Daylight had fully broken.
In a jungle near Jaya, the Marines—who had been searching for the Straw Hat crew—were suddenly ambushed by a mysterious swordsman.
Clang!
After exchanging over a dozen blows, Smoker used his jitte to barely parry a heavy, powerful slash. With a forceful shove, he created some distance between himself and the assailant who had attacked him out of nowhere.
"Who the hell are you?!"
The White Hunter's expression was grim as he barked the question, thrusting his hand forward.
"White Snake!"
Smoke billowed instantly as Smoker's left arm transformed into a massive serpent of white vapor, lunging forward to tear into the masked swordsman.
"Smoke, huh? Talk about bad luck..."
The attacker didn't panic. Instead, he swung his long blade forward with a forceful stride.
"—Rip them apart!"
Instantly, a pale green shockwave let out a piercing whistle as it tore through the air, slicing toward the smoke serpent and effortlessly cutting it in two!
Swish!
Having neutralized Smoker's finishing move, the pale green slash continued unabated, shearing through nearby trees.
Rumble!! The ground shook and dust swirled.
Several trees, each thick enough to require multiple men to encircle, collapsed. The stumps were left with surfaces as smooth as mirrors, sending the nearby Marine soldiers scrambling away in terror.
(A Devil Fruit user? Is he using wind to enhance the power of his slashes? Looking at that destructive force, he's almost on par with that blonde guy with the natural perm!)
As the smoke retracted, Smoker looked at his restored left hand and then back at the masked swordsman who refused to show his face. His expression turned incredibly sour.
The opponent's strength had exceeded his expectations. Furthermore, due to the elemental disadvantage of his fruit, Smoker realized with a sense of dread that he couldn't actually do anything to this "hiding-his-head-and-showing-his-tail" fellow.
"You've got guts, attacking the Marines. Do you have a death wish, or do you just want a tour of Impel Down?" Smoker said coldly, while secretly signaling his subordinates to retreat from the area.
"Heh, if I were going to Impel Down, that would definitely be a tragic trip."
The masked swordsman shook his head. He lifted his beloved blade, performing a few flashy flourishes before saying with a chuckle, "I have no intention of making enemies of the Marines. I was just bored today and wanted to find someone to fight!"
"So, why don't you all stay and keep me company!"
"You bastard..." The White Hunter's eyes narrowed. He began to suspect that this masked man's motives weren't as simple as they seemed.
Just then, Tashigi, who had been stunned by the enemy's strength, was suddenly drawn to the long blade in the masked man's hand. She adjusted her glasses in confusion, squinted for a better look, and then cried out in shock:
"Zexi! That's one of the 21 O Wazamono, the Great Grade Swords!"
Stars practically twinkled in Tashigi's eyes. Then, she glared at the owner of the Great Grade Sword, Zexi, with utter indignation, muttering, "Why... why are famous blades like that always in the hands of bad people like you?!"
Shing! With a soft chime, the female Marine's beloved sword, Shigure, leaped from its scabbard.
"I will never allow a famous blade to be defiled by someone like you!" Tashigi gripped her hilt tightly, her fighting spirit burning like a raging fire.
Despite being a bit of a dunderhead, the blue-haired girl with glasses had a mysterious obsession with famous blades. Her life's dream was to reclaim all the Great Grade Swords from the hands of villains!
(Crap! I was so focused on covering my face, I forgot to hide my sword! Seriously, Marine girl, what kind of eyes do you have? How did you recognize my blade at a single glance?!)
Watching Tashigi prepare to charge, the mysterious swordsman—Rovick—instantly lost his cool.
His original plan was simply to stall the Marines for a little while before Luffy and the others left for Skypiea. After all, according to Cricket, the Knock Up Stream would occur around eleven or twelve o'clock.
The Southbird had been caught, the Merry had been reinforced, and everything was ready. The only variable left was the Marines, who had finished rounding up other pirates and had begun searching for the Straw Hats.
So, for the sake of his former boss and his new friends, the blue-haired swordsman—who was the type to take a bullet for a friend—had stepped up to this heavy responsibility without hesitation.
But that didn't mean Rovick wanted a bounty on his head. As a traveler who wandered the world, having a bounty was a massive headache.
(Damn, I can't stall for time by fighting anymore! Otherwise, my identity is even more likely to be exposed. Wait... this Marine girl seems very interested in my sword. In that case...)
Rovick thought for a moment before immediately sheathing his sword. He gave a few dry laughs.
"Uh, I just remembered I haven't had breakfast today. I'll be going now!"
Having said that, he flamboyantly waved his beloved blade at Tashigi and then turned and bolted without hesitation—a complete 180 from his previous bellicose attitude.
The Marines were collectively stunned. And then...
"Damn it! Get back here!"
With a sharp cry, the "blade-obsessed" dunderhead Marine girl chased after him without a second thought, completely ignoring the massive gap in their strength.
"Hey! Tashigi! You..."
Smoker didn't want to get further entangled with a masked man whose abilities countered his own, but fearing his subordinate would get hurt, he gave chase as well. He activated his Devil Fruit power, trailing a long streak of white smoke.
"Uh, why did they all just run off?"
The remaining Marines looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then followed suit.
And so, a unique game of cat-and-mouse began in a jungle that rarely saw visitors.
On the other side, the "Flying" Merry—now modified with a rooster theme—and the two salvage ships of the Saruyama Coalition were heading straight south with the help of the Southbird.
"Will Rovick be okay?"
The little blue-nosed reindeer asked worriedly. Chopper quite liked the "blue-algae-head" who had recognized him as a reindeer rather than a raccoon at first glance.
"Don't worry, Chopper. You saw how eager he was to volunteer. He must be very confident in his strength."
Sanji lit a cigarette with a calm expression, took a satisfying drag, and then pointed at the sky, which had suddenly turned murky. He gave a wry smile.
"Besides, the ones you should be worried about right now are us..."
"It's the Cumulonimbus!" a shout came from one of the nearby salvage ships. "Damn it, it's way earlier than expected!"
The originally sunny sky turned overcast in an instant, becoming as dark as night. Almost everyone felt their breathing hitch, as if they were being suffocated by the oppressive blackness.
Splash!! The previously calm sea suddenly shuddered violently, throwing up several massive waves that sent the Merry pitching and rolling.
Robin quickly grabbed the ship's railing and looked up at the sky. She called out to Nami, "Navigator, what's the status of the Log Pose?"
"The needle is pointing up!"
Nami looked at the Log Pose's arrow, which was pointing almost vertically toward the sky. Her expression was grave. "It's pointing straight up at those clouds!"
"Oh? It looks like those clouds are where we're headed next."
Zoro looked up at the dark clouds covering the entire sky, then suddenly asked as if remembering something, "By the way, did you guys secure Sherlock? It'll be bad if he gets thrown overboard in a bit."
"Don't worry, I tied him up tight!" The long-nosed man wiped cold sweat from his forehead. For some reason, he felt the situation was becoming rather grim.
Crash—!
As if to confirm Usopp's suspicions, a giant whirlpool suddenly formed on the sea surface ahead of the Merry. Between the churning tides, the sight of that abyss—looking as if it would swallow everything whole—was terrifying!
"This giant whirlpool is the prelude to the Knock Up Stream!"
"Ugyagyagya! Good luck to you, Straw Hat!"
Having said their piece, the Saruyama brothers quickly steered their respective salvage ships away. Their desperate rush to escape made everyone—except for a certain Straw Hat idiot—feel like they had been scammed.
"Alright! Let's go! Off to Skypiea!!! Hahaha, I'm so excited!"
The dimwitted captain let out a jubilant shout and began laughing heartily, looking completely carefree.
(Are you sure we aren't going to hell, Luffy...?)
The Weakling Trio was so paralyzed by the scene before them that they couldn't even speak. They could only pray silently to God in their hearts.
Of course... the "God" they were praying to was certainly of a different breed than the "God" they were about to meet...
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