Yellow sand filled the sky, further reducing visibility on the sea.
This wasn’t the first time they had encountered such a situation. The weather on the Grand Line was unpredictable, and thick sea fog was not uncommon. But the Sandstorm created by Tyranitar was even more deadly than the sea fog.
When sea fog appeared, they only needed to be cautious of submerged reefs in the ocean. If the winds and waves weren’t too strong, they could even choose to drop anchor and stop the ship. But this Sandstorm was different—the sand that hit their faces made it impossible to open their eyes, and the sand slipping into the seams of their clothes affected the sailors.
The shadow of the enemy ship under the yellow sand added to their psychological burden. A sandstorm wouldn’t just appear out of nowhere on the sea. This sea area was their territory, and they already know the climate here well.
If it wasn’t a natural phenomenon, it must have been caused by the enemy. Anyone who could alter the weather was no ordinary opponent.
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi on the ship suddenly rang with a stern voice.
“Calm down!”
Orlumbus’s voice seemed to carry some kind of magical power, and the soldiers immediately calmed down upon hearing it.
“Cover your eyes with gauze! Line up! Take your positions and begin bombardment!”
The King of the Standing Kingdom valued Orlumbus precisely because of this ability. The troops he commanded followed his orders to the letter. It wasn’t that their army was particularly strong, rather it was the pressure Orlumbus himself exerted.
He considers himself to embody an admiral’s dignity, commanding respect not only from his own people but even from his enemies, who would involuntarily line up in neat formations when faced with him. However, in the midst of this sandstorm, Orlumbus was not in a good mood.
His imposing presence was largely due to his fierce appearance, but his inner self wasn’t like that. He was not only meticulous in his actions, but also had compulsive cleanliness. So, the swirling yellow sand was nothing short of torture for him.
Snap!
The whip in his hand cracked against the deck. The sailors on his ship had already adjusted the cannons’ firing range. If the weather were normal, the other ships could communicate through flag signals or observe the movements of the flagship to make their decisions.
But now they could only rely on the voice from the Den Den Mushi. They couldn’t clearly see the target’s exact location, so they would just fire a barrage at the general area. Their firepower and ammunition reserves were sufficient to handle this.
Meanwhile, Tyranitar had also locked onto its target, but just as it was about to unleash a Hyper Beam, Jack called out to stop it. A minute earlier, one of his subordinates had raised a very crucial question.
“Boss Jack, why didn’t we raise our pirate flag earlier? Why are we doing it now?”
“Of course, it was to avoid scaring them off. Now that we’ve surrounded them, there’s no need to hide.”
“But Boss, letting Oni Princess’s pet sink that ship is also meant to intimidate them, right?”
“Sheepshead, where did you get all these questions from?”
“Uh… I just have one last question. If the point is to intimidate and show our identity, don’t they need to see it?”
Seeing Jack’s slightly annoyed look, Sheepshead went straight to the point, which was the question that he was curious about the most.
The endless yellow sand had obscured visibility. The enemy couldn’t see anything clearly, so how could they be intimidated?
At that moment, Jack was wearing windproof goggles, the latest standard equipment on the ship. This allowed him to keep his eyes open despite the sandstorm, but the goggles also made his expression less visible.
Jack preferred using his fists to thinking things through. The fact that he had come up with this plan was already impressive. A small oversight like this was understandable.
Listening to Sheepshead’s question, Jack didn’t immediately respond. He was thinking about how to resolve this without losing face.
Just then, Alcremie climbed up, facing the sandstorm. This wasn’t the game world, so the Sandstorm didn’t necessarily cause damage. The current intensity wasn’t enough to harm Alcremie.
“What are you doing out here?”
Compared to Alcremie, Jack’s height was like a towering mountain. For Alcremie, climbing up was almost like scaling a mountain, but it had only made it halfway up before Jack noticed.
During low-risk operations, Jack would always bring Alcremie along, but once the fighting began, it would retreat back to the cabin. This time, however, it came out to offer a suggestion.
Everyone on the ship had felt there was a flaw in the plan, but they all assumed that Jack had something else in mind. Even if a few had doubts, they didn’t dare voice them, which led to Sheepshead asking the question at the last minute.
But Alcremie was different. It had already figured out that Jack hadn’t planned for any follow-up. It had been brainstorming ways to fix the situation, and as the sound of cannon fire reached its ears through the sandstorm, it came up with a new idea.
The sandstorm was too strong, making it difficult for Alcremie to speak, but with its expressive body language and drawings made of cream, Jack understood what it was trying to convey.
“Hmm, you’re right. We can use the sandstorm to deplete the enemy’s ammunition and reduce our casualties.”
With Alcremie’s help, Jack managed to cover up his mistake. Even the crew got excited, feeling their “boss” care and concern for them. Some were even moved by it.
This wasn’t uncommon; after all, Oden could move others to tears, and a leader who “cared for his subordinates” could do the same. But the first thing to do now was to stop the Sandstorm.
And so, Tyranitar temporarily changed its course of action, retracting its Sand Stream ability, which brought a sigh of relief to the Emboar at the ship’s stern.
Emboar and Tyranitar were stationed on opposite sides of the ship due to their heavy weight as it could easily unbalance the ship if they weren’t separated. Emboar didn’t like sandstorm weather, even if it wasn’t the damaging kind. It didn’t enjoy the sight of sand swirling through the air.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have chosen to live in the most beautiful Kuri Region. The lush forests and mountains were its preferred environment. Seeing a Fire-type Pokémon paired in a Sandstorm team would have brought tears to the eyes of Trainers of the other world.
…
Orlumbus’s men continued their bombardment. Uncertain of the enemy’s exact location, they had to rely on luck, estimating where to fire based on the enemy’s speed.
They couldn’t observe the effects of their shots. Due to the unexpected turn in the plan, the Beasts Pirates’ ship had come to a stop, listening to their enemy fire shots into empty space. With Tyranitar retracting its power, the raging Sandstorm ceased its howling before gradually dissipating over the sea.
As visibility returned, the enemy’s numbers became clear before their eyes. However, this did not bring them any relief. Even Orlumbus felt a few drops of cold sweat trickle down his forehead.
On the enemy ship, the Beasts Pirates’ flag fluttered in the wind, and the sight of Tyranitar standing at the bow, preparing another Hyper Beam, sent chills down their spines.
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