Chapter 51: Please keep reading! The fiercest cat meets a dragon!

"Black Cat, is there something wrong with these Marines, meow?"

'Fishing Kitten' stood at the stern of the ship, watching the Marine fleet that continued to pursue them relentlessly. He asked the Den Den Mushi in his hand with a sense of confusion, as he only had a subconscious feeling about it and couldn't quite put it into words.

In times like this, he needed 'Three-Legged Cat,' who was just a tiny bit smarter than him, to clear up his doubts!

"It's the artillery, meow!"

As expected, Black Cat did not disappoint him this time. The Den Den Mushi, which possessed the expression of their third compatriot brother, looked very serious.

"Those Marines are gradually decreasing their rate of fire, meow!"

Standing at the stern of the black ship, 'Three-Legged Cat' spoke while pondering the problem with uncertainty. However, 'Fishing Kitten' on the other end showed a look of joy and laughed loudly, "Is it because they're running out of cannonballs, meow!"

The former immediately shook his head, negating the possibility.

"That's impossible. Everyone knows that in terms of wealth, the South Sea Marines rank second among the four seas. To them, cannonballs are no different from bullets to us, meow."

Just then, as the final roar exploded in the nearby waters, the entire world suddenly fell silent. The sound of waves crashing against the deck once again became the main melody.

"Black Cat, they've stopped firing, meow!"

The white cat, 'Fishing Kitten,' shouted in pleasant surprise. Since the two ships were not far apart and the artillery had ceased, even without the Den Den Mushi, Black Cat 'Three-Legged Cat' could faintly hear him.

"Strange, too strange. We still have a long voyage before we reach Upside-Down Mountain, and these Marines still show no intention of catching up, meow."

The latter looked at the surrounding sea and found that they had once again fallen into a three-way encirclement, except that the warships were now merely following quietly.

[Tap, tap, tap, tap]

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached rapidly from behind 'Three-Legged Cat.'

As he turned around, he saw a crew member running toward him with a face full of panic. The man spread his arms wide and shouted loudly, "Captain! Marines have appeared ahead of us too! And... and they are... extremely, incredibly, no, super massive—!"

At the same time, a similar situation was unfolding on the white ship.

In the next instant, the black cat and white cat transformed into blurred afterimages at an incredible speed, rushing from the stern to the bow. There, they saw five terrifyingly massive warships approaching head-on.

"Wh-what are those things, meow?"

The white cat, 'Fishing Kitten,' muttered in disbelief with his mouth agape. Because he was a Cat-Cat Fruit user, his visual capabilities were extremely strong, allowing him to see much more clearly than an ordinary person.

The warships ahead were estimated to be several times larger than the South Sea Marines behind them, especially the caliber of the triple-barrel turrets on top, which was terrifying.

"If I'm not mistaken, those should be the legendary warships of the Marine Headquarters, meow..." 'Three-Legged Cat' replied, his face turning pale.

"Marine Headquarters?"

"Yeah. I really didn't expect the nobles of the South Sea to have such great influence that they could actually invite the Headquarters Marines to catch us." 'Three-Legged Cat' felt a complex mix of emotions.

He felt both despair and a strange sense of being honored; after all, looking across all the pirate crews in the South Sea, he had never heard of anyone drawing the attention of the Marine Headquarters. In that sense, they were quite formidable.

"Argh, what am I even thinking about at a time like this, meow?!"

On the opposing side, Dragon, stationed on a warship, received an inquiry from the lower-ranking Marines asking whether to open fire. His answer was, of course, no. With the firepower of these Headquarters-class warships, if even a single shot hit, the enemy's ship would essentially be neutralized. How could they practice their aim then?

"Rear Admiral Evan, I'll leave this side to you. Notify the various South Sea Marine units to return, and by the way, convey my thanks and appreciation for their hard work."

"No problem. I look forward to your performance!" Rear Admiral Evan said with a gentle smile.

Performance?

Dragon looked at him in confusion, but at that very moment, the familiar sound of cannon fire rang out again, followed by two sharp whistling sounds cutting through the air.

The two men looked up to see two glowing red cannonballs hurtling toward them at high speed.

"Heh, I didn't expect these South Sea pirates to have such backbone, actually charging toward us of their own accord!" Rear Admiral Evan raised an eyebrow, speaking with some surprise.

Simultaneously, Dragon transformed into a pale green whirlwind and soared into the sky, the surging wind making the "Justice" coat on Rear Admiral Evan's back flutter violently.

"Is this the power of the Logia Hurricane-Hurricane Fruit? That's actually quite cool~" The latter watched the flying green whirlwind with envy in his eyes.

On the ship of the Black Cat Pirates, the Den Den Mushi in 'Three-Legged Cat's' hand displayed a fierce expression.

"Forget about Headquarters or branches! Since there's no way to retreat, we'll just fight our way out! At the end of the day, they only have three warships. Even if they are larger, at most they only have a few times more men. Let's fight them, meow!"

Hearing 'Fishing Kitten's' words, 'Three-Legged Cat' had to admit that in this situation, the other was braver than him, and indeed, there was no other choice.

At this moment, he had completely realized the intention of the South Sea Marines.

They weren't trying to force them into the Grand Line; they were trying to force them right in front of this Marine Headquarters fleet!

"You're right! Sometimes when it's time to risk your life, you have to do it. Now is that time, meow!"

As he finished speaking, 'Three-Legged Cat's' body underwent a massive change visible to the naked eye. His size expanded rapidly, thick yellowish-white fur grew from his pores, the tips of his ears became rounded, and his pupils turned light green.

This was the hybrid form of the Zoan Cat-Cat Fruit, Pallas's Cat model!

The Pallas's cat, also known as the manul, is recognized as the cat with the strongest combat capability and fiercest temperament living in cold regions. It is said that they have undergone little evolution over five million years, thus retaining their most primitive form.

"Prepare for battle! Meow—!"

'Three-Legged Cat' let out a roar to the surrounding crew, his voice becoming much more savage than before.

"MEOW!!!"

Nearly three hundred crew members from the Black Cat Pirates and the White Cat Pirates roared in unison, a feline cry that served both to cheer for the upcoming battle and to express their trust in the strength of their two captains.

They were two Devil Fruit users—what was there to fear?!

However, in the next moment, some noticed that the cannonballs they had fired were actually flying back toward them mid-air. The two pitch-black cannonballs grew larger and larger in their vision.

"Watch out!!"

The piercing screams caused all the pirates on both ships to take notice.

[Swish, swish]

Fortunately, the captains they believed in did not disappoint.

Two afterimages, one white and one black, leaped over the high masts. As sharp cat claws tore through the air, the two cannonballs flying back toward their respective ships were instantly sliced into three pieces. In the blink of an eye, they streaked past the ships and exploded in the sea.

"Whoa!!"

Such a stunning scene caused the pirates on both ships to become instantly excited; this was always their reaction whenever they saw the two captains "tearing apart" cannonballs with their bare hands.

But as 'Three-Legged Cat' and 'Fishing Kitten' landed back on the deck, there was no relaxation on their faces; instead, they became even more vigilant and tense.

Because they knew very well that cannonballs couldn't fly back on their own. As Devil Fruit users, the first thing they thought of when encountering such an irrational occurrence was the power of a Devil Fruit.

Furthermore, as Zoan users, their sixth sense was even more sensitive. The unprecedentedly intense sense of crisis in their hearts made their fur stand on end.

[Whoosh!]

Suddenly, a great wind rose from the deck of the black ship, blowing a dozen color-changing pirates high into the air. Immediately following the cleared area, a tall, heavily built Marine officer appeared within the wind.