Attack

When he looked back at Locke again, he found that Locke was already gone.

"Crew, raise the sails! We're setting off!" Locke roared at Big Bear and the others as he turned away.

"Oh!" They howled and returned to their respective positions. Then, with everyone working together, the Phantom slowly departed from the Baratie.

Originally, Locke and the others should have gone quietly when they set out to attack the Navy's 16th Branch. Unexpectedly, just as they were about to arrive, they encountered the Baratie, the restaurant that had always roamed the East Blue.

Locke remembered that when the restaurant had first opened and appeared in the newspapers, Carmen had shown him the article and said that one of the people in it was a major reason she had learned to cook.

When Locke heard that, he had felt rather uncomfortable. But after thinking it over, he remembered that in the original anime, Carmen and Sanji had competed in Loguetown. At the time, Carmen seemed to have mentioned why she had learned cooking.

So when Locke encountered the Baratie sea restaurant, he naturally remembered this matter and, in Carmen's place, directly challenged Sanji to a contest.

It could also be considered a small selfish wish of Locke's. Since arriving in this world and meeting Carmen, aside from giving her a few pointers on cooking, Locke had never really given her anything else. Running into the Baratie this time was a small bit of compensation for Carmen.

"What's wrong, brat? Thinking of going out to sea?" Zeff had somehow come to Sanji's side and spoke to him as he stared blankly at the Phantom disappearing into the distance.

"Old man, I told you, I won't leave before you die!" Sanji snapped as he came back to his senses.

"Hmph!" Zeff merely snorted and turned to leave the deck.

Watching Zeff return to the cabin, Sanji glanced toward the Phantom once more. Though he still did not understand what Locke's parting words had meant, he engraved them deeply in his heart.

But just as Sanji was about to enter the restaurant, a Navy warship slowly sailed in from another direction across the sea.

When the warship stopped beside the restaurant, a Navy officer with two cigars clenched between his teeth stepped down from it. Behind him followed a bespectacled girl carrying a katana.

Another day arrived. Dark clouds blanketed the sky, as though foreshadowing that something was about to happen.

On the Phantom, Locke had stopped training and come to the deck, slowly wiping the Tang Dao in his hand. Annie was not making a fuss either. She sat quietly on Locke's shoulder, silently watching him.

The Phantom's crew also made their own preparations, readying themselves for the battle that would soon arrive.

In at most two hours, Locke and the others would land at the Navy's 16th Branch. Though it was merely a Navy branch in the East Blue, nowhere near the combat strength of the Navy branches on the Grand Line, it still housed a large number of Marines.

Earlier, Locke had already instructed them that this operation was intended as a decapitation strike. It had little to do with the ordinary Marine soldiers. If possible, they were not to kill them, since Locke and the others were not bloodthirsty monsters.

The target of this operation was revenge, and the targets of that revenge were Navy officers. Ordinary Marines merely followed orders, so there was no need to slaughter them deliberately.

Of course, Locke was not some kind-hearted man either. If those Marines sought death and insisted on charging at them, then Locke could only say he was sorry.

"Get ready! The battle is about to begin!" The island ahead had appeared on the horizon. Locke shouted over his shoulder, and then a flash of purple light swept past as the Phantom vanished from the sea.

Soon, the Phantom stopped not far from the island. Locke led Yun Zhinnan, the three Bear brothers, and Annie, who was still seated on his shoulder, charging toward the distant Navy 16th Branch.

As for Carmen, she stayed behind on the ship this time, lest the Navy seize control of it like they had on Bisi Island. If anything unexpected happened, even retreating would become difficult.

When Locke and his group revealed themselves on the island, a song called Counterattack began playing around Locke.

"Kill!"

At Locke's command, they all charged at the Marines, who were looking around in confusion because of the sudden music.

"Phantom: Fall!"

With Locke's roar, a purple meteor formed in the sky and smashed viciously toward the 16th Branch. A deafening boom followed, and the entire island trembled.

The pirate crew charged into the mass of Marines, dealing fatal blows to every Marine who looked like an officer. As for the ordinary soldiers, they could not even organize a defense. Terrified by Locke's meteor falling from the heavens like divine judgment, they scattered and fled in all directions.

But soon, the three Big Bear brothers at the front were each stopped by several lieutenant commanders and fell into bitter battles. After all, it was still a Navy branch. No matter how weak it was, there was a limit, and there were still capable people among them.

As for Yun Zhinnan, his speed was too great. By then, he had already charged straight through the Navy branch and reached the gate on the other side.

Yun Zhinnan looked at the Navy gate and wanted to destroy it with a kick. But unexpectedly, the Marine who had been standing guard there blocked his kick and sent the unprepared Yun Zhinnan flying.

"Who are you?" Yun Zhinnan asked the Marine who had stopped him as he flew backward.

"Me? I'm just an old man guarding the gate. You can call me Old Qin." The Marine slowly turned around, revealing his already graying hair.

As Yun Zhinnan looked at Old Qin before him, his expression gradually turned solemn.

Meanwhile, Locke paid no attention to his members trapped in hard battles. He continuously used his abilities to unleash wide-area attacks, destroying every Navy building he could see around him. As for whether there were people inside, that was not something Locke could spare the thought for at the moment.

The Marines charging at Locke were all stopped by Annie, who remained seated on his shoulder. Before they could even get close to Locke, they collapsed unconscious to the ground.

Annie's ability was indeed extremely useful. Against people without strong willpower, she was simply a terrifying harvesting machine. Anyone who entered a certain range around Annie would immediately be affected by her ability.

Then they would fall into endless nightmares.