The Contract Notification Finally Arrived!

Vidal knew full well that Photosynthetic Energy was the reason he had been able to train beyond his limits all these years without anything going wrong with his body.

Whenever he basked in the sun, he used his ability to convert sunlight into Photosynthetic Energy inside his body, then stored it in every corner of it. While it passively strengthened his physique, he could also draw it out when needed to restore his stamina, heal injuries, or even increase the strength of trees.

That ability was the reason he didn't need to eat. It was probably also why he had grown far taller than his father, reaching over three meters.

After years of Photosynthetic Energy nourishing his body inside and out, his natural aptitude had long since surpassed that of ordinary people and reached the level of a so-called monster.

It might not be apparent yet, but at crucial moments, differences like these would reveal the gap between people.

Whether a person had built a foundation through training from childhood had an indelible effect on their potential!

[Boom! Boom! Boom!]

Suddenly, a rapid series of cannon blasts, accompanied by the sound of waves erupting, reached their little boat on the ever-present sea breeze.

Issho's expression turned serious. He first tilted his head back and drained the remaining noodle soup in his bowl, then slowly stood, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Together with Vidal, he looked in the direction the sea breeze had come from.

"It seems the Marines are fighting someone." Issho closed his eyes and sensed the presences and commotion in the distance.

Vidal glanced at him with envy. Observation Haki was incredibly convenient, but he didn't seem to have much talent for it.

Vidal's father was a Vice Admiral, so he naturally had easy access to Haki training.

He could use Armament Haki, but Observation Haki seemed different. It wasn't something one could easily master through physical fitness and training alone.

Moreover, Issho's Observation Haki clearly had a range beyond that of ordinary people. Even with his eyesight, Vidal could make out nothing more than a few black dots.

"Shall we go take a look? I can sense a very powerful presence over there. It'll be troublesome!"

"How strong?"

"Extremely strong. Much stronger than either of us!" Issho never joked at times like this, and Vidal knew it well.

"What about the Marines?"

"There are a few fairly distinct presences, but they're very weak. They must all be injured." At that moment, Issho was practically a human radar.

Vidal didn't hesitate long before deciding to go take a look. He was a Marine himself, so he couldn't possibly turn a blind eye at a time like this.

Besides, he had already decided to make the Marines his career!

"What do you say, Issho? Will you come with me?" Vidal asked him what he thought.

Issho was his good friend, but Vidal couldn't make the decision for him and drag him into a mess like this.

If Issho didn't want to get involved, Vidal would go alone. At most, he'd have Issho take Bullet and leave first.

"Of course. I can't let you face an opponent that powerful alone," Issho replied firmly.

He did dislike revealing himself on the world stage too early.

But knowing how powerful their opponent was and leaving his friend to face him alone wouldn't be avoiding trouble; it would be fearing trouble. Those were two very different things!

Issho suddenly turned toward Bullet, who had woken up behind them. "What about you? We can leave this boat with you. Find somewhere to hide. It's too dangerous for you."

"Ha."

Bullet grinned. "I don't know what's going on, but don't look down on me! I'm not the kind of man who hides before he's even seen his opponent!"

He still didn't know what had happened, or why these two had come looking for him.

But he had begun to understand one thing: Vidal and Issho meant him no harm. He could tell from the fact that he hadn't been restrained at all, and that Vidal had even helped treat his injuries.

The wooden bed beneath him, warmed by his body, also reminded him of the rare good night's sleep he'd had. It had been a long time since he'd slept so soundly.

And he didn't know if it was his imagination, but even though he hadn't eaten anything yet, he didn't feel very hungry or thirsty. His whole body even felt relaxed and comfortable to the core.

Without realizing it, he had become much less tense and guarded, and no longer seemed so difficult to approach or get along with.

"Hahaha, quit talking so big! What kind of man are you? You're just a little brat who hasn't even grown up!" Vidal laughed happily into the sea breeze.

"You!" Bullet's face immediately darkened. This man was truly infuriating. Couldn't he watch what he said?

"Let's get going, then. Things aren't looking good for those Marines."

Even as Issho said that, the little boat beneath their feet had already picked up speed since he'd asked his first question.

Clearly, he had already guessed Vidal's answer. As for Bullet, he had merely asked him in passing.

On the sea about a nautical mile away, three Marine warships and a pirate ship flying a skull flag were locked in a brutal battle!

The two sides exchanged a furious barrage of cannon fire, while incessant gunfire swept through the air, piercing bodies or taking living lives at every moment.

Beastlike roars, the screams and groans of the gravely wounded and dying, and the sounds of various things falling into the sea, throwing up splashes and columns of water, made up the sounds and sights of the entire battlefield.

The sun was shining brightly, with blue skies and white clouds in full view. It was a rare spell of good weather in this part of the Grand Line.

But the fighting and slaughter had dyed the sea blood-red. Floating corpses were everywhere, and even the sea breeze carried a thick stench of blood.

Strangely, although the Marines held an absolute advantage in both the number of cannons and the size of their force,

they were the ones being suppressed. In terms of firepower especially, the pirate ship had them completely pinned down. Two warships had even been blasted into immobility and were about to become enormous coffins at sea.

A closer look made it clear that the broken bodies dressed in white shirts and blue trousers accounted for the vast majority of the corpses in the water.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Colonel Benson, one of the few Marines wearing a coat bearing the word "Justice," let a Marine soldier bandage the wound on his leg.

His eyes were wide with fury as he stared at the villain on the pirate ship's deck, who kept hurling powerful cannonballs at their side with his bare hands.

"Why would we run into the World Pirates in a place like this?"

By all rights, a man with a bounty as high as 200 million Beli should have been playing with those monsters in the New World.

Wasn't showing up in Paradise just bullying people?

As a headquarters colonel on patrol, never mind capturing Byrnndi World, Benson would have trouble even retreating to the nearest Marine fortress with World after him!

In this era, a bounty exceeding 100 million was no joke.

Even Chinjao, who had fought Vice Admiral Garp to a draw several times, was only worth 542 million Beli!

Word had already spread through the headquarters officer corps that Vice Admiral Garp was currently training in seclusion somewhere, smashing mountains to toughen his fists.

"I just hope reinforcements get here soon, or all the Marines under me will be wiped out." Colonel Benson watched the Marines fall one after another, pained and bitterly resentful of his own weakness.

The contract notification finally arrived! I'm happy, so here's an extra chapter! Any recommendation votes? And why aren't you leaving chapter comments? I see loads of people complaining in other authors' chapters, so why are there so few here?

It turns out that once more than 100 people invest in a new book, it automatically gets featured in the app's Discover section and receives a new-book investment recommendation!

I was wondering why this book's favorites were growing so slowly. Turns out it was missing this important recommendation that other books released around the same time got. Everyone knows app recommendations work much better than website recommendations.

There are currently 51 people investing in this book. Could those of you who haven't invested yet lend me a hand? Please, I promise I won't let your investment pay off. Thank you, thank you!