"What's going on?"
Hearing the commotion, Vice Admiral Momonga quickly rushed out from the captain's quarters, frowning as he looked around. "What happened?"
Why had the ship suddenly become so chaotic?
"Vice Admiral Momonga, it seems we've entered the Devil's Sea!" a Marine exclaimed in terror.
Vice Admiral Momonga: ?
Vice Admiral Momonga looked at his subordinate with a puzzled expression. What did he mean by entering the Devil's Sea?
Wasn't this the Mobius Sea?
Although the environment and climate here were indeed quite extreme, they hardly warranted the term "Devil."
Just then, several Negative Spirits appeared before Vice Admiral Momonga, emitting eerie sounds as they floated.
"Negative~"
"Negative~"
"Negative~"
"What the hell are these things?" Vice Admiral Momonga's pupils contracted sharply.
"They're ghosts!"
"They're ghosts!"
A nearby Marine subordinate cried out in fear, "Sir, these are the ghosts we encountered earlier!"
"Anyone they touch becomes overwhelmingly negative!"
"Negative..."
Listening to his subordinate's words, Vice Admiral Momonga quickly calmed down instead.
Then, he frowned and said, "Could there be a Devil Fruit Ability User nearby?"
Rather than believing in ghosts or similar entities, he preferred to think they had encountered a Devil Fruit Ability User.
With this thought, Vice Admiral Momonga prepared to spread his Observation Haki around to check for any Devil Fruit Ability Users.
But before he could release his Observation Haki, he heard the sound of chains falling.
As if realizing something, Vice Admiral Momonga's expression changed. "Not good, someone is trying to rescue Panz Fry!"
As he spoke, Vice Admiral Momonga's body moved swiftly.
"Shave~"
"Whoosh~"
In the blink of an eye, Vice Admiral Momonga vanished from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was already at the edge of the warship.
"Who are these people...?" Vice Admiral Momonga stared at the raft, his pupils contracting sharply. "The Straw Hat Crew?"
Why were these guys here?
Weren't they supposed to have gone to Fish-Man Island just yesterday?
"Hey, frying pan uncle~"
Looking at Panz Fry, whose hood he had just removed, Luffy grinned widely. "We're here to save you~"
Lily also stared excitedly at Panz Fry and shouted, "Pops!"
"Lily?"
Seeing his daughter standing on Luffy's shoulder, Panz Fry was utterly stunned.
Why was his daughter here with this straw-hat-wearing boy?
Who was he?
"Hey, Luffy, the chains are cut," Zoro said. "Let's get ready to leave~"
"Got it!"
"Hey, that guy is the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro!" a Marine shouted. "He's part of the Straw Hat Crew!"
This was a notorious pirate with a bounty of over 100 million berries!
"Not just the Straw Hat Crew," a pirate holding Sanji's wanted poster pointed at Sanji and said, "There's also a stranger!"
"Who is he?"
"Bastard, I am a member of the Straw Hat Crew!" Sanji roared, baring his shark mouth. "I'm Sanji!"
"Black Leg Sanji?"
Question marks popped up over the others' heads—this didn't look like the person on the Wanted Poster.
After exchanging glances, they immediately understood what was going on.
"He must have gotten plastic surgery!" the Marines said in unison.
"Bastards, who got plastic surgery!" Sanji fumed.
His face was already incredibly handsome, okay? Why would he need plastic surgery?
Can't these bastards even talk properly?
"The Straw Hat Crew..."
Vice Admiral Momonga's adjutant, standing by the ship's side, stared down at Luffy and the others below. "I heard Vice Admiral White Snake went after them. Did they miss each other?"
"Perhaps," Vice Admiral Momonga said with a frown. "But since I've encountered them, there's no reason to let them go."
With that, Vice Admiral Momonga used Moonwalk to leap into the air, swiftly charging toward Luffy, clearly intending to capture him and the others right here.
"Straw Hat Boy," Vice Admiral Momonga shouted. "This time, I won't let you escape!"
"One-Sword Style: Rat Flash!"
"Clang!"
"What...?"
Seeing Zoro raise his weapon to block his attack, Vice Admiral Momonga's pupils instantly contracted.
He could actually block his slash?
"Vice Admiral Momonga, right?"
Looking at Momonga's somewhat familiar face, Zoro grinned. "I heard you're a skilled swordsman?"
A Vice Admiral-level swordsman... better not disappoint him~
"Roronoa Zoro, huh..." Vice Admiral Momonga frowned. "Did you come here to rescue Panz Fry?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
After saying this, Zoro didn't give Momonga any more time to talk, pushing him back forcefully with both hands.
Then, he launched an attack on him.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Boom!"
"Hey, Moss Head," Sanji, who had lit a cigarette not far away, spoke up. "We didn't come here to fight."
"I know," Zoro replied without looking back. "But we still have to exchange a few blows."
He knew there was no time to linger here, so he didn't plan on dragging out the fight—just a brief exchange would suffice.
This time, Sanji simply nodded without saying anything more.
"Lily, why are you here?" Panz Fry said. "And who are they?"
"Of course, to rescue you."
After saying this, Lily pointed at Luffy nearby and continued, "As for them... they're my friends!"
They were willing to help her rescue her Pops, so calling them friends wasn't wrong!
"So they're friends."
A smile appeared on Panz Fry's face, clearly happy that his daughter had made friends.
"I know you have a lot to say, but now isn't the time for catching up," Merry, who had flown down from mid-air, looked at them and said. "Let's talk after we leave this place."
It wouldn't be good if they were really detained by the Marines here.
"Alright!"
Lily nodded, then turned to her father and said, "Let's go, Father. We should leave here first."
Though there was much to say, Merry was right, so it was better to leave this place first.
"Alright."
Though he didn't know what was going on with this little girl, Panz Fry was willing to believe his daughter.
"Hey, who is this little girl?" A nearby Marine stared dumbfounded at Merry and said, "How is she flying?"
Is she an Ability User who ate a Devil Fruit?
An Ability User this young?
"I know, she's an apprentice of the Straw Hat Pirates!" The Marine who had been holding the Straw Hat Pirates' Wanted Poster earlier shouted loudly, "A little girl named Merry, looks about eight years old, bounty 100 Berries!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the air instantly fell silent.
100 Berries?
Who set this bounty?
Isn't this number a bit too childish?
Thinking this, the Marines' gazes toward Merry became somewhat strange.
"Damn it, what's wrong with a hundred Berries!" Noticing the Marines' looks, Merry immediately bristled, "Even with just a hundred Berries, I'm still very strong!"
"I... sob sob..."
As she spoke, Merry began crying while floating in mid-air, looking like a pitiful little thing.
"This..." The Marine who had just spoken felt awkward and said, "Did I say something wrong?"
Seeing such a cute little girl cry because of his words... he felt so guilty.
The nearby Marines immediately said, "Apologize, you jerk!"
"That's right, that's right, apologize to the cute little girl!"
"S-sorry..." The Marine who had spoken earlier bowed his head and apologized honestly.
Vice Admiral Momonga: ...
Seeing this scene, Vice Admiral Momonga was utterly speechless.
Then, he roared angrily, "You idiots, what are you all doing?!"
"That's a pirate!"
"Open fire, capture them!"
To actually start spacing out just because the opponent is a little girl... are these guys idiots?
Do they even know what pirate crew they're facing?
"Roger!"
The Marines who received the order snapped back to reality, then turned their cannons toward Luffy and the others below, clearly intending to blast them down.
As for Merry?
She wasn't within their attack range.
"I won't let you succeed!" Merry, having regained her composure, raised her hand and said, "Now feel my power!"
"Wind Impact!"
"Whoosh~"
The next moment, an incredibly terrifying gale shot out from Merry's hand, directly striking a nearby Navy Battleship.
"Boom!!"
The terrifying force blasted a hole right through the ship's hull below the warship!
Marines: ?
Watching the warship begin to sink from Merry's attack, the Marines were all dumbfounded.
Wasn't it said this little girl was only eight years old?
Why can an eight-year-old girl casually destroy their warship?
Is this eight years old?
What kind of eight-year-old kid has such terrifying combat power, damn it!!
"A frightening little girl," Vice Admiral Momonga frowned and said, "What kind of Ability User is this?"
Wind?
Could it be the Logia Wind-Wind Fruit?
If that's the case, then she really is a troublesome one.
Just at that moment, a torpedo flew out from the side, directly striking Panz Fry.
"Boom!!"
Panz Fry, struck by the torpedo, let out a scream before collapsing to the ground in agony, clearly severely injured.
"Where did that shell come from?" Luffy asked, dumbfounded.
The Marines' warship hadn't fired any shells.
"It came from underwater," Merry said, lowering her small hand and frowning as she looked at the nearby sea. "It seems there's a third group."
"A third group..."
Luffy was momentarily stunned. Why was there a third group?
While Luffy was still processing this, several more torpedoes shot out from the sea, mercilessly striking the Marines' warship.
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!"
After a few hits, the warship was riddled with gaping holes!
"It's over..."
The Marine captain who witnessed this turned pale.
With the hull damaged like this... it was bound to sink!
Vice Admiral Momonga, who saw everything, also wore an unpleasant expression.
"Could this be those who specifically target pirates?" Vice Admiral Momonga turned to look in the direction the torpedoes had come from, his face grim. "But why would they attack the Marines too?"
Shouldn't their target be the pirates?
Unable to figure out what was happening, Vice Admiral Momonga chose to distance himself from Zoro, deciding to assess the situation first.
Seeing this, Zoro didn't pursue further. Instead, he glanced at Merry and said, "Since a third group has appeared, let's retreat for now."
As for those who attacked the warship?
Let the Marines handle them. He had no interest in helping them.
"Okay!"
Merry nodded, then turned to Panz Fry. "Uncle, are you okay now?"
Luffy also looked at Panz Fry with concern. He really hoped the other was alright; otherwise, he wouldn't get to taste the delicious Heavenly Cuisine.
"Ah... I'm fine," Panz Fry said, lifting his head with difficulty. "What about Lily? Is she okay?"
"Pops, I'm fine," Lily replied.
"That's a relief..."
Panz Fry sighed in relief, glad his daughter was safe.
"Since everything's fine, let's leave this place," Merry said.
After speaking, Merry activated her ability.
"Rise!" she shouted.
"Hum~"
"Boom!!"
The next moment, the massive raft carrying Panz Fry was lifted by Merry, soaring rapidly into the air.
This sight left the Marines utterly stunned.
"Hey, how is that raft flying?"
"What's going on?"
"It must be that little girl!" one Marine pointed at Merry on the raft. "It's the power of a Devil Fruit!"
"To lift such a huge raft..."
Vice Admiral Momonga said with a grim expression, "What a miscalculation."
Although he wanted to use Moonwalk to chase after them, doing so might leave his subordinates vulnerable to the third group, so he had no choice but to give up.
As for Panz Fry... he could always capture him another time.
"So he gave up..."
Yezhi, who had been watching Vice Admiral Momonga below, sighed in relief. "Looks like we're in the clear."
"Ahahahaha, mission accomplished~"
Watching Merry cheer alongside Luffy, a faint smile appeared on Zoro's face.
At that moment, a figure flew over from the distance, moving faster than a bullet!
"Who's there?!"
Sensing the killing intent, Luffy immediately turned to look behind him.
"You think you can take this guy away?!" Shuzo shouted.
"Is he the third wave attacking the Marines?" Momonga frowned as he looked at the other man. "Is he a pirate too?"
Are they trying to use the Straw Hat Pirates and these Marines to make a name for themselves?
"I'm no pirate!" Shuzo, who had rushed in front of the group, raised his fist and declared, "I'm Neo Navy!"
"Whip Lock Fist!"
"Rubber Jet Rocket Gun!"
"Bam!"
"Boom!!"
The moment their attacks collided, a shockwave erupted, dispersing much of the surrounding fog.
Shuzo, having come to a stop, looked at Luffy in surprise. "Impressive power."
"You're not bad either."
Shuzo snorted at the remark, instinctively about to retort with a taunt, but before he could speak, he noticed the straw hat on Luffy's back.
"That straw hat... You're the Straw Hat Boy?"
Hovering in mid-air using Moonwalk, Shuzo's eyes clearly showed astonishment. He clearly hadn't expected to encounter the Straw Hat Pirates here.
"Yeah, that's me."
"Perfect then." Shuzo sneered. "Just in time for me to wipe you all out in one go!"
With that, Shuzo prepared to attack Luffy.
But before he could make a move, he sensed a terrifying killing intent.
"This is..."
After glancing at the arrow in Merry's hand, a trace of seriousness appeared in Shuzo's eyes. How could this little girl make him feel a sense of danger?
Was that even possible?
Though he didn't understand why, Shuzo chose to trust his instincts and decisively activated Moonwalk to dart to the side.
And at that very moment, Merry's attack flew out.
"Wind Arrow!"
"Whoosh~"
The spinning arrow, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, shot past the spot where Shuzo had just been in the blink of an eye, flying toward the open sea behind and plunging straight into the water!
The next moment...
"Boom!!"
Where the Wind Arrow struck the sea, a massive crater was blasted open!
Shuzo: !
Staring at the distant crater, Shuzo was utterly stunned.
Was this an attack that a little girl who looked only eight years old could unleash?
Was this the true strength of the Straw Hat Pirates?
Meanwhile, Merry took advantage of Shuzo's stunned state to quickly manipulate the wind, lifting the raft and carrying it far away, giving Shuzo no chance to pursue.
Watching this scene, Shuzo frowned and said, "Seems like I can't catch up to these guys now..."
But it didn't matter. Earlier, he had secretly placed a Vivrecard on the raft, so tracking them down wouldn't be a problem.
Thinking this, Shuzo gave up on pursuing the Straw Hat Crew and instead flew down toward the Marines below.
"You are..."
Looking at the man who landed before him, Vice Admiral Momonga frowned. "Shuzo!"
"Oh~"
"I wondered who it was. An old acquaintance." Shuzo glanced at Vice Admiral Momonga. "Didn't expect to find you on this ship. What, did you get promoted to vice admiral?"
Vice Admiral Momonga didn't answer the question. Instead, he asked in return, "Shuzo, were you behind all those pirate attacks that happened earlier?"
"Bara-ra~"
"Exactly!"
Shuzo grinned and said, "I was indeed the one who did all those things!"
"So, how about it? Quite impressive, isn't it~"
"Bara-ra~"
Watching Shuzo laugh maniacally, Vice Admiral Momonga fell silent for a moment before asking, "Why would you, once an outstanding Marine, do such things?"
"You really want to know?"
"Answer me!"
"Then I'll tell you." Shuzo curled his lips upward. "Because I joined the Neo Navy!"
"Neo Navy?"
Hearing Shuzo's words, a clear look of surprise appeared on Vice Admiral Momonga's face. What was that?
The other Marines also stared at Shuzo with puzzled expressions, clearly unaware of what the Neo Navy was.
"That's right, the Neo Navy!" Shuzo raised his head proudly. "We, the Neo Navy, are a group of righteous individuals gathered together to eliminate the pirates of the New World!"
As a member of the Neo Navy, Shuzo felt genuine pride.
"To call yourselves righteous individuals..." Vice Admiral Momonga's expression darkened. "How shameless!"
He guessed it was just another strange organization built by some ambitious schemer—he had seen far too many of those.
But unfortunately... they would all eventually be crushed by the Marines and the World Government!
Upon hearing Vice Admiral Momonga's words, Shuzo snorted coldly. "We're still better than you Marines!!"
"We would never send pirates to the Underwater Prison to let them linger on, barely surviving."
"When facing pirates, our only goal is to exterminate them completely!"
"In the name of Teacher Z, we will slaughter every pirate in the New World!"
"Bara-ra~"
As if recalling some lofty ambition, Shuzo burst into laughter again, his expression turning somewhat frenzied.
His crazed demeanor frightened the surrounding Marines, causing them to take a few steps back.
A madman...
That was everyone's reaction.
Vice Admiral Momonga's face grew even more grim.
"Z..." Vice Admiral Momonga said. "Did you just say Z?"
If he remembered correctly, Z was...
"Bara-ra~"
"Exactly!"
"Hey, Mr. Shuzo!" a nearby Neo Navy member quickly interjected. "You can't talk about that!"
Wasn't this just handing all their information over to the Marines?
How could that be allowed!
"Huh?"
"Oh, right." Shuzo, finally realizing his mistake, stroked his chin. "We really shouldn't let them know about this."
"In that case..."
"Then let's just kill them all!" Shuzo sneered. "That way, no one will leak what I've said."
"Bara-ra-ra~"
Watching Shuzo laugh maniacally, Vice Admiral Momonga's expression instantly turned extremely grim.
This was truly not good news.
"Enough, it's time to send you on your way." Shuzo said coldly. "After dealing with you, I'll go after the Straw Hat Crew."
Whether it was Panz Fry or the Straw Hat Crew, he would kill them all!
That way... he would become the second-in-command of the Neo Navy!
Bara-ra-ra~
As if envisioning such a scene, Shuzo's eyes grew fervent.
"I won't let you succeed!!" Vice Admiral Momonga, now calmed down, glared coldly at Shuzo and said:
"In the name of justice, I will keep you here!"
"Is that so."
Shuzo sneered and said, "Then let's see whose justice shines brighter between us!"
With that, Shuzo swiftly charged toward Vice Admiral Momonga.
"Die!"
"You're the one who's going to die!"
Clang!
Boom!!
"Who the hell is that guy?" Usopp looked back at the scene behind them, saying with some surprise, "Why is he attacking the Marines?"
Was he a pirate trying to make a name for himself by taking a Marine's head? Or did he have a grudge against the Marines?
"According to what he said, he belongs to something called the Neo Navy," Merry spoke up, having heard their conversation through her Wind Listening. "It seems they exist solely to eliminate the pirates of the New World."
"To eliminate New World pirates?" Perona remarked, quite surprised. "Isn't that just stealing the Marines' job?"
"Apparently so," Nico Robin mused after a moment. "That's likely the reason they're fighting." They were fighting over the right to deal with the pirates.
"Neo Navy, huh?" Sanji exhaled a smoke ring from his cigarette. "I get the feeling those guys are a bit extreme."
"If they're willing to kill Marines as well, they're definitely extreme," Zoro said calmly. "But this doesn't have much to do with us. As long as they don't provoke us, there's no need to pay them any mind."
"That's true." The others nodded in agreement. As long as the other side didn't come looking for trouble, they had no reason to bother with this so-called Neo Navy. They could leave them for the World Government to handle.
Afterward, Merry increased her output of Wind Listening and soon returned to the vicinity of the Thousand Sunny.
"Hey~!" Seeing the giant raft flying through the air, Chopper jumped up and waved his arms, shouting, "You guys are back!"
"Yeah, we're back," Merry said with a smile. "We rescued the old man, too."
"That's awesome!"
"So this is the big guy who can make Heavenly Cuisine?" Franky looked curiously at Panz Fry. He didn't look like a great pirate with a bounty of over 300 million Berries at all.
"That's right, it's him!" Luffy laughed, baring his teeth.
Meiser shook his head helplessly at the sight. Those Marines probably never dreamed that their motive for saving the man was just to get a meal.
"Hmm?" Standing at the back of the raft, Usopp looked down in confusion and picked up a dagger. "What's this?"
Why was there a piece of paper attached to this dagger? Although he didn't know what it was, Usopp instinctively felt that this thing could be trouble. With that thought, Usopp raised his hand and tossed the dagger and the paper into the ocean.
Once he was done, Usopp jumped from the raft back onto the Thousand Sunny. Afterward, Merry lowered the giant raft onto the surface of the sea.
Boom!!
"Let's secure the raft with grappling hooks," Franky said, bringing over two giant hooks. "That way, Merry won't have to carry the old man anymore." Franky paused and looked at Panz Fry. "Old man, that's okay with you, right?"
If the other party agreed, Merry could save some physical strength.
"No problem," Panz Fry smiled weakly and said, "I usually use a raft when I head out to sea anyway, so this is fine."
"Great then." Franky smiled and used the two grappling hooks to secure the raft. Once finished, he nodded and said, "All set."
"Old man, you usually go out on a raft?" Chopper looked at Panz Fry with curiosity. "Aren't you afraid of encountering terrifying waves?"
Gigantic waves were common on the open sea; a raft could easily be overturned.
"I'm not a Devil Fruit ability user, so naturally I'm not afraid of such things," Panz Fry said.
Chopper was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "True..." If he wasn't an ability user, he wouldn't have his physical strength drained by the sea, so not fearing waves was normal.
"Alright, let's save the small talk for when we're safe," Nami said, looking up at the now-clear sky. "Let's leave this place first."
Whether it was treating the old man or cooking, they couldn't do it here, so they had to find a safe place first.
"Right!!"
Soon, pushed by the Wind Listening, the Thousand Sunny quickly left the area with the raft in tow.
"Hmph, so that's where the pirate ship was hiding." Seeing the pirate ship fleeing into the distance, Shuzo snorted. "What a bunch of reckless fools."
Weren't they afraid their pirate ship would be destroyed?
"Master Shuzo, this is bad!" A Neo Navy pirate holding binoculars said with a grim expression. "The Vivrecard you threw out earlier... they've tossed it away."
"What?!" Hearing his subordinate's words, Shuzo's face immediately became incredibly unsightly. That was his only means of tracking the Straw Hat Pirates. And they had seen through it? Could it be... someone in the Straw Hat Pirates also understands how these work?
"What do we do now?" the subordinate asked. "Should we pursue?"
Shuzo didn't speak, but instead glanced at the pirate ship that was about to disappear from sight. After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "We won't catch them."
The speed of that pirate ship was simply too fast—fast to the point that their submarine had no hope of catching up. Therefore... they couldn't catch them.
"Then what?"
"Then we'll find trouble for them later." Shuzo turned his gaze toward the grim-faced Vice Admiral Momonga and said, "For now, deal with them first!"
Regardless, these Marines had to be eliminated! As for the Straw Hat Pirates? They would search for them later.
"Using a Vivrecard to track an enemy's movements..." Vice Admiral Momonga frowned as he looked at Shuzo. "If I remember correctly, that method belongs to..."
"You know too much!" Shuzo used Moonwalk to move above Vice Admiral Momonga and threw a punch without hesitation, shouting, "So just die! Spiral Fist!"
"Then let's see you try!" Momonga shouted. "One-Sword Style: Rat Flash!"
Clang!
Boom!!
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!