The Gap

Chapter 035: The Gap

The members of the Spade Pirates looked eagerly at Ace, waiting for his command to go to war with this new Shichibukai.

They didn't know that among the group of Amazon warrior women standing on the ship, one figure's gaze was burning.

His logic held true; the Spade Pirates and Ace had appeared, proving this world could indeed be followed and the future predicted.

He felt as if he could hear voices from afar, but he quickly broke free from the sensation.

The expression on his face grew more excited. This was Observation Haki; he had touched the threshold. What made him even happier was Ace's appearance.

Ace was a crucial individual. Setting aside his personality and abilities, his background and relationships alone were enough to warrant such importance.

For example, his grandfather was Garp. Garp, an old soldier, wouldn't pay attention to the opinions and doctrines of others because he had dedicated most of his life to a single doctrine and belief: the Marines.

However, when it came to Ace and Luffy's opinions and ideas, the old man would calm down and carefully refute them. Only when he couldn't refute them—like when they insisted on becoming pirates no matter what—would he educate them with his "fist of love."

Secondly, his father was the Pirate King Roger.

How much influence did the Pirate King Roger have? Dark King Rayleigh, Demon Steward Jabba, Devil's Successor Bartley, Red-Haired Shanks—if they all heard the news of Ace's capture, they would likely risk their lives to save him.

It was precisely because of this that the Marines dared not reveal Ace's parentage until the moment of his execution.

And Whitebeard... Leo believed that Whitebeard genuinely didn't care about Ace's identity. He would rescue any of his sons if they were captured by the Marines. This was the bearing of the Four Emperor Whitebeard.

"Don't kill anyone," Leo instructed the Kuja Pirates warriors beside him.

His voice was not loud, but the Kuja Pirates warriors nodded gently. After witnessing Leo's training methods for the Cutlass Pirates, they had begun to respect Leo slightly.

Besides his strength, his capability also earned their respect.

Before Leo could finish speaking, a figure slightly shorter than him suddenly shot up from below, reaching the heads of everyone.

He shook his head. How many times had he said not to leap, not to leap, not to leap? Yet many still lacked basic combat discipline. This person's physical fitness was indeed strong, but wasn't he like a target in front of the enemy's arrows?

The Amazon archers, who had been ready for a long time, saw such a target suddenly jump up and didn't hesitate. They released their arrows, each shaft flying straight towards the figure who had suddenly leaped.

"Hee hee, useless. Our mermaid skin is naturally stronger than humans'. Your arrows can't even... Wah wah wah... It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..." Before he could finish speaking, several blood spatters erupted from the Scorpionfish Man Wores. His skin, which was said to be able to defend against firearms, could barely resist the ordinary shots from the Amazon warrior women.

These were shots that did not include Haki. Merely relying on their inherent strength and the potential of their snake bows was enough to shoot the relatively strong Wores among the fish-men dead on the spot.

The only reason he wasn't dead was Leo's instruction: "Don't kill anyone."

"Wores!" The members of the Spade Pirates cried out in alarm. "Teacher" Michael no longer hesitated. As the team's sniper, no one even saw him draw the firearm from his back before he fired. After shooting, he didn't watch, but immediately began reloading. An Amazon warrior woman fell with a thud.

They could hear the sound of bullets and then defend against them with Haki.

However, there was still a time lag. While the three Empress sisters could easily block bullets, other Amazon warrior women might only react when the bullets were upon them.

The Amazon warrior woman who was hit immediately jumped up the next second. Although she was still bleeding from her forehead, she was completely unharmed and became enraged.

"Damn it, how dare that guy attack me!"

With their usual arrogance, all the Amazon pirate women became furious. The next volley of arrows once again covered the enemy's deck. However, apart from a few who were darting around aimlessly, the other Spade Pirates members instantly climbed the mast and used its height to charge over.

"What a pity," Leo murmured. Although he didn't have powerful combat abilities, having mingled with the Amazon warrior women for so long, he had at least a basic understanding of Observation Haki. The enemy's tactic was very correct, but in reality, it was all within the grasp of Observation Haki. Their leaping onto the mast or jumping from the deck held no surprises for the Amazon warrior women.

The next volley of arrows was faster than anticipated.

These were arrows that should have ended the battle with Haki, but because of Leo's words, they subconsciously held back.

Otherwise, not a single one of these leaping Spade Pirates members would have survived.

But even so, the snake bows, relying solely on arm strength, were enough to severely wound all the Spade Pirates members.

They were all pierced by arrows, instantly nailed to their own masts.

"The battle is over," Leo said, shaking his head gently. Suddenly, a great sense of danger enveloped him. His sixth sense made his hair stand on end, and he saw, heard, and smelled a bullet flying towards him...

He instinctively dodged his head, trying to avoid the bullet that would have blown his head off, but someone was faster than him.

Green hair instantly formed a metallic-colored wall. The green long hair, wrapped in Armament Haki, was like an iron barrier. The bullet spun on it, eventually losing its momentum and falling onto the deck.

"How dare you!" Hancock roared. If it were a head-on battle, win or lose, they wouldn't have anything to say. But to sneak attack the defenseless Leo, to sneak attack the Leo she loved.

It was unforgivable.

Leo felt a chill down his spine as an invisible force spread out. Before he could savor the feeling, he saw the eyes of the Spade Pirates crew, nailed to the mast and struggling in pain, suddenly turn white, and they instantly lost consciousness.

"What..." Ace, the only one not nailed to the mast and who had charged onto the deck, looked back at his friends in surprise. As he turned back, an increasingly large boot tip appeared before him, kicking him unconscious...

"Is this... Conqueror's Haki?" Leo asked slowly, looking at Hancock, who was stepping on Ace and turning to ask him, "Are you okay, Leo!"

PS: Found a HD version of Passionate Action, it feels pretty good.

PS1: Hey, you really can't scrutinize the plot in One Piece. Just enjoy the cool fights.

PS2: It's already 10 o'clock. What the hell did I do?