"Boom boom boom boom boom—!!!"
Cannonballs poured down like a torrential storm.
Each shell erupted into water columns several ters high on the sea surface, splinters of wood and tal fragnts scattering everywhere. The sll of gunpowder mixed with the salty tang of seawater perated the entire area.
Smoker hovered mid-air, gazing down at the wreckage of the warship that had been torn to pieces, then turned his eyes to the Eighth Branch warships still firing relentlessly, his expression grim.
But he had no ti for anger.
Because at this mont, there was a more urgent matter to handle.
He looked toward Ralph, who was evading the cannon fire in mid-air.
"Surrender, Pirate. The current situation favors !"
He allowed a cannonball to pass straight through his body, his smoke-form dispersing montarily as the shell pierced through, then reforming after it flew past.
Completely unscathed.
"I am a Logia user. In my smoke form, physical attacks are useless against ."
Smoker stared intently at Ralph, "And you—"
Another cannonball ca flying.
Ralph twisted sideways in the air, lightly tapping with Geppo, his body shifting half a ter horizontally as the cannonball grazed past his shoulder.
"You have to dodge."
Smoker continued, "Or use Armant Haki to block it head-on."
A third cannonball.
This one ca at a tricky angle—Ralph didn't have ti to evade completely.
He raised his left arm, pitch-black Armant Haki instantly coating it.
"Thud!"
The cannonball slamd solidly into his arm and detonated.
Flas and smoke engulfed Ralph's figure, but the next second, he burst out of the smoke, his arm bearing only a faint scorch mark.
"But Armant Haki consus stamina."
Smoker's voice carried a trace of composure, "How much longer can you hold out? Ten shots? Twenty? A hundred?"
He pointed toward the surrounding warships that continued their relentless barrage.
"The Eighth Branch may be corrupt, but their number of warships is undeniable. They have enough ammunition to bombard all day long.
"And you—"
Smoker's gaze sharpened, "Sooner or later, you'll exhaust your stamina, then fall into the sea or be blown to pieces by cannon fire."
He spoke the truth.
Ralph knew it well.
Geppo required stamina, Armant Haki required stamina—the consumption in high-intensity evasion and defense was staggering.
Although his physical strength and endurance had greatly improved due to the "natural divine power" modification, they were still not infinite.
Continuing like this would indeed lead to exhaustion.
But—
While dodging yet another cannonball, Ralph glanced at Smoker, a mocking curve suddenly forming at the corner of his mouth.
"For a Navy officer," His voice wasn't loud, but the provoking tone clearly reached Smoker's ears, "You're quite the failure."
Smoker frowned:
"What did you say?"
"I said—"
Ralph sidestepped, avoiding two intersecting cannonballs,
"For a Vice Admiral, your perception is truly pathetic."
He paused, then with another cannonball exploding, he executed consecutive Geppo steps, widening the distance between himself and Smoker.
Then, he turned his head, looked at Smoker, and said word by word:
"Is the current situation rely unfavorable to ?"
"R—"
Smoker was about to retort, but Ralph had already moved.
"Geppo: Flash!"
Ralph's body made three consecutive directional shifts in mid-air, like a black lightning bolt, charging toward the weakest point in the encirclent.
He was breaking through.
"Trying to escape?!"
Smoker reacted instantly.
He had been montarily distracted by Ralph's words, but quickly suppressed the doubts in his heart.
Deliberately mystifying.
It must be deliberate mystification.
Now that Ralph was clearly at a disadvantage, he was trying to use words to disrupt him and seize the chance to escape.
Smoker would never let him succeed.
"White Launcher!"
His body instantly transford into a trail of white smoke, charging at maximum speed toward the direction of Ralph's breakthrough.
Arriving later but striking first.
"Stop—right there!"
Smoker reford his body, blocking Ralph's path, and brought down his Seastone-tipped jitte.
Ralph was forced to halt.
And the mont he stopped—
"Fire!"
A commander from one of the warships shouted.
The next round of cannon fire arrived.
And it was more concentrated than before.
All the cannonballs were aid at Ralph's position.
And... at Smoker, who stood in front of him.
They whistled through the air.
Smoker gritted his teeth, his body turning to smoke once again.
The cannonballs passed through the smoke.
But in that instant—
Ralph moved.
Not to continue breaking through.
But... downward.
He abruptly stopped using Geppo, his body falling straight toward the sea like a stone.
As if he were injured!
"Trying to escape by diving into the water?"
Smoker guessed Ralph's intention and imdiately pursued.
Cannonballs exploded around them one after another.
Flas, smoke, shockwaves.
Smoker endured it all with his smoke form.
As for Ralph—
At the last mont, he raised his arms.
Armant Haki covered both arms, crossed in front of his chest.
Then, he was simultaneously hit by three cannonballs.
"BOOM—!!!"
A massive explosion blossod into an orange fireball in mid-air.
Thick smoke billowed.
Debris scattered.
Then, a black figure fell from the thick smoke.
Like a bird with broken wings, straight and heavy, it crashed into the sea.
"SPLASH."
Water sprayed upward.
Ralph had fallen into the sea.
...
"Ralph—!!!"
On the rry, Lufia's cry was heart-wrenching.
She had just been fished out of the sea by Sanji, drenched from head to toe, her hair plastered to her face, her straw hat askew.
Nami was observing the battle, Zoro stood guard at the ship's railing, and Usopp was checking the ship for damage.
Then, they all saw it.
Ralph being hit by cannonballs, falling from the sky, and crashing into the sea.
"N... No way..."
Usopp's telescope fell onto the deck,
"Ralph... he's so strong..."
"Those three cannonballs hit him simultaneously."
Sanji's voice was low, his cigarette burned down to the filter, "Even with Armant Haki protection..."
Zoro's eyes were fixed on the spot where Ralph fell into the sea.
"..."
Zoro said quietly, "He won't die that easily."
"Right!"
Lufia stood up abruptly,
"Ralph won't die! I'm going to save him!"
She rushed toward the railing, about to jump into the sea.
But Sanji stopped her.
"Miss Lufia, wait!" Sanji held her shoulders, "That area is still under cannon fire! It's too dangerous! And you're a Devil Fruit user..."
"I don't care!"
Lufia's eyes reddened,
"Ralph is there! He's in the sea!"
She struggled to break free, but Sanji's grip was like iron.
"Calm down, Lufia."
Nami also walked over, "We're heading there now. Full speed ahead, rry, to where Ralph fell into the sea."
She looked at Zoro and Sanji:
"Prepare for battle. We're breaking through the Eighth Branch's encirclent."
"Been ready for a while now."
Zoro assud his Three Sword Style stance.
"Leave it to ."
Sanji released Lufia and lit another cigarette.
Usopp took a deep breath and ran to the cannon at the stern:
"I-I'll help too!"
The rry adjusted its course, sails billowing with wind, charging like an arrow toward the smoke-shrouded sea.
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