Among the Navy, the three captains watched in surprise as Luffy and his crew navigated the Merry at high speed using the waves created by their cannon fire. Utilizing such a tactic was no easy feat; it required a deep mastery of navigation, precise calculations, and a keen understanding of currents and timing. The Straw Hat Pirates had a navigator this skilled? Though they had escaped for now, it was of no real concern to the Navy. They were not dispatched on this mission without a plan.
"Something's wrong! We're in trouble!" Onboard the Merry, Nami peered through her telescope and spotted something in the distance. Her expression turned grim.
"What's wrong?"
"This is bad! We're finished!" Usopp, using his binoculars, scanned the sea and suddenly froze, his body trembling as if he had seen something horrifying.
"This… Was it all part of their plan from the start? They're surrounding us, trapping us like rats in a barrel!"
"What is it?" Sanji tried to look ahead, but without a scope, he could only see the vast, endless blue sea.
"It's the Navy! We're surrounded!" Luffy's sharp eyes caught sight of it—over twenty large warships lined up in a blockade formation, closing in from the front. Just like before, they were now trapped between two naval forces, facing at least forty cannons that could fire at any moment.
"Damn it, the Navy! So they planned this from the start, intending to sink us with this maneuver?" Sanji's expression darkened. The situation had indeed turned dire.
"It seems we won't be getting out of this one easily!" Zoro grinned, tying his bandana tightly around his head. He gripped his newly acquired Snow Walk and Sandai Kitetsu in his hands, clenching the Wado Ichimonji in his mouth, ready for battle.
"Hey, Zoro, you're not actually planning to fight them head-on, are you?" Usopp's voice trembled with disbelief. In the face of such overwhelming naval forces, any sane person would be running for their lives!
"That's exactly the plan," Luffy said, cracking his knuckles and staring at the Navy closing in. His smile was eager, and he was itching for a fight.
"That's what I was thinking too," Sanji lit a cigarette, his eyes cold as he gazed at the surrounding ships.
"At this point, there's no other choice. When faced with an enemy, the brave will win. I'll control the ship, but don't let them hit us; otherwise, we won't get out of here!" Nami's face was serious as she issued her instructions to Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
"You guys are crazy!" Usopp was wide-eyed, unable to believe what he was hearing. His crewmates were treating the Navy as if they were nothing.
"Don't worry!" The three nodded, preparing themselves.
"Nami, are you out of your mind too? There are over three thousand of them out there!" Usopp tried to reason with Nami.
"Usopp, the helm is yours!" Nami said, smiling confidently.
"Alright… I guess we have no choice now!" Usopp, feeling helpless, steeled himself and grabbed the wheel. Looking at the mass of Navy ships approaching, he braced himself for the worst.
"They're not going to surrender!" The three captains on the naval ships exchanged glances and made their decision.
"Fire all cannons and sink them!"
Immediately, every cannon on the Navy ships aimed at the Going Merry. With the order given, at least forty cannonballs were launched at once, hurtling through the air toward the Merry.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The deafening roar of forty cannons echoed as the cannonballs streaked through the sky, each one perfectly aimed at the Merry. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji reacted instantly, but the barrage was too overwhelming. No matter how strong they were, they couldn't block every cannonball coming from all directions.
Navy dominance on the seas relied on this: overwhelming firepower. No pirate crew could match the sheer might of a fully equipped naval fleet. Despite Nami's skillful steering, some cannonballs still struck the Merry's hull, tearing it apart.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The surrounding waters churned violently, and massive waves crashed against the ship, forming a swirling vortex with immense suction, pulling in everything nearby. The relentless barrage left no time to breathe; Luffy and the others fought back as best they could, but the Navy's numbers and firepower were too much.
"We're completely outmatched!" Usopp closed his eyes in despair.
"There are too many cannonballs! We can't dodge them all!" Sanji gritted his teeth, feeling helpless.
"Luffy, we can't just keep reacting! We need to go on the offensive!" Zoro shouted.
"Right, I'll go take them out!" Luffy readied himself to extend his arms and launch into the fray.
"Wait, Luffy! If you go and take them down, the Merry will be destroyed before you're done! Just hold on a little longer; a storm is coming soon!" Nami pointed at the darkening clouds approaching from the sky.
"Hmm?" Luffy crouched down, trusting Nami's words, and nodded.
"Alright!"
"Gum-Gum Balloon!" Luffy inhaled deeply, his body inflating like a giant balloon. He used his rubber body to defend against the incoming cannonballs, bouncing them away.
"Is that the plan?" Sanji and Zoro nodded. If Nami said a storm was coming, they believed her. They braced themselves and focused on defense.
"What the heck…" Usopp muttered, following their lead.
"All we can do now is hold on a little longer. Come on, storm, you better hurry up!" Nami prayed as she watched the clouds grow thicker.
"They're resisting? Increase the firing rate! Sink that ship! Pirates without a ship are no threat on the sea!" Onboard the Navy's lead ship, the three captains sneered, issuing orders. The barrage intensified, with twice the number of shots fired in quick succession.
"This isn't good! They've increased the speed of their attacks!"
"We underestimated them!"
"Damn it, Nami!" The crew struggled to fend off the barrage, with Usopp anxiously watching Nami for a plan.
But Nami's eyes were fixed on Loguetown's port. She was stunned, witnessing a figure leap from the dock and sprint across the sea toward the Navy ships at breakneck speed.