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OPI Chapter 435: The Song of Lasers and Steel
🕑 Added 2025-06-17 21:28:43 +0000 UTCInside the Room of Authority in Mary Geoise— The Five Elders had all gathered, their expressions grave as they stared intently at the centra
Inside the Room of Authority in Mary Geoise—
The Five Elders had all gathered, their expressions grave as they stared intently at the central holographic sandbox.
Displayed within it was the ongoing battle in outer space—both sides locked in fierce combat.
Green energy beams from the Odette Cosmic Pirate Fleet clashed against Borsalino’s Yasakani no Magatama and Kaido’s Thunderstorm, nearly filling the vast dark void between them with blazing destruction.
The continuous collisions of the three types of energy created massive spheres of light that expanded rapidly one after another.
As time passed under the weight of a stifling atmosphere...
The Five Elders, overseeing the entire situation from above, keenly noticed that Borsalino’s barrage of light beams was gradually suppressing the enemy fleet’s firepower.
In contrast, Kaido’s side remained deadlocked in a stalemate.
Seeing that the situation was not unfavorable, the Five Elders began to discuss amongst themselves.
“Impel Down has already successfully extracted basic intel on external cosmic powers from the memories of the captured space pirates.”
Ju Peter was the first to speak.
“First off, these space pirates are members of an organization called the Odette Cosmic Pirate Crew. That crew was hired by the planetary government of a place called Neptune Star, and granted what they call a ‘privateer license'.”
“As for the function of the ‘privateer license’…”
“It means their government officially authorizes them to freely raid Imperial ships across the galaxy. Moreover, they're considered ‘state-sponsored pirates’ and receive a certain level of support. Oh, and supposedly, there are now seven cosmic pirate crews with this kind of license. They're recognized as first-generation members under this licensing system."”
Hearing this, Warcury, Nusjuro, and Mars all fell into silent contemplation.
“This ‘privateer license’ and ‘official pirate status’… why does it sound so much like what we once discussed—the Seven Warlords of the Sea?”
Warcury couldn’t help but voice his thoughts.
Even though Lord Imu now treats the Warlords as part of their personal forces—
At the time, they were originally established to recruit infamous pirates in order to balance the global power dynamics between the Navy Headquarters and the Pirates.
“I suppose the minds of those who rule worlds tend to think alike.”
Saturn revealed a rather sinister grin.
“Let’s focus on this so-called Galactic Empire. Judging from the power level of these space pirates, they clearly don’t yet qualify as a serious threat to us in the future.”
Nusjuro spoke in a deep voice.
“Agreed.”
Ju Peter, well aware of this fact, continued: “The Galactic Empire—its capital planet is called Selenity, which is also the surname of their royal family. Roughly fifty years ago, this Selenity Empire mastered subluminal engine technology and swiftly occupied their entire star system, renaming it the Selenity System.”
“Ten years ago, they developed a technology called ‘Faster-than-Light Jump,’ and simultaneously rebranded themselves as the Galactic Empire. From that point onward, they fully entered an era of external expansion and colonization. Neptune Star is one of the civilizations currently resisting conquest by the Galactic Empire. Reportedly, the war’s been going on for two years.”
Nusjuro said: “So this so-called Galactic Empire isn’t all that impressive, huh? Two years, and they still haven’t taken a single planet?”
He was making this judgment based on the combat capabilities of those space pirates.
While Neptune Star’s military forces were likely stronger than those pirates, the difference shouldn't be anything extreme.
“No. According to what those space pirates told us, the introduction of the ‘privateer license’ did improve Neptune Star’s chances.”
Ju Peter shook his head in disagreement.
“But most people still don’t believe their war of independence can succeed. Right now, the only reason the Galactic Empire hasn’t crushed them is because it’s engaged in conflict with another cosmic power that’s also expanding outward. As a result, they can’t spare too much of their Stellar Fleet to deal with Neptune Star.”
“Another cosmic power?!”
Warcury, Nusjuro, and Mars all raised their brows at once.
“Yes. They’re called the Cosmic Federation.”
Ju Peter spoke with a weight in his tone: “In other words, the outer universe is currently at war.”
“The Imperial Stellar Fleet of the Galactic Empire is battling the Alliance Gaia Fleet of the Cosmic Federation. Compared to that, Neptune Star’s so-called independence war is barely a footnote.”
...
In the vast reaches of outer space beyond Starfish, the fierce battle between both sides raged on.
Meanwhile, the Odette Cosmic Pirate Fleet began deploying a massive number of carrier-based aircraft.
They swiftly bypassed the high-density bombardment zone at the center and launched an all-out offensive against the Air Fleet and the lunar base, causing the intensity of the war to surge sharply.
Countless small aircraft, painted black yet bearing orange-green skull insignias, swarmed forward like clusters of aggressive wasps.
As they fired green laser beams at the air warships and the moon’s surface, they darted about with extreme agility, weaving through the battlefield at high speed.
Naturally, the World Government side was not to be outdone.
The various types of cannons mounted on both flanks of the flying battleships, along with thousands of large-caliber anti-aircraft guns that had long been deployed on the moon, erupted in a frenzy of blazing firepower.
The sky above the moon had completely transformed into a brutal hellscape.
Deadly beams crisscrossed in every direction.
From the Air Fleet, one officer after another—some with wings sprouting from their backs, others transforming into large birds or insectoid forms—engaging the enemy aircraft head-on amid the warships, turning the airspace into a chaotic melee.
These cosmic pirates' laser weapons, while not as explosive as General Kizaru’s lasers, were still terrifyingly lethal upon impact.
However, those capable of using Observation Haki or Armament Haki found them manageable.
On the side of the cosmic pirates, their carrier-based aircraft were also equipped with highly advanced fire control systems that supported automated targeting and firing.
Thus, the battle between supernatural perception and cutting-edge technology had fallen into a prolonged deadlock.
However, this stalemate only applied to the lower and mid-level combatants.
The cosmic pirates’ aircraft had already reached their upper limit.
Once the Lieutenant Generals and full Generals began to take action, the situation changed dramatically.
Lieutenant Generals of the Air Fleet aboard the warships, along with the Army Lieutenant Generals stationed on the moon, simultaneously drew their blades and slashed toward the densest clusters of enemy aircraft.
In an instant, massive flying sword waves cut through the sky.
Everywhere the gleaming blades swept past, the carrier-based aircraft shattered on contact.
At the same time...
The officers wielding various Devil Fruit abilities also began unleashing a multitude of bizarre and terrifying techniques, killing the cosmic pirate pilots in an array of shocking and unpredictable ways.
...
With a sweeping arc of his massive blade, Arber unleashed a hellish sea of fire, giving rise to a terrifying fire dragon seemingly formed of molten lava. It roared across the battlefield, relentlessly pursuing and consuming large swathes of enemy aircraft and cosmic pirate vessels.
Then there were the twenty-plus 'Conqueror Units', which also unleashed devastating power.
Through their mouths and palms, they continuously fired explosive beams of light, acting as the Air Force's most formidable mobile artillery platforms.
But the cosmic pirates weren’t completely powerless in response.
One of the main missions of their aircraft was to escort a limited number of larger vessels.
These ships had a singular task: to descend upon the Moon and the other satellites.
As the metallic capsules reentered the atmosphere, their outer hulls were quickly engulfed in flames from the intense friction.
Moments later, they came crashing down with thunderous booms, shaking the lunar and satellite surfaces, kicking up massive clouds of dust and smoke.
“ROAR!!!”
“Ssssss———”
In the next moment, the Army soldiers stationed on the surface watched as a flood of terrifying and grotesque creatures poured out from metallic spherical pods of various shapes and sizes.
These were monsters captured by the cosmic pirates from various planets.
They were also one of the pirates' most commonly used methods for attacking native civilizations on planetary surfaces—an extremely convenient and effective tactic.
However...
The seven pirate warships that had previously assaulted the home planet had already revealed this tactic in full.
It was precisely for this reason that the World Government had deployed such a massive ground force.
“Open fire!!!”
All across the satellite surfaces of Starfish, Army officers of various ranks shouted out commands.
In an instant, the surface of nearly every satellite erupted in deafening gunfire and thunderous cannon blasts.
Countless alien beasts were torn to shreds mid-charge, their bodies exploding into multicolored lumps of meat.
Only those with thick hides, regenerative abilities, or techniques to evade or withstand the relentless barrage managed to survive and continue their wild charge toward the army lines.
“Leave them to us!”
At that moment, figures clad in white robes and wearing black gloves stepped forward and crouched in front of the Army soldiers.
“Transmutation Array, activate!!!”
The moment they simultaneously slammed their palms onto the lunar surface, brilliant sparks of electricity crackled between their hands, and luminous symbols emerged beneath the alien beasts' feet.
With a blinding flash of white light, countless sharp metallic spikes burst upward from the ground.
The spikes retracted as swiftly as they had appeared, leaving behind only pools of alien fluids and torn flesh smeared across the blood-soaked earth.
