Chapter 99 99 Disparity in Firepower
"Hmm? There's a discovery! Attention everyone, a fleet is approaching us." On the New Riding the Wind and Waves docked at the coast, the sentry in the crow's nest peered into the distance through his binoculars from time to time.
Suddenly, his movements stiffened. As he focused his binoculars in a specific direction, his expression shifted instantly, and he hurriedly broadcasted an alert via the Transponder Snail.
"Are they here?"
On the deck, Manlong, who had been sitting in meditation to train his Observation Haki, snapped his eyes open.
"They arrived quite quickly. It seems the treasures here are a high priority for the Happo Navy." Organizing the statistics of the gathered treasure, Nico Robin looked up toward the sea outside the window upon hearing the broadcast.
Besides those two.
On the shore, the members of the Hunting Team also heard the broadcast and stopped what they were doing.
"Finally, they're here. No matter what, I'm taking out more enemies this time."
"The Captain said this battle would serve as a major reference for the officer elections. I'm not giving up on a seat."
"I've mostly adapted to my Devil Fruit powers over the last few days. This battle is the perfect chance to put them to the test."
"
Whether they were ordinary members or elites, upon learning that it might be the Happo Navy, none showed any fear; instead, they all wore expressions of excitement.
"They didn't look for outside help? They seem quite confident."
In his private cultivation room, Zane also stopped his training. He paced to the window and gazed at the fleet gradually appearing on the distant horizon.
One could see that the third eye on his forehead was closed. Because it was a vertical eye, the closed slit looked like a golden dragon mark.
He extended his Observation Haki to sense the distant fleet.
Whether it was their presence or their voices, Zane quickly discerned the personnel situation on the ships.
He chuckled and motioned for Baby 5, who had been accompanying him in his training, to follow him out of the room.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Intense sounds of cannon fire echoed continuously.
When Zane and Baby 5 reached the deck, they saw a dense swarm of cannonballs flying toward them from afar.
It was clear.
The Happo Navy was even more impatient than expected.
Once they spotted the New Riding the Wind and Waves on the coast, they immediately launched their offensive the moment they were within range.
"Spear Wave: Rain Shower!"
The cannonballs rained down.
Manlong, who had already been waiting on the deck, acted decisively.
After several days of recuperation, his injuries had almost completely healed.
He swung his palms repeatedly, and a large amount of moisture converged into water bullets, quickly intercepting and detonating the incoming cannonballs mid-air.
Swish!
Behind Zane, Baby 5 reacted extremely quickly. She lunged forward, her arms transforming into machine guns to strafe the remaining cannonballs.
"Counterattack!!"
Faced with the bombardment, the members of the Hunting Team guarding the warship couldn't possibly remain indifferent.
Without needing an explicit order from Zane, the gunners immediately calibrated their cannons and launched a counter-barrage at the distant Happo Navy fleet.
In particular, the Lightning Beam Cannons on the sea-facing side extended their massive barrels from hidden hatches on the hull and quickly finished charging.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three brilliant beams of lightning shuttled through the barrage of cannonballs, firing directly at the leading tiger-head warship.
"Danger!!"
His Observation Haki allowed Chinjao to immediately perceive the incoming Lightning Beam Cannons.
His imposing stance at the bow shifted instantly as his expression changed. He pushed off with his legs, launching himself into the air.
"Hasshoken Secret Technique: Drill-less Dragon, Drill-less Nail!"
The power of the Lightning Beam Cannons clearly posed a massive threat. To intercept them, Chinjao directly unleashed his strongest move.
His flat head was wrapped in dense Armament Haki.
"AAAGH!!!"
Above the sea in front of the tiger-head warship, Chinjao roared as he spun his body at high speed, releasing a whirlwind-like shockwave that encompassed the three incoming lightning beams.
BOOM!!!!
A staggering collision erupted.
Countless lightning bolts and shockwaves spread out in all directions.
The sea directly beneath the impact point collapsed, forming a massive whirlpool.
Scorching and violent.
That was the sensation Chinjao felt coming from his own head during the collision.
In the next second, an even more terrifying pressure made his eyes roll back into his head, and he was sent flying by the lightning beams while screaming in agony.
BOOM!!!
The lightning beams, with their power barely diminished, slammed into the tiger-head warship.
The terrifying lightning transformed into a massive explosion, causing the entire tiger-head warship to shatter on the spot, turning into debris that scattered in every direction.
The shockwave radiated outward.
Stupendous waves rose from the surrounding sea.
The other warships guarding the flagship shook violently under the impact of the fierce shockwave.
Amidst screams and shouts of alarm, many people were thrown off the decks and fell into the sea.
"How is this possible?!"
On the other ships, members of the Happo Navy who had managed to stabilize themselves looked at the shattered remains of their flagship with expressions of disbelief.
They had arrived with such momentum.
Before they even truly clashed with the enemy, the Happo Navy had already suffered heavy losses from mere artillery fire.
"You bastards!!"
From the churning seawater, a battered Sai and Boo poked their heads above the surface.
Looking at the wreckage of their warship, both were filled with rage and grief.
Sai, in particular, was filled with agony alongside his anger.
His Observation Haki wasn't as refined as Chinjao's, but it wasn't poor either.
When Chinjao failed to intercept the lightning beams, Sai had immediately grabbed his younger brother Boo and jumped off the warship.
This was how the two of them were able to survive the bombardment of the Lightning Beam Cannons.
Sai's pain stemmed from this as well.
He only hated that he wasn't capable enough to save more people in that critical moment.
"What a disparity in firepower!"
On the New Riding the Wind and Waves, Zane walked with his arms crossed to the railing facing the distant fleet.
Looking at the opponent's flagship being destroyed, he gave a light laugh.
The Lightning Beam Cannon was definitely a ultimate weapon.
Although it needed five seconds to charge, its attack speed and power were enough to make it a winning trump card in naval warfare.
BOOM!!!
Conqueror's Haki erupted.
The already violently churning sea became even more turbulent.
The surging Conqueror's Haki, like an invisible shockwave, rapidly swept toward the New Riding the Wind and Waves.
His eyes narrowed.
Sensing the incoming Conqueror's Haki, Zane decisively erupted his own Conqueror's Haki as well.
BOOM!
The two Conqueror's Haki forces clashed violently over the sea.
Black lightning, resembling sparks, flickered and leapt through the air.
The fierce impact swept through the surroundings, creating ripples in the void and causing waves to explode from the suddenly sunken surface of the sea.
In the clash, the aftershocks of the Conqueror's Haki, which had been controlled by both sides, rippled out.
Whether it was the Hunting Team members on Zane's side or the Happo Navy members on the opposite side.
When the aftershocks of the Conqueror's Haki swept over them, many people rolled their eyes and collapsed unconscious, unable to withstand the pressure.
However, the number of people who fainted was far higher on the Happo Navy's side.
It wasn't because the front-line members of the Happo Navy were inferior to the Hunting Team, but rather because Zane held the advantage in the clash.
Like two hemispherical energy fields.
In the brief stalemate, Zane's Conqueror's Haki forcefully suppressed the pressure emanating from Chinjao, even causing the other man's Conqueror's Haki to show signs of crumbling.
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