Engaging the Navy

The reason the Navy stands as the true hegemon of the seas is due to their advanced warships and overwhelming firepower; they can crush most small and medium-sized pirate crews without ever needing to engage in boarding combat.

While ordinary pirate ships have fewer than ten cannons in total, a single side of a Navy warship is equipped with a dozen or more, providing absolute suppression through firepower.

Consequently, pirate crews lacking super-powered individuals can only flee upon spotting the Navy. Even crews with strong fighters often choose to avoid conflict, fearing the destruction of their own ship.

After all, they only have one ship, while the Navy's supply is endless. Once a pirate ship is damaged, it is highly likely to be hunted to death by the various Navy branches and fortresses along the route.

"What do we do, Captain Brook? There are quite a few Navy ships coming!"

Shakky looked at the three warships opposite them, each carrying no fewer than fifty men, totaling an estimated force of over two hundred.

"Redfield, how is your swordsmanship? Have you reached the level of a Master Swordsman? Can you unleash sword qi yet?"

Brook did not yet know the full extent of Redfield's current strength, but as a genius touted to be on the same level as Roger, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion, he shouldn't be too shabby at this stage.

"Rest assured, Captain. I won't let a single cannonball land on our ship!"

Redfield said confidently, drawing the cane sword he had just acquired. A cold light flickered along the blade; it was truly a sharp weapon nourished by Brook's Underworld Ghost Qi.

"Then the ship is in your hands!"

Brook drew the Seven-Star Sword from his back and began to sprint.

"Hmph! Pirates will always be pirates, unable to read the situation! Open fire!!!"

No sooner had Rear Admiral Temp finished shouting than a sense of danger washed over him, causing him to jerk his head to the side just as the crack of a gunshot rang out. A marine behind him was struck.

"There's a sniper on the other side, watch out!"

Rear Admiral Temp saw the smoke rising from the long sniper rifle held by Silvers. Following that, the sound of gunfire rang out incessantly; with every shot, a marine fell, as if the Grim Reaper himself were reaping their lives.

The cannons of the three warships roared continuously, and a dense swarm of shells rained down upon the Yomi like a deluge.

"Yomi: Seven-Star Demon Ghost Slash!"

A massive, chilling, and eerie azure sword wave erupted from Brook's Seven-Star Sword, instantly shattering the incoming shells. Meanwhile, Brook was already sprinting across the surface of the sea, leaving behind a trail of frozen water that was quite a sight to behold.

These were the splashes kicked up by Brook's high-speed run, frozen solid by the Underworld Ghost Qi to form a beautiful, icy path.

"Impossible!! Not only is Brook a Devil Fruit user, but he is also a high-level Master Swordsman!!"

Seeing Brook destroy so many shells with a single strike and dash across the sea, Rear Admiral Temp was shocked. He immediately drew his own blade and slashed toward the approaching Brook.

Clang!

The two swords collided, producing a crisp metallic ring as sparks flew in every direction.

"You actually don't know Armament Haki? How did you even become a Rear Admiral???"

Brook discovered that this Rear Admiral lacked Armament Haki. He had hoped to defeat him so that Redfield could read his memories and acquire the training method for Armament Haki.

In truth, within the Navy, it is precisely those with mediocre talent and advanced age who are assigned to guard the Grand Line; those with superior talent have already mastered Haki and entered the New World to suppress pirates.

It was clear that Rear Admiral Temp had failed to awaken Haki, but due to his years of accumulated merit, he had been assigned as a fortress Rear Admiral in the Grand Line.

Some talented Colonels at Navy Headquarters had already awakened Haki and entered the New World to fight. Military merit is greater and promotion faster in the New World, which is why there are many young officers in high positions—like Zephyr, who attained the rank of Admiral at thirty-eight.

At over forty years old, Rear Admiral Temp's inability to awaken Haki was indeed lackluster, but his physical techniques and swordsmanship were more than enough to capture new pirates just entering the Grand Line!

"Hmph, to deal with pirates like you, I don't need Haki to take you down!!"

"Is that so? Then your sword is gone!"

As Brook exerted force, Rear Admiral Temp's blade was snapped by the Seven-Star Sword, forcing him to retreat repeatedly. He discarded the broken hilt, quickly snatched a standard-issue sword from a marine, and unleashed a wave of sword qi at Brook.

"Die, pirate!"

"Six Powers: Soru!"

After unleashing the sword qi, Rear Admiral Temp vanished from his spot. Just as Brook dispersed the wave, the Rear Admiral appeared abruptly before him, slashing down fiercely!

"I didn't expect you to know the Six Powers. How many forms do you know?"

After blocking the strike, Brook felt a surge of excitement. Wasn't this exactly how he would get Shakky's training methods?

"Hmph! I may have failed to awaken Haki, but I am no slouch when it comes to the Six Powers!"

"Six Powers: Rankyaku!"

After forcing Brook back with his sword, Rear Admiral Temp kicked out rapidly, sending a cyan cutting wave—no less powerful than sword qi—hurtling toward Brook once more.

"Any more? Do you know Geppo?"

Brook shattered the cyan wave with his Seven-Star Sword again, asking with growing excitement.

"What do you mean? Are you trying to steal the Six Powers? Not a chance!!"

"Six Powers: Geppo!"

Rear Admiral Temp flew into the air, his legs lashing out repeatedly as he sent wave after wave of Rankyaku slashes toward Brook, leaving the warship scarred with deep, sharp cuts.

"Haha, not bad, not bad! Just these three forms are more than enough!"

"Underworld Ghost Qi: Seven-Star Blizzard Slash!"

The Seven-Star Sword in Brook's hand shifted from azure to a pale white. His speed surpassed even the Rear Admiral's Soru, and he appeared before him in an instant, slashing downward.

"Six Powers: Kami-e!"

Rear Admiral Temp drifted like a sheet of paper, narrowly dodging Brook's high-speed thrust, but the chilling ghost energy that followed in the wake of the strike left him horrified.

"Six Powers: Iron Body!"

Screech.

The sound of a sharp blade slicing through skin echoed out. Rear Admiral Temp's chest was slashed, but no blood sprayed forth, for the wound had already been frozen solid by the frigid ghost energy.

"Lord Rear Admiral!!"

Lieutenant Colonel Sadu and several other naval officers immediately rushed over to stand before Rear Admiral Temp. They guarded against Brook with intense vigilance, the veins bulging on their sword-wielding hands as their expressions grew deathly tense.

The fact that their strongest fighter, Rear Admiral Temp, could not defeat this Brook placed them in an incredibly perilous position.

"Not bad. You've actually mastered five of the techniques, so you must know the simplest one, Finger Pistol, as well! It seems your talent for martial arts is decent, even if your execution is quite poor!!"

Rear Admiral Temp's face turned livid as he glared at Brook. His talent was actually quite formidable; it wasn't that his training was poor, but rather that he had been gravely wounded in his lungs and kidneys by a great pirate in the past. He could no longer sustain high-intensity training, and his strength had stagnated—which was precisely why he had never been able to awaken Haki.

"As expected of a pirate returning from the Sabaody Archipelago; your strength is truly immense. I admit I underestimated you, but you aren't leaving today. More powerful generals are on their way, and I only need to stall you until they arrive!"

Rear Admiral Temp stepped back in front of the lieutenant colonels and colonels, his will unyielding as he stared at Brook, the fighting spirit in his eyes refusing to die...