"What is the Summoning Technique?" a Marine wondered aloud. "Is it a Devil Fruit ability?"
"Perhaps," replied the Marine Lieutenant Commander.
Of course, it was also possible that this little girl had learned the ninjutsu of that Blood-Eyed Ninja!
After all... that person had once been a member of the Straw Hat Pirates!
Thinking this, the Marine Lieutenant Commander approached a spot not far from Merry and said, "Little one, could it be that you've learned all the ninjutsu of the Blood-Eyed Ninja?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the air instantly fell silent.
Blood-Eyed Ninja?
That name, representing a legend, struck heavily upon the hearts of the Marines.
That was the fierce individual who dared to charge alone into Mary Geoise!
Could such an existence have actually left behind a legacy?
Hearing the Marine Lieutenant Commander's words, Merry instinctively glanced at Meiser standing among the crowd.
Only after seeing Meiser give her a slight nod did she speak up, "No, I've only learned the Summoning Technique and the Sealing Technique."
"As for the other ninjutsu... they have already been lost."
"Meiser didn't leave behind any ninjutsu materials."
"Already lost, huh..."
The Marine Lieutenant Commander showed a disappointed expression. It seemed that man hadn't managed to pass on his knowledge before his death.
Well, it wasn't exactly bad news for the Marines that his abilities hadn't been passed down.
"So they're already lost."
Law shook his head regretfully and said, "What a shame."
Upon hearing this, Nico Robin didn't say anything, merely casting a calm glance at Law.
"Don't misunderstand."
Law, noticing Nico Robin's gaze, said, "I was just curious."
"Curiosity is useless."
Nico Robin spoke up, "After all, no one else can learn Meiser's ninjutsu."
"What do you mean?"
Law showed a puzzled expression. What did she mean, no one else can learn it?
Didn't this little girl already learn it?
As if reading Law's confusion, Nico Robin explained, "The reason Merry can learn Meiser's Summoning Technique is because she herself is special."
"Special?"
Law turned his gaze back to Merry, but couldn't see anything particularly special about her.
"Merry is a Ship Spirit."
As soon as these words were spoken, Law's pupils contracted to the extreme.
A Ship Spirit?
It was actually the legendary Ship Spirit!
This was too shocking!
"This little girl who looks only a few years old is actually a legendary Ship Spirit?!" Law exclaimed in astonishment.
He truly hadn't expected this cute-looking little thing to be a Ship Spirit.
"Pretty shocking, right?" Luffy grinned, showing his teeth. "We were really surprised too when we first met Merry."
"Indeed shocking."
Law nodded, then continued, "But what does that have to do with her being able to learn the Blood-Eyed Ninja's abilities?"
"That, I don't know."
Nico Robin shook her head and said, "Anyway, none of us can learn Meiser's abilities. Only Merry can learn a little bit of the basics."
"That's a shame."
Law looked at Merry with some regret. If this little one could master all the abilities of the Blood-Eyed Ninja, he would be even more confident.
Oh well, something is better than nothing.
"Good job, Merry!"
Franky, who had come near the Thousand Sunny, grinned and said, "This way, our pirate ship won't have to worry about that poison gas anymore."
"Mmm~"
Merry nodded her little head, then smiled and asked, "Do you want me to put the pirate ship away?"
"Put it away?"
Several question marks immediately popped up above Franky's head. What did she mean by "put it away"?
The others also looked at Merry with puzzled expressions, clearly not understanding what she meant.
After glancing at the Marines who were staring intently at her, Merry explained, "I learned two ninjutsu from Meiser."
"One is the Summoning Technique that can call forth the pirate ship, and the other is the Sealing Technique that can seal the pirate ship into a scroll."
"What I just mentioned was the Sealing Technique."
Franky immediately showed an expression of sudden realization. So Merry was talking about the scrolls Meiser used to store things?
He understood now.
"Hey~"
Nami sidled up to Meiser, gently nudged him with her elbow, and whispered, "Aren't you afraid of exposing yourself?"
"Merry's abilities will have to be revealed sooner or later, so it's fine if these Marines see them," Meiser replied. "Besides... this might also make the Marines give up targeting our pirate ship."
That was why he agreed to let Merry speak up.
As for whether the World Government would come after their Straw Hat Pirates because of this?
Don't be ridiculous. Even without this, wouldn't the World Government still come looking for the "legacy of the Blood-Eyed Ninja"?
Even if Merry didn't show this ability, the World Government wouldn't let the Straw Hat Pirates off anyway.
So there was no need to worry about such things.
"True."
Nami nodded and didn't say anything more.
"Alright, I'm going to put the pirate ship away now," Merry said. "You should step back."
"Got it."
Franky didn't waste words and immediately jumped aside.
Merry then took out a scroll from her little pouch, unrolled it, and placed it on the ground.
After glancing at the familiar image on it, a smile appeared on Merry's face.
It was a drawing of the Going Merry.
Then, Merry clapped her hands together and shouted, "Seal!"
"Hum~"
In the next moment, a strange force acted upon the Thousand Sunny, transforming it into a beam of light that flew toward the scroll.
Finally, it became a pattern on the scroll!
"Done~"
"It... it's really gone?!" the Marine lieutenant commander exclaimed in shock.
Is this the ninjutsu of the Blood-Eyed Ninja?
It's truly amazing!
Watching Merry put the scroll away again, the Marine lieutenant commander was so shocked he didn't know what to say.
Is this the ninjutsu of the Blood-Eyed Ninja?
So incredible!
"That's truly an astonishing sight," Law remarked. "It seems this Blood-Eyed Ninja is even more formidable than I imagined."
If a little girl who only learned the basics could do something like this, how powerful must the real Blood-Eyed Ninja be?
No wonder he was a man who could single-handedly storm Mary Geoise!
Nico Robin merely smiled at this and said nothing more.
Meanwhile, Luffy grinned widely and said, "Meiser is much more powerful than you think!"
Upon hearing this, Law gave Luffy a strange look. Why did this guy not seem sad at all?
Was it because two years had already passed?
Well, whatever. That guy was already dead, so there was no need to dwell on it.
Shaking his head, Law walked toward a high spot nearby and shouted down at the crowd below, "Everyone here, listen to me!"
"Law..."
Watching Law standing on the high ground and staring at them, the Marine lieutenant commander's expression turned grim. What did this guy, who had attacked them earlier, intend to say?
"If you want to survive, listen to what I have to say."
Law spoke with a serious expression, "To escape from this research facility surrounded by poison gas, you must pass through a secret passage that leads to the sea!"
"A secret passage?"
The others were taken aback. Did this research facility really have a secret passage?
"That's right, a secret passage." Law nodded and continued, "This research facility is made up of several interconnected buildings. The place we're in right now is Building A!"
"Pass through the door at the deepest part of here, and you'll reach Building B in the center!"
"And right in front of Building B is Building R!"
"There's a door marked R-66 there. That's the entrance leading to the sea."
"I'm not particularly interested in killing, so I'll give you two hours to think it over."
"Two hours from now, anyone still inside this research facility will be responsible for their own life or death!"
With that, Law ignored the people below and turned to walk toward Luffy and the others.
"Hey, what do you mean by that?!" a Marine shouted excitedly at the high ground. "Explain yourself clearly!"
"What do you mean by 'responsible for their own life or death' after two hours?"
"Hey, answer us!"
But unfortunately, Law paid no attention to them and had no interest in responding.
"What does that mean?"
Luffy looked at Law in confusion and asked, "Will something bad happen here after two hours?"
"It depends." Law replied calmly, "I'm just telling you about the possibility in advance."
If the battle became too intense, there really would be no way to preserve this research facility.
"I see."
Luffy nodded, then turned to Robin and said, "Robin, I have a favor to ask of you."
"Alright."
"What exactly does Torao mean by that?"
Watching Law walk past Luffy and Robin, Usopp asked in confusion, "What does he plan to do?"
"Who knows." Meiser shrugged and said, "Maybe this guy is planning something big."
As for what exactly that big thing was, he had no idea, since he hadn't interacted with Law in detail.
Thinking this, Meiser began walking into the distance, intending to ask Luffy about the situation.
Just then, some Marines approached Meiser and blocked his path.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Meiser glanced at these armed individuals and said, "Are you planning to fight us?"
"After all, you are pirates, so..."
"So you plan to fight us here?" Meiser raised an eyebrow and said, "If the walls break, you'll all die."
Upon hearing this, the Marines' expressions immediately turned grim.
"What a bunch of fools," Perona said, exasperated. "Shouldn't they be looking for a way out at a time like this? What's the point of fighting us here?"
"If they want a fight, we'll give them one."
Franky grinned. "I don't mind finishing them off right here."
"Lieutenant Commander, what should we do?"
The Marine lieutenant commander didn't speak immediately. Instead, he swept a grim look over the members of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Though he hated to admit it, with their strength, they truly couldn't stop these guys.
After all... their combined total bounty exceeded one billion!
And what about their side?
Vice Admiral Vergo wasn't here, and the only high-level combatant they had was himself. So...
After a moment of silence, the Marine lieutenant commander said, "Ignore them for now. The top priority is to rescue Vice Admiral Vergo!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines, having received their orders, stopped hesitating and gradually lowered their weapons.
"How reasonable~" Meiser grinned.
Well, since these guys were being so sensible, there was no need to attack them.
The Marine lieutenant commander snorted at the remark and then said, "If they attack us, retaliate immediately!"
"Understood!"
"Don't worry."
Little Merry flew to the front, hands on her hips, and looked at them. "If you don't attack us, we won't attack you either."
The Straw Hat Pirates weren't interested in making a name for themselves by taking down Marines, so they wouldn't initiate an attack.
"So... so cute!"
"Ahem, no..."
The Marine lieutenant commander coughed lightly, realizing he'd said the wrong thing, and then replied, "I understand."
Just then, Zoro walked toward Luffy and called out, "Hey, Luffy!!"
"Huh?"
"What is it, Zoro?"
"You need to take this seriously!" Zoro glared at Luffy, veins bulging on his forehead. "We just arrived in the New World!"
"Got it?!"
If they kept getting caught off guard like this, the Straw Hat Pirates would be wiped out sooner or later!
"What a strict guy~" Sanji grinned.
But Zoro wasn't wrong—after all, they were in the New World now!
"I understand."
Luffy grinned, showing his teeth. "I won't let my guard down again!"
He wouldn't allow himself to make the same mistake a second time.
Seeing that Luffy had grasped his meaning, Zoro gradually relaxed.
As long as this guy understood, that was enough.
After glancing at the Straw Hat Pirates' members, a Marine from the G-5 Branch turned to the lieutenant commander and asked, "Lieutenant Commander, what should we do now?"
"The top priority is to find Vice Admiral Vergo," the lieutenant commander replied. "We'll deal with everything else afterward."
Without their main pillar here, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
"Vergo?"
Perona turned to look at the lieutenant commander upon hearing his words. "You mean that buzz-cut guy with sunglasses?"
The lieutenant commander's eyes immediately lit up.
"You've seen him?" he asked excitedly. "Where is he?"
Great! The Vice Admiral is still alive!
The other Marines also looked at Perona with excitement, clearly overjoyed for their Vice Admiral.
"He's with Caesar," Perona said. "It looks like he's in cahoots with that Caesar."
Marine Lieutenant Colonel: ??
Several question marks instantly popped up above the Marine Lieutenant Colonel's head. What did she mean by their Vice Admiral being in cahoots with Caesar?
"What kind of joke is this?!" a Marine from the G-5 Branch exclaimed angrily. "How could Vice Admiral possibly be in cahoots with that evil scientist Caesar?!"
"Why would you say something like that, woman?!"
"You're trying to sow discord, aren't you?!"
"Definitely!"
The Marines glared furiously at Perona, their expressions as if she had insulted their idol, leaving Perona utterly bewildered.
She had only spoken the truth—was there any need for these guys to get so worked up?