Navy's Assault

Rhode's body was thrown into the sea, and Louis lowered the sails, continuing to steer the ship towards the outside of the storm.

Rhode was strong. If they had truly fought, Louis wouldn't have had a high chance of winning. After all, he was a New World pirate with both types of Haki. But unfortunately, just like Baro, he didn't understand Louis's moves and was easily tricked. Not to mention, he was already heavily injured from an attack by someone from the Roger Pirates, and then ambushed by Louis. It would have been strange if he hadn't been killed.

The storm grew more violent, lightning striking the surrounding sea from time to time. Louis, however, felt a sense of calm. At this point, no matter how skilled a navigator was, it would be useless. Faced with such a natural disaster, they could only leave it to fate. Who knew when a bolt of lightning would strike the ship; no one could stop it.

"Help! Help me!"

After sailing for a while, he heard a voice.

A man was bobbing up and down on the sea. Seeing Louis's ship approaching, he immediately shouted for help.

"Hmm."

Louis pondered for a moment, then decisively walked to the ship's railing and threw the rope he had used to save Rhode to the man in the sea.

"Puaaaaaa!"

After being pulled onto the deck, the man vomited profusely. The man, who looked to be in his twenties, then collapsed on the deck, panting, "I thought I was dead!"

"Are you alright? If you are, go up to the mast and be ready to furl the sails," Louis said directly as he steered, "I'm a bit busy by myself."

"Oh, oh, oh! Okay."

The man nodded repeatedly and jumped onto the mast. Then, as an afterthought, he said to Louis, "Ah, I almost forgot! Thank you so much! Brother, you saved my life!"

"You're welcome. Are you a comrade from the Golden Lion Pirates?" Louis asked casually. "I'm Mario from the Blood Hand Pirates."

"Oh! Blood Hand Pirates? I've heard of you, the ones involved in that murder case a few days ago..." The man suddenly stopped. "Sorry, I'm Shak from the Great White Shark Pirates. Uh, the pirate crew doesn't exist anymore, haha..." His voice lowered. "We were completely defeated."

"Aren't we both still alive? No matter how desperate things are, as long as you're alive," Louis steered to avoid a wave, "there's always hope to be found."

"Hahaha, that's right, I'm still alive after all!" Shak placed a hand on his chest, feeling his vibrant heartbeat, and laughed. "Can I join you in this survival, Mr. Mario!"

"Ah," Louis certainly wouldn't refuse. "Now that you're on this ship, we're comrades, right?"

"Hahahahaha!!!"

"Help! Help me!!"

The cries for help became clear again.

"..."

Shak looked down at Louis.

"I can't spare my hands." Louis held the ship's wheel.

"Understood!" Shak grinned and landed on the deck.

The further they went, the more people they picked up. Who knew how many had died in the storm, but quite a few had survived. Louis's small ship had gathered nearly twenty people. Moreover, those who could hold on until Louis's ship arrived were all quite strong individuals. There were as many as five pirate captains under the Golden Lion Grand Fleet, three of whom had bounties over 100 million.

Interactions between pirates were very difficult. A group of unruly individuals mixing together could easily cause trouble. However, it was different if they were in the same boat, especially with Louis, who had saved all their lives, present. Pirates valued loyalty above all else. Thus, unconsciously, Louis had become the leader of a ship full of tough characters.

The small boat rode the wind and waves. With all the people on board, even huge waves couldn't easily overwhelm them. One person might not be able to do it, but together, they could break through even the biggest waves. No matter how unruly someone was, they would start to feel a common enemy in such a situation.

"Kalala!"

Just then, a wave of cold air suddenly struck.

"What? Hey! Look over there! The sea over there..." Shak, who had been squatting on the mast, the former captain of the Great White Shark Pirates with a bounty of 132 million, exclaimed in panic, "It's all frozen!!"

"Really!"

"What's going on? It's frozen?"

"What happened?"

The ship instantly erupted in discussion.

"It's an ability user!" Ghost Sword Sword, the first mate of the Pirate Crew, with a bounty of 156 million, gritted his teeth. "I've seen this ability before!"

"Navy Headquarters Rear Admiral!"

Louis spoke directly, "The three monster rookies who have become famous within the Navy, the Ice-Ice Fruit ability user, Kuzan! That's his name, right!"

"It's him,"

Sword pressed his left hand, which bore clear frostbite marks. "He's as strong as a monster!"

"Meaning,"

Shak jumped down from the mast. "The Navy is here?"

"What should we do, Mr. Mario?"

The man with a gentle smile, appearing to be in his forties, seemed to be smiling, but his brows were tightly furrowed. His build was as slender as a snake's. He wore two curved swords at his waist. Viper Snake, with a bounty of 187 million, the highest bounty on the ship, was a lone pirate. "If it's the Navy, we have no way to resist, do we?"

"Besides retreating, there's no other way, right?"

Louis turned the rudder. He hadn't expected to escape the battlefield and distance himself from the Navy, but due to his poor sense of direction, he'd sailed straight towards them. A major miscalculation. "If the targets are Admiral Golden Lion and Roger, I'm afraid more than one monster of Admiral-level has been dispatched by the Navy! We're just asking for death by going there!"

"Puhahahaha! So,"

Shak burst into laughter. "We're on the path of escape?"

"Flee with all our might,"

Louis chuckled. "Everyone, start fighting for your lives!"

"Tsk, can't be helped then."

Snake shook his head.

"The battle between Admiral Golden Lion and Roger must be nearing its end, right?"

Sword looked up. The large ship had already disappeared from the sky, having entered the clouds and become completely invisible.

The small boat turned and headed in another direction.

"Hey! The ice is spreading over! Monster, monster! How did that guy do it? At this distance!"

"Shatter it! Shatter the ice! Don't let it freeze the ship!!"

Chaos erupted on the ship. The not-so-weak individuals began frantically smashing the approaching ice. Fortunately, whether due to ability limitations or skill constraints, the ice didn't pursue the small boat indefinitely. It spread outwards, encircling the sea area before stopping.

"This is..."

Louis was no longer at the helm. The storm began to gradually weaken, and the ship had professional helmsmen whose skills were no less than his. He stood at the bow, gazing at the surrounding sea. The white ice sheet had almost enclosed the entire area. "A trap?"

"Mr. Mario, the situation is looking grim!"

Shak walked up to Louis, grabbing his hair.

"Rear!! Navy warship spotted in the rear!!!!! The Navy is catching up!!!"

From the mast, a pirate who had replaced Shak as the lookout shouted.

"They're here?"

Louis gritted his teeth. The Navy's arrival was the most dangerous moment.

"Hey, is it suddenly getting hot?"

"Don't you think the sky is turning a bit red?"

"What is that, there seems to be something in the dark clouds?"

"Could it be..."

Louis suddenly looked up.

"Boom!!"

The clouds were abruptly torn open, and a massive, dark red lava block descended from the sky, carrying astonishing impact and heat.

"What is that!!!!"

Sword screamed.

In the sky, lava blocks larger than this small boat were hurtling down like rain, a meteor shower, bombarding them, bombarding the path ahead.

"Is this the end of the world!!!"

Someone, in extreme terror, covered their head, tears streaming down their face as they let out a desperate roar.

"Damn it!!!! Everyone, it's time to fight for your lives!!"

Louis roared. "Don't let the ship be destroyed!!"

From this point on, the real escape would begin.