As the shockwave subsided, everyone looked up at the pirate ship engulfed in flames at the center of the alliance. The screams of pirates being consumed by the fire, carried from the ship, left their minds blank.
"What was that?"
Recalling the lightning bolts that had moved like dragons, all the pirates, including their captains, shivered once they came to their senses. What followed was an unprecedented tension.
The pirates who had managed to sail this far, with only one step left to the New World, were not novices who had just entered the Grand Line. They knew many things ordinary people did not, including information about many powerful Devil Fruits.
Unknowing pirate captains were still confused.
Those who knew what the blue lightning signified swallowed hard, a sliver of fear appearing in the depths of their pupils, already contemplating escape.
"A Rumble-Rumble Fruit!"
The legendary strongest Logia.
Though they hadn't seen it, just the title "strongest" was enough for them to imagine its power.
Even though they could dodge the giant blue lightning that had fallen, and likely wouldn't die if they couldn't, it didn't diminish the fear that now surged within them.
Pirates, pirates.
Fundamentally, they were a cowardly bunch, preying on the weak and fearing the strong.
Those with true ambition and strength wouldn't be here to intercept Kong Tai's group, nor would they form an alliance with other pirates, especially a motley crew that looked like a mob.
Therefore, when these pirates witnessed Kuina's divine judgment, their morale plummeted instantly.
No pirate spoke, all awaiting their captains' orders.
The captains, however, were in a difficult position.
Those who didn't know about the Rumble-Rumble Fruit still held some illusions. After all, while the blue lightning looked intimidating and powerful, it hadn't killed them instantly.
But for those captains who *did* know about the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, it was a true dilemma. They wanted to retreat, but their subordinates were unaware of its power.
After all, Logia users were rare. In this pirate alliance, very few had actually seen the power of a Logia user.
Feeling the gazes of their subordinates behind them, they didn't know how to give orders.
Flee?
Or stay?
They couldn't possibly retreat without even seeing the enemy's face.
How would they maintain their standing among their crews and other pirate crews afterward?
Chester had been adjusting the goggles on his eyes since the blue lightning first ascended. The right frame of his goggles housed a small telescope, which he usually used for aiming.
"Captain, I see them."
"See what?"
Everyone looked at Chester simultaneously.
"I see Silver Hair's group. That giant windmill on the ship's bow, it has to be them."
Turning around, the captain took a telescope from another subordinate and raised it to his eye. He gazed at the large sailing ship in the distance, cutting through the waves and rapidly approaching them. The arrogance was gone from his face.
He was one of the captains who knew about the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and had actually witnessed the power of other Logia users in action.
"Should we flee?"
As he hesitated, a ball of fiery red, entwined with blue lightning, suddenly appeared on the sea ahead.
The projectile pierced the air and the waves, leaving a semicircular trench on the surface. From such a distance, it seemed to teleport, arriving before the pirate alliance faster than sound.
At this moment, time seemed to stand still. The surrounding world slowed down.
Bathed in the lightning-infused light of the electromagnetic cannon, the beings around them revealed a myriad of human expressions.
Some screamed, some were frozen in shock, some turned to flee, and some closed their eyes, awaiting death.
*Bang*—!
Time resumed. The electromagnetic cannon shot directly towards a pirate ship.
The immense impact pierced the ship's bow, followed by an explosion far larger than the previous blue lightning strike, along with a shockwave and turbulent waves.
*Boom*!
*Rumble*~
Only then did the sound of the electromagnetic cannon reach the sea where the pirate alliance was located, reaching the pirates' ears.
But they were no longer in a state to care about the sound of the electromagnetic cannon.
The powerful shockwave, generating immense air pressure, instantly forced the sea beneath the exploding ship downwards. Then, under the gale, it churned up waves several meters, even ten meters high, spreading outwards in a circle.
Under the impact, the pirate alliance's formation was completely disrupted.
Of course, their courage was also shattered.
"What the hell is this now?"
This was the common voice of all the pirates, all the pirate captains.
Their madness and greed vanished, replaced by boundless fear.
They had anticipated that Silver Hair's group would be strong, but having only encountered Vice Admirals so far, and never witnessing a top-tier expert in action, they had assumed top-tier experts were only slightly stronger than Vice Admirals.
This was the primary reason they dared to come and cause trouble for Kong Tai's group.
After all, witnessing something with their own eyes was vastly different from a few words in a newspaper.
But when they truly encountered a top-tier expert, and witnessed an attack that could destroy heaven and earth, their last shred of hope and greed vanished.
This was the growth of pirates, perhaps.
But the price of this growth was their lives.
If given another chance, they surely would not have sought trouble with Kong Tai's group.
But as it always is, there are no ifs in this world.
"Flee!"
Before the sea could even calm, the alliance collapsed on its own.
While they might have been able to withstand the previous blue lightning, this attack, capable of destroying a ship in one blow, meant they would all die if they stood together.
The pirate captains were crystal clear about this at that moment.
Therefore, without hesitation, they issued the command to flee to their respective ships.
"Are they trying to escape?"
On the bow of the Freedom, everyone watched the collapsing pirate alliance in the distance, their excitement replaced by disappointment.
"I told you not to use too much power, see! They all ran away."
Kong Tai leaned against the railing, glancing at A Luo, a smile on his lips.
"Oh! This guy dares to tease Kuina now."
"So brave."
He shifted his gaze back to Kuina and said with a smile,
"They won't escape. It's a good chance to practice Kuina's electromagnetic cannon accuracy."
Kuina turned her head, gave Kong Tai a playful smile, then turned to look at A Luo.
"Uh..."
A Luo now realized he had been teasing Kuina and was momentarily speechless.
He also wanted to fire his cannons, to strike down pirates.
As for A Tao and A Hua, they were all watching the fleeing pirates with teary eyes and a sense of helplessness.
They had expected a thrilling encounter and had prepared themselves to wreak havoc, but unexpectedly, Kuina had caused such a large pirate alliance to collapse with just two attacks.
"Tch, so weak."
They all inwardly scoffed at the pirates in the distance. However, they dared not show any dissatisfaction towards Kuina, who was the cause of all this.
Under Kuina's gaze, A Luo dutifully had the冥狗 (Ming Gou) continuously spit out bullets, reducing himself to a mere bullet-loading machine, while he could only watch Kuina with envy.
He watched as she fired, and fired, and fired again, burying all the fleeing pirates beneath the sea.