"Indeed, it's quite interesting."
After hearing Xiao's suggestion, Gawain nodded and said.
"My Mantra can even hear their voices. Whether they are pirates or marines, they are all trying to avoid me."
Haha, it seems that my identity makes me not only a villain in the eyes of good people, but also a major villain in the eyes of villains.
How interesting!
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain took Shirahoshi's finger and nodded to Yi Xiao.
"Yixiao, take good care of Shirahoshi, I'll be right back!"
"Yes, sir, but please try your best to forgive those sailors."
In any case, since they are marines willing to hunt down pirates, they should be considered decent people overall.
Before you, I, an old man, will swallow my pride and plead for them on their behalf.
After saying that, Yi Xiao gave Gawain a helpless look.
Gawain waved his hand gently.
"You already know me, so even if you plead for me, it's just something you said casually."
"Don't worry, I'm not a mad king who gets angry over his words."
As he spoke, Gawain released Shirahoshi's fingers and then vanished instantly.
In the distance, a streak of lightning flashed across the sky, causing Yi Xiao to break into a knowing smile.
Meanwhile, forty-three nautical miles away, at the pirates' temporary anchorage.
Smoker spread his body out, deflecting all the cannonballs that were hitting his ship.
But apart from his ship, the other warships were not yet capable of blocking all the shells.
However, although Smoker's navy is stationed in the East Blue, it is still quite battle-hardened.
When the artillery fire descended upon the warships, they were not afraid at all; on the contrary, they were even more excited.
Soldiers are promoted through combat, and in the East Blue where pirates are scarce, it is their good fortune to encounter a commander like Smoker.
If the upper echelons are corrupt, and the inner workings are filled with petty scheming, allowing scoundrels to gain high positions, then naturally no one will be willing to exert themselves.
But if the leadership is supportive, who wouldn't want to fight tooth and nail for power and prestige?
After all, honest people are the foundation of the world, compared to the scoundrels who are prone to corruption.
And so, facing the gunfire, the four warships not only did not slow down, but instead increased their speed to the maximum. They plunged headlong into the thick smoke and waves!
Meanwhile, Smoker floated up in the sky with his arms outstretched.
Instantly, the thick smoke around them vanished into Smoker's embrace, as if being desperately drawn into a black hole.
As the smoke cleared, the sea became much clearer. Smoker glanced at the pirates and then immediately roared.
"The pirates are loading their cannons. Let's take this opportunity to smash them in one fell swoop!"
The warship's materials far surpass those of ordinary pirate ships. Everyone, right the ram!
At Smoker's command, the four warships immediately adjusted their angles, aiming their rams at the main pirate ship in different directions.
As for what kind of ships are the main pirate ships?
First, of course, are ships with a large number of cannons; second, are ships with bounties on their pirate flags!
As mentioned before, even with over a hundred pirate ships, they might not be able to muster a hundred cannons. So, two warships approached a ship that was equipped with a dozen or so cannons.
Besides, only about six or seven of these pirates have bounties.
The smallest reward is only 1.2 million, while the largest is 9.6 million.
Smoker, of course, led his warship and rammed it into the hull of the pirate ship with the highest bounty. Moments later, his warship plunged directly into the hull of the pirate ship.
The captain of this pirate crew was quite ruthless. After enduring the violent shock, he immediately drew his gun and knife and charged at Smoker.
Although Smoker wasn't particularly strong, he was still Zephyr's apprentice and a newly promoted young officer in the Marine Headquarters.
With his current strength, he is certainly no match for pirates with bounties of over 100 million, but using him to deal with a mere 9 million pirates would be a waste of his talents.
So, when thunder appeared in the sky, Gawain quietly descended from the heavens.
Smoker has already trampled the pirate with the highest bounty in the entire area under his feet.
All around, the navy was still engaged in fierce fighting. In the chaotic battlefield at the bow of the ship, no one could notice Gawain, whose presence was not particularly imposing.
Gawain was certainly happy, even enthusiastic, to show off in front of others, but such displays depended on the occasion and the audience.
Gawain's current level, participating in the battle in this situation is truly just a game for him.
Therefore, he didn't create any spectacular or shocking scenes like thunder from the heavens.
Nearby, the pirates spotted Gawain, who was wearing a sharp overcoat, and two of them immediately Gawain him.
Gawain drew his sword and slashed horizontally. As two corpses fell, the surrounding pirates immediately retreated a little.
But what's the point of retreating? This is a chaotic battlefield. Smoker isn't Wise General; his strength as a commander lies in charging forward...
Therefore, the retreating pirates were quickly targeted by the new navy, and a fierce battle ensued.
For a moment, Gawain's position was strangely vacant. The Marines felt his clothing was familiar and subconsciously didn't think he was an enemy, while the Pirates found him somewhat frightening.
In the distance, Smoker was still fighting fiercely, stepping on a pirate while his body continuously turned into smoke, plunging his Jitte into one enemy after another.
Tashigi, however, sensed something was amiss. A swordsman's instinct, or rather, intuition, told her that she smelled the scent of Famous Sword!
The next instant, Tashigi instinctively turned around, her gaze fixed directly on Rokumei Kotetsu.
In an instant, Tashigi recognized the knife, and Tashigi was stunned.
"That... that is!!!"
The little girl let out a short, startled cry.
"That's the Rokumei Kotetsu Great Grade 21 Swords. It's a traditional Kotetsu blade with tiger and demon patterns on the edge, hence the eerie name Rokumei!"
"Isn't this Admiral Momousagi's old sword? How did it end up here?!"
"He's a candidate for Admiral!"
Smoker, who was killing someone nearby, heard Momousagi's words and immediately turned around to add a sentence to Momousagi.
"Gion- sama isn't Admiral yet. The future Admiral must be me, Smoker the White Serpent!!!"
Wait, what did you just say? The sword of the candidate Admiral Momousagi?!
For a moment, Smoker turned around in confusion, looking in the direction Tashigi was looking in astonishment.
But before he could even see Gawain, Tashigi had already knelt down with a thud, her face blank.
The pirates didn't care why Tashigi knelt down. Seeing Tashigi lost in thought, they immediately targeted Tashigi with more than three swords and two guns!
As the gunshots rang out, Tashigi's shocked gaze gradually turned into terror; in her eyes, the gunpowder-smoking bullets drew ever closer to her.
"Tashigi!!!"
Smoker had no time to look at any Famous Sword. Shouting, he released the pirate beneath his feet and charged towards Tashigi like a gust of wind.
But could he possibly be faster than a bullet?
At that moment, Smoker's eyes were filled with pain and confusion.
He was in great pain; his best subordinates and friends were facing a life-or-death crisis.
He was even more puzzled as to why Tashigi suddenly knelt down.
Just when Smoker was almost in despair, Gawain tilted his head slightly.
Tashigi is even more adorable and clueless than I thought.
No matter what, it's still a battlefield. Even if they recognize their own identity, they shouldn't inappropriately put down their swords and kneel down to pay their respects.
Perhaps Tashigi was shocked?
Amused as he pondered, Gawain extended his right hand. The instant he raised his right hand, he transformed into Inazuma, stopping in front of Tashigi.
In that instant of pause, the electromagnetic reaction invisibly manipulated the weapons of everyone present, and every flying bullet.
At this moment, everyone who was fighting stopped in their tracks, completely dumbfounded.
At the same time, Gawain gently waved his hand, and as he did so, all the metal weapons of the pirates became incredibly hot.
In the blink of an eye, bullets and swords alike were melted into a pool of molten iron.
While using Thunder Metallurgy to disable the pirates' weapons, Gawain turned around and gently patted Tashigi's head.
"Hey, young female marines, shouldn't you be the ones protecting me?"
As he spoke, Gawain winked at Tashigi, whose mouth was slightly open, and immediately, steam began to rise from Tashigi's entire face!
Beside him, Smoker flew haphazardly behind Gawain, riding the smoke.
"Tashigi, what's wrong with you? Did a zombie eat your brain?!"
This is terrible! If it weren't for this person... uh... wait...!
This... this young man who came to the rescue is... is that... that guy...
"Waaaaah!!!"
Tashigi was on the ground, finally came to her senses. She jumped up and covered Smoker's mouth with her hand!
We have to shut him up! If we don't stop him from saying something rude in his surprise, who knows what other inappropriate things Smoker might say!
While covering Smoker's mouth, Tashigi shouted at Smoker.
"Sir, you need to calm down, you need to calm down!"
This is the great Saint Gawain whom we were ordered to welcome!!!
After saying that, Tashigi forcefully pressed Smoker to the ground. She even bumped Smoker's knee, forcing this rough man who was smoking three cigars at the same time to kneel in front of Gawain.
Thump!
Smoker slammed his knee into the deck, looking at Gawain with astonishment and confusion.
At this moment, Smoker felt just like an ordinary junior officer who had discovered that the Crown Prince was secretly hiding in the army!
Celestial Dragon like Saint Gawain are not worth having any expectations of.
Celestial Dragon like Saint Gawain, who are like celestial beings, are not worthy of respect.
All those thoughts vanished; at that moment, Smoker just wanted to yell at Gawain.
"Saint Gawain, the battlefield is dangerous, please be extremely careful!!!"
That's what he thought, and that's exactly what he shouted. Smoker was almost scared to death.
When he spoke, his voice even trembled at the end...
Gawain, seeing Smoker's utterly astonished expression, chuckled and nodded at Smoker.
"You've been chasing pirates, haven't you? You're quite something, Smoker."
As he spoke, Gawain smiled and snapped his fingers in front of Smoker. With the rubbing of his thumb and middle finger, unparalleled Conqueror's Haki instantly spread out from Gawain's surroundings.
With the hurricane unleashed by Conqueror's Haki, all the pirates on the surrounding ships were involuntarily knocked down.
Fortunately, Gawain had already mastered the method of controlling Conqueror's Haki. After using it in conjunction with his Mantra for targeted release, only a few Marines were accidentally injured by the Conqueror's Haki.
Thump.
Thump.
Bang.
The series of thuds made Smoker stare wide-eyed in disbelief, sweat pouring down his forehead.
Beside him, Tashigi clutched her heart tightly with both hands.
The incomparably handsome Celestial Dragon, wielding the renowned Great Grade Swords of the Seas, used Conqueror's Haki, one in a billion, to capture all the pirates who would otherwise have taken them hours to fight!
Gawain's identity and strength are both perfect for winning over young girls' hearts.
Even Tashigi was afraid that her heart, which was beating so fast, would jump right out of her throat!
Just as Tashigi was overjoyed, Gawain casually withdrew his Conqueror's Haki completely, then glanced at Tashigi and the others who were barely conscious.
"Sigh, I've tried my best to reduce the output of Conqueror's Haki, but the effect is still too strong. This level of Conqueror's Haki isn't even one-tenth of what it should be."
Even so, Smoker and Tashigi were already struggling to keep up...
After muttering a sentence softly, Gawain raised his palm.
Instantly, Tashigi and Smoker, who were kneeling on the ground, felt a flash of electricity near their tailbone, and then they both stood up at the same time.
Before they could say anything, Gawain spoke to them.
"Go clean up the battlefield, then take me for a tour of the East Blue."
Smoker, and Tashigi.
"What good wines do you have on board? How about I try some?"
"Why?"
"What?!!"
Gawain's words left Smoker and Tashigi stunned. After a moment, Smoker bowed to Gawain.
"Great Saint Gawain, there is not much wine on my ship, because the pirates in the East Blue are too cheap, and I cannot save up enough money to buy those famous wines!"
However, if you're okay with beer, I do have some on my boat!
"Of course I can accept it."
Gawain smiled and nodded, so Smoker immediately called over a soldier who was nearly unconscious and ordered him to bring out all the premium beer hidden in the captain's cabin.
After giving his explanation, Smoker swallowed hard and then cautiously looked at Gawain.
Noticing Smoker's lingering fear in his eyes, Gawain teased softly.
"Don't look at me like that. I don't have any extra organs like other people. There's nothing to see."
Hey you two, stop daydreaming! Get to work and get busy with what you need to do. Once you're done, be my tour guide.
"By the way, Tashigi, you just mentioned Rokumei Kotetsu, do you know it?"
"Certainly!!!"
The moment Tashigi's hobbies were mentioned, the little girl instantly relaxed and confidently told Gawain.
"I've memorized the entire manual of Famous Sword; I can recognize the sword in your hand at a glance!"
Logically speaking, I should have expected this long ago. Ever since Gion Admiral followed you, news has spread that you possess the Great Grade Swords Deer-Cry Tiger-Cleaver!
I used to think you weren't worthy of using such a fine sword, which is why the Rokumei Kotetsu was neglected.
But just now, you defeated all the pirates nearby with a single move!
That's at least eight thousand people, a full eight thousand pirates!!!
You... I never knew you were so powerful! Not only did you not let the Famous Sword tarnish, you also... sigh...?
Etc...?"
At this point, Tashigi's expression finally changed; her face, which had just been flushed with excitement, turned a ghastly green.
She could no longer maintain her standing posture and collapsed to her knees with a thud.
Looking at Gawain, ashen face, Tashigi said through teary eyes.
"Commander Smoker, I... did I say anything blasphemous about the Celestial Dragon?"
Without waiting for Smoker's reply, she burst into tears.
"Aaaaaah, I'm going to die! I'm really going to die!"
Commander Smoker, after I die, you must take good care of the swords I've preserved, sob sob sob!
I want to become the greatest swordsman in the world, I want to collect all the swords and blades, I want to keep living!
Waaaaah, so unlucky!!!