Porche pointed at the approaching fleet of warships on the distant sea. "The whole island is surrounded now. We can't escape on our own."
Hamburg added, "The Captain says rather than being rounded up by the Marine, it's better to join forces with you..."
"Shut up!" Foxy interrupted, exasperated. "I never said anything of the sort!"
The effects of the Slow-Slow Beam were beginning to fade, and the three Vice Admirals were gradually regaining movement. Strowberry's fingers could already twitch slightly, and Yamakaji's eyes began to roll.
"Get on the ship, quick!" Nami decided instantly. "We can settle our grudges after we escape!"
Just as the sails of the Merry were raised, Onigumo's roar could already be heard: "Damn pirates—!"
"Slow-Slow... Beam!" Foxy stood at the stern and fired another pink beam at the pursuing Marine, slowing the three Vice Admirals down once again.
Luffy, while being bandaged in an emergency by Nami, asked weakly, "So... are we allies now?"
"Temporarily!" Foxy emphasized viciously. "We'll settle things once we get out of here!"
Zoro and Sanji exchanged a look and clicked their tongues in unison, but at this moment, everyone tacitly took their positions—Nami directed the course, Usopp operated the cannons, and even Porche took the initiative to help adjust the rigging.
The Merry quickly set sail and fled!
"Maximum speed! Chase them down!"
Onigumo's roar exploded across the sea, and the steam turbines of the three Marine warships let out an overwhelmed roar.
The Marine soldiers on deck scrambled to load cannonballs, and Strowberry's long beard was blown straight by the sea breeze: "If we let these pirates get away today, the three of us might as well prepare for court-martial!"
Yamakaji slammed his fist against the ship's railing: "Damn Foxy! Once we catch him, I'm going to throw him into the lowest level of Impel Down!"
Meanwhile, on the Merry, which was speeding through the waves ahead, a strangely harmonious scene was unfolding.
"Nom nom—!"
Luffy was stuffing Sanji's special recovery cuisine into his mouth like a starving ghost. His stomach had already ballooned into the shape of a sphere, yet he kept eating. With every bite he swallowed, his weakened state quickly recovered.
"Haki... it didn't even work at all..." Luffy complained while eating, spraying meat scraps everywhere. "That black, shiny stuff just disappeared all of a sudden..."
Zoro, leaning against the mast while bandaging his wounds, snorted at this: "Demand after-sales service from the old man Rayleigh! Taking money without teaching the real stuff—what kind of master is that?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! After-sales service!" Usopp suddenly jumped up. "My slingshot even has a three-year warranty!"
Nami's eyes lit up, and she immediately pulled out her phone: "I'm contacting Rayleigh right now!" Her fingers moved rapidly. "It just so happens he's live-streaming a lecture... I'll make sure to scold this profiteer to death!"
The notification sound for a live-stream connection rang out, and the screen split in two: on the left was the disheveled Straw Hat Crew, and on the right was Rayleigh, who was tasting wine in a luxurious bar.
Behind the old man Rayleigh hung a banner that read "Haki Crash Course: Session 12," and several students, who were clearly nobles, were taking notes diligently.
"Yo, isn't it my dear students?" Rayleigh pushed up his glasses, then suddenly noticed their wretched state. "Uh... are the results of the course not ideal?"
"Ideal, my foot!" Nami instantly went berserk, her fist shaking the phone. "You charged 8,888,888 Belli just to teach this half-baked Haki? Look at what Luffy has been beaten into!"
The camera turned to Luffy, who was still stuffing his face. The latter raised his bandage-covered arm and waved it. "Master~ Armament Haki keeps cutting out..."
Rayleigh coughed awkwardly twice: "Well, this... it usually requires three months of systematic study..."
"Three months?!" Sanji's cigarette dropped to the ground. "The Marine pursuers are going to blow us to smithereens in three minutes!"
Suddenly, a cannonball exploded near the Merry, the ship shook violently, and Foxy's scream came through the live-stream: "They've caught up! We're doomed!"
Seeing this, Rayleigh sighed: "Fine... considering this kid is... ahem, considering you are so sincere..." He suddenly leaned close to the camera, lowering his voice, "Listen well, the secret to Armament Haki is..."
Just then, cannons fired in a volley, exploding around their ship and scaring everyone into covering their heads!
"Damn it!" Usopp screamed while covering his head. "At the most critical moment! Luffy, did you hear that clearly?!"
The firepower of the pursuers behind them grew increasingly fierce. A cannonball directly blew off the Merry's secondary mast, but Luffy suddenly stood up and stuffed the last piece of meat into his mouth: "I think... I understand now!"
His right arm suddenly glowed with a stable black luster, no longer the intermittent state from before, but perfectly covered like armor.
"What Master Rayleigh said at the end was..." Luffy struck a familiar starting pose, "Imagine Haki as flowing blood!"
Zoro raised an eyebrow: "Is it that simple? Are you sure you learned it?"
"Absolutely no problem!"
"Gum-Gum—Armament: Gatling Gun!!!"
Luffy's right arm was instantly covered in pitch-black Armament Haki, gleaming with a metallic luster under the sunlight. His fists rained down like raindrops toward the nearest Marine warship, and a series of sonic booms rang out in the air.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The first three punches indeed landed solidly on the warship's armor, leaving three clear dents, but just as the fourth punch was thrown—
"Huh?"
That layer of pitch-black Armament Haki suddenly vanished like a lightbulb losing power, reverting to a normal rubber fist. With a soft "tap," this punch hit the warship like a tickle.
The entire sea area suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
The Marine soldiers stood stunned in place holding their flintlocks, forgetting even to load their cannonballs. Onigumo's sunglasses slid to the tip of his nose, Strowberry's long beard froze in mid-air, and even the companions on the Merry remained with their mouths agape, as if the pause button had been pressed.
Zoro slowly turned his head, his dead-fish eyes staring at Luffy: "Is this what you meant by... learned it?"
Luffy stared blankly at his fist, then scratched his afro: "Eh? But I clearly felt like I learned it..." He shook his arm vigorously. "Try again! Armament Haki!"
This time, it didn't even last a second; the black luster flickered and then extinguished, just like a lightbulb with a bad connection.
"Gah-gah-gah-gah!" Foxy laughed until he was rolling on the deck. "Is this the Haki training worth 8,888,888 Belli? It's not even as useful as my Slow-Slow Beam!"
Nami was so angry her hair stood on end. She pulled out her phone and was about to smash it: "Rayleigh is selling fakes! I want to file a complaint!"
The live-stream chat was flooded with messages:
"LOL, Brain: I've learned it! Body: No, you haven't."
"Hahahaha!"
"8,888,888 Belli down the drain, feel sorry for Miss Nami~"
------------------------
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!"