Chapter 25: The Meteor Volcano in Mogutown!

Clouds rolled in heavy swells, and the wind howled in fury.

Waves surged across the sea from time to time, rolling forward in successive ranks.

They crashed against the massive warships, which appeared far too arrogant in their eyes.

Yet, no matter how the waves threw themselves forward in succession, they could only shatter themselves time and again, watching helplessly as the three warships charged toward the next crest.

"Vice Admiral Akainu, could we please try to avoid shelling Demon Valley Town? Our people and zoologists also need a place to stay, and the houses there are just right for use."

On the deck of the warship, a CP5 operative swallowed nervously as he looked at the towering silhouette of "Justice" before him.

It wasn't that he was a coward.

In his usual line of work, he was a figure feared by many.

But the way this man conducted himself, combined with his overwhelming strength and terrifying abilities, made even him feel a sense of dread.

"A place filled with pirates, even serving them specifically? It's too filthy. You want to live in such a filthy place?"

Akainu stood before a triple-barreled turret.

Behind him, three large-caliber, pitch-black muzzles pointed straight ahead.

His words were cold and heavy, showing absolutely no politeness toward the other man.

"Don't even think about it. Burn it all. I'll have your administration department come and build a clean residence later!"

The CP5 operative opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't dare to argue.

He could only shake his head helplessly and walk back into the cabin.

Akainu ignored him, his eyes burning as he gazed at the small island gradually appearing on the horizon, a terrifying sneer spreading across his face.

"Hmph. Demon Valley Town... to think such a sinful place could exist right under the nose of Marine Headquarters. This time, no one escapes!"

He didn't even consider capturing them alive to be sent to Enies Lobby for trial; a piece of meat this large had to be devoured completely.

Kill them all!

Burn it all!

As evening approached in Demon Valley Town, various sailing ships flying different skull flags began to enter the harbor one after another, like seabirds returning to their nests.

Fierce-looking men with sun-darkened skin, built heavily, with long swords hanging from their waists, flintlocks tucked into their belts, or even daggers strapped to their ankles, swarmed into the town with arrogant shouts. They then dispersed into the various bars, restaurants, and brothels.

At this time, Demon Valley Town had not yet been occupied by the Donquixote Family.

Therefore, it was far more chaotic and dangerous than it would be in the future.

On a long street, a casual glance inward would reveal three or four figures lying in pools of blood, their status between life and death unknown.

There were also two or three groups of brawlers; it wouldn't be long before another body hit the ground.

Yet, facing all this, the passing men and women showed no alarm.

Instead, they shouted and jeered, adding fuel to the fire and urging the combatants to finish the job quickly.

Using blood and death as an accompaniment to their drinks.

However, no one noticed a red figure walking up a nearby small hill, looking down upon this filthy town from a high vantage point.

This person was, naturally, the Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, Admiral Candidate, known as "Akainu"—Sakazuki!

To ensure the total annihilation of all pirates, he had left the warship alone, using Moonwalk to circle around and step onto the land of Gaia Island.

His mission was to draw all attention to himself; meanwhile, the three Headquarters-class warships would take the opportunity to approach, surround, and completely block any path of escape.

Sakazuki raised both arms high, his hands clenched into fists.

Immediately, his fists and entire forearms began to turn red and heat up, emitting thick, black smoke.

The temperature of the surrounding air rose sharply, and the killing intent in his eyes condensed into a fierce glare.

"Meteor Volcano—!!!"

This was his strongest technique at his current stage, an ultimate move developed after his ability's awakening.

First, he compressed a massive amount of magma at his shoulders.

Then, using his arms as barrels, he launched successive magma projectiles into the high sky.

During this process, these magma projectiles would continuously expand.

When they reached their highest point and fell, they would transform into massive magma clusters resembling scorching meteors.

However, this time he controlled the quantity and range; otherwise, if he went full throttle, he could completely cover an entire city or a small island nation.

What he currently lacked to reach the true peak of combat power was merely the level of his Haki.

Truthfully, among the current three Admiral candidates, Sakazuki was the undisputed strongest in terms of raw power.

Simply based on the fact that he performed high-intensity physical training every single day.

This was something Borsalino and Kuzan were far from matching.

Inside Demon Valley Town.

Some drunken pirates, leaning shoulder to shoulder, dizzily noticed what looked like streaks of fire rising into the sky in the distance.

It was evening, and compared to a few dozen minutes ago, the sky had darkened slightly.

But the sunset was still bright, so the firelight wasn't particularly obvious.

"Burp~ Brother, what do you see over there?"

"Mm—looks like fireworks. Someone is setting off fireworks. Pretty good, hehehehe."

"Fireworks?"

"Aren't those usually set off at night? What's the point of doing it now?"

More and more people noticed the situation on the distant hill.

Until the first person instinctively looked up toward the moon and saw the "flaming meteors" emerging from the clouds.

Still unable to react, he was momentarily stunned.

But soon, his eyes widened further, and the look of terror on his face intensified.

In the next moment, a piercing, extreme scream exploded.

"METEORS!!!!"

Heads snapped up in unison. Within the sight of the men and women on the streets, massive fireballs—indescribable to the earth—appeared, falling directly toward them.

BOOM————

Chaos. Total chaos. Everyone began to scream and flee, running desperately toward the harbor.

Some pirates didn't even think to call out to their captains or comrades in the taverns; they only cared about saving their own lives.

But as these swift-footed people approached the harbor, they found that it was also a scene of utter mayhem.

"Warships! The Marines are here!!"

"Three Headquarters-class warships! My God, it's over, it's all over, it's too late!"

An old pirate nearing fifty collapsed onto the ground in despair.

They truly never expected that Demon Valley Town, which had been peaceful for over a decade, would ever see such a day. If they had known, they wouldn't have come.

At the same time.

Seven or eight Meteor Volcanoes landed successfully, followed by a continuous series of booming explosions.

Some smashed into taverns, some into restaurants, and some even landed directly in the middle of brothels where men and women were carousing.

Massive, rolling waves of magma surged in all directions like a tide.

That magma, far more terrifying than natural lava, acted like a demon from the abyss, devouring everything and everyone in its path.

In an instant, screams, wails, and cries of despair rose one after another.

Though there were only seven or eight magma meteors, they were more than enough for this small Demon Valley Town.

The lava flowed like water, wandering aimlessly through the streets and spreading everywhere, making it nearly impossible to find a safe place to stand.

Not only that.

The three Headquarters-class warships had already taken their positions, their broadsides facing Demon Valley Town. Each ship, equipped with twelve large-caliber cannons and a triple-barreled high-altitude turret, spat out glowing, red-hot shells.

Massive explosions of fire completely covered the harbor; every moment, pirate ships wrapped in flames sank into the seabed.

If Imu could see this scene, he would easily realize that the power of these shells far exceeded the similar projectiles of his previous life.

Each one was comparable to a tactical cruise missile. It was said that the war-beast class warships specifically used for executing Buster Calls had even more powerful shells!

It was just that the range was a bit too short...

On the other end of Gaia Island.

Montblanc Kurika, with a chestnut on his head, watched the bright flashes of fire from afar, listening to the terrifying explosions.

He hurriedly led "Gorilla" and "Ape" onto a boat to escape, thinking to himself that he would come back to check on things after some time had passed.

In this way, he had managed to avoid this great catastrophe.