Marines' Threat

Chapter 038: The Marines' Threat

"So, what should we do?" On the Perfume Sea Serpent, the Spade Pirates members, who had been released at some point, were wolfing down food brought by the Amazon Lily warriors on the deck.

Their eating habits were truly inherited, and even more miraculously, the wounds pierced by the Amazon warriors' arrows began to slowly heal after they ate. It was unbelievable.

Leo knew there was a gap in their physiques, but he hadn't expected it to be this vast.

It was like how Luffy and his crew would fight tooth and nail with the Shichibukai, and then, as if nothing happened, start a feast with meat and drinks afterward.

If Luffy was a rubber man who could store pain and fatigue and use meat to restore his muscles and physical damage, then Zoro and Sanji's physiques were outrageously strong.

For example, all of Luffy's pain was extracted by Bartholomew Kuma and then absorbed by Zoro. Yet, Zoro acted as if nothing happened afterward, eating and drinking as usual, the pain only lasting for a moment.

The physiques of people in this world, especially those who trained, were as strong as oxen. Leo was filled with envy.

"There's another pirate ship behind us, the Cutlass Pirates. They got lost in the Calm Belt, and we rescued them too. I want to incorporate them and make them part of our fighting force," Leo said, eating a little himself.

Hancock sat beside him, not eating, but proactively picking up food and bringing it to Leo's mouth whenever he wanted to eat. Such treatment made others' eyes turn red with envy.

Leo would occasionally nod and smile at Hancock to thank her for her devotion, then continue, "However, they're a bit wild and untamed. Their lawlessness is different from yours. You're all pirates, so you should know what kind of pirates they are."

Ace, with his mouth full of rice, grunted in dissatisfaction at Leo's statement but also implicitly agreed with some of Leo's points.

"But after these few days of training, they've completely changed. Their combat power will be astonishing, stronger than ordinary Marines."

"That's too outrageous?" Ship Doctor Masked asked, spraying saliva as he devoured meat.

"You'll know when you see them," Leo smiled and didn't explain. With a bang, he startled everyone. Ace had already face-planted into his rice bowl, fast asleep.

"Did he choke?!" Ran asked uncertainly.

"No, that's just an old habit of his, something he developed as a child," Teacher Michael waved his hand, signaling everyone to ignore him.

He had a rifle slung on his back, which made Leo's eyes light up.

"Those shots just now, were they your sniping?"

Michael was arguably the only one among the Spade Pirates who had managed to harm the Kuja Pirates. Even Ace, when facing Hancock, was defeated in one blow without causing any casualties. Yet, Michael had not only taken down an Amazon warrior but had also nearly killed Leo.

If he were an enemy, he would undoubtedly be someone Leo would want dead without question.

But now that he had become their teammate, all his flaws turned into strengths. This sniper was strong, very strong, and also very rare. Leo only knew of the Red-Haired Pirates, Straw Hat Pirates, Blackbeard Pirates, and Spade Pirates as pirate crews equipped with a sniper.

The reason for this was that a powerful crew was needed to protect a sniper, and only within such a crew could a sniper survive and grow.

But this led to a paradox: Did a powerful crew truly need a sniper?

And if a powerful crew could nurture a sniper, would they be willing to do so?

The reality was that almost everyone was unwilling.

Except for the Straw Hat crew, most other snipers possessed extremely powerful combat capabilities from the start, not just becoming stronger due to the team's protection, but because they were already strong, they were accepted into the team.

This created a paradox.

This was also the reason for the scarcity of snipers on the entire sea, a talent that even the Marines lacked and were too lazy to cultivate.

However, at times, these snipers could turn the tide of an entire battle.

For instance, if Michael possessed stronger Observation Haki and Armament Haki, he could have shot through Sandersonia's hair with one shot and blown Leo's head off.

"And your mission is actually very simple," Leo said, looking at them and ignoring Ace. Given Ace's temper and personality, the entire Spade Pirates' operations likely had little to do with him; it was these friends who were managing things.

"Get stronger as quickly as possible, master Observation Haki and Armament Haki, and form high-end combat power capable of fighting enemies at the Commodore (Rear Admiral) level or above. That's all."

Leo's words made the Spade Pirates members, who were busy eating, somewhat indignant.

"It's just that you guys are too strong. We're not afraid of the Marines at all," said the Scorpionfish Man Wores, who had mostly recovered. He took a large mouthful of rice and chewed.

"Headquarters Marines and branch Marines are different, and Grand Line Marines and Four Seas Marines are different, and Marines guarding bases are different from Marines pursuing pirates outside. You've only seen a small part of the Marines' strength," Leo shook his head, frustrated by their shortsightedness.

"The Marines are powerful, we know that, but I'm afraid only a small fraction of people can reach your level." The Kuja Pirates, with over fifty members, all possessing Haki, was already a terrifying proportion. This was equivalent to having fifty Commodore-level cadres in the Grand Line, and the Kuja Pirates' cadres could rival Vice Admirals in the Grand Line.

But...

The Kuja Pirates only had six cadres, while the Marines had at least twenty Vice Admirals!

With their strength not even reaching Commodore level, where did they get the confidence to underestimate the Marines?

"But... the level of the Marines we encountered before was really..." Ship Doctor Masked shook his head, recalling the previous Marines' level. They had toyed with them like playing a game and didn't need to be taken too seriously at all.

"You truly have weak strength but big talk. Fine, I'll educate you on the operational methods of the Marines and their techniques for nurturing the next generation." Leo shook his head. This time, he was determined to correct their flawed perception.

PS: Apologies for yesterday. I couldn't write anymore; I was so sleepy. I don't know why my mind just wouldn't focus, so I went to sleep.