Gifts flooded the screen incessantly. Nami cradled her phone, which was constantly popping up donation notifications, her eyes already shaped like Belli: "I... I'm rich..."
Zoro sheathed his sword, the corner of his mouth curling upward: "Finally, some progress."
Sanji lit a new cigarette: "Seems the money for the online class wasn't wasted, though this Haki feels a bit off—it's intermittent."
Usopp slumped to the ground: "You scared me to death..."
But due to the side effects of Third Gear, Luffy was still in his shrunken state and wouldn't recover for another hour!
"Good thing the Marines aren't here yet; we have time to rest."
Usopp let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Suddenly, the sea breeze carried the scent of gunpowder, and he felt a vague sense that something was wrong.
He glanced at the others, who were still immersed in the joy of victory. When his gaze fell on the distant sea, the silhouettes of three ships made Usopp let out a shrill, off-key scream: "War... Warships! The Marines are here!"
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, only to see three massive warships painted with the word "Justice" closing in to within twenty nautical miles.
"Damn it! How are they here so fast?!"
"Luffy is still in his shrunken form; we need time!"
"Damn it! Of all times."
On the deck of the lead flagship, three figures draped in justice cloaks were clearly visible. Onigumo's eight swords glinted coldly in the sunlight, Strowberry's long beard fluttered in the wind, and the tip of the cigar Yamakaji was holding flickered with embers.
"Tsk, a step too late." Onigumo squinted at the wreckage of ships floating on the distant sea. "That piece of trash Foxy really couldn't even manage to buy us some time."
Strowberry stroked his long beard, deep in thought: "That punch just now... it was definitely Armament Haki. A rookie from the East Blue, actually able to master it to this extent..."
Yamakaji blew out a smoke ring, his brows furrowed: "What's more troublesome is that he's the grandson of Vice Admiral Garp." He lowered his voice, "The higher-ups want him dead or alive, but let's try to capture him alive. As for how to deal with him later... that's a headache for Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"Agreed." "That's what I was thinking."
The helmsman of the flagship "Blade of Justice" turned back nervously to ask for instructions: "Vice Admiral, shall we open fire?"
"No need." Onigumo raised a hand to stop him. "Pass the order down: prepare for a boarding battle. Remember, focus on subduing them; don't use lethal force." He added meaningfully, "After all... we don't want to be taken care of by the 'Fist'."
Meanwhile, chaos had erupted on the going merry.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails!" Nami was so anxious she was jumping up and down. "While they haven't surrounded us yet, we still have a chance to escape..."
Zoro, however, kept his hand on his sword hilt, eager to try: "Three Vice Admirals... just the right target to test out my new move."
Sanji stomped out his cigarette butt: "Marimo, now is not the time to show off! Helping the ladies break through is what a gentleman should do!"
Robin suddenly spoke up: "Something's not right... They could have bombarded us, but they're slowing down..."
Luffy pulled down his Straw Hat, wearing a rare serious expression: "They're coming for me. I'll recover in a little while." He turned to his companions and flashed a brilliant smile, "You guys go ahead, I'll be right back!"
"Are you kidding me?!" everyone shouted in unison.
Just then, the loudspeakers on the Marine warships suddenly blared: "Straw Hat Luffy! By order of Marineford, you have been officially classified as an extremely dangerous individual! Surrender immediately and you may be spared!"
The sea breeze suddenly turned biting, and the rigging of the Merry let out an uneasy groan. Luffy's arm quietly glowed with the black sheen of Armament Haki, and he grinned: "Then... let's see you try!"
Seeing this, Yamakaji sighed and took out his cigar: "Get ready to move. Remember, just don't actually kill him—after all, we're just 'following orders'."
Strowberry slowly drew his sword: "What a... troublesome job."
Onigumo's eight swords unsheathed simultaneously, the cold light fanning out like a peacock's tail: "For Justice!"
Seeing this scene, the comments in the live broadcast room suddenly exploded in growth, the number of viewers instantly breaking the million mark, and countless mocking remarks came flooding in like a tide:
"User 'Justice Always Wins': Hilarious! A rookie with a 100 million bounty dares to provoke three Vice Admirals?"
"User 'Old Sea Dog of the New World': Back in my day, I had to take a detour whenever I saw a Vice Admiral. This Straw Hat is getting too big for his boots!"
"User'Swordsman Observer': Don't try to be a hero, Zoro! Onigumo's Eight-Sword Style is no joke!"
A golden, glittering VIP comment was particularly eye-catching: "User 'Doflamingo': Fufufu... The protagonist's plot armor is about to fail, isn't it~ Donated 100,000 Belli."
Luffy stared at the phone screen and suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! What's this? Everyone thinks I'm going to lose?" He patted his Straw Hat hard, "I'm the man who's going to be the Pirate King!"
"Idiot!" Nami chopped Luffy on the head, "Is this the time for that?!" But she immediately tied up her hair, her orange locks flying in the sea breeze, "However... since the Captain has said so, let's start the battle!"
Zoro slowly drew his three swords, the blades carving cold arcs in the sunlight: "Just the right time to test out my newly polished moves."
Sanji took a deep drag on his cigarette, his right leg igniting with scorching flames: "Let's show these Marines our growth over this period. We have half an hour left; that's enough to stall them."
Although his legs were still shaking, Usopp firmly raised his newly improved Kabuto: "Lord GOD Usopp will show you how tough I am! Desperate situations are my true battlefield!"
Robin crossed her arms in front of her chest, revealing a mysterious smile: "Perhaps... it's time to let the Marines update their intelligence. We only need to stall for half an hour."
On the Marine flagship, the three Vice Admirals took in the whole scene.
"Insolent brats." Onigumo's eight swords unsheathed simultaneously, the cold light fanning out like a peacock's tail. "All hands, prepare for a boarding battle!"
Strowberry stroked his long beard: "Interesting... This courage is indeed worthy of admiration."
Yamakaji blew out a smoke ring: "Garp's grandson... as arrogant as he is. Do they really think they can contend with us in half an hour? Who gave them the courage?"
Zoro bit down on his wado ichimonji, while his other two swords glowed with an eerie blue light: "Demon Aura... Three-Sword Style..."
Sanji's right leg was completely engulfed in flames, the high temperature causing the surrounding air to distort: "Diable Jambe..."
Nami took out her Clima-Tact and gathered terrifying thunderclouds, the special seeds Usopp bought from the little yellow cart were already loaded, and phantoms of countless arms appeared behind Robin.
"Let's go!"
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"