Chapter 97: Garp's Relentless Pursuit
On the shattered island, the peaceful conversation between Whitebeard and Roger abruptly ended with the sudden arrival of Rayleigh and the others, creating an awkward silence that hung heavily in the air.
Seeing the strange expressions on Rayleigh and the crew's faces, Whitebeard's mouth twitched. Feeling embarrassed, he muttered, "Maybe I got a little too chatty with this narcissist."
He quickly stood up, putting on a fierce face and growled at Roger, "Roger! I'll let you go this time. Next time, I'm feeding you to the fish!"
He gave a loud "hmph!" and stormed off toward the shore like someone shyly fleeing the scene.
"I'll be waiting, Newgate!" Roger called after him with a laugh. But as soon as the laughter faded, he felt a chill and couldn't help but shiver.
"Roger, you better explain yourself!" Rayleigh's frosty voice sent shivers down Roger's spine. He turned awkwardly to face his crewmates, just about to explain when—
"Hm?" Roger frowned. "What happened to you guys?"
Seeing that, aside from Rayleigh and Jabber, most of the crew bore burn marks, Roger's expression turned serious, his tone laced with quiet fury.
The crew looked down in shame, too embarrassed to speak.
Rayleigh, who had planned to tease Roger, froze. His voice trembled slightly, "Roger… that kid wrecked us."
Roger's eyes narrowed sharply. He turned to the coastline and, in the moonlight, saw a ship not far off.
It was Luo Han, who had telekinetically pulled the ships over to pick up Whitebeard.
Standing at the bow, Luo Han noticed Roger's gaze. He turned toward the island, made a V-sign, and flashed a bright smile. Then he directed the two ships toward the open sea.
"Hmph… What a dangerous kid," Roger muttered with a faint grin. "I've got a feeling he's going to become another Rocks-like figure."
But he didn't charge after him. Instead, he looked back at his crew.
"What's with the long faces, guys? So you got schooled by a brat—big deal! We're gonna have plenty more fights with that kid. Just take it back next time."
Roger's confident smile radiated so much certainty that everyone's spirits gradually lifted.
"Haha! Captain Roger, you really had us worried!" Rayleigh and the others burst into laughter. No matter what happened, as long as Roger was around, they had the courage to face it all.
"Alright, crew! Let's set sail!" Roger led the way toward their ship on the other side of the island.
"That brat… no, that 'Blue Demon'... he's hurt my crewmates twice. I won't let that go. Next time, he'll pay for it," Roger thought, suppressing the frustration in his heart.
Watching their captain's back, Rayleigh and the rest followed in silence. Though they'd laughed it off, deep down they couldn't shake the humiliation of being outclassed by a kid. Each one silently vowed to train harder—to defeat Luo Han next time.
…
On the glittering sea, aboard the pirate ship, Luo Han sat alone at the bow, enjoying the cool night breeze on his face.
Tap tap.
"Here. Catch." Whitebeard appeared and tossed him a large bottle of alcohol.
Thunk. Luo Han caught it, uncorked it, and took a few heavy gulps. "Ahhh… After a fight like that, nothing hits better than this." He wiped the alcohol from his lips.
Somehow, Luo Han had grown to enjoy drinking—like life at sea wouldn't feel right without it.
Thump. Whitebeard sat beside him, leaned back, and drank deeply.
Phew… Whitebeard exhaled, then looked at Luo Han seriously.
"Kid, you've really pissed off the Roger Pirates this time."
"Afraid?" Luo Han grinned, casually taking another swig.
"Hahaha!" Whitebeard roared with laughter, pouring more wine down his throat.
"Afraid? Never! But you, brat… you're honestly scary. You're catching up to me way too fast," he sighed.
Luo Han smiled quietly, though his mind wandered to the spies. What had they reported to the World Government?
They had even used coded language, rendering Luo Han's eavesdropping useless.
"Probably a precaution against Observation Haki users who can hear sound," Luo Han figured.
He and Whitebeard drank on, chatting idly. Before long, Luo Han had nearly finished his bottle.
Eventually, the ships drifted into a calm part of the sea. They stopped there for the night, planning to continue in the morning.
But fate had other ideas.
Barely an hour into their rest, Garp and his fleet arrived.
From a distance—whizz!—Garp launched a cannonball straight at Whitebeard's ship.
Most of the crew was asleep. Only a few groggy night watchers were on deck. Luo Han hadn't sensed danger and had not activated his spiritual sense. Luckily, Sister Shao had sensed the threat and rushed out.
Before the cannonball could hit, she launched a powerful side-kick that sent a shockwave into the air.
BOOM! The shell exploded ten meters from the ship, jolting everyone awake.
"What the hell?!"
Groggy and panicked, the crew grabbed weapons, completely confused.
Luo Han and Whitebeard quickly rushed to Sister Shao's side. Under the moonlight, they saw three warships approaching from afar—Garp's fleet.
"These guys insane?! Coming at us in the middle of the night?!" Luo Han shouted angrily. Still drunk and newly woken, his fury was palpable.
Whitebeard chuckled. He wasn't angry—he was used to it. He looked at Luo Han, about to say something…
Whizz whizz whizz! Three more shells streaked toward them. That was enough to push Luo Han over the edge.
With a thought, he activated Mind Force Armament Mode and shot into the sky. He raised his right hand and—
BOOM BOOM BOOM! All three shells exploded midair.
"Luo Han, you little brat! You still got the nerve to sleep? We're not done with you after what happened on Line Island! You think using civilians to bait the navy is funny?!" Garp's voice thundered across the waves.
"Civilians? Bait?!" Luo Han blinked. "Wait… that wasn't us… or—maybe it was the Rocks Pirates…"
He scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Yeah, that might've been us…"
Still, this wasn't the time to worry about that.
Time to show them what waking me up really means.
Luo Han expanded his spiritual sense over Garp's fleet, telekinesis following close behind. It seeped into the seawater surrounding their ships… and began to take hold.
…
(END CHAPTER)
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