Chapter 163: Make Them Hurt
Because the musket squad's formation had been broken by Ian's charge, when the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates jumped onto the warship, they didn't face much resistance.
Occasionally, a few Marine soldiers tried to fire their guns, but their attacks were chaotic and posed little threat.
On the other hand, the first ones from the Dragon Hunter Pirates to leap aboard were their most combat-capable elites.
A member of the Long-Leg Tribe, as soon as he landed on the deck, immediately swung his right leg in a spinning kick, striking a Marine soldier in front of him on the right cheek.
*Boom!* That Marine soldier's entire body spun as he was kicked flying. The force of the kick was so immense that he flew seven or eight meters, crashing into and knocking down many people along the way, before finally smashing a large hole in the cabin with a *bang*.
Seeing the Marine soldier's legs still dangling outside the hole while his body lay motionless, the Long-Leg Tribe member rubbed his nose in frustration and said, "Tch, can't take a hit!"
The surrounding Marine soldiers weren't intimidated either. Gripping their weapons, they howled and charged at him, trying to cut him down.
However, trying to attack a Long-Leg Tribe member with melee weapons was a joke. Human legs are naturally longer than arms, let alone those of the Long-Leg Tribe.
Even though these Marine soldiers held weapons, their attack range wasn't as far as the Long-Leg Tribe member's!
Side kicks, roundhouse kicks, spinning kicks, axe kicks—this Long-Leg Tribe member performed the art of kicking among the Marines. Within seconds, no one was left standing around him.
And there were four such Long-Leg Tribe members in the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
If the Long-Leg Tribe's fighting style was the art of kicking, then the Long-Arm Tribe's was the art of punching.
A burly Marine soldier, whose rank seemed to be a sergeant, was currently being beaten by a Long-Arm Tribe member.
Yes, beaten! Left hook, right hook—fast punches with a series of afterimages, hammering fiercely into various parts of the Marine sergeant's body.
"Jet Punch!" Finally, the Long-Arm Tribe warrior delivered a heavy blow to the opponent's abdomen.
*Boom!* A force passed through the Marine sergeant's body, creating a strong gust of wind behind him. The sturdy sergeant rolled his eyes and slowly collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth...
"Done!" The Long-Arm Tribe member snapped his fingers triumphantly.
Just then, the Marine warship suddenly trembled slightly, shaking. The Long-Arm Tribe member turned to see Dorry jumping aboard, the ship's sway caused by his massive weight.
"Whoa!!!"
Excited to join the fight, Dorry couldn't help but roar skyward after landing.
"Th-there's a bear!" The Marine soldiers near him stared in shock, then shouted in panic.
Dorry didn't care about that. After roaring, he lowered his shoulder, stepped forward, and charged *thump-thump* into the cluster of Marine soldiers.
*Bang!* When Dorry crashed into them, it was like a bomb exploding in the crowd.
The soldiers he hit head-on spat blood and were flung off the warship into the sea, while those around him were sent flying by his roaring charge.
This simple-minded guy went berserk in that moment! He swung his massive bear paws, sweeping through the crowd, sending anyone he touched flying or coughing up blood.
"Fire! Fire! Kill him!" A Marine ensign shouted from the crowd.
Many Marine soldiers heard his call, hastily grabbed their muskets from their backs, and aimed at Dorry.
But at that moment, a loud whoosh came from above. Everyone looked up to see a massive shield flying toward them, scaring the soldiers who were about to shoot out of their wits!
Needless to say, this shield was thrown by Sardine. His shield was practically a weapon of mass destruction. As it spun and whistled through the air, it swept through the gathered Marine soldiers, sending them flying with blood spurting from their mouths.
Finally, the shield slammed *boom* into the warship's cabin, embedding itself deeply.
"Thanks, Sardine!" Dorry scratched his head and called out to him with a simple grin.
"You're welcome!" Sardine replied from a distance. During boarding battles like this, Sardine couldn't easily join in—his enormous frame might capsize the warship if he jumped over, so he stayed on his own ship to provide long-range support.
With such a group of terrifyingly capable elites leading the charge, the fight against the Marines was like a crushing wave.
While Ian fought Melny, he caught glimpses of this scene from the corner of his eye and felt a surge of excitement.
In fact, during the days aboard the ship, Ian had learned from their conversations that Sardine and the others weren't ordinary Celestial Dragon slaves.
After the Celestial Dragons bought them, they didn't assign them to heavy labor but instead made them fight in the arena!
Yes, Sardine and his group existed as gladiators. In Mary Geoise, they fought others daily to entertain the Celestial Dragons.
Gladiators who survived the arena naturally had formidable combat skills. Ian had even underestimated them a bit; in truth, when they fought for their lives, they were likely no weaker than Devil Fruit users.
Besides these battle tribes, the other human giants weren't pushovers either. Before becoming slaves, they were pirates, accustomed to fighting—not just pirate battles but also against the Marines. So even facing elite soldiers from Marine Headquarters, they didn't flinch!
Ian saw their combat prowess, and so did Melny. As Marine soldiers fell in droves, Melny's eyes burned with fury. While hacking fiercely at Ian, he roared, "Who the hell are you!? With this kind of strength, there's no way you're a newly formed pirate crew!"
"Figure it out yourself!" Ian said with a slight smile.
"Damn it!" Melny cursed in frustration, suddenly retracting his blade and thrusting it at Ian with incredible speed.
"Sword Gun!"
As a Rear Admiral, Melny naturally had a few trump cards. This Sword Gun technique combined the Six Powers' Finger Gun with his swordsmanship, creating a thrust of extraordinary speed.
Ian reacted, but he hadn't expected such speed. As he dodged sideways, the attack grazed his right side, leaving a small wound.
Seeing his attack land, Melny's confidence surged, and he immediately launched another Sword Gun at Ian.
But this time, Ian didn't hold back. His Enma sword instantly turned black, and he slashed horizontally at the tip of Melny's incoming blade.
*Whoosh!* The two passed each other.
Melny trembled slightly, staring in disbelief at his sword.
The blade had been split from the tip all the way down, like a forked tongue, yet it hadn't broken apart.
Looking down at his chest, a massive wound had appeared, blood flowing uncontrollably.
"Dis... disgrace!" Melny muttered as he slowly collapsed, blood pooling beneath him.
When others had their blades cut, they usually snapped in two. But no one had ever had their weapon turned into a fork like this without breaking. At that moment, even the wound on his chest seemed unimportant—he knew he'd become a laughingstock among the Marines.
Ian didn't care about that. After defeating Melny, he sheathed Enma and shouted at the Marine soldiers, "Your commander has fallen! Surrender your weapons immediately!"
Hearing this, the Marines turned in disbelief and saw Melny lying in a pool of blood.
"Rear Admiral!?"
"Rear Admiral Melny!?"
"Ah! Avenge Rear Admiral Melny!"
Some soldiers screamed and charged at Ian like madmen, but he kicked them away with a few blows.
"Your Rear Admiral isn't dead!" Ian shouted. "Surrender now, and I'll allow you to treat his wounds!"
At these words, the Marines didn't know what to do. Should they surrender to save Rear Admiral Melny, or continue fighting these pirates?
Surrendering to pirates was almost unthinkable.
"If you delay any longer, whether he lives or dies is out of my hands!" Ian said coldly, staring at them.
The Marines fell silent for a moment, until a *clang* rang out—one soldier dropped his weapon.
With that lead, the rest followed. The chain reaction took hold, and the remaining soldiers also threw down their arms.
"Zeke!" Ian called out. "Tie them up! The rest of you, take everything you can carry from the ship!"
"Got it, Captain!" Zeke, the leader of the Long-Arm Tribe, nodded and immediately set his men to work.
After forcing the Marines to surrender, Ian couldn't leave the patrol ship intact. He had the soldiers tied up, then lowered the warship's small boats, forcing them to crowd aboard. Meanwhile, his crew stripped the warship of anything useful.
About two hours later, when the patrol ship was completely empty, Ian returned to his own vessel and asked for a bullet.
Electricity crackled around his arm. Seeing this, the crew knew what he was about to do and quickly moved far away.
Under the stunned gaze of the Marines, Ian fired a Railgun, launching the bullet at the warship.
*Boom!* A massive hole was blasted into the sturdy hull, punching through to the other side.
Though the warship didn't immediately break apart, water poured in steadily. Soon, the ship sank.
The surviving Marines, along with the wounded and the unconscious Rear Admiral Melny, crammed into a dozen small boats, watching helplessly from a distance as their warship disappeared beneath the waves.
It was a devastating blow to their morale...
"Alright, let's go," Ian said, watching the warship vanish from the surface before giving the order.