A Newcomer Worth Celebrating

What is the purpose of pirates?

Plunder, burn, and kill.

Occasionally seek treasure, and often oppose the Navy.

If he were standing from a pirate's perspective, Habler should now show some pirate's ferocity and fight these Marines to the death, taking advantage of the fact that the highest-threat Marine had been held back, to break through the Marine's defenses as much as possible.

Or, as a crewmate who had just joined the "Batty Cutie" Pirate Crew, he should also be fighting bravely, buying more time for his nominal captain.

But unfortunately.

Habler only saw himself as one identity.

A fugitive.

What is the priority of a fugitive?

To escape.

The Little Giant's burly body had been lying there since Brownie's attack.

Only after everyone's attention was no longer on him.

Did he move towards the passage to the upper level in a prone position.

Well, it was still quite eye-catching.

With such a large physique, it was difficult for the Marines to pretend not to see him.

However, the Marines did not have much energy to deal with this guy.

In a short while, Habler actually managed to reach the stairs.

Seeing that he was getting further and further away from Commodore Brownie.

His burly body suddenly stood up, and the wound inflicted by Brownie did not affect the Little Giant's actions at all.

Then he took off running.

The free world was truly beckoning to him this time.

As long as he escaped this cabin, as long as there was even a chance to return to the Azure Sea, Habler was confident he could swim to the next island by himself!

When he first became a pirate, Habler had once been marooned on an unknown small island by a pirate fleet due to his excessive appetite.

But Habler managed to swim out with his own two hands.

But ever since then, he had been filled with distrust towards pirates, even though he himself was one.

His broad soles clattered on the iron plates.

He didn't know why, but the few Marines he saw along the way showed no intention of stopping him.

Could they be logistics or staff officers in the Navy?

He merely speculated for a moment before eagerly rushing towards the light.

Freedom, freedom awaited him!

The moon had, at some unknown time, sunk back beneath the sea. Orange-red gauze spread across the blue ocean, and white gulls glided in the distance, their cries echoing.

Habler stood in the light.

The sunlight shone on his hands, yet he felt no warmth.

Not far away.

Beneath the gulls' wings, three dark green warships, bristling with gleaming cannons, formed a triangular formation, completely surrounding the escort ship below.

The only direction left open.

Habler turned back in panic. A Gate of Justice, stretching from the heavens to the earth, its end unseen, stood before him like a white cliff.

It opened to the sides at an extremely slow pace, waves like small hills rising.

Clearly, the warships had emerged from the Gate of Justice.

Could he still escape?

Habler's heart turned to ash, his entire body turning cold. He felt as if his previous actions were merely a performance on a stage; no matter how many twists and turns there were, the ending would always be the same.

He even found Buggy's actions laughable.

Such desperate struggles, how ridiculous they were in the face of the Navy's immense power.

He stood frozen.

Until an explosion from all directions engulfed him.

--

Brownie had a clear impression of monsters.

Because he had personally witnessed three monsters rise up step by step beside him, then leave him far behind to claim the positions of Admirals, symbols of the Navy's strength.

The three monsters had left a profound impact on Brownie.

It was like being a god of learning next to a diligent top student.

The one or two Rokushiki techniques he had painstakingly learned over several months, the other person could use them smoothly after just watching for a while.

And they always acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

What was even more unbearable was that the next time they met, when Brownie was proud of his mastery of a technique, the other person had already developed even more suitable moves based on their mastery of Rokushiki.

It was too demoralizing!

Brownie never expected that he would suffer such a blow again today.

"What a fun game, right?"

The Red Nose Joker said with a grin.

He had learned so many interesting moves from that old Marine: Soru, Kami-e, Geppo, Rankyaku, Finger Pistol.

The seasoned Marine veteran had used every move except Tekkai.

Among them were many moves that Brownie had spent years researching and developing to complement his saber.

Like right now—

Brownie raised his hand, hastily blocking the suddenly flying small knife with the body of his saber.

The small knife streaked through the air, leaving one or two afterimages with a slight arc.

This was a move he had developed himself over years of research, combining Soru, Finger Pistol, and swordsmanship.

Yet, after using it only once, this Red Nose Joker had learned it.

And used it against him!

It was like doing something shameful and then doing it again in front of the witness!

However, his inner anger was quickly extinguished by the fact that the opponent's moves were replicated perfectly.

The cutting and slashing of the saber were performed with a flowing beauty on a series of fruit knives by the Red Nose Joker.

If he hadn't seen the opponent use a small knife to perform the Wild Slash just a moment ago, he would have thought this was some master who had also immersed himself in the way of the blade for many years.

The only small comfort was that he had reported the anomaly to Marineford as soon as he discovered it.

The investigators, even if they departed from Marineford, should be arriving soon, right?

If such a monster were to appear on the Great Sea, Brownie felt he wouldn't have the face to see Instructor Zephyr again.

After all, it was through his repeated demonstrations that the other party managed to learn Rokushiki to a considerable extent.

As for the Seastone Ring on his left hand, after failing to achieve anything on the first attempt, it was difficult to make it effective again.

The guy with the Red Nose possessed the agility and observation skills of a Circus Clown.

"Hmm, I can understand the feelings of a friend who likes to wear Tight Clothes much better now."

Buggy said with some emotion as he took back his right hand.

He didn't know if it was because of the fusion of Three Heads, but he felt his brain was incredibly stimulated. Every movement of the opponent was imprinted in his mind frame by frame.

Even his past memories were incredibly clear.

He could even clearly recall the opponent's seasoned and unpredictable moves when fighting Batman.

That guy was also a genius, wasn't he?

However, time did not allow him to continue playing like this.

Buggy raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

As if by reflex, Brownie tensed his entire body upon hearing the snap and used Tekkai.

After all, his complexion had gone from calm at the beginning to pale now, covered in cold sweat.

Who could understand the pressure he had endured during this time?

His nervousness was not without reason.

Several Split Bodies suddenly darted past him.

The vibrating aura was very familiar.

Damn it, the split bodies could also use Soru, who could he complain to about this!

He even had to guard against the possibility of some Sharp Bone hiding somewhere behind him.

Just like before, suddenly giving him a penetrating injury.

Brownie even felt that the Observation Haki he had practiced for a long time but could not truly master was gradually being mastered under this pressure.

However, Buggy's target was not him.

It was Little Left, who had been separated from him for a long time.

Little Left returned, holding a Fuse with a box of Matches.

The other end of the Fuse was out of sight, as if it kept branching out, spreading to every part of the Warship.

"Our Newcomer deserves a spectacular display of fireworks to celebrate, right?"

Buggy straightened his body. Though he wore a prison uniform, it looked like a long, form-fitting purple suit.

He bowed slightly, a gesture of a curtain call.

Then, with two fingers, he lightly struck one end of the fuse.

His flesh-colored index finger and thumb produced a sound like clashing metal.

Brownie found it exceptionally grating.