#109 - No. 1 Barrett
A few days later, the Roger Pirates set sail for the Blue Sea.
With the help of the Sky Island people, Roger and his crew watched the octopus enveloping their pirate ship.
"To think they're using an octopus to slow down the ship's descent?"
"What a novel experience..."
"If I get the chance, I'd like to retire here. It's much easier than the Grand Line."
"Next time I see Jin-an, I'm going to fight him too. If I can't win, at least I'll get free food and lodging."
A glimpse of life's myriad forms could be seen on a single pirate ship.
At the edge of Sky Island, Enel and Jin-an stood, watching the Roger Pirates slowly disappear.
This encounter with Roger was a mixed bag. Who knew that guy would tell him how to cultivate 'Divine Avoidance'?
It's just a pity he hasn't awakened Conqueror's Haki yet...
"People from the Blue Sea are really strong," Enel muttered, his desire to go to the Blue Sea growing stronger.
"You just stay here and behave," Jin-an saw through his little scheme. "Wait until Sky Island is completely stable before you go gallivanting."
"Tch..." Enel reluctantly turned his gaze away from Jin-an.
"I'm going back to the Blue Sea too. Remember to complete the tasks I assigned you, and contact me with a Den Den Mushi if you encounter any unsolvable problems."
After speaking, Jin-an leaped, his body disappearing into the clouds.
"Always like this... I want freedom too..."
......
Below Sky Island.
Jaya Island, Mock Town.
Hiyori Kozuki tugged at Jin-an's clothes, looking pitiful:
"Vice Admiral, we've been waiting for you for so long."
"I didn't read much, so don't try to fool me. You clearly just arrived," Jin-an didn't fall for Hiyori's act. "Speak, what trouble did you cause this time?"
Hiyori stuck out her tongue. "I'm a Commodore of the Marine Headquarters now, how could I cause trouble every day? I'm just sharing my joy with you."
In front of Jin-an, Hiyori's childlike demeanor was on full display, making it impossible to tell that she was almost 30 years old.
"Then I'll assume you came to me for nothing..."
Jin-an strode towards the warship, while Hiyori stomped her feet and followed behind him.
......
At the same time, in Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line.
In the twilight that slowly faded into the horizon, Bullet sat alone in this once prosperous town, now ravaged by war.
The surrounding ruins seemed to wail silently, the air filled with the smell of scorched earth, corpses lying scattered amidst the swirling dust.
Bullet's clothes were tattered, the armor on his chest still bearing the marks of battle, stained with blood, as if he had just gone through a life-or-death struggle.
"Exchanging the destruction of a pirate crew for a chance to make a name for myself on the sea?"
Bullet kicked the head of a pirate beneath his feet, the blood instantly staining his shoes crimson, his eyes arrogant and disdainful.
"And they call themselves wanting to climb to the top of the world, how laughable!"
He sneered, his eyes full of contempt for the person he had just fought.
Stepping through the blood-soaked ground, Bullet set fire to Crocodile's flag.
Unable to even protect his flag, what did it matter if they fought to a draw?
In his eyes, the other party was just a petty character who liked to play tricks.
"Oh? Are there more interesting guys coming?"
Within the range of his Observation Haki, he sensed the arrival of enemies.
In the distant sea, a warship was heading in this direction.
"The Navy this time?"
Bullet licked his dry lips, revealing a bloodthirsty smile, his pent-up anger finally finding an outlet.
"Crocodile pissed me off, so I'll take it out on you guys."
"Although the people on the warship might not be enough to satisfy me, there seem to be several islands nearby."
Bullet stared at the approaching warship with red eyes, his fists already itching for a fight.
"......"
Navigating the sea is, of course, not always smooth sailing, even in the first half of the Grand Line.
"Enemies ahead!"
"Fire, fire! Use cannons to take them down, anything that can suppress them with firepower!"
The Marines commanded on the front lines, running back and forth on the deck, lifting cannons and firing at the pirates.
"Opening fire as soon as you see us?"
Bullet's smile was still on his face when he saw cannonballs from the warship directly covering him.
Of course, for him, no amount of cannonballs could hurt him. With a slight movement, he easily dodged them.
Bullet's gaze was fixed on the two people at the bow of the ship. Strangely, those two didn't move at all.
Bullet took out a cigar, lit it, took a deep breath, and then exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
In his eyes, the other party must have been frightened after seeing him, only daring to use cannonballs for long-range attacks.
Not even having the courage to face him directly, even the order to fire was carried out by the Marines on the ship themselves. This Marine general is too much of a wimp.
"The Marines on the ship, hurry up and come down to relax with your Grandpa Bullet..."
Before he could finish speaking, his expression began to change drastically.
A blue shadow suddenly broke through the air, approaching at supersonic speed, and slammed into him with a punch.
Rumble!!!
The surrounding town, already a wreck after the ravages of war, was now even more unrecognizable, dust and ruins intertwined, collapsing like fragile playing cards.
Bullet's body slid backward uncontrollably, each step as heavy as stepping on an ancient war drum, making muffled sounds.
His footsteps tore through the bluestone paved ground, kicking up dust and gravel.
Bullet finally stopped, straightened his back, brushed the dust off his face, and a bloodthirsty light flashed in his eyes.
"To be able to push me back, not bad..."
With a wave of his hand, he tore the clothes he was wearing, the fragments scattering in the wind.
Revealing his solid body composed of countless taut muscles, each one the result of weathering and grinding.
Just as he was about to rush towards the other party, he noticed that a large number of cannonballs were being fired at him again from the warship.
"Damn flies, I really want to slap you to death!"
The explosions were deafening, and countless cannonballs engulfed Bullet.
The heat wave generated by the explosion surged around like a giant wave, and the raised dust and debris intertwined in the air.
Whether it was hard stone or sturdy trees, they were as fragile as paper in the face of this force, drawing arcs in the air, and finally turning into dust, returning to the earth.
A single warship could do this much, not to mention the consequences of a 'Buster Call'.
Bullet was only barely defeated and imprisoned in Impel Down by the Navy using a 'Buster Call'. The firepower in front of him was not enough to suppress his actions.
