Cannonball Flight, I Can Do It Too

Van Augur discovered that the attack power and range of Wang Shi's Golden Sniper Rifle were not much inferior to his own Senriku.

It was truly worthy of being a luxury item used by the Celestial Dragons.

They were absolute masterpieces crafted with the entire clans of those artisans providing guarantees.

Through his hyper-vision eyepiece, Van Augur spotted the fish-men attempting to rescue their own, so he deliberately wounded them instead of going for lethal headshots.

This bought Wang Shi more time to close the distance.

At the same time, Van Augur harbored a small ulterior motive.

He wanted to know the maximum range at which Wang Shi could activate his Exile Ability.

"Your Majesty Wang Shi, that Arlong seems to be forcing his way into the sea."

Van Augur spoke calmly, his sniper rifle rotating and firing in continuous succession.

"Stall him a little longer."

Wang Shi held up his Golden Telescope and responded languidly, a flash of obscure brilliance crossing his eyes.

It wasn't just Eric who wanted to gauge the limits of Wang Shi's ability; even Van Augur shared that sentiment.

It was only natural, as no one currently knew the true nature of Wang Shi's Exile Ability.

Even less was known about the range and activation conditions of his power.

Van Augur himself was somewhat afraid of being exiled by Wang Shi.

"I will do my best!"

Van Augur stopped caring about the fish-men hiding in cover and focused all his efforts on sniping and obstructing Arlong, who was hell-bent on diving into the ocean.

Even high-bounty fish-men like Chew and Kuroobi were forced to hide behind rocks and buildings by Van Augur's precise marksmanship.

As the fleet drew closer, Arlong became thoroughly enraged.

He charged toward the sea, disregarding everything else.

He was determined to destroy these human warships.

"Your Majesty, I can't hold him back anymore."

Van Augur fired rapidly, but he still couldn't stop Arlong, who was parrying the shots with his Great Saw Blade; the fish-man was about to leap into the sea.

"Enough, leave the rest to me."

Wang Shi said indifferently, personally igniting the massive main cannon of the Luxury Flagship.

"BOOM!"

The main cannon fired with a roar, but the shell vanished the moment it left the barrel.

Wang Shi leaped into the air, and before the stunned eyes of Eric, Van Augur, the Guard Army, and everyone else, he took flight.

Wang Shi rode the reappearing cannonball, soaring forward at extreme speed.

"Damn it! He can actually do that?!"

Eric's composure shattered as he shouted in disbelief.

Biu!!!

A figure streaked through the air, flying rapidly toward Cocoyasi Village.

At that moment, in a hidden corner of the village.

"Nami! Nojiko! Look! Someone is flying!!!"

Genzo shouted in shock, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"Don't block our view!"

Nami and Nojiko shoved Genzo's head down.

"He's actually standing on a cannonball!!"

Nami's sharp eyes watched the dashing figure flying toward them in disbelief.

The fluttering gold-and-white cape made Wang Shi look like a hero making his grand entrance.

Even Nojiko's eyes were filled with stars.

"So cool~, so elegant~"

···

"What! Is he a Devil Fruit user?!"

Arlong, enduring the sniper fire, leaped into the air toward the sea, catching sight of the figure in mid-air as he descended.

It didn't matter, though; he was about to enter the water successfully.

He would definitely sink every last one of these warships and drown these humans.

"Hey~, did I ever say you could enter my territorial waters? Arlong!"

Wang Shi spread his right hand, and a transparent domain expanded rapidly, enveloping Arlong's entire body the moment his saw-like nose touched the surface of the sea.

Arlong, who had been grinning hideously, vanished from the surface of the sea in an instant.

Wang Shi disappeared for a moment, and the cannonball beneath his feet slammed into the Arlong Empire.

Reappearing, Wang Shi landed on the shore with explosive force, his momentum carving out a deep crater.

"My physical techniques still require further cultivation!"

"Beyond Haki, I must also learn the Six Powers."

Wang Shi brushed the dust off his body and leaped out of the crater with a flick of his cloak.

This entrance was slightly less than perfect.

"Where is Big Brother Arlong? Did he go into the sea?"

"I didn't hear a splash, nor did I see any waves; Big Brother Arlong has vanished!!"

"Quick, seize this human!"

"He might be a Devil Fruit user!"

The fish-men hiding behind the buildings, hearing that the sniper fire had ceased, rushed out one by one, charging aggressively toward the human.

"Get out of there!"

From their hiding spot in the building, Nami and Nojiko couldn't help but cry out.

How could this guy charge alone into the encirclement of the Arlong Pirates?

Why couldn't he have waited for the fleet to land together?

"A hundred or so fish-men, and you dare call yourselves an empire?"

Wang Shi looked at the charging fish-men and let out a scoff.

He turned his back to them, slowly raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers.

"Run away!"

Seeing Wang Shi's outrageous behavior, Nami and Nojiko, who had been hiding, rushed out and screamed frantically.

But the next moment, a scene unfolded that left them dumbstruck.

The ferocious fish-men, who had been charging forward, vanished from the path one after another.

"Are you calling for me?"

Wang Shi looked at the two girls with orange and blue hair, his eyes full of playfulness.

He hadn't expected these two to be so fearless as to rush out and tell him to run.

Were they not afraid that these fish-men would settle the score with them later?

This kindness and courage left Wang Shi feeling quite moved.

If it were him, he certainly wouldn't have been able to do such a thing.

"How did those fish-men disappear!"

Nami shouted in shock, her eyes filled with surprise.

She suddenly recalled the rumors she had heard earlier.

Could this man be the legendary King of Exile!

King Wang Shi of the Goa Kingdom!

"Do you wish to see them?"

Wang Shi smiled faintly, drew his Golden Flintlock, and fired a shot into the air.

Bang!

Wang Shi's sudden shot gave Nami and Nojiko a massive fright.

But the next moment, a running fish-man abruptly materialized, collapsed instantly to the ground, and blood splattered everywhere.

"How many more do you want to see?"

Another gunshot rang out, and another fish-man appeared and fell to the ground.

Both shots were headshots.

The two fish-men hadn't even had a moment to react.

"Are you the King of Exile? Your Majesty Wang Shi?"

Nami gripped Nojiko's hand tightly, her voice trembling as she asked in a whisper.

"I am Wang Shi, and from now on, I am your King!"

"From this point forward, whether it is Cocoyasi Village or the entire Konomi Kingdom, it is all this King's territory."

Wang Shi blew on the barrel of his Golden Flintlock and began to reload.

"Do you prefer to use guns or swords?"

Wang Shi initiated the conversation at zero-frame speed, turning directly to Nami and Nojiko to ask his question.

"What?" x2

Nami and Nojiko were unable to react for a moment.

"Are you going to help me kill the fish-men, or are you accomplices of the fish-men?"

Wang Shi glanced at the Arlong Pirates tattoo on Nami's arm and the unique tattoo on Nojiko's body, asking the question with a chilling tone.

"No! Your Majesty Wang Shi! We are not members of the Arlong Pirates!"

"Nami was forced by Arlong to join the Arlong Pirates."

"We both loathe Arlong; he killed our mother!"

Nojiko hurriedly covered the tattoo on Nami's arm, shielding her sister behind her back, tears of anxiety welling up in her eyes.

She was truly terrified that her sister Nami would be mistaken for a member of the Arlong Pirates and killed unjustly.

Nami stared straight at Wang Shi with stubborn yet fearful eyes, tears swirling within them.

"Don't hurt my sister!"

"I am not a member of the Arlong Pirates! I'm not!!"

Nami pushed Nojiko aside, drew a dagger, and violently stabbed at the shameful tattoo on her own arm.

"I'm really not..."

Nami rapidly slashed at her tattooed arm, instantly turning it into a bloody mess, sobbing and screaming as she did so.

At this moment, a large hand reached out and grabbed Nami's hand...