Sparks Fly

Uta lowered the telescope and turned to tell Louis what she'd spotted about the other ship.

"Four masts, dragon-shaped decorations along the sides, and a Dragon Head hanging from the bow..."

"I see. It's the Winter Grama, a sailboat belonging to the Self... no, the Revolutionary Army."

A glint of understanding flashed in Louis's eyes as he identified the ship.

If so, the strong one aboard that sailboat should be the Revolutionary Army's leader, Monkey D. Dragon—the man many netizens in his previous life had dubbed the Sweat King.

Louis had no comment on that.

Dragon himself was extremely mysterious. Aside from his name and a few details about his past, people knew almost nothing about him.

Even Louis knew very little about Monkey D. Dragon.

"Monkey D. Dragon..." Louis murmured.

Meanwhile, aboard the Winter Grama.

A nobody wearing headphones and carrying a flintlock rifle lowered his telescope with a grave expression and sounded the alarm.

"Ship spotted five miles southeast! It looks like a warship!"

At once, someone scrambled up the watchtower and asked urgently:

"Are you sure it's a warship?"

"N-no, I'm not sure. I can only make out a silhouette in the storm."

"But it definitely has the distinctive design of a Marine warship!" The nobody handed the telescope to his companion.

"It really is a warship..."

As people who operated illegally on the sea, they knew warships' designs well. That way, they could quickly identify the Marines, even at night or in a storm.

"Q-quick... turn the cannon platforms around!"

In an instant, the Revolutionary Army soldiers sprang into action.

The broadside cannons took aim at the distant warship. The moment it came within range, they were ready to fire.

Just then, cloaked figures emerged from the cabin and stood on deck in the rain, quietly watching the distant warship.

"It's not a warship!" The tall figure slowly lowered the telescope and spoke to the figure beside her, who stood about eight feet tall.

"It's an unknown Pirate Crew flying a pirate flag. They probably stole the warship and took to the sea."

"Stay on alert. They're not to be underestimated," the Revolutionary Army's leader, Monkey D. Dragon, said solemnly, his gaze profound.

"That ship... is alive!"

Through his Observation Haki, Dragon sensed an exceptionally powerful presence on the deck, one rarely seen even in the New World. More than that, the warship beneath his feet had the life signs of a living creature.

"A living ship?!" The tall figure gaped, thinking she must have misheard.

"Is it a sea beast disguised as a ship? Something like an Island Cloud turtle?"

"No. It's an ordinary warship," Dragon replied calmly.

"How strange..." The tall figure was left questioning her understanding of the world.

Beside her, an even taller figure spoke in a rather gentle voice.

"Iva, have you forgotten? We've seen a living ship before, too..."

The "woman" called Iva froze, then blurted out, "Charlotte Linlin?!"

"Is this one of her Homies?"

"Did the Big Mom Pirates come to the East Sea?"

"Probably not. It's most likely the power of some other Devil Fruit," Dragon said, shaking his head. There was a hint of puzzlement in his eyes, too.

After a while, the increasingly fierce hurricane drove the two ships closer and closer, until they were just over three miles apart.

At that distance, they were within cannon range. The members inside the Revolutionary Army's ship were fully prepared. They stood two meters behind the cannons, gripping the pull ropes so they could retaliate as soon as a clash began.

By the railing, the towering figure leaned down and gently instructed the companion standing beside him with a flintlock rifle, "Tell our comrades at the broadside cannons to be careful. We can't fire unless they attack us first."

"Got it!" Another cloaked figure hurried away.

Then Iva looked at Dragon and voiced her concern. "Dragon, should we go over and take a look?"

"This shipment of food is crucial. I'm uneasy about running into them at a time like this..."

Dragon nodded, then said, "I'll go over. You could be in danger if you face them."

"..."

The two exchanged a glance, startled by his words.

Their unease grew more intense.

Someone this powerful had appeared in the East Sea, and in the middle of this storm, he'd crossed paths with them while they were transporting food.

Could this really be a coincidence?

The towering figure spoke gravely. "Be careful. Watch out for an ambush."

"I will, Kuma."

Dragon nodded in response, then set one foot on the railing, ready to go investigate.

Just then, the storm intensified, churning up waves dozens of meters high that crashed against the sailboat with tremendous force.

The enormous ship pitched and rolled in the waves, listing and swaying without pause.

Inside the ship, at the broadside cannon platform.

The violent rocking sent the ship into a dangerously steep tilt. Many Revolutionary Army soldiers were thrown off their feet and hit the deck.

A rope tied to the firing mechanism of a cannon had been stretched taut in one soldier's hand. It snapped the mechanism into action.

"Boom..."

A brilliant flash lit up the night sky as a black cannonball shot from the barrel. With a piercing whistle, it flew away.

"..."

The unexpected incident left everyone aboard stunned.

A look of shock appeared on Dragon's face.

"Who fired?!" Iva's face turned livid.

Shouts rang out from inside the cabin.

They soon learned that the cannon had gone off accidentally because of the waves.

Kuma slowly removed his gloves and said calmly, "This is trouble."

He knew that everyone who grew strong on these seas shared one trait: they were stubborn to the extreme.

When all was peaceful, there was no problem. But if one side suddenly opened fire, things could spiral in an unpredictable direction.

Pirates who roamed the seas with their lives constantly on the line wouldn't believe you if you said it was an accidental discharge!

And even if they knew it was an accident, so what?

Pirates who felt provoked wouldn't care about the details.

"Lower the sails! Everyone inside the ship, protect the food!" Dragon immediately issued the highest-priority orders.

Clearly, Dragon had no intention of getting caught up in a fight with them. Not even if he could defeat them.

For one thing, they were in the wrong.

For another, they knew nothing about the other side's abilities. If a fight broke out and they couldn't defeat them immediately, their own people might suffer unnecessary casualties.

Right now, the most important thing was to protect this precious shipment of food. Everything else could wait.

At the same time, Yelena spotted the distant, flickering light and her pupils contracted. She immediately pulled Uta behind her.

Seeing this, Louis slowly drew the Seven Star Sword.

The black cannonball streaked across the night sky with a piercing whistle, then splashed down dozens of feet from the warship, sending water dozens of meters into the air.

Perhaps because of the sea wind, the cannonball fired from more than three miles away had missed the warship.

Yelena instinctively tightened her grip on her warhammer and looked at Louis. "Louis, they opened fire!"

"Probably an accidental discharge!" Louis answered casually.

Just then, Island Cloud descended from the sky, swallowed the entire warship, and carried it upward.

Uta poked her head out from behind Yelena, looking uncertain. She ventured, "So... should we fire back?"

Yelena looked at Louis's back and said nothing.

"Of course. Whether it was an accident or not, they still opened fire."