Chapter Thirty-Four: Taste the Agony

“Chu Yi, my brother, what are you planning…”

“I understand!”

The moment Chu Yi finished speaking, Shanks was briefly taken aback, then immediately commanded, “Do as Brother Chu Yi says! Full speed ahead! Get as close to those naval warships as possible!”

“But Captain—”

“No buts!”

A terrifying aura erupted from Shanks, enveloping the entire ship. Only in moments of true danger did the usually carefree, unassuming “Red-Haired” Shanks instantly transform into the future “Emperor of the Sea,” leaving no room for dissent.

The crew of the Red-Haired Pirates was clearly used to this side of Shanks; when they saw him turn serious and unconsciously release that dreadful aura, they knew exactly what to do without further instruction.

But just as the crew was about to spring into action, there was a sudden, crisp sound—a palm landed on Shanks’s shoulder. With that single touch, Rayleigh dispersed the intimidating aura Shanks was emitting and said calmly, “Hold on. I have a few questions for young Chu Yi.”

The crew hesitated a bit, but then Shanks said, “Uncle Rayleigh’s words are as good as mine. Hold for now.”

He turned toward Rayleigh. “Ask away, Uncle Rayleigh.”

Rayleigh’s hawk-like eyes fell on Chu Yi. With an inexplicable pressure bearing down, Chu Yi heard Rayleigh’s cool voice, “Young Chu Yi, you know what the ‘Buster Call’ means, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

Chu Yi slowly closed his eyes and, facing Rayleigh, Shanks, and everyone aboard—including Tiger and Hancock—spoke, “The Buster Call is an indiscriminate, inhumane act of total annihilation—a terrifying weapon wielded by the Navy. Those warships before us are all among the most formidable and indestructible vessels the Navy possesses. I’d wager they were all built in Water Seven!”

“As for the marines aboard, the Buster Call is typically executed by at least five vice admirals, each warship carrying no less than a thousand elite marines. That’s the standard configuration for a Buster Call—the very reason it’s the Navy’s ultimate weapon!”

As Chu Yi’s words faded, silence fell over the ship.

They were stunned by the horrifying power contained in a single phrase: “Buster Call.”

Even Shanks, destined to become an Emperor of the Sea, had never imagined that those three simple words concealed such overwhelming might. If they had followed Chu Yi’s earlier suggestion and approached the warships, let alone breaking through the blockade, it was questionable whether their ship could have survived a single coordinated barrage from those guns.

In that instant, cold sweat dripped from Shanks’s forehead, and he even felt a hint of relief that Rayleigh had stopped his order in time.

If Shanks was shaken, Tiger, Hancock, and the ordinary crew members of the Red-Haired Pirates could only feel absolute despair.

If not for Chu Yi’s explanation, perhaps they could have steeled themselves for a desperate fight. But now, the will to fight was gone—none of them even had the courage to draw their swords, let alone break through. Talk of escape was meaningless.

Rayleigh, however, was surprised by how much Chu Yi knew about the Buster Call—more, it seemed, than even he did. The more Rayleigh realized this, the more intense his gaze became as he stepped close, releasing a fearsome aura that pressed down on Chu Yi alone.

“Young Chu Yi, since you know so much about the Buster Call, why did you order Shanks to approach those warships? Yes, it would be difficult for us to break through, but not impossible. But even if we do escape, what of the people left behind on Sabaody Archipelago?”

“You must know—the Navy isn’t launching this Buster Call simply to eliminate us. They’re doing it to bury the truth, to kill everyone who knows about the Celestial Dragons’ deaths. Isn’t that so?”

What?

This was the Navy’s true purpose?

This was the so-called Navy of “Justice”?

To cover up the heinous crime of the Celestial Dragons’ murder, they were prepared to destroy the entire Sabaody Archipelago, to slaughter everyone with any knowledge of the event?

Not even the most “ruthless” pirates could be so merciless.

Could it be that, in the name of “justice,” the Navy was in fact more brutal than any so-called pirate?

When Rayleigh finished, most people found Chu Yi’s decision unsurprising—after all, when disaster strikes, everyone looks out for themselves. They didn’t know the people of Sabaody Archipelago; the instinct for self-preservation came first. Even Hancock thought this way; in her young mind, as long as Chu Yi, herself, and Tiger could escape alive, the rest could fend for themselves.

But among them, Shanks and Tiger were exceptions.

When Rayleigh finished, both Shanks and Tiger looked at Chu Yi with changed eyes. Tiger rose and strode to Shanks’s side, his gaze fierce and unwavering—his intentions clear. He refused to escape with Chu Yi; he would return and defend Sabaody Archipelago and its citizens to the death.

Shanks, too, shot Chu Yi a cold, mocking smile and gestured to his crew: turn back!

I’ll never be a deserter!

Yet just as everyone’s opinion of Chu Yi shifted because of Rayleigh’s words, Chu Yi simply gave a self-mocking laugh.

“Uncle Rayleigh, do you really think I, Chu Yi, who dared to kill a Celestial Dragon, would lack the courage to bear the consequences?”

“You underestimate me!”

As he spoke, Rayleigh and the others watched as Chu Yi’s form slowly rose into the air, propelled by his anti-gravity field.

Hovering above, Chu Yi pressed his palms together and continued, “The reason I wanted Shanks to approach those warships wasn't to escape alone, but to make the Navy pay for their heartlessness!”

“If none of you believe me, then I’ll just have to prove it!”

“I’ll prove that I, Chu Yi…”

“…am no coward!”

With that, a dark crimson aura erupted as Chu Yi transformed instantly into a demon of war.

The Asura descends!

Marines, it’s time you tasted Ohara’s agony.

Secret Technique!

Planetary Devastation!