Because of the earlier battle, there wasn't a soul in town now, a stark contrast to when Rod and the others had first landed.
"Rod, should we deal with these two now?"
Luo came over, carrying the unconscious Gladius in his hands. Beside him, Bepo carried the equally unconscious Manudo.
Rod glanced at Luo, who was panting heavily, and shook his head.
"You still need to work on your stamina, Luo. You're already this worn out after just one fight. The monsters on the Grand Line can keep fighting for ten days straight!"
"Damn it, I used my abilities several more times after the fight was over!"
As soon as the battle ended, Luo had used his abilities to treat Grey. He'd also treated some bystanders who'd been injured in Gladius's earlier explosions, so he looked utterly drained now.
"Fine, fine. You're right."
Rod replied perfunctorily and walked ahead on his own, carrying the box over his shoulder.
Then, before Luo could get worked up again, he freed a hand and patted him on the shoulder.
"Let's bring these two along for now. I think luck might have played a part in our earlier experiment. I'll do a reading later and pick an auspicious day before we try again."
"You know how to do that?"
Luo and Bepo followed Rod and Nerl as they walked toward the shore.
"I'll probably just close my eyes and draw at random."
Nerl chimed in from the side.
"Call it whatever you want. If I draw it, it's bound to be a lucky day."
"Lucky? You've never won anything in your life! We'd be better off letting Nerl draw."
Luo piled on from the side.
"Nerl can't do it. He'd cheat without even realizing it."
Nerl smiled and said nothing.
Suddenly, the smile faded from Nerl's face. Noticing the change, Rod and Luo both looked at him questioningly.
"A ship's approaching. It's the Marines!"
"Are they strong?"
A glint flashed in Rod's eyes. He knew Nerl well.
If they were ordinary Marines, Nerl wouldn't react like this.
"There's one pretty capable guy. And three others with him who shouldn't be underestimated."
"How long?"
"Ten minutes!"
"Let's get to the ship and prepare everything. We need to be ready to set sail at a moment's notice."
A reckless grin spread across Rod's face.
He'd been a little disappointed that he hadn't gotten to have a proper fight with Gladius. As an opening act for his debut, that had left something to be desired.
But having a few Marines witness his departure would be pretty good, too!
As they spoke, the group quickened their pace and hurried toward the Polar Tang.
Meanwhile, aboard the approaching warship.
The island was now clearly visible, and the men aboard stared in shock at the town center, which had been reduced almost to ruins.
From the warship, they could see that the center of town had become a completely devastated wasteland, starkly contrasting with the streets around it.
Rear Admiral Bastille grew wary.
According to the intelligence they'd received, the Donquixote Family officer stationed in the North Blue was Gladius, a Bomb-Bomb Fruit user.
He'd been wreaking havoc across the North Blue for years and had a bounty of 31 million. After training in the New World, his strength would surely have grown even more. He was no ordinary North Blue pirate's match.
Could it have been Germa 66?
The thought crossed Rear Admiral Bastille's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. If Germa 66 had attacked, the whole town would have been gone.
The warship slowly pulled alongside the shore. As soon as it had docked, Lieutenant Commander Cole Law and Captain Basto led their men ashore and hurried toward the town center.
While the warship was coming to a stop, they'd already confirmed that a large number of people were lying in the town center. Judging by the rise and fall of their chests, they were still alive. There was no doubt about it: those people urgently needed medical attention.
"Those kids sure are bold."
Colonel Baro's gaze swept over the ship moored at the port. When he saw several boys staring straight at them, a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
As a Marine Headquarters colonel, he'd spent the last two years in the North Blue as the base commander of an entire Marine branch. Even the nobles of the kingdoms had to bow their heads a little in his presence, let alone stare at him so rudely.
Hearing Colonel Baro mutter, Colonel Drake turned his gaze in the same direction.
"That's..."
When he saw the people on the dark red sailboat nearby, Drake froze for a moment. Then his pupils suddenly contracted.
"Gladius!"
"That Donquixote Family officer—where is he?"
Hearing the name Drake had uttered, Hina tilted her head slightly and looked over as well.
"You've got to be kidding... Did those boys do this?"
On the deck of the dark red sailboat stood a huge fish tank. But inside it were no fish—just two headless torsos.
The torsos had been submerged in water for who knew how long, and they'd gone completely limp. Two bare heads sat beside the tank.
One of them didn't look quite like the portrait they'd seen earlier, but the mask over his face and his glasses made him easy to recognize. He was Gladius, the Donquixote Family officer known as the Explosive Man!
"Hina's curious. Were you the ones who took him down?"
Having also recognized Gladius's head where it sat beside the tank, Lieutenant Commander Hina stepped forward and addressed Rod's group first.
"That's a strange way to talk."
Rod glanced at the warship, surprise flashing in his eyes.
He hadn't expected a few "familiar faces" to be among those who'd come.
Black Bars Hina, a beautiful Marine popular with the public and a Cage-Cage Fruit user who could trap anyone she passed through in black bars; Red Flag Drake, a Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Allosaurus user and one of the future Supernovas, though he was actually an undercover Marine; the one wearing the bull-horn mask seemed to be some Marine Vice Admiral from the future, though Rod couldn't remember his name. From his aura, he was the strongest of the group. He didn't recognize the last one, but the man seemed fairly strong.
"You're pirates, aren't you?"
Hina jumped onto the warship's railing, tugged at her gloves, and looked down at Rod and the others.
"Even though those kids annoy me, they're probably just ordinary, clueless boys."
Colonel Baro spoke up to defend Rod's group.
"Their ship isn't flying any flags."
"They're about to fly one, aren't they?"
Hina lifted her chin slightly and gestured. Baro looked over and saw two boys wearing hats atop the mast's lookout platform, holding a black flag and preparing to hoist it.
He couldn't make out the design, but everyone at sea knew that only pirates used black flags!
"They're pirates!"
Colonel Baro finally realized.
Before you continue