Chapter 206: The Fallen Fleet

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

Thunderous explosions tore through the sky, shattering the black clouds above. The sound was deafening—like the heavens themselves were collapsing.

Great plumes of orange-red flame bloomed one after another across the pirate fleet in the sky, illuminating the dim heavens in crimson light.

On the ground, everyone cowered in terror. They watched as cannonballs streaked through the air like fireflies, felt the earth tremble violently beneath them, and turned pale with fear, hearts gripped by unspeakable dread.

Ten thousand cannons. Fired as one.

This kind of overwhelming firepower—so excessive it defied belief—not even the world's largest military force, the Marine Headquarters, could manage such saturation.

Ship after ship of the Golden Lion's invincible aerial fleet exploded under the bombardment. Shattered wreckage and burning pirate corpses fell from the skies like flaming rain. The scale of destruction was beyond imagining.

It was a massacre.

For the pirates of the aerial fleet, all they could do was watch helplessly as their ships were blown apart beneath them, their bodies consumed by flames.

High in the sky, even jumping from the ship would be meaningless.

There was no escape. Only death awaited.

"This damn brat Darren…"

Sengoku's face was filled with shock. His eyes were wide, stunned.

He had speculated—more than once—how Darren might respond to the Golden Lion's flying fleet.

Would he use his Magnet-Magnet Fruit to bind them and let Borsalino finish the job?

Would he fly up himself and destroy them in close combat?

But never—never—had Sengoku imagined that Darren would choose something so crude… and so simple.

True, the Golden Lion's fleet had the advantage of aerial firepower. But that advantage was not absolute.

You have cannons? Hundreds of them?

Then Darren would give you ten thousand!

He had used the Island of Coins' metal-laced architecture to forcibly construct a network of heavy cannons across the land.

On this island of metal…

Rogers Darren was a walking fortress.

More importantly—Darren had clearly pinpointed the fundamental weakness of the Float-Float Fruit.

Its core power was levitation—not maneuverability.

Which meant, in the face of ten thousand high-speed shells, the Golden Lion simply didn't have the reaction time to elevate his fleet out of harm's way. Floating… was slow.

…

Elsewhere, clad in black, King—"The Wildfire"—wore a look of dread. His voice carried a rare note of fear.

"He destroyed the Golden Lion's fleet… alone… This guy…"

Ever since Darren had destroyed their manufacturing line at the base, the Beasts Pirates had marked him for elimination.

And Queen had suffered Kaido's wrath for "failing to guard" that facility.

But now—now it was clear. The destruction hadn't come from Queen's negligence.

They had all simply underestimated this Marine from the North Blue.

"You're distracted…"

A lazy voice cut through the air.

King's expression shifted. He felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

SHHK!

A golden beam pierced his gut. Blood gushed from the wound.

Not far away, Borsalino still had one finger raised, a wry smile on his lips.

"This bastard…"

King gritted his teeth, his body igniting in crimson flame. He drew his sword and charged Borsalino once more.

The two resumed their fierce clash.

…

The roar of cannonfire still shook the heavens.

"This is insane…"

Marco, who had been hidden in the crowd, lifted his head from beneath his hood. His eyes twitched as he stared at the countless heavy cannons that littered the island.

The Golden Lion—an equal to Pops in reputation—had already been terrifying enough.

But when he summoned his invincible fleet, Marco had thought the Marines would suffer catastrophic losses.

Never had he imagined that in less than ten seconds, the entire situation would be flipped on its head.

The aerial fleet—renowned across the seas—had been blown apart like a fireworks show.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it.

Marco stole a glance at the Marine commodore, now standing at the center of the cannon formation, and instinctively sank deeper into his hood.

Compared to the last time they met, Darren's aura had grown stronger—beyond his own.

He cast a furtive glance toward the ruins of the auction platform.

A few surviving guards huddled protectively around the More-More Fruit. The auctioneer in the tailcoat lay buried beneath a collapsed wall.

"…There's still a chance."

Marco's expression shifted. After a long breath, he murmured under his breath.

…

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

The ground rumbled violently. The recoil from the heavy cannons sent dust and debris leaping.

Bullet stood frozen, sweat beading on his brow as he stared at the full might of the bombardment.

He suddenly remembered something—then quickly removed the metallic arm created with his Clank-Clank Fruit and threw it far away.

"That bastard Darren… when did he get so strong?!"

He growled, frustrated.

Yet the fire in his eyes only grew stronger.

…

Wreckage of pirate ships rained down like burning meteors.

Five seconds later—the cannon fire stopped.

Thick black smoke curled from the red-hot barrels. From every corner of the Island of Coins, plumes rose into the air.

As the smoke cleared…

The people finally dared lift their heads and look to the skies.

Where once floated the invincible aerial fleet… nothing remained.

Only a lone figure drifted in the sky, wreathed in smoke.

His head hung low. Golden hair partially covered his face.

But everyone could see—the Golden Lion's hands, still gripping his swords, were trembling.

"What a pity… Your fleet is gone."

A cold sneer echoed.

All eyes turned.

The Marine commodore, still breathing heavily, slowly stood up from where he had knelt. Even creating such a massive cannon array had taken a toll on his body.

But his eyes were defiant. His smile carried a venomous edge.

Behind him, a black demonic sword slowly floated into the air—pointed straight at the legendary pirate above.

"So now—am I worthy of being your opponent, Golden Lion?"

---

To be continued…