"Wahahaha! Just what kind of dumb luck did I have today to run into them here?!"
On the prow of a navy warship with a dog-head figurehead, a strong man in a navy uniform and a Justice cape let out a hearty laugh, his face full of delight.
"Vice Admiral Garp, 'dumb luck' isn't exactly something you use to describe yourself," the man standing beside him, also in a navy uniform, replied helplessly.
This man was Bogart, Garp's adjutant.
"After them! Don't let Roger escape!" Garp ordered, grinning ear to ear.
"But… Sir, our mission is to capture the Adrelt Pirates. Shouldn't we finish that first before going after the Roger Pirates?" Bogart naturally understood the tangled fate between his superior and Roger, but they were currently on an official mission—they couldn't just act on personal grudges.
"Stop whining! The Adrelt Pirates are nothing—we can catch them anytime. But Roger's a different story! Full speed ahead!" Garp said loudly, showing no intention of compromise.
Though Bogart had already guessed this would happen, he still sighed inwardly when Garp gave the order.
"Yes, sir! All hands, full speed ahead toward the Roger Pirates!" Bogart nodded and gave the command without hesitation.
Though their current mission wasn't to capture the Roger Pirates, after following Garp for so long, Bogart had also come to view Roger as a must-capture target.
Sure enough, as Garp's warship began chasing after the Roger Pirates, the Adrelt Pirates immediately veered off in another direction to escape.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The navy's warships were faster than ordinary pirate ships to begin with. Soon enough, the USS Jackson entered the range of the navy's cannons.
"Little Yi, follow me to the stern!"
While Fang Yi was busy preparing for battle, Yammon suddenly called him over to the ship's rear.
"Watch closely!"
Yammon nocked an arrow, drew her bow, and fired toward an incoming cannonball.
Whoosh—
Boom!
Her arrow didn't just explode the cannonball—it pierced straight through it, remaining completely unaffected by the blast as it continued flying toward the navy's warship.
Fang Yi wasn't sure if her arrow had hit the warship after that, but just witnessing such a technique already left him stunned.
"Your turn…" Yammon handed her bow to Fang Yi with a grin.
"Alright!"
Taking a deep breath, Fang Yi didn't refuse—he accepted the bow immediately.
"Heh… Kid, let's see how good that bow of yours is, after giving up firearms for it," chuckled Petem, who was sitting casually on the ship's second-level railing with a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder.
Fang Yi ignored Petem's teasing and simply drew his bow, carefully aiming at another incoming cannonball.
Whoosh!
The moment he let go, the arrow flew toward the cannonball.
Boom!
The arrow collided with the cannonball, successfully detonating it, but his arrow was also shattered in the blast.
"Pffft! Hahaha—uh…" Petem couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight.
But as soon as Yammon shot him a chilling glare, his laughter abruptly stopped, like a chicken being strangled.
"You're still too weak—you don't have enough power to pierce the cannonball yet. You'll need to focus more on basic training going forward!" Yammon nodded and instructed Fang Yi, "You stay here and keep intercepting the cannonballs. Don't let them hit us. Got it?"
"Yes, Teacher! Understood!" Fang Yi nodded, then immediately readied another arrow.
This kind of moving target was far harder than stationary ones. Not wanting to waste the chance, Fang Yi focused all his attention on fulfilling Yammon's task.
However, no matter how hard Fang Yi worked, the navy's warship continued closing the distance.
"That's enough, Little Yi. Leave this to us now."
At some point, Roger, Rayleigh, and the others had arrived at Fang Yi's side.
"Understood, Mr. Rayleigh!" Fang Yi nodded, stretching his shoulders and retreating slightly.
He knew full well that the coming fight was beyond his current abilities.
Still, he didn't plan on hiding in the cabin—he wanted to witness firsthand just how terrifying these battles could be.
"Rayleigh, Jabba—time to go wild!" Roger grinned broadly.
"Alright~" Both Rayleigh and Jabba had already drawn their weapons, and the other crew members were also brimming with fighting spirit.
"Petem! Take out their cannons!" Roger glanced at Petem, who was already in the best sniper position, and ordered calmly.
"No problem, Captain!" Petem chuckled and lifted his sniper rifle.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With three shots, several navy gunners dropped dead—the very ones operating the cannons.
Seeing Petem's smug, taunting expression, Fang Yi couldn't help but feel speechless. Seriously? A top-class sniper picking on a newbie like me?
"Hmph."
Though Fang Yi said nothing, Yammon had no intention of letting Petem show off. Without a word, she hurled her spear straight at the navy's warship.
Whoosh—
BOOM!
A navy cannon had just fired when her spear struck it, causing a massive explosion. The blast was so close that it tore a huge hole in the side of the enemy ship.
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Petem's stunned expression, Fang Yi and the nearby crew all burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, at the bow of the navy warship, Garp ordered his men to stop firing cannons and instead had a soldier bring a cannonball over to him.
"Hey, hey… what's that guy planning?" Fang Yi muttered nervously as he watched Garp casually tossing the heavy cannonball in his hand.
"Fist Bone: Meteor!"
Suddenly, Garp hurled the cannonball with his bare hands, sending it flying toward them.
"Wha—he threw a cannonball by hand?! Is that guy even human?!"
Though Fang Yi had heard stories of Garp's feats, seeing it in person still left him utterly shaken.
And what was even more terrifying—Garp's throw was faster than the cannon's blast.
Boom!
Roger casually unleashed a flying slash, slicing the cannonball apart midair.
"Roger!"
"Garp!"
The two locked eyes and laughed heartily—they both knew the warm-up was over. It was time for the real fight to begin.
Crack—creak—BOOM!
But just then, the entire navy warship suddenly jolted violently. With a loud noise, its speed dropped sharply.
"Oops! Sorry, Garp—we're leaving now!" Roger grinned and waved toward Garp, clearly having anticipated this outcome.
"Wahahaha! Impressive, as always!" Garp roared with laughter.
"Sir! The propulsion system's been sabotaged—it was a Fish-Man from underwater!" Bogart reported, his face grim.
"No problem. Send someone to check the hull—make sure they don't punch a hole in the bottom!" Garp chuckled, then ordered, "Go fetch my iron ball!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!" The navy soldiers immediately saluted and moved to carry out the order.
As the Oro Jackson sailed farther away from the navy ship, Fang Yi finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Even though Garp hadn't targeted him directly, the pressure he radiated was overwhelming—it had left him completely on edge.
"Captain, Sambel's back!" Rayleigh called out as Sambel, the Fish-Man, climbed aboard, dripping wet.
"Ha! Thanks for your help, Sambel!" Roger smiled and nodded at him.
"Hehe… I got spotted after damaging their propulsion system, so I came right back," Sambel scratched his head sheepishly.
"No worries. That was more than enough," Roger grinned.
"Captain! Look! What is that?!" Fang Yi shouted in alarm, pointing toward the navy warship.
There, at the bow of the warship, an enormous iron ball—nearly half the size of the ship itself—suddenly appeared. And incredibly, Garp was holding it up with one hand.
"Wahahaha! Roger! Here's a special gift from me—try not to die!" Garp bellowed with laughter before hurling the massive iron ball toward the Oro Jackson.
"He… he threw it! Is that guy even human?!" Fang Yi's soul nearly left his body as the gigantic iron ball loomed overhead.
The other crew members also turned pale—if that thing hit them, they'd be fish food for sure.
"Heh… Amazing!" Roger muttered as he drew his sword, calmly walking to the stern.
With both hands gripping his blade, he let out a roar and unleashed a tremendous slash at the approaching iron ball.
Slash—!
The flying slash cut cleanly through the massive iron ball, splitting it neatly in two with such precision that the smooth cut looked somewhat beautiful.
Fang Yi stood frozen, mouth agape, unable to recover from the shock.
He couldn't help but wonder—Even with a cheat system or golden finger, could I ever hope to stand alongside such monstrous figures?
"So… this is the true power of the sea's strongest?" Fang Yi muttered in awe.
"Don't compare yourself to them—they're monsters!" Yammon appeared behind Fang Yi at some point, patting his shoulder gently.
"Huff…"
Fang Yi took a deep breath. Still, deep down, he believed that one day he would grow strong enough to stand at their level. When that day came, this sea would be his to roam freely.
BOOM—!
The massive iron ball crashed into the ocean, sending towering waves sky-high, while the Oro Jackson used the momentum to swiftly sail away into the distance.
"Wahahaha! Not bad, Roger! Get that propulsion system fixed—we're going after them again!" Garp laughed heartily as he turned away, completely unfazed by Roger's escape.
"Yes, sir!" The sailors saluted loudly.
Though Roger's overwhelming strength had shocked the navy soldiers, none of them showed fear—because their leader, Vice Admiral Garp, possessed strength no less than Roger's.
Instead of despair, Garp's words only fired up their fighting spirit even more!