A solid iron cannonball flying at ultra-high speed could destroy a ship in a single blow through kinetic force alone.
In Garen's understanding, for the enemy to accelerate a metal cannonball to such a terrifying speed, they had probably used some black-tech high-energy electromagnetic railgun developed by one of the great scientists in the pirate world.
But in reality...
The cannonball had been launched by hand, all naturally.
Not long before,
A massive warship, covered in countless gun turrets and towering masts and sails, slowly cleaved through the calm waves of the East Blue.
Above its mountain-like hull flew a huge flag with a white background and a seagull-and-wrench emblem.
This was a Marine warship, and an advanced one that only Marine Headquarters officers of rear admiral rank and above could be assigned. It possessed a costly Sea Stone base that allowed it to travel freely between the Grand Line and the Four Seas.
Yet on the broad deck sat a long reclining chair that seemed rather out of place amid such an imposing scene. A burly old man with white hair and beard, his entire body knotted with muscle, lay deeply asleep atop it.
The East Blue sea breeze drifted over, jolting the old man awake from his slumber.
Still bleary-eyed, he glanced around at the ocean scenery, then casually picked up a senbei cracker from a small table beside him and began chewing.
"There's wind."
As he chewed his senbei, the devilishly muscular old man asked the Marine officer waiting beside him without the slightest concern for appearances:
"Smoker, have we reached the East Blue?"
Large warships from Marine Headquarters normally did not appear in the East Blue, known as the weakest sea.
This trip to the East Blue was both to send the Marine hero Garp home for vacation and to escort Headquarters Colonel Smoker and his subordinates to Loguetown, the Marine base guarding the gateway from the East Blue to the Grand Line, for a garrison rotation.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Smoker wore a long coat with the word "Justice" written across its back, but it was completely unlike the standard Marine Justice Cloak. Instead, it carried the domineering air of a biker gang jacket.
Combined with the broad expanse of bare chest and abdominal muscles, his delinquent-like silver-gray crew cut, and the thick cigar clenched between his lips, Smoker looked more like a mob boss than a righteous Marine officer.
And Smoker's personality perfectly matched his appearance. Whenever he saw something he disliked, he would curse even his superiors without hesitation.
Quite a few Marines at Headquarters had speculated that this promising young Headquarters colonel had been sent to garrison the East Blue, the weakest sea, partly because of his foul temper.
But even so, before the personally charismatic Marine hero Garp, Smoker unconsciously reined in some of his rebellious attitude, and his tone carried a degree of respect:
"We just passed through the Calm Belt and have arrived in the East Blue Sea!"
"Good."
Garp abruptly rose to his feet and casually stretched his body.
A series of crackles like beans popping immediately burst from his immensely powerful frame.
"It's been a long time since I came back to the East Blue for a vacation!"
Feeling the damp sea breeze of the East Blue, Garp could not help revealing a relaxed, contented smile.
"I wonder how Luffy has been doing. He'd better not turn out like that bastard Ace..."
"Hm?"
As he spoke, Garp's eyes suddenly narrowed. His sharp gaze pierced through the thin mist over the sea and saw something far in the distance.
"A pirate ship?"
Smoker hurriedly followed Garp's gaze toward the distance, but even with the strength of a Headquarters colonel, he could see nothing but the vast sea.
His awe for the Marine hero Vice Admiral Garp grew a little stronger out of nowhere.
"Hahaha!"
"Daring to sail along the ocean current beside the Calm Belt... they seem to be some fairly capable young people!"
Garp laughed heartily and waved his thick, muscle-packed arm.
"I just woke up, so I'll loosen up a little!"
"Bring me a few cannonballs!"
The surrounding Marines all revealed expectant and excited expressions.
"Vice Admiral Garp, are you going to show off your strength personally again?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
With a thick cigar in his mouth, Smoker impatiently roared at his subordinates, "Go get the cannonballs!"
"Yes!"
The Marines hurriedly acknowledged the order, but there was no fear on their faces.
They understood that although their superior looked fierce and difficult to approach, he was actually a good man who cared deeply for his subordinates.
Before long, a basket of solid iron cannonballs was placed beside Garp.
Garp casually picked up a solid iron ball from the ammunition basket a sailor had pushed over, lightly weighed it in his hand, and gazed toward the distant place only he could see.
At last, Garp loosened up slightly, and his bent arm suddenly exerted force.
"Fist Bone Meteor!"
The iron ball in his hand shot out and abruptly accelerated to a terrifying speed.
The projectile, violently rubbing against the air, glowed an unnatural bright red in midair before vanishing into the blue sky within a few breaths.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
The accompanying Marines were awed by such mighty strength and could not help excitedly calling out the name of the idol in their hearts.
"Hahaha!"
Garp laughed easily and bent down to pick up a second cannonball from the basket.
He was simply loosening up.
Garp was a high-ranking and immensely powerful Marine vice admiral. The enemies he dealt with were all terrifying figures notorious across the seas, and he generally could not be bothered to personally target small-fry pirates encountered during a voyage.
But using these minor pirates to exercise was Garp's personal hobby.
If he encountered them, it was fate.
Casually sending a few Fist Bone Meteors their way was also part of his duty as a Marine.
Because the distance was too great, aside from Vice Admiral Garp and his astonishing eyesight, only a handful of lookouts with telescopes saw the unlucky pirate crew Garp had chosen as a target.
With merely two hand-thrown cannonballs, the pirate ship flying a comical red-nosed skull flag had been reduced to a huge mass of splintered wood.
Garp then carelessly threw out a third cannonball.
"Alright!"
Garp smiled easily and said to the Marine major beside him:
"Let's continue onward."
Having finished exercising, Garp would not keep pursuing those unlucky minor pirates to the bitter end. As for what happened to them afterward, that depended on their own luck.
"Hm?"
Garp's gaze stalled slightly, and his eyes, not yet withdrawn, fixed on the ruined pirate ship in the distance.
"My Fist Bone Meteor... was cut apart?"
"What?"
A female Marine officer waiting nearby immediately revealed an astonished and shocked expression.
She had neat short black hair and wore unfashionable square-framed glasses. She was not even dressed in a Marine uniform, only casually wearing a plaid shirt with suit trousers.
Together with the gentle, distinctly feminine smile that always rested on her lovely face, she looked completely lacking in authority. Instead, she resembled a cute and friendly girl next door.
The only thing about the young woman that showed even a little of a Marine officer's bearing was the finely crafted famous blade Shigure hanging at her waist.
This female officer was Smoker's subordinate, Marine Headquarters Petty Officer Tashigi.
At the same time, she was a female swordswoman who loved blades more than life itself.
So when she heard that the high-speed cannonball thrown by Vice Admiral Garp had been cut down by an unknown pirate swordsman, Tashigi immediately became alert and was deeply shocked.
In her eyes, Vice Admiral Garp's Fist Bone Meteor was nothing more than a blurry shadow.
Tashigi knew that even barely dodging such an attack would be difficult for her. Cutting it apart head-on was an even more impossible task.
This young female officer from Marine Headquarters instantly gained a new understanding of the East Blue's title as the "weakest sea," and she developed a few unusual feelings toward the mysterious swordsman who had cut apart the cannonball.
Someone capable of cutting through Vice Admiral Garp's Fist Bone Meteor might possess the strength of a master swordsman.
And challenging powerful master swordsmen was an expectation hidden in every swordsman's heart.
But as merely a petty officer, Tashigi could only hold back her excitement and cherish that expectation in secret. The one who truly called the shots was still the Marine hero Garp.
Garp, too, became somewhat interested in the young swordsman who had cut apart his cannonball.
Unlike Tashigi, Garp's telescopic eyesight allowed him to clearly see Garen's situation.
"Steer the ship over there!"
Garp gave the order to his subordinates, then picked up another iron cannonball from the ammunition basket.
"Uh... I'll throw one more and see."
His previous cannonball had been casually thrown at the hull and had merely happened to strike Garen.
But this time, Garp's cannonball was aimed precisely at the young "master swordsman" capable of cutting cannonballs out of the air.
Beside the pirate ship that was about to sink,
Cabaji, Mohji, and Richie had already used their familiarity with the ship to board the only small lifeboat it carried.
Every part of Buggy except his feet had also flown aboard the little boat.
Even a lifeboat was still a boat. It had food, fresh water, and sails. Once they raised the sails, they could flee far away with the wind.
Compared to them, Garen and the other two were in a much more miserable situation.
They were barely squeezed onto a broken plank of wood, with hardly enough room even to stand. Any wave could overturn them.
This was a serious contradiction between the people's essential needs for life and the unequal distribution of development resources. With his greatsword in hand, Garen naturally had to make Buggy, who had already gotten aboard, understand what it meant for those who got rich first to help those who got rich later.
"Stop!"
"Let us aboard too, or the greatsword in my hand won't show any mercy!"
Holding Buggy's feet in his hand, Garen shouted toward Buggy and the others in the lifeboat not far away:
"Buggy! Even if you can sail the boat away, can you take your feet with you?"
Those feet were Buggy's weak point. Even while busy catching cannonballs just now, Garen had not been willing to throw them away.
Buggy's expression, which had only just relaxed, immediately darkened again.
"Buggy, stop dreaming about running away!"
Garen's voice once again rang out across the sea.
"I refuse to believe another cannonball will come flying over to save you this time!"
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