One piece: I,Akaino will not die easily

Onigumo's response was exactly as Sakazuki expected. In this world where there is a significant disparity in individual strength, there are indeed prodigies who, through just a few years of honing, can reach heights that others spend decades striving for—or even heights that many cannot reach in their entire lifetimes. These individuals are like "monsters" born for combat.

The phrase "a single person forming an army" is not an exaggeration in this world. There are many powerful individuals who can rival entire nations with their strength. Strictly speaking, Sakazuki himself is one of those monsters born for battle. But that doesn't mean he, like Onigumo, disregards the inadequate combat strength of the rank-and-file soldiers.

In his opinion, even soldiers from his past life's nation—individuals with limited physical prowess—would be more than enough to crush the majority of ordinary marines in this world.

The strength of an army has never been determined by the extraordinary individual power of one person but rather by the collective strength forged through strict discipline and relentless training.

Perhaps the soldiers of his homeland in his previous life were not as muscular as those from certain foreign countries, but their individual capabilities and teamwork were undoubtedly world-class. Especially under their training system, they developed endurance that could sustain prolonged and grueling battles, overwhelmingly surpassing the armies of other nations.

Without comparison, one might not realize the gap. If a soldier from his past life's military were pitted against an ordinary marine from this world in a one-on-one fight, the outcome might not be certain.

But if ten or even a hundred were drawn from both sides to compete, assuming individual differences were disregarded, the marines in this world would be utterly crushed.

Even among the "elite" marines of the Navy Headquarters, their individual combat ability and teamwork still left much to be desired in Sakazuki's eyes.

For this reason, he deliberately requested bounties from Headquarters—ones that weren't too high by the standards of the Grand Line—just so he could test and strengthen the marines aboard his ship in real combat.

"Target spotted at eleven o'clock!" shouted the lookout stationed in the crow's nest high atop the mast, having sighted Sakazuki's intended target.

"All combat units, take your positions!"

The shrill sound of the alarm echoed across the warship. Following the officers' orderly commands, the deck entered a combat-ready state. The triple gun turret mounted on the bow of the ship adjusted its firing angle based on the gunners' range calculations.

The pirate ship ahead clearly noticed the imposing navy vessel behind them, but their speed was far inferior to that of Sakazuki's "Black Sam" Vita. Furthermore, the pirate ship's waterline had sunk below the surface due to the sheer amount of plundered loot onboard, further hampering its speed.

"Boom!" The deafening roar of cannons broke the silence as Sakazuki's warship fired first. However, hitting targets in naval combat has always been a game of probability and luck. Even during the era of ironclad battleships, the hit rate was a mere 3.38%.

As for Sakazuki's warship's hit rate... it was disheartening, to say the least. The initial volley missed, and the pirate ship began to retaliate. But given that the navy ship was pursuing them from behind, the pirate ship's stern lacked significant firepower. A few pitiful cannons were hurriedly pushed onto the deck by the panicked pirates.

Sakazuki strode toward the helm, his face darkened. Picking up the Den Den Mushi, he issued an order to the ship's artillery chief: "You've fought under me for years, haven't you? Sometimes, a seasoned gunner's intuition should be more reliable than the aiming markers. After calibration, I expect you to hit the target!"

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, the artillery chief felt like crying but held back his tears. They had only fired a single probing volley, and now the captain was demanding a precise hit. This was a moving target on the open sea with waves to account for! Boss, if you're in such a hurry, why not do it yourself like last time?

Grumbling internally, the artillery chief wasted no time. Adjusting the wheel axle himself, he fine-tuned the firing angle. Being the chief gunner of a top-tier warship, he wasn't without skill. Combining his experience with intuition, he took another glance at the markers and slightly adjusted the angle upward.

"Fire!" he shouted.

"Boom!"

As expected, this round of cannon fire struck the pirate ship's rear hold with precision. Smoke billowed, and wooden splinters flew everywhere.

The artillery chief picked up the still-connected Den Den Mushi and, with a hint of pride in his voice, reported:

"Report! Target ship hit!"

Sakazuki, of course, could see the blasted section of the enemy ship. Without stopping, he immediately gave the next order:

"Switch to chain shot! Disable their main mast."

The Den Den Mushi vividly conveyed the expression of the artillery chief on the other end. With a somewhat feral grin, he replied:

"Understood! My pleasure!"

The artillery chief had already guessed the Vice Admiral's intentions. By using chain shot to break the mast, the pirate ship would lose its propulsion, leaving them with no possibility of escape. At that point, the pirate ship would truly be nothing more than fish on a chopping block.

Chaos had already erupted on the pirate ship. The first mate suggested to the captain that they jettison some of their cargo to increase speed. However, many pirates were strongly opposed to this idea. They had risked life and limb to plunder these treasures, and now they were being asked to toss them into the sea before even enjoying them.

But the situation was dire, and the pirates, wearing expressions of intense reluctance and pain, grudgingly began to lift the cargo. Yet, before they could muster the strength to toss it overboard, three loud explosions echoed from the distance.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Iron cannonballs screamed through the air, hurtling toward them.

"Bang!" Two of the cannonballs struck the ship directly. The violent shaking of the vessel caused many pirates to lose their footing, toppling onto the deck. The cargo some of them had been carrying spilled all over the place.

"Move, move, move!" the pirate captain shouted, his voice hoarse with urgency. One hand gripped the helm tightly, while the other waved frantically as he issued command after command. The pirates scrambled chaotically across the deck, noisily attempting to carry out his orders.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The sound of the next volley was heavier, more menacing than the previous one.

"Watch out!" The first mate lunged forward, tackling his captain to the ground just in time to save him from being crushed into a bloody pulp by the collapsing main mast.

The high-speed chain shot, consisting of two solid iron balls connected by a thick chain, had been fired from the warship's cannon with several times the usual gunpowder charge, propelling it with tremendous force. It tore through the pirate ship's main mast, which had been holding the taut sails.

In an instant, the mast was shattered by the chain shot, and the violently flying splinters embedded themselves into the bodies of the pirates near the sails.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Several pirates screamed in agony as they plummeted from the heights onto the deck below. After a series of dull thuds, they lay motionless, devoid of life.

The pirate captain, having been pulled to the ground by the first mate, escaped unharmed. However, as he looked at his beloved ship, now reduced to this state, his eyes reddened with rage and grief.