Overlord of the West Blue

"Woooo!!!"

Hearing Brook's name again, Laboon became frantic, kicking up wave after wave as it rammed its reddened eyes into the Red Line.

"Laboon! You don't believe me? Brook really is still alive. Let me describe what he looks like."

"Tall and skinny, with an afro. He plays the violin well, and his favorite song is Binks' Sake, right?"

"Wooo..."

Laboon stopped ramming the Red Line and fixed its huge eyes on Lin Qi.

"Stop hurting yourself. Just wait quietly for his return."

"Wooo, wooo..."

Who knew how a whale could even cry? Laboon wept bitterly, rubbed against Lin Qi, then finally sank into the sea.

"Young Marine, would you honor me with a drink?"

A middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties emerged from the lighthouse beneath Reverse Mountain and invited Lin Qi.

"Of course." Lin Qi used Geppo to land on the small island and was warmly led inside by the man.

"Sorry, sorry. My humble home is too simple, and I have little to offer. But if you don't mind, you can try some wine I brewed myself."

Crocus brought out a wine jar, poured Lin Qi a cup first, then poured one for himself.

Lin Qi took a sip. "Not bad."

"Thank you." Crocus set down his cup. "Young Marine, thank you. Laboon's body can no longer endure that kind of self-harm."

"You're welcome. It was just a small favor."

Crocus hesitated for a moment before asking, "Perhaps I'm getting old, but I still hold onto a sliver of hope about everything. Is Brook really alive?"

Lin Qi nodded. "He is. He just became a skeleton after eating a Devil Fruit."

"He's actually alive! A skeleton, huh? That's not so bad." Having learned from Lin Qi that Brook was alive, Crocus kept pouring him wine. "Hahahaha! Drink more. Consider this old man indebted to you over Laboon."

"You don't need to owe me anything. Come aboard my ship, old man. Judging by the surgical tools on your wall, your medical skills must be exceptional."

This was the formidable man who had kept terminally ill Roger alive for another five or six years. How could he not try inviting him?

"Uh..." Crocus smiled awkwardly. "No, I'm too old to withstand the storms at sea. I still need to stay and look after Laboon."

The last man to invite him had been Roger. How nostalgic...

"Boss~ Captain, are you here?"

"Looks like my men have found me. Old sir, let's drink again another day." Lin Qi rose and bid Crocus farewell.

"Young Marine, though I don't know your name, there will always be a jar of wine waiting for you in my cellar."

"Haha, that sounds great. Looks like the days ahead won't be lonely." Lin Qi strode outside, and Crocus sensed that something was off.

"Wait, the days ahead... You're not planning to stay here, are you?!"

Wanting to protect Lin Qi, he chased after him and advised, "You'd better leave now. Otherwise, you'll be killed by large numbers of pirates coming from the Four Seas. They won't fear you just because you're a Marine."

Crocus figured Lin Qi was an inexperienced young man who would suffer greatly if left to act so recklessly.

He had seen plenty of hot-blooded, foolhardy young Marines like this, and their endings were never good.

"Don't worry, old man. I'm a Marine Headquarters Captain. They'll be the ones who die."

"Ah." Seeing that he could not persuade him, Crocus decided that when the time came, he would personally step in and save this young Marine.

Lin Qi gave the order that the soldiers aboard the ship could take turns coming to the small island to relax. After all, they would be staying here for a month.

As one of the biggest pirate spawning grounds, it did not disappoint Lin Qi.

Less than half an hour later, a Pirate Ship came "crashing" down from Reverse Mountain along the waterfall, nearly breaking apart.

The pirates had barely recovered from their fright when, before they could celebrate, they heard a man's voice.

"Where are the gunners? Roll out the cannons and fire hard!"

"Fuck! Why are there Marines here?"

"Those shameless Marines!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The soldiers on deck loaded the shells and lit the fuses. More than a dozen cannonballs were fired, six of which struck the Pirate Ship.

Just like that, the already shattered Pirate Ship was instantly buried beneath the sea, threads of blood staining the waters red.

Killed 35 pirates. Points +26.

"What? There are Points!"

He had only wanted to test the power of the cannons Sengoku had sent him, but that test had revealed something extraordinary.

It seemed that as long as they were his direct subordinates, he could also gain Points when they killed people.

That was quite satisfying.

Once he became an Admiral or a King in the future, wouldn't that be amazing?

Using cannons to bombard pirates was a pretty good tactic. It could catch the enemy completely off guard.

Thus, pirate crews with fewer than fifty members were bombarded from afar, while Lin Qi dealt with those exceeding fifty himself.

By afternoon, even Lin Qi did not know how many pirate crews he had already wiped out.

Crocus moved a small stool to the shore and watched with great interest. This was far more entertaining than staying here alone every day.

Though he had once been a pirate himself, he was more of an adventurer than a pirate, so he had little sympathy for these pirates.

What worried him was Lin Qi. If the kid kept this up, he would sooner or later run into someone he could not handle.

"You all fall back. Something dangerous is coming down."

At around three in the afternoon, a massive shadow crashed down from the sky, looking exceptionally terrifying.

A huge pirate fleet made up of more than twenty Pirate Ships flowed down the waterfall.

"Zehahahaha! Grand Line, Bloody Hand Hal has arrived!"

"Boss, this Hal leads the largest pirate crew in the West Sea. They call themselves the Overlord of the West Blue. At their peak, they had over fifty ships of all sizes and more than three thousand men." Yosef found a wanted poster and handed it to Lin Qi.

Bloody Hand Hal. Bounty: 66,000,000!

"Hm? Why is there a Warship here?" Hal froze, then his face twisted viciously. "A single small ship thinks it can stop me? Men, charge! Slaughter them and use their blood to bless our banner!"

"We'll use the Marines to make Bloody Hand Hal's name known across the Grand Line!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!!!"

At Hal's command, the thousand-plus pirates under him steered their ships toward the Warship.

It was clear that these brutal pirates did not take the Marines seriously at all.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

More than twenty Pirate Ships fired together, creating an immensely shocking sight as explosions sent waves surging across the sea.

Had Lin Qi not ordered the Warship to retreat in advance, it would have already been hit.

Crocus stood up from his little stool in concern.

"Overlord of the West Blue? Quit acting so arrogant. With Captain Lin Qi here, don't even think about hurting a single one of my Marines!"

As the pirate fleet pressed ever closer, Lin Qi sprang into the sky with Geppo and drew Dragon Abyss, the blade at his waist that radiated chilling air.

One Sword Style: Ice Shatter Fang!