The reason the Marines are the true rulers of the sea lies in their advanced warships and overwhelming firepower. Without even needing to engage in boarding battles, they can annihilate most small and medium-sized pirate crews from a distance.
Ordinary pirate ships barely have ten cannons in total, while a single side of a Marine warship boasts over a dozen, sometimes even twenty cannons. This sheer firepower domination leaves most pirates with no choice but to flee upon encountering the Marines. Even those with formidable strength hesitate, knowing that if their ship is destroyed, their escape routes are cut off. Meanwhile, the Marines have an endless supply of reinforcements. A damaged pirate ship could be relentlessly pursued and hunted down by Marine bases and fortresses along the way.
...
"What do we do, Captain Brook? There are quite a few Marines!"
Shakky's eyes narrowed as she gazed at the three Marine warships ahead. Each ship carried no fewer than fifty Marines, making for a total force of over two hundred.
"Redfield, how's your swordsmanship? Have you reached the level of a true swordsman? Can you unleash flying slashes?"
Brook still wasn't entirely sure how powerful Redfield had become. However, considering he was once hailed as a genius on par with Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki, he couldn't be weak, not at this point in time.
"Don't worry, Captain. I won't let a single cannonball hit our ship."
Redfield spoke with unwavering confidence as he unsheathed his newly acquired cane sword. A chilling gleam flickered across the blade—no surprise, given that it had been nourished by Brook's ghostly aura.
"Then I'll leave the ship to you."
Brook drew the Shichiseiken strapped to his back and started sprinting forward.
"Hmph! Pirates will always be pirates—blind to the reality before them! Fire the cannons!"
Rear Admiral Temep shouted just as a sharp sense of danger washed over him. Instinctively, he jerked his head to the side, and a split second later, a gunshot rang out. The Marine directly behind him collapsed, blood seeping from a fresh bullet wound.
"They have a sniper! Stay alert!"
Temep's gaze locked onto the source of the gunfire—Silva, whose long sniper rifle still trailed a wisp of smoke. Shot after shot rang out, and with each sound, a Marine fell, as if death itself was reaping their lives.
The three Marine warships erupted with the thunderous roar of cannon fire. Countless cannonballs rained down toward the Yellow Springs.
...
A massive, eerie blue sword aura surged from Brook's Shichiseiken, cutting through the air with chilling intensity. In an instant, the incoming cannonballs were sliced apart mid-air. Brook, now running at full speed across the ocean's surface, left behind a mesmerizing trail of ice as water splashes froze in his wake.
This was Brook's unique ability—his rapid movements caused water to splash up, only for it to freeze due to his ghostly energy, forming a dazzling frozen path behind him.
"This is bad! Brook isn't just a Devil Fruit user—he's a high-level swordsman too!"
Rear Admiral Temep's eyes widened in shock. Seeing Brook cut down so many cannonballs with a single slash and then sprint across the sea toward him, he instantly drew his own sword and prepared to intercept.
Clang!
Their blades clashed, sending sparks flying as the sharp ring of steel echoed across the battlefield.
"You don't even know how to use Armament Haki? And you call yourself a Rear Admiral?"
Brook frowned as he realized Temep lacked any Armament Haki. He had planned to defeat the Rear Admiral and let Redfield extract his memories, hoping to gain insight into the method of training Armament Haki.
In reality, most Marine officers stationed along the Grand Line were those with weaker talent or older age. The truly gifted ones had long since mastered Haki and were sent to the New World to suppress the powerful pirates there.
Clearly, Rear Admiral Temep was one of those who had failed to awaken Haki, yet had accumulated enough achievements over the years to earn his current post. In contrast, some of the more talented Marine Captains had already awakened Haki and had been deployed to the New World, where merit was easier to gain and promotions came faster. After all, even Zephyr had risen to the rank of Admiral at the age of thirty-eight.
Rear Admiral Temep was already in his forties, yet he still hadn't awakened Haki. That was undeniably a shortcoming. However, his mastery of swordsmanship and physical techniques was more than enough to capture rookie pirates who had just entered the Grand Line!
"Hmph! Against the likes of you, I don't even need Haki to take you down!"
"Oh? Then I suppose you won't mind losing your sword!"
With a sudden burst of strength, Brook's Shichiseiken sliced through Temep's blade, snapping it clean in half. Forced to retreat, the rear admiral discarded the broken hilt and swiftly snatched a standard-issue longsword from a nearby marine. Without hesitation, he swung, unleashing a powerful slash toward Brook.
"Die, pirate!"
"Rokushiki—Soru!"
Right after launching the sword slash, Temep vanished from sight. As Brook cut through the attack, the rear admiral suddenly reappeared right in front of him, bringing his blade down in a fierce strike!
"I didn't expect you to know Rokushiki. How many techniques have you mastered?"
Brook blocked the attack with his Shichiseiken, a glimmer of excitement flashing in his eye sockets. Shakky's training method… this is perfect!
"Hmph! I may have failed to awaken Haki, but my mastery of Rokushiki is second to none!"
"Rokushiki—Rankyaku!"
Temep lunged forward, swinging his sword in a downward arc. A sharp, blue energy slash erupted from the blade, rushing toward Brook with deadly force.
"Got anything else? What about Geppo?"
Brook effortlessly shattered the flying slash with a single swing of his sword, his voice carrying an eager anticipation.
"What are you trying to do? Steal Rokushiki techniques? Not a chance!"
"Rokushiki—Geppo!"
Temep kicked off the air repeatedly, ascending into the sky. From above, he unleashed a relentless barrage of Rankyaku slashes, sending blade-like winds hurtling toward Brook and leaving deep, jagged cuts all over the warship's surface.
"Haha! Not bad! Even just these three techniques are enough!"
Brook's Shichiseiken changed from a ghostly blue to an eerie pale white. Moving faster than even Temep's Soru, he appeared before the rear admiral in an instant and slashed down.
"Rokushiki—Kami-e!"
Temep's body swayed like a drifting sheet of paper, narrowly evading Brook's deadly strike. But the chilling ghostly aura that followed in its wake sent a shiver down his spine.
"Rokushiki—Tekkai!"
Shing!
The sound of a blade cutting through flesh echoed in the air. Temep had barely activated Tekkai in time, but even so, Brook's icy slash left a deep wound on his chest. However, no blood spurted out—the ghostly chill had already frozen the wound solid.
"Rear Admiral!"
Lieutenant Commander Sado and several high-ranking marines rushed forward, positioning themselves between Temep and Brook. Gripping their swords tightly, their hands trembled with tension.
Their strongest officer—Rear Admiral Temep—was losing to this pirate. This put them in an incredibly precarious situation.
"Impressive. You've mastered five techniques. That means you must know Shigan too. Your talent for martial arts isn't bad at all, though your execution is a bit sloppy."
Temep's face darkened. He wasn't unskilled. In fact, he had once been exceptionally talented. But after sustaining severe injuries to his lungs and kidneys in a battle against a notorious pirate, he had been unable to endure intense training any longer. His strength had stagnated, and it was the very reason he had failed to awaken Haki.
"You truly live up to being a pirate returning from Sabaody Archipelago… I underestimated you. But you won't be leaving today. More powerful officers are on their way. All I need to do is hold you here!"
Temep stepped forward, standing resolutely in front of his fellow officers. His gaze locked onto Brook with unwavering determination, his battle spirit undiminished...
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg