance.

In the most magnificent palace beside the harbor, which was covered by artillery fire, a figure hurriedly pushed open the palace door.

"Captain! The navy fleet is attacking! The entire harbor has been blown to smithereens!"

"navy?"

In the bright palace, the man sitting on the luxurious throne slowly stood up and pulled out a huge two-handed battle axe that was stuck upside down beside the throne.

"What are the Navy doing in this godforsaken place?"

This was a rather tall man, over five meters tall, with bulging muscles all over his body, a face full of fat, and a big beard.

It's none other than Leonard the captain of the Leonard Pirates, Black Axe Leonard!

"It doesn't matter what the navy does, Captain!"

The man who rushed to warn us was on the verge of tears, "The main problem is that all the ships have been blown up; we have nowhere to escape!"

"escape?"

Leonard, dragging his battle axe backwards, strode forward through the palace gates. He looked up at the crimson sky and shouted, "Who do you think I am?! It's these reckless marines who should be fleeing!"

"Gather everyone!"

He gripped his battle axe tightly, swung it forcefully, and a long, narrow crescent-shaped slash shot through the air, turning a cannonball falling towards them into a burst of fireworks in the sky.

"Ready for war!"

"...Yes, Captain!"

The pirate who tipped them off was helpless; his captain was just too stubborn!

But now there is truly nowhere to escape, only a fight remains!

He left quickly.

As he left, figures approached, and the cadres came over.

"I've been incredibly bored lately."

Leonard's lips curled into a wide grin, his thick beard as hard as steel needles, making his smile even more savage.

"Come on, sailors! Fight me!"

"What's the rush? They're here now!"

A lazy voice came from the air.

A figure landed lightly in the courtyard in front.

His justice-themed coat fluttered in the wind, and the handsome young man, with a languid expression, said, "Are you so eager to die?"

Leonard's expression shifted from surprise to astonishment. He glanced at Knight, noticing the epaulets on Knight's coat, and then gave a mocking smile. "Major? Hahaha, does the Navy send someone like you to die?"

"They don't know how lucky they are."

Knight smirked and said casually, "To die by my hand would be the greatest honor of your life."

The other pirate officers couldn't get through, so Zephyr and the others went to intercept them.

This is a one-on-one duel between myself and the bearded man in front of me.

"Hahaha! I hope you'll still be this stubborn when I chop you in half!"

The fierce, burly man laughed wildly. The next instant, the ground beneath his feet exploded, and his massive body shot through the air like a cannonball. His battle axe, now coated with a layer of dark, imposing aura, was already slashing down at Knight's waist.

soon.

However, it's not to the point of being unable to react.

Knight leaped lightly, the battle axe whizzing past his feet.

He clenched his right fist and raised it back, a dark and domineering aura swirling around it.

"A serious punch."

A truly sincere fist slammed into Leonard's forehead in an instant.

No, it was Leonard who deliberately bumped Knight's fist with his forehead; his forehead was completely black.

Crack!

As the tiny, powerful lightning bolts leaped, Knight felt an immense force travel upwards from his fist.

"Hmm!"

Knight was blasted away.

His domineering aura is at a very high level, and his physical strength is also quite astonishing.

Lieutenant General Simon seems to have lost his senses, deeming the bounty of over 500 million worthwhile. His strength is far from enough to challenge the man before him.

Yeah, about the level of Liu Zi.

He is comparable to Anthony and Salt.

As Knight pondered, the massive battle axe cleaved down from the sky.

"Die, you brat!"

Leonard laughed maniacally.

Knight did not dodge. He activated Life Return, twisted his body using the force of the air, and lashed the side of the battle axe with his right leg like a steel whip.

A serious kick!

when!

The deafening roar shook the palace, and the resulting shockwave instantly cleaned the courtyard.

Knight was sent flying like a baseball after being hit, spinning several times in the air before finally landing, his brow furrowed as if he were deep in thought.

Leonard's expression was slightly gloomy.

This kid is exceptionally strong, yet incredibly young; he could never be an ordinary naval lieutenant commander.

Something's not right.

What exactly is the background of this fleet?

Just then, Knight suddenly looked up, his eyes and brows gradually relaxing. "Now I understand completely."

He declared, "Then, I have won."

"What?"

A hint of surprise visibly appeared on Leonard's usually cold and hard face.

"Logically, I should fight you to the death, only to finally grasp the key when I'm in dire straits, thus breaking through and defeating you in one fell swoop, but..."

Knight raised his right hand, forearm held upright in front of him, and slowly clenched his fist. "That's the mindset of the weak."

"And for the strong, that is enough! Now, let the flow begin."

He is giving orders.

There's no need to unleash your domineering aura anymore, no need to painstakingly move it bit by bit.

The week-long training finally bore fruit in these two insignificant exchanges.

I've already said it, it's just one step away from the finish line, and it's just a matter of lifting one foot and easily stepping over it.

An invisible wave rippled across Knight's jet-black fist, tinged with a faint icy blue.