Arrival at Punk Hazard

Water 7, Tom's Workshop. Autumn, 1473 in the Sea Circle Calendar.

The day after the Void's maiden voyage and defeat of the Sea Kings, Tom was already on board before dawn.

It wasn't that he was diligent; he simply hadn't slept at all. Last night, while Lin Yuan and the others were having a barbecue, Tom drank two glasses of wine and then ran back to the ship to continue tweaking things. The Blue Nezumi followed behind, a wrench dangling from its mouth, squeaking as if it were cursing him for being reckless.

When Lin Yuan arrived at the dock, Tom was peeking out of the cabin, his face covered in engine oil.

"Is the aiming system of the Sea King Cannon calibrated?" Lin Yuan asked.

"It's done." Tom wiped the oil from his face. "I stayed up until 3 a. m. last night and finally got it sorted out. Now all five cannons can accurately hit targets ten kilometers away. The error is no more than three meters."

Three meters? That's enough to fight Sea Kings.

"That's enough of the beating." Tom jumped off the ship, hands on his hips, looking at the Void with gleam in his eyes. "This ship is now truly finished. Forty-eight days. Not a day more, not a day less."

Lin Yuan nodded. He walked onto the ship, stood at the bow, and put his hands in his pockets. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, shining on the deck, on the barrel of the Sea King Cannon, and on the pirate flag atop the mast.

The Den Den Mushi rang.

"Lin Yuan, are you leaving today?" Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, carrying a relaxed air of "I've already prepared sunflower seeds and drinks."

"Afternoon. Morning: Loading supplies."

"Are the supplies ready?"

Lin Yuan glanced back at the mountains of crates and sacks piled up on the dock. Kaido was carrying a crate of meat onto the ship, Bullet was carrying weapons and ammunition, Kuma was carrying two buckets of fresh water by himself, Moria was dragging a pile of miscellaneous items with his shadow, Inazuma was unpacking, and King was directing operations from the sky.

"It's being installed," Lin Yuan said. "Is it ready on your end?"

"I'm available anytime. I've already drawn up the layout of Punk Hazard's laboratory and sent it to your Den Den Mushi. Caesar's location is on the third basement level, guarded by a dozen or so CP Agents. There's also a group of modified Sea Kings on the outer perimeter, but not many, about seven or eight; that should be Caesar's last remaining possessions."

"He didn't run away last night?"

"He didn't run away. He's too proud to admit it; if he ran, he wouldn't be able to survive. He's definitely waiting for you in the lab, ready to unleash his ultimate weapon."

"Ultimate move?" Kaido, carrying a box, walked over and heard this. "What ultimate move could he possibly use? Bullshit!"

"You'll see when you get there," Ginny said. "But I'm warning you, Caesar may be an idiot, but his Devil Fruit ability is troublesome. It's the Gas-Gas Fruit, which can suck out the surrounding air. If you go into his gas field and suffocate, don't blame me."

"Understood." Lin Yuan hung up the phone.

By 2 PM, all supplies had been loaded.

The Void's hold was crammed with food, fresh water, ammunition, and spare Wind Dial. Kaido specifically inspected the Freeze Dial, confirming there were fifty tons of meat inside, before boarding the ship with satisfaction.

Tom stood on the dock, Blue Nezumi stood beside him, holding a cup of tea.

"Lin Yuan, that's my drop-off. Drive carefully, don't damage my artwork."

"If it gets damaged, I'll come to you to fix it."

"I can fix it, but it'll cost extra."

Lin Yuan's lips curled up slightly as he jumped onto the bow of the boat.

"Untie the mooring ropes."

Kaido released the mooring ropes, and the Void slowly sailed away from the port.

"Sea Wind Dial, half power."

The sails billowed, and the ship steadily accelerated. The silhouette of the Water 7 gradually shrank behind.

"Full power."

With all seventy-two Wind Dial activated simultaneously, the Void shot towards the sea like an arrow released from a bow.

The sea was bathed in clear blue skies.

Kaido sat at the bow, legs crossed, gnawing on meat. Bullet was doing push-ups on the deck, already over five hundred and still continuing. King stood atop the mast, flames behind him dancing in the sea breeze. Moria played with shadows in the cabin, shaping them into various forms. Inazuma was organizing the Ammunition Depot, arranging cannonballs by size. Kuma was at the stern, slapping the sea with his paws, Air Cannon exploding into sprays of water.

Zephyr sat on the gunwale, holding a water jug, looking at the sea.

"Instructor, aren't you going to practice?" Lin Yuan walked over.

"You've trained your whole life, take a break." Zephyr took a sip of water. "Your people are almost ready. Kaido's Armament Haki is 30% stronger than when he first arrived, Bullet's compression can last for a minute, Kuma's accuracy can hit a coconut 800 meters away, King's flames can melt through Seastone, Moria's shadow can withstand five punches from Kaido, and Inazuma can cut through steel plates from ten centimeters away."

Where's Ginny?

"Ginny's sniping skills can hit a fist-sized target from two kilometers away. Combined with her Glint-Glint Fruit abilities, she's the strongest long-range firepower on this sea."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"How do you plan to fight this time?" Zephyr asked.

"Open the door. Go straight into the lab. Capture Caesar, smash the lab, and leave."

"It's that simple?"

"It's that simple." Lin Yuan looked at the sea. "We've trained for so long, not to fight someone like Caesar. If one punch can solve it, don't fight two."

Zephyr glanced at him, then smiled.

"Sometimes you really don't seem like a pirate."

"Like what?"

"Like the boss."

"Lin Yuan! There's a situation ahead!" Jin's voice came from the top of the mast.

Lin Yuan strode to the bow of the ship, squinting as he looked into the distance. On the sea, several dark dots were rapidly approaching.

Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi: "It's Caesar's modified Sea Kings. Seven of them, none of them very big, about fifty meters long. They're very fast, and they're coming from the direction of Punk Hazard. They were probably sent by Caesar to intercept you."

"Only seven?"

"Only seven. You wiped out his entire force yesterday; this is probably the last batch."

Lin Yuan glanced back at the cabin. "Tom's not here, we'll handle it ourselves."

Kaido tossed the meaty bone aside and stood up. "Ooh-loo... I'm going!"

"Don't transform. That's making a mountain out of a molehill."

Kaido curled his lip and took the Iron Club off his shoulder.

The seven Sea Kings drew closer, and the sea began to tremble. The leader opened its enormous mouth, revealing rows of serrated teeth.

"Bullet, three on the left. Kaido, three on the right. I'll take the middle one," Lin Yuan said.

"You?" Kaido glanced at him. "When did you start fighting?"

"Occasionally."

Lin Yuan leaped from the bow of the ship, his feet landing on Micro Door, suspending him in mid-air. He raised his hand and opened a door beside him, behind which was the head of the leading Sea Kings.

With one step, he was already standing on the head of the Sea Kings.

The Sea Kings paused for a moment, then suddenly shook its head, trying to throw Lin Yuan off. Lin Yuan's feet sank, Armament Haki covered his feet, making him as immovable as if nailed to its head.

"Don't move."

He punched the Sea Kings on the head.

He didn't use any Devil Fruit abilities, just pure Armament Haki. But under Zephyr's training, Lin Yuan's Armament Haki had improved by more than one level. His fist slammed into the scales, producing a loud "clang," the scales shattered, and a piece of the Sea Kings's skull caved in.

The Sea Kings let out a scream and its body twisted violently. Lin Yuan steadied himself and threw another punch.

The third punch.

The fourth punch.

The fifth punch.

The Sea Kings stopped moving. A large crater had been smashed into its head, and blood was gushing out. Lin Yuan opened a door and walked back to the bow of the Void Ship.

Kaido faster. He barely used his Iron Club; with one punch each, the skulls of the three Sea Kings shattered, floating on the surface like three small islands.

Bullet, too, one punch, one kill, clean and decisive.

In less than three minutes, all seven Sea Kings were dealt with.

Ginny whistled through the Den Den Mushi. "Seven, three minutes. Are you going to fight or go on a picnic?"

"A picnic," Lin Yuan dusted off his hands, "And maybe take down Caesar while we're at it."

Punk Hazard.

As dusk fell, the Void appeared on the outskirts of Punk Hazard.

This wasn't Lin Yuan's first time on this island. Last time, he sneaked in through the gate, all alone. This time, he was in one of the top three warships in the New World, with a whole crew, openly and honestly.

"Ginny, where's Caesar?"

"He's still in the lab. Third basement level. He seems to know you're here; he's loading something onto himself." Ginny paused. "I can't see clearly; the armor is too thick. But there are a dozen or so CP Agents around him, fully armed."

Where is the entrance to the laboratory?

"The ground floor, the main entrance. It's heavily guarded. But you don't need to go through the main entrance; just open the door and go in."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Everyone, get ready. Kaido, Bullet, and King, come with me. Moria and Inazuma, guard the ship. Kuma will provide support on the island. Zephyr— "

"I'll guard the ship," Zephyr said. "You young people can go and cause trouble."

Lin Yuan raised his hand and opened a door in the air. Behind the door was a pitch-black corridor—the third basement level of the Punk Hazard laboratory.

"Walk."

(End of Chapter 70)