Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

With only one Ancient Weapon, Pluton, and with King Cobra vying for control with Crocodile inside, even if Pluton is incredibly powerful, it would be difficult to unleash its true power at close range.

"boom!"

Once again, a large number of cannons fired black beams, haphazardly sweeping away all enemies that approached the Hades behemoth.

However, with a casual wave of his hand, a large number of cherry-colored blades flew through the air, and a real rain of swords poured down. Yet, under the extremely wide range of Observation Haki of Arn, the dark rays that might pose a real threat were precisely neutralized.

"Rumble~~~"

A continuous roar echoed from the Pluto behemoth, followed by a series of explosions.

For a moment, from a distance, it seemed that Arn, who was hovering above the Hades ship and manipulating countless cherry-colored blades to descend, was forcibly suppressing the Hades ship's unparalleled firepower by himself.

"That man is Major General Sakura Ryu?"

"He's that strong? Wasn't the intelligence report saying he was physically weak?"

"According to intelligence records, Major General Sakura Ryu is indeed physically weak, but he is obviously very talented in the development of his Devil Fruit. He developed it to the level of awakening at the young age of twenty."

"So, is this cherry blossom sword rain also a power awakened by a Devil Fruit?"

"Probably……"

Between the powers, the Five Elders watched as the most eye-catching figure, Yann, manipulated thousands of cherry-colored blades on the screen, and began to discuss it with a hint of surprise in their voices.

"With this level of combat power, how did this guy get captured alive by Corazon back then? This level of combat power is completely at the pinnacle of the ocean."

"It seems that Rear Admiral Sakura Ryu wasn't performing this well before. Could it be because of Amazon Lily?"

"what?"

Immediately afterwards, the long-bearded five elders, who were usually in charge of keeping an eye on the navy, spoke up.

"Previously, due to the Hueco Mundo organization, our decision was to try to gain Corazon's trust by sacrificing Rear Admiral Sakura Ryu. However, we didn't expect that Fleet Admiral Sengoku would secretly send Rear Admiral Sakura Ryu to recruit 'Pirate Empress' Boa Hancock..."

After a pause, the five elders with long beards continued.

"Then, according to the Navy's report, Rear Admiral Sakura Ryu was defeated, captured by Boa Hancock, and forced into marriage. Furthermore, one of the conditions for Hancock to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea was that Rear Admiral Sakura Ryu would be included."

"So, after being tortured on Amazon Lily, General Sakura Dragon's strength actually increased significantly?" another of the Five Elders asked.

“That’s a possibility,” said the five elders with long beards.

"In any case, given the combat power that Major General Sakura Ryu has demonstrated so far, his value may need to be reassessed."

"It's not just Rear Admiral Sakura Ryu; there might also be a possibility of recruiting the other few extremely powerful pirates."

"That's right. While they're holding back the Pluto behemoth, we should get the main force moving faster and getting to the battlefield as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the Pluto behemoth manages to escape into the depths of the sea and unleash its terrifying firepower advantage while fighting and retreating, the situation will become quite dire."

……

While the Five Elders were discussing and closely watching the scene, Crocodile also noticed that something seemed amiss.

While Yann manipulated thousands of cherry-colored blades to continuously block the dark light, Mihawk, Kuma, Moria, Gion, and many other powerful figures unleashed their full power, attempting to break through the outer defenses of the Hades behemoth.

At the same time, a large number of naval warships and World Government vessels were rapidly approaching, bombarding the Pluto behemoth with their cannons and directly connecting with it using grappling hooks and the like, attempting to restrain its movements in the most primitive way.

Gradually, the massive Hades ship became almost entirely covered with countless warships on both sides, hindering it from entering the depths of the sea.

Crocodile had absolute trust in the Hades, not only because of its devastating firepower, but also because of its despair-inducing defenses.

However, under this constraint, Crocodile suddenly realized that there was not much he could do.

Especially with Arn's thousands of cherry-colored blades and Mihawk's continuous unleashing of what can be called the greatest slashes on the sea, the destructive power of the Pluto behemoth's most relied-upon dark light is rapidly decreasing.

Like an elephant covered in ants, Crocodile gradually developed a sense of irritation, an inexplicable sense of unease!

It seemed as if if things continued like this, the Hades' colossal ship might be breached...

[Chapter 358 The Wind Rises and the Outbreak]

"Impossible! The Ancient Weapon Hades is invincible!!!"

"You guys... you're just daydreaming. I'll show you the terrifying power of the Hades' behemoth!"

As Crocodile issued his declaration, a massive amount of energy drawn from the sea within the Pluton ship began to gather at its stern.

King Cobra, who was also inside the Pluto's giant ship, hurriedly stopped Crocodile and loudly reminded him.

"Everyone, get away from the Pluton behemoth! Crocodile is going to use 'Wind Burst' to escape. You will all be torn apart by the terrifying inertia."

"what?!"

While the others were still somewhat confused, Yann instantly understood what King Cobra meant by "the wind bursts forth".

Isn't that a special technology that Franky built for Luffy in the future, the "Thousand Sunny"? It uses a large amount of energy to erupt from the tail, allowing for a leapfrog-level speed acceleration for an instant escape.

Sure enough, in the original timeline, Franky definitely peeked at the Pluto blueprints and learned a lot of technology from them, which he then applied to the Thousand Sunny.

Was the real "wind-powered jet" actually one of the functions of the Hades' giant ship itself?

If that's the case?

Arn's expression changed, and with a quick glance, he realized that even with King Cobra's obstruction, which greatly reduced the speed of "Wind Jet," it was still impossible to completely stop it.

"All warships, immediately cut the grappling hooks! The rest of you, keep your distance from the Pluto behemoth as soon as possible..."

At Yann's command, almost everyone was stunned for a moment, but then quickly reacted.

In the past, while Rear Admiral Tefimo Yann, known as "Sakura Dragon," had a considerable reputation in the Navy, it was mostly associated with various interesting anecdotes and stories, rather than genuine prestige.

However, the combat power and righteous actions that Yann displayed this time completely won over all the marines.

"quick!"

"However, doing everything possible to restrain the Hades behemoth is not an order..."

"Following the instructions from our superiors, we trust Major General Sakura Ryu's judgment!"

In an instant, a large number of naval warships quickly cut the grappling hooks, while the ships directly under the World Government hesitated.

However, the Hades behemoth did not give them much time to hesitate. Even with King Cobra's restraint, "Wind Jet" still completed its energy charge within ten breaths.

"boom!!!"

An incredibly loud roar suddenly erupted, and an extremely terrifying shockwave appeared at the stern of the Hades behemoth, propelling it forward at a speed comparable to that of a mountain range.

Almost instantly, the World Government warships that did not have time to cut the grappling hooks were dragged off the surface of the sea, capsized, and finally shattered upon impact with the sea.

In just a few breaths, the massive Hades ship accelerated to an incredibly terrifying speed, disappearing from the sea like a meteor near the coastline of the Alabasta Kingdom, leaving behind piles of wreckage.

"Gurgle~~~"

The sailors on the warships that managed to cut the grappling hooks in time couldn't help but swallow hard, both in disbelief that the Pluto behemoth, comparable to a mountain range, could unleash such terrifying speed, and in relief that they had survived.

Even if these naval soldiers are prepared to give their lives for justice, it doesn't mean they don't value their own lives.

"Wait, where are Rear Admiral Sakura Ryu, Rear Admiral Gion, and those pirates like Mihawk?"

"Could they still be on the Hades behemoth?"

"Quickly, quickly! Leave some warships behind for the rescue, and the rest of you prepare immediately to support Rear Admiral Sakura Ryu and Rear Admiral Gion!"

Just as the naval warships hurriedly pursued the direction in which the Pluto behemoth had disappeared, the Pluto behemoth slowly came to a stop in a sea area quite a distance from the Kingdom of Alabasta, with the "Wind Burst" device at its stern still faintly emitting black smoke.

"What happened? How could the distance be so short?"

Crocodile's tone was full of surprise.

While this is a considerable burst distance for a typical warship, it is no less than a few bounces before stopping for the massive size of the Hades behemoth.

It should be possible to cross a sea directly...

"Brutton, what's going on? Why did it stop?"

While the Hades behemoth does possess its own consciousness, it is far from being able to communicate directly with humans.

Even though Hades' consciousness, named Bruton, clearly understood what had happened—that an abnormal, and inescapable "worm" had burrowed into his body!

"Well done, baby-5!"

Floating above the Hades behemoth, Yone praised Baby-5 in his consciousness space.

In that instant, after realizing that ordinary methods could not stop the "Wind Burst" of the Hades behemoth, Yann could only have Baby-5 try to destroy the relevant devices of the "Wind Burst" from inside.

After all, this was to prevent the World Government from obtaining the complete wreckage of the Pluton and conducting an inspection.

Yann would not allow the Hades to collapse on land, but if the Hades escaped to a distant sea, there would be no important "spectators" to witness the destruction of the Hades.

The Ancient Weapon Pluton is of paramount importance, and any doubt, no matter how slight, could be easily amplified by the World Government.

Even if Yann intended to destroy Pluton before the World Government's military arrived, this would both prevent Pluton from causing serious damage to the sea and prevent the Ancient Weapon Pluton from falling into the hands of the World Government.

Therefore, one of the challenges facing Yan is that he must find a way to do this cleanly and reasonably.

Therefore, Moria, Kuma, and Mihawk, who was invited by Kuma, were all important figures whom Yann specifically asked Dragon to contact to divert the World Government's attention.

A rear admiral single-handedly destroyed the ancient weapon Pluton—this is simply too shocking!

However, if it has to be done, it seems much more reasonable to distribute the credit among several people.

This would also allow the World Government to notice the contributions of Mihawk, Moria, and Kuma, thus prompting the World Government to consider inviting the three of them to become Shichibukai.

Under these circumstances, how could Yann possibly let the Hades warship sail far away?

'However, this location is just right. The deeper the seabed, the harder it will be for the World Government to verify the true situation of the sunken Hades...'

At this thought, with countless cherry blossoms gathering behind him and Crocodile's questioning voice still ringing in his ears, Yone spoke.

"Crocodile, I can't let you continue to cause this destruction..."

[Chapter 359. A Noble Phantasm Against Mihawk?]

"It's time to end this. You villain who tried to destroy the sea with ancient weapons cannot be allowed to leave!"

A large number of cherry blossoms gathered, creating a breeze that caused Arn's clothes to flutter continuously, but Arn gradually exuded a terrifying aura.

"what?!"

Crocodile's tone remained disdainful.

Crocodile was well aware of Yann's extraordinary strength.

However, the Ancient Weapon Hades is invincible!

Absolutely invincible!

A main gun capable of destroying an island in one shot, the world's toughest outer armor, and also the largest and most unstoppable warship!