Invitation

A salty, damp smell filled the air, and a whooshing sound filled the air. A seagull flew across the sky and disappeared into the distance.

Where is this place?

Marcel slowly opened his eyes. He blinked and tried to straighten up, but felt a sharp pain all over his body.

Oh right, I'm injured.

Marcel recalled what happened before he fainted: Luffy and Buggy were fighting, while he endured the pain and fought off the pirates who were attacking him. Both he and the boy named Luffy were briefly at a disadvantage.

As time went on, both of them suffered considerable injuries.

But in the end, Luffy knocked Buggy away, while Marcel was surrounded by other pirates and was about to die when he was saved by a figure.

Marcel only remembered that the figure had green hair.

Then what happened?

"You're awake?"

A voice rang in his ears, and Marcel looked in that direction, where he saw a green-haired man holding a long sword.

"It's you!"

Marcel looked at the other person with a surprised expression, then looked around and found himself on a small boat sailing on the sea. Besides the green-haired man, there was also the Straw Hat boy named Luffy.

"Don't move around. You've just received treatment and need to rest," the green-haired man said.

"What exactly happened?"

Marcel asked, puzzled, that he had indeed received treatment and his body had been bandaged, but why was he setting sail on a small boat?

The green-haired man yawned and said, "It was you who fainted and was injured. We took you to get treatment, but the navy arrived, so we had to take you with us."

"The Navy? You mean the Navy has come to this town?"

Marcel stared at them with wide eyes.

The green-haired man said, "That's right. Your wound had just been stitched up and bandaged when the villagers notified us that the navy had arrived, and then we took you away."

"Don't worry, the Navy isn't chasing us," Luffy said with a grin.

Marcel asked, puzzled, "Why are you taking me away?"

"To prevent the Navy from capturing you," Luffy replied from the side.

"Why is the Navy arresting me?" Marcel asked, puzzled.

Luffy looked at Marcel and said, "Aren't you a pirate too? If the Navy finds you, they'll definitely catch you."

"When did I become a pirate?" Marcel asked, puzzled.

Luffy said, "You said it yourself, you're the captain of a ship, your crew was killed by Buggy, and you were tied up."

"I didn't say I was the captain of a pirate crew."

Marcel said, on the verge of tears, "I am the captain of a merchant guild's ocean-going shipping line. I was attacked by Buggy. Why do you think I am a pirate? Those marines were very likely brought to rescue me by the Shining Gold Merchant Association. Now you have taken me away, and I have completely missed my chance with them."

Upon hearing Marcel's words, Luffy laughed and said, "So that's how it is. It's your own fault for not explaining clearly."

"Forget it, I'll find a place to disembark after I recover from my injuries and go back by myself."

Marcel sighed. Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to leave. However, his injuries had been treated and he would recover in a few days, at which point he could leave.

However, Marcel noticed something amiss and asked, "You chose to leave because of the Navy's arrival, which means you are pirates?"

"That's right."

Luffy said with a smile, "I am the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, and my name is Luffy. This is Zoro, the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"As expected, they are pirates."

Marcel sighed. He never expected to be saved by pirates. His father was killed by pirates, his crew was killed by pirates, but he was saved by pirates.

Noticing Marcel's gaze, Zoro narrowed his eyes, assuming that Marcel was unhappy with him and Luffy because they were pirates.

But the next moment Marcel said, "Thank you for saving my life."

Regardless, without them, he would surely die.

Moreover, it was they who helped him avenge himself, which was a very heavy sentiment for Marcel.

"You're welcome."

Luffy laughed, while Zoro closed his eyes and said, "It was just a small favor, after all, you fought to the very end."

When Zoro found Luffy, he discovered that Marcel was fighting a group of pirates. Despite being seriously injured, he was still fighting, and his perseverance moved him deeply.

Marcel nodded, then looked around and asked, "Where are we now?"

"I don't know," Luffy said, shaking his head.

"Have no idea?"

Marcel asked, "Don't you know your way around? Where are you planning to go?"

Luffy said with a smile, "We plan to head to the Grand Line."

"The Grand Line?"

Upon hearing this, Marcel looked at Luffy and asked with some surprise, "You're heading to the Grand Line?"

"That's right. To become the One Piece, you have to go through the Grand Line," Luffy replied.

"The One Piece, huh? He really should go..."

Marcel blurted out instinctively, then realized what he meant, "You said you want to become the One Piece?"

"That's right."

Luffy nodded, then pointed at Zoro and said, "This guy is going to become the world's greatest swordsman."

"You, all of you."

Marcel was speechless with surprise upon hearing their words, and then said, "Do you know how many powerful figures there are on the Grand Line? The One Piece is the pinnacle of all pirates, and the world's greatest swordsman is the pinnacle of all swordsmen. Do you know how difficult that is?"

Luffy grinned and said, "Of course I know."

"Knowing that you still..." Marcel said irritably.

"Isn't it all the more worthwhile to do it, knowing the difficulties and overcoming them to achieve the goal?" Zoro said calmly from the side.

"Yeah?"

Marcel paused for a moment, then said helplessly, "But the Grand Line is too dangerous. There are too many pirates and unpredictable currents. This small boat simply cannot get there."

Luffy slammed his fist into his palm and said, "So we still need a big ship."

"It's not a problem with the ship."

Marcel shook his head and said, "Forget it, there's no point in telling you all this. But in return, if you need a ship, I can help you. I'll contact shipyards, buy ships, and guarantee you ships that can withstand the storms of the Grand Line."

"You're going to give us a ship?" Luffy stared wide-eyed at Marcel.

Marcel said helplessly, "I mean, I can help you buy a boat, but you have to give me the money."

"But I have no money."

Luffy reached into his pockets, but found them empty.

"I really don't know how a pirate crew like yours survives," Marcel said, shaking his head. "Tell me the location of the port you left from, the direction you went, and the time you left."

"West, I think. We've been gone for about three hours," Luffy replied after a moment's thought.

Marcel nodded, then looked at the sails and then at the sun. "We should be about twenty nautical miles to the northwest, heading towards the Grand Line. That way, we'll get further and further away from Reverse Mountain."

"Then what should we do?"

Luffy looked at Marcel and asked.

Marcel pointed to the sails and said, "Lower the sails first. You can't sail against the wind with a square sail. Then row northeast. There's a village over there. We just unloaded our cargo there before we met Buggy. Once we get there, drop me off, and I'll contact the Chamber of Commerce to pick me up. You can leave on your own."

Do you understand navigation?

Luffy didn't do it immediately, but instead looked at Marcel with bright eyes and asked.

Marcel thought he didn't believe him, so he said, "Of course, I started sailing at sea when I was sixteen. I learned navigation from an excellent navigator, and after becoming a captain, I was the only captain in our chamber of commerce who could sail long-distance routes. I have never given up studying books on marine meteorology."

The excellent navigator Marcel was referring to was naturally Nami. He had consulted Nami on navigation techniques and had also read many of the books Nami left behind.

"That's amazing."

Luffy looked intently at Marcel and said with a grin, "Then be my crewmate. We're still missing a navigator."

"I refuse."

Marcel gave a very direct answer.

Several days later, in the Drum Kingdom.

Slap slap

Two shots rang out, and Dalton fell heavily to the ground.

"Go save him quickly."

Zala shouted from afar, and two doctors ran over, lifted Dalton up, and took him to the operating room.

"Why bother? It would be better to just admit defeat sooner."

Zala followed closely behind Dalton, saying helplessly, "She has the Door-Door Fruit, which allows her to freely travel through Spatial Dimension. You can't even touch her. You can't ambush her; you're no match for her. The moment you see her ability, you've already lost. Why bother fighting?"

Dalton's injuries healed quickly. In this world, injuries heal quickly, and as Zoan Devil Fruit user, his body has a high recovery ability.

In just a few days, his left arm was able to move again, and he couldn't wait to continue the challenge.

Her chosen opponent was none other than Mr. Christmas, who was previously partnered with Heckle, and is now partnered with Cecilia.

As a gunslinger, she possesses exceptional marksmanship, including long-range sniping and close-to-mid-range gunfighting.

However, because his physical abilities were inferior to those of current Senior Agent, the opponent could dodge based on the movement of his arm.

At close to medium range, their combat effectiveness will decrease.

But that is, until she obtained a fruit, the Door-Door Fruit.

This fruit belongs to Bruno; it is an extremely powerful fruit, but Bruno has developed it poorly.

Therefore, when killing him, Xia Qiu prepared fruit and transferred the Devil Fruit.

Xia Qiu gave the fruit to Mr. Christmas; her marksmanship was excellent, so the fruit was a perfect match for her.

She's afraid of close-quarters combat, so she can simply hide in Spatial Dimension. She can open a door and enter that Spatial Dimension to avoid enemy attacks.

You can also open the door, find yourself in Spatial Dimension, and shoot outwards.

Hide, lie in wait, snipe.

This ability allows her to unleash her marksmanship perfectly, while her powerful dynamic vision also enables her to detect approaching enemies.

In the Baroque Works, no one was more suited to this fruit than her.

She is still Mr. 3's partner, but after Mr. 3 was replaced by Cecilia, the latter learned to shave and her skills are among the best in Baroque Works.

Even after reaping the fruits of Mr. Christmas, she still deserves Cecilia's status.

The two work together, one in melee and the other in ranged combat, supporting each other.

One excels in speed, the other can help with stealth.

The two players' skills complement each other well.

Xia Qiu had very high expectations for the two of them.

"This is an agreement."

Upon hearing Zala's words, Dalton replied very seriously, "I must fight you all four times, until the very last moment."

"But you'll get hurt," Zala said irritably. "Is it worth it?"

"If I win, then you leave, and the Drum Kingdom will remain in our hands." Dalton paused, then added, "If I lose, it will prove that you have strength that we cannot resist, and the villagers will accept their fate and not do anything else."

"So you did this for us?" Zala looked at Dalton with some surprise.

"It's not really for you guys."

Dalton shook his head. "Since there's no way to fight back, there's no need for any extra damage. And what you said that day made me think you're different from Wapol, so if you really win all four games, you'll become the king of this country, and I'll be watching over you."

"I will accept your supervision."

Upon hearing this, Zala said softly, "I assure you, you will participate in the construction of this country."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Dalton looked at Zala and said, "But there is still one more battle, my battle with Your Majesty."

"Let's talk about it after you've recovered."

Zala laughed and said, "But you definitely won't win."

"Whoosh."

Heckle's figure suddenly disappeared, and then instantly reappeared in the distance.

"How... how is that possible?"

Xia Qiu stared blankly at Heckle, not understanding how he had learned to shave after only three or four days of study.

He is good at Karate but not good at kicking techniques, and his leg strength is not very strong. How did he learn to shave?

"How did you learn it?" Xia Qiu asked, looking at Heckle.

"President, actually I'm using a trick."

Heckle walked over and slowly said, "I only stomped three times, accumulating some power before releasing it, while reducing my body strength to one kilogram."

"So that's how it is."

Xia Qiu nodded. Heckle's weight was about 100 kilograms. If he reduced it to one kilogram, it would be only one percent of his original weight.

He only needs a very small amount of reaction force to launch himself away, and he does so very quickly and over a great distance.

Although it's a shortcut, the increased speed leads to an increase in combat power.

This app has some really impressive features.

Moreover, the other Six Powers can be combined with his abilities, especially Paper Arts. If he loses weight and can sense airflow, his evasion ability will be excellent.

Within Baroque Works, Heckle is the most compatible with the Six Powers.

Within Baroque Works, aside from the positions of the president and Mr. 1, through their own development, and excluding the Six Powers, the strength of their Senior Agent has surpassed that of Crocodile's original Baroque Works.

After all, Mr. 2 Mr. 2 Bon Clay's skill level is something that current Senior Agent can achieve, or even surpass.

However, compared to Bonis, he failed in a direct confrontation. Although his Devil Fruit ability gave him a significant advantage, his destructive power and lethality were not inferior.

However, if the Six Powers are added, not everyone can defeat him, but everyone can reach this level of combat power, and a few will have far greater destructive and lethal power.

Aside from hoping someone can master Haki, they basically meet my requirements for them.