Vidal Strikes First!

Garp was right; he was the expert when it came to finding Roger. Cipher Pol was extremely inefficient this time; they hadn't received any intelligence even after they spotted the Oro Jackson in the distance.

Vidal stood on the deck, gazing at the pirate ship that was famous now and in the future, and chuckled to himself.

Although he didn't particularly like Cipher-Pol, he could understand their predicament in this matter, since Cipher-Pol's intelligence sources mainly came from ubiquitous spies and informants.

The problem is that Gol D. Roger possessed Innate Observation Haki, which gave him the ability to Voice of All Things. He could 'hear' not only the thoughts of people, but also the thoughts of Sea Kings and even the contents of things like the Poneglyphs.

So, spies are completely out of the question for Roger.

This is why, despite Roger and his crew searching for the Poneglyphs for so many years, the World Government remains completely unaware of them.

This is also why, even after they arrive at Laugh Tale, the World Government still doesn't know their exact location.

Roger!!

I've come to find you!

At that moment, on the lead warship of the fleet, Garp's voice exploded like a Sonic Boom bomb in this unknown sea area.

[Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!]

He then launched three more shells, their piercing whistling echoing throughout the area. In terms of both speed and range, they far surpassed the warship's own cannons, hurtling towards the stern of the Oro Jackson.

This caused a dazzling flash of light to erupt from the other side, shattering all the cannonballs in mid-air.

"Garp, your greeting is as boring as ever. Have you been busy resupplying cannons for the past two years?"

"Ha ha!"

Roger's hearty laughter echoed from nearly a kilometer away.

"Don't run away! I've prepared a big gift for you. Come and see!" Garp shouted back, raising his enormous fist.

But there was silence from Roger's side. On the Oro Jackson, Roger turned to Rayleigh and the others behind him and said, "Garp is serious this time. Full speed ahead and create some distance!"

"Indeed, bringing ten warships here is no small matter; we don't need to fight them head-on."

Rayleigh strongly agreed with Roger's assessment. With such a massive military force, a real battle would inevitably result in significant casualties on their side, since not every crew member possessed Roger's strength.

"Looks like our previous actions have angered the World Government," Gaban, wearing small round sunglasses and holding a steel axe in both hands, laughed.

"Hmph, how dare they attack Shanks others? They'd better be prepared!" Roger said angrily, still seething with rage at the mention of it.

They were just resting in the Lancaster Kingdom when Shanks, while out for a stroll, angered that damned general who wanted to imprison him.

When they arrived at the scene, Shanks was being trampled underfoot by that guy, and Buggy was also lying injured to the side, his face covered in blood, spewing out all sorts of insulting and vicious words.

How could Roger, who valued his comrades the most, accept this scene? He killed the man on the spot and then stood there, letting the army keep charging in.

In his view, since his companions had been harmed, the kingdom must pay a heavy price!

Rayleigh and his crew knew very well how willful and impatient their crew member was in this regard, and since they had watched Shanks and Buggy grow up since they were babies, no one was willing to persuade him to back down.

Even Rayleigh and Gaban are the same!

Even now, those two children are still lying in the cabin recovering from their injuries.

Unfortunately, the top-notch doctor, Kukarosu, won't be on board for another two years, so the current ship's doctor can hardly provide effective treatment.

"Ugh, troublesome, Roger is still so fast!" Garp glared at the silhouette of the Oro Jackson while trying to figure out how to catch up.

Sengoku sent him a private telegram, demanding a real, full-blown battle, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain it to the navy.

Meanwhile, Vidal in the rear was also considering whether or not to intervene and allow the fleet to catch up with Roger Pirates.

Given the warships' current speed, if Roger's side is determined to escape, it's unlikely that a battle will occur, making this military operation a waste of time.

But if a fight breaks out, the risk will be huge. The other side is the Roger Pirates, and judging from what happened in the Lancaster Kingdom, they are true pirates, the kind of guys who can destroy a country and slaughter an army in a fit of rage.

"Heh, what am I thinking? We're already here, wouldn't it be a waste not to have a match?"

Vidal chuckled self-deprecatingly. He realized he had been a little too wary of Roger Pirates. But then he thought, if he dared to rebel against Imu and the World Government, what was there to fear from Roger?

"Then let's fight. Anyway, Roger will definitely be in charge of Garp."

He looked up at the bright, shining sunshine overhead, and his mood relaxed considerably; the weather was lovely.

[Whoosh!]

The next moment, Vidal, dressed in a green shirt, black trousers, and shiny leather boots, leaped to the top of the warship's mast.

The white Justice Coat on his shoulders fluttered in the sea breeze, immediately attracting the attention of the sailors on other warships.

What is he going to do?

Lieutenant Vice Admiral Edwin squinted and asked in a low voice, but no one answered his question.

On another warship, Sakazuki saw Vidal make his move. Although he didn't know what his old friend was up to, he still looked on with anticipation.

If Garp only wanted to fight Roger, then this lava man wanted to fight Roger Pirates.

Of course, he didn't take on the entire regiment at once; he wasn't that reckless. There were ten warships, and Vidal was also involved.

[Smack!!]

Sakazuki familiar clapping sound rang out, and this time it was particularly crisp. Although the waves and sea breeze were sweeping around, almost everyone on the deck could hear it.

"The Bright Wheel Leaf-- "

Vidal's deep voice rang out, causing the ten warships below to tremble. Their hulls then shimmered with a pale green light and began to accelerate steadily, increasing in speed until they finally stopped accelerating after about five minutes.

But at this point, the speed was several times greater than before!

"What happened?"

"Wow, the warships are moving so fast!"

"Look down there!"

Upon hearing the instruction, the officers and soldiers on the ten warships walked to both sides of the ship's railing and looked down at the hull.

Sure enough, two high-speed rotating green wheels appeared on each side of the warship, and below the stern, which they could not see, there were two rotating turbines that provided propulsion.

"Coal? Electricity? Boiling water?"

Vidal stood atop the mast, looking down as the entire fleet closed the distance to the Oro Jackson, and smiled slightly.

"Nothing beats natural sunlight. As long as the sun is shining brightly, clean energy is inexhaustible."

On the Oro Jackson, Roger and the others saw the warships suddenly emit a faint green light, and then approach at an incredible speed.

"This is getting a bit troublesome."

Rayleigh, his blond hair meticulously combed, reached for the long sword at his waist with his right hand, his expression turning serious.

If naval warships could accelerate that fast, most pirates on the high seas would be in dire straits.

"But this green light looks familiar."