Nine Snake Pirates.
Ailesina, the current Empress of Amazon Lily and captain of the Nine Snake Pirates, lowered her longbow. A nearby guard lowered their spyglass and spoke,
"Your Majesty, the attack was intercepted by the Navy."
"Do we continue?"
Ailesina frowned slightly, gazing at the distant warship. Her cool voice rang out,
"Continue."
"Move closer, commence cover fire."
"Yes!"
The guards, receiving the order, directed the others to prepare for battle, while three giant snakes began to tow the Nine Snake Pirate ship toward the warship at an accelerated pace.
Meanwhile.
On the warship, the副官 also lowered his spyglass, pulled out his personal notebook, and flipped to a page. He reported to Vice Admiral Sakazuki,
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, the opposing flag is the Nine Snake Pirates."
Sakazuki's indifferent voice resounded,
"The warrior nation 'Kuja' tribe, I presume."
Hearing Sakazuki's words, the副官 continued reading from his notebook,
"Yes."
"According to the data, the Nine Snake Pirates belong to the Kuja Kingdom in the Calm Belt."
"The Kuja Kingdom is established on Amazon Lily."
"It is a pirate nation, similar to the Land of Flowers."
"The Nine Snake Pirates are the official organization of the Kuja Kingdom."
"They usually roam between the Calm Belt and the Grand Line, preying on passing merchant ships, pirate ships, warships, and any vessels that drift into the Calm Belt."
"The Nine Snake Pirate ships, towed by three giant snakes, can enter and exit the Calm Belt freely and at extremely high speeds."
"Due to insufficient power of current warships and the presence of numerous giant sea kings in the Calm Belt, Headquarters has had many failed pursuit attempts."
Sakazuki nodded. Indeed.
Vegapunk had not yet made a name for himself, and Seastone warships had only been researched a few years prior to this era.
The Calm Belt was teeming with colossal Sea Kings, each often the size of an island. If encountered, the officers might survive, but the soldiers would surely perish.
Without Seastone warships, Sea Kings could attack at any moment, and the Kuja tribe was intimately familiar with the Calm Belt's waters, making failure to pursue inevitable.
"Furthermore, according to records, the Nine Snake Pirates always conduct a probing attack before any raid."
"If the attack hits, they will follow up with high-frequency strikes within minutes."
"This is to gauge the strength of the target."
"If they have overwhelming superiority, they will directly board and plunder."
"If the first probing attack is blocked,"
"They will engage in ranged combat using Haki-infused arrows combined with cannon fire to destroy the ship."
"If ineffective, they will retreat."
"This is also one of the reasons the Nine Snake Pirates are so troublesome."
The副官 finished reading the last word of the document in his hand and closed the notebook, looking at Sakazuki, awaiting orders.
"Ranged attacks, you say."
Sakazuki mused after listening, then said,
"Use cannons to suppress the Nine Snake Pirates outside a certain range."
"Render their artillery useless."
"As for the arrows, have these lads imbue their attacks with Haki to defend against them."
"Yes!"
The Navy's cannons had a far greater range than the pirates'. The副官 acknowledged the order and then went to inform the gunners and the exhausted crew.
Sakazuki, meanwhile, ascended to the highest deck of the warship. He observed the ancient-style giant ship being pulled by the colossal snakes, its size gradually increasing. His Kenbunshoku Haki erupted, revealing the positions and figures of individuals.
"Hmph!"
On the Nine Snake Pirate ship, a cold snort was heard. Ailesina's face darkened, and a wave of Haoshoku Haki surged from her, covering the entire pirate ship.
It shattered Sakazuki's Kenbunshoku Haki that had been projected onto that area, rendering it unable to perceive.
The crew of the Nine Snake Pirate ship was slightly startled, unaware of why the Empress had suddenly unleashed Haoshoku Haki.
At this moment, a guard stepped forward to report,
"Your Majesty, we are about to enter firing range."
Ailesina nodded slightly, and then her cool voice rang out,
"One probing attack. The enemy has high-level combatants."
"If it's ineffective, then..."
Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!