Chapter 54 Heading to the Sky Island
This was Ren's first time truly witnessing a naval battle.
After enduring the first round of cannon fire, it turned into a boarding battle. The distance between the two ships was so close it seemed they were about to collide, and the Pirates and Marines standing on both sides of the decks had already drawn their swords, waiting for this moment.
During the recent cannon exchange, the Marines had roughly assessed the enemy's strength. These were no ordinary Pirates; otherwise, they would have already been sunk by the previous bombardment.
In particular, the captain of this Pirate crew, who had intercepted many cannonballs just now, was clearly very strong.
"White Shark Pirates?" Zephyr's Vice Admiral recognized Jeka, which made Jeka, standing at the bow, grow arrogant.
"Hahahaha, Marines, have you heard this daddy's great name too?" He planted one foot on the bow, bared his fangs, and laughed loudly. In his view, he was already a renowned and prominent Great Pirate, with a bounty exceeding 100 million Berries, making him a true Great Pirate.
Such a bounty, if it were 30 years later, would likely multiply several times, reaching around 300 to 500 million Berries.
"Didn't you already join the Rocks Pirates in the New World? Why are you appearing in the first half of the Grand Line?" Zephyr roared with a grim expression.
At the same time, Ren, who was far away, frowned.
By consciously controlling the trace currents in the air, he could hear many things; Zephyr's conversations and those of the others were transmitted to him like radio waves.
"Rocks' faction? Why would those people target me?"
"Could it be because of those Pirates?" Yuriko asked. After subduing those Female Pirates, they had learned their original purpose and identities and discovered that they were members of the Rocks Pirates.
"For people like that, would Rocks really send someone specifically?" Ren asked in surprise.
In fact, he was mistaken. Even among Rocks' subordinates, not everyone's actions came directly from Rocks' orders. It was a vast pirate crew, and it was very possible that Rocks had never even heard Jeka's name.
"Lord Ren, is that Rocks really that strong?" Yuriko asked. Since setting sail, she had noticed that Ren paid great attention to this name, and on some islands they visited, she had found that this name was practically thunderous throughout the world.
Ren did not know how to answer Yuriko's question. To be honest, he did not truly understand Rocks at all; in the original story, this person's role was very minor, and until the day Ren came to this world, there had been no direct description of his strength.
It was not impossible that Rocks was a Haoshoku Haki user who gained fame through luck, like the future Buggy, but that possibility was very small.
Figures such as Big Mom and Golden Lion were also in the Rocks Pirates; they were not as easy to deal with as Hawkeye and Crocodile. If Rocks truly lacked ability, he would likely have been killed by them long ago.
Therefore, Ren speculated that Rocks himself was also extremely powerful. However, this was only a guess; he did not know the truth, nor was there any need to find out.
According to the history of this world, next year this world-shaking figure would perish along with God Valley. This battle would involve the Marines, Pirates, the World Government, and even the lofty Celestial Dragons, and no matter what Rocks was like, the Rocks Pirates were currently an unshakable behemoth.
However, the lifespan of such a behemoth was also about to reach its end.
After next year, there would be no more Rocks in this world.
Roger had already returned from Lodestar Island, the nominal end of the Grand Line, and soon the era belonging to Rocks would end, while the era of those future legendary Great Pirates would begin.
"Perhaps. But there's no need to worry about him. No matter how powerful a person is, once abandoned by the era, they can no longer be considered an enemy," Ren said, shaking his head. However, Rocks' future downfall made him even more determined to develop cautiously in the early stages.
The World Government and the Marines were the strongest forces on the seas of this world, and in his current state, he was not their opponent. Fortunately, Ren had no intention of disrupting the world's balance.
Rocks was essentially a criminal, which was why he would be jointly eliminated by Pirates and Marines.
After hearing Ren's words, Yuriko nodded and looked toward the distant battlefield. In truth, she could not see clearly what was happening; she could only see fire constantly erupting from the Pirate ship and many Pirates falling from the deck into the sea.
Ren could see more clearly.
Zephyr, standing at the bow, had not taken action. Facing Jeka, who charged forward provocatively, it was the Vice Admiral who first drew his sword and rushed ahead.
Their battle gave Ren a new understanding of the Marines' combat strength.
Zephyr's Vice Admiral possessed the strength of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral. Not only did he avoid falling into a disadvantage, but he also suppressed the immensely strong Jeka.
When Ren had watched One Piece in the past, he had always felt that the combat strength of a Marine Vice Admiral was somewhat awkward. Compared to the overwhelming power of an Admiral, Vice Admirals often seemed to suffer setbacks and served as stepping stones to highlight stronger figures.
After the Buster Call was launched at Enies Lobby, the 5 Vice Admirals failed to stop the Straw Hat Pirates. Later, when the Pirate Empress, one of the Shichibukai, was summoned, the renowned Vice Admiral Momonga was defeated in a single encounter by her ability and had to stab himself to remain conscious.
However, in reality, the combat strength of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral was not weak; in overall strength, they were slightly below a Shichibukai. If compared directly, they were roughly at the level of the Tobi Roppo of the Beasts Pirates.
Of course, certain Vice Admirals could not be measured by this standard at all.
This applied to most Headquarters Vice Admirals, but among the Marines, there were also some whose strength was extraordinary. Zephyr was such an example; although his rank was Vice Admiral, his strength was already very close to that of an Admiral.
As the two continued watching the battle, Yuriko slowly walked over.
"Lord Ren, should we take this opportunity to leave first?" Yuriko asked. She felt that both the Marines and the Pirates were troublesome for them, and it would be better not to make contact. It was possible that the Marines might return after the battle.
"Mm, let's head directly to Sky Island," Ren nodded. If Zephyr refused to let the matter rest, it would also be troublesome, so it was better to leave now. He assumed Zephyr would not have Marine Headquarters issue a bounty on Ren because of this.
"Let's go. We'll fly directly." The underside of the Pirate ship was already enveloped in clouds and mist.
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