Chapter 975: Defense Breached, The Big Mom Pirates’ Full-Scale Landing

Chapter 975: Chapter 975: Defense Breached, The Big Mom Pirates’ Full-Scale Landing

"Ninja brat! How dare you ambush my sister! I’m going to tear you apart!"

Oven strode forward in a blind fury, charging directly at Binz.

Well aware of his opponent’s terrifying capabilities, Binz didn’t dare draw the katana mounted on his back to strike. Instead, he twisted his body in a rhythmic, dance-like motion, instantly activating his Devil Fruit ability.

"Mosa-mosa! Mosa-mosa!"

Dozens of vibrant green vines erupted from the cracked pavement. They swelled rapidly, thickening to the size of tree trunks as they shot outward like piercing spears, twisting through the air to ensnare Oven.

"That garbage doesn’t work on me!"

Oven sneered in utter disdain. Standing his ground, he didn’t even bother to dodge, allowing the vines, each as thick as an adult’s arm, to coil tightly around his body until he was completely immobilized.

In the next fraction of a second, Oven’s entire body flushed a brilliant, searing crimson. Tendrils of white steam hissed violently off his skin as he unleashed an astronomical level of heat. The green vines binding him instantly charred black under the intense thermal energy, turning to drifting ash before they could even restrict his movements.

Without a strong coat of Armament Haki to protect an object, the heat of the Heat-Heat Fruit could instantly melt steel blades and iron chains. It was a power capable of literally boiling the surrounding ocean, ordinary plant life didn’t stand a ghost of a chance.

"What an absurd temperature...!"

Binz sucked in a sharp breath as a wall of blistering heat washed over his face, singeing his hair.

He realized instantly that he could not allow Oven to close the distance. In a direct melee, he would be completely overwhelmed within a few exchanges. His only path to survival was to rely on his sheer speed to hit and run!

"Ninja brat! Just lay down and die!"

Oven roared, the searing heat radiating from his body intensifying as he barreled forward like a runaway juggernaut.

Seeing the human tank rushing down on him, Binz made a snap decision. Several massive vines burst from beneath his feet, lifting his body high into the air and safely out of Oven’s immediate path.

Mid-air, Binz reached into his vest and whipped out several heavy, black shuriken, hurling them down at Oven in a fluid motion.

SHU! SHU! SHU! SHU!

The shuriken tore through the air, tracing sharp, whistling arcs as they closed in on Oven from multiple angles.

"Heatwave Fist!!!"

Oven’s eyes narrowed. Bracing his legs, he raised a massive, glowing red arm and unleashed a devastating punch into the open air.

BOOM—

The immense heat radiating from his fist practically ignited the surrounding oxygen, unleashing a localized firestorm. The blistering gale swept outward like a broom clearing dead leaves, casually swatting the incoming shuriken out of the sky.

By the time the metal stars clattered onto the concrete below, they were glowing a dangerous, molten orange.

"Mosa-mosa! Mosa-mosa!"

Feeling the oppressive thermal wave rushing toward him, Binz shouted in alarm and pushed his Devil Fruit powers to the absolute limit. Dozens of fresh green vines burst from the ground, weaving together at a frantic pace.

By the time they converged in front of Binz, the vines had grown as thick as a man’s thigh, constructing a dense, interlaced wooden Aegis.

The next second, the roaring heatwave slammed into the barrier. The moisture inside the vines evaporated instantly, causing the green wall to spontaneously combust. Binz felt suffocated by the blistering heat, heavy beads of sweat pouring down his face like rain.

When the fiery gale finally dissipated, the protective wall before him had withered and shrunk to a fraction of its size, choked by crackling embers.

CRASH—

Suddenly, the brittle wooden barrier exploded outward, scattering charred splinters everywhere as a towering, imposing figure burst through the smoke.

"Die!!!"

With a furious roar, Oven swung his massive, glowing arm, driving a heat-infused fist straight toward Binz’s chest, dragging a trail of distorted air in its wake.

"Damn it!"

Terrified, Binz instinctively reached back and gripped the hilt of his weapon. With a sharp CLANG, he drew his katana and swung it forward in a desperate parry.

BANG—!!!

Fist and steel collided, unleashing a piercing metallic screech.

CHRRRRRR—

In an instant, the thermal energy from Oven’s fist transferred directly into the blade. The steel glowed a blinding, molten red within a heartbeat, the blistering heat searing straight through the hilt and severely burning Binz’s palms.

"Gah! Too hot!"

Binz cried out in agonizing pain, his fingers involuntarily opening as he dropped the white-hot katana. The weapon plunged straight into the cracked earth below, sizzling violently.

Fortunately, the momentum of Oven’s airborne strike had finally spent itself, forcing the Sweet Commander to drop back down to the ground.

Taking advantage of the momentary reprieve, Binz scrambled backward, leaping off the remaining vines and retreating deeper into the harbor complex.

"Don’t you dare run, ninja brat!" Oven bellowed, sprinting after him in hot pursuit.

In the distance, Perospero watched Oven charge deep into the harbor docks. He initially raised a hand to call him back, but paused as a cold, calculating thought crossed his mind.

The primary combat forces of the Chris Pirates at Unzan Port were already fully occupied. Their cadres and subordinate pirate captains were completely locked in fierce, bloody duels against his own siblings.

Given Oven’s monstrous strength, even if he ventured deep into the heart of Unzan Port alone, he wouldn’t be easily trapped. If he managed to decapitate one of the Chris Pirates’ primary cadres, it would be a massive strategic victory.

Looking across the wider battlefield, the situation was heavily tilted in their favor.

Ain was on the absolute defensive, flagging rapidly under Sweet Commander Smoothie’s relentless swordplay.

Shuzo was barely hanging on, using everything he had just to parry Jinbe’s devastating Fish-Man Karate.

Backan had taken multiple direct hits from Katakuri, left with no choice but to desperately defend himself.

The dozen-plus subordinate pirate captains allied with the Chris Pirates had fared even worse; several had already been severely incapacitated, and one notable captain with a 200 million Berry bounty had just been beaten to death by Pekoms’ bare fists.

With that perspective in mind, Perospero kept his mouth shut and allowed Oven to press the attack.

Out at sea, aside from the dozen Germas 66 vessels currently tying down the massive Gran Tesoro, the remaining fleet was packed to the brim with Big Mom Pirates’ cadres and homie homie soldiers. They had successfully breached the defensive perimeters of Unzan Port at multiple points and were rapidly closing in on the shoreline.

The twenty-plus heavy dreadnoughts belonging to the Chris Pirates, along with the dozen-plus ships of their subordinate fleets, had already been largely neutralized. The number of coastal vessels still capable of returning artillery fire could be counted on one hand.

The naval vessels of the Germa Kingdom were not merely standard mercenary warships; they were mobile, floating fortresses representing the sovereign power of the Germa Empire. Each ship boasted devastating firepower and heavy armor plating. If not for the long-range electromagnetic railgun strikes coming from Alvis Island and Tesoro’s golden interventions, Germa 66 wouldn’t have had to sacrifice over a dozen ships just to breach Unzan Port’s naval blockade.

Furthermore, because the Big Mom Pirates’ ambush had been so meticulously synchronized and sudden, the defenders simply didn’t have enough manpower to properly crew all their defensive vessels. Coupled with the devastating underwater sabotage from Jinbe’s Sun Pirates and the raw offensive might of the Germa fleet, the coastal defense line of Unzan Port had been reduced to a structural sieve.

Of the thirty-six fortified artillery towers that once lined the coast, fewer than ten remained operational, leaving them completely incapable of repelling a full-scale landing by the Big Mom Pirates.

"Charge—!!!"

"For Mama!!!"

"Crush the Chris Pirates!!!"

"Leave no survivors!!!"

A chorus of bloodthirsty roars echoed across the waters as the Germa warships slammed against the docks. A massive tide of homie soldiers and elite pirates leaped onto the piers, charging toward the harbor and the city proper with fanatical fervor.

Led by the Homie Army as a vanguard, the invading forces tore onto the docks. High-ranking Homie officers like Noble Croc and Randolph the Crane Rider carved a bloody path through the frontline defenders, who were already reeling from the heavy naval bombardment.

Supported by a massive contingent of Charlotte Family cadres and subordinate pirate captains, the Big Mom Pirates’ grand army pushed inland like an unstoppable, destructive tidal wave.

The relentless advance was only checked when the ’Z’ Division, bolstered by heavy reinforcements from the Chris Pirates’ Fourth Division, allied fleets, and thousands of local Kingdom soldiers, committed to a desperate, bloody stand. Even then, it required the sacrifice of several powerful Dragonians to barely halt the Homie Army and the elite pirates at the edge of the harbor district, grinding the Big Mom Pirates’ momentum to a temporary standstill.

However, the invading pirates themselves suddenly hesitated to push any deeper into the city.

High above the harbor, a cataclysmic shockwave rippled through the air, shaking the very foundations of the buildings. Their captain, the Yonko Big Mom, was currently locked in an earth-shattering duel against the supreme commander of the harbor defenses, the former Marine Admiral, "Black Arm" Zephyr, right in the heart of Unzan Port’s urban district.