Marine Pursuit

"Don't mind him. The captain's just like that. He loses interest in things after three minutes. He'd rather train than do anything else," Ham said with a yawn.

"Does the captain train all the time?" Simon asked.

"When he's got nothing else to do, that's all he does," Ham said.

"Can I go up and take a look?" Simon asked curiously.

"Sure." Ham shrugged and went into the cabin to get some tea leaves. He had recently discovered that a cup of tea kept him alert while reading, even better than coffee. As someone from the West Blue, he liked coffee well enough, but he preferred black tea.

Simon climbed the mast and found Rogge lifting weights in the crow's nest. After watching for a while, he got bored and climbed back down.

With nothing else to do, Simon sat off to one side and closed his eyes to rest.

Wait. I just have to wait for my chance, then kill that guy. A fifty-million-Beli bounty was never going to be easy to collect, Simon thought, careful not to let it show.

He had joined the Asura Pirates for the bounty. Partly, he needed to hide from his enemies; partly, he wanted Rogge's head. Rogge was some backwater man from the West Blue with a fifty-million-Beli bounty. If not for the crew's numbers and Rogge's fearsome display, Simon would never have bothered sneaking aboard.

Still, life on a pirate ship wasn't bad. At least there was nothing else complicated to deal with.

"Hm?"

Simon suddenly opened his eyes. His pants felt wet, and a sharp smell hit his nose.

He looked down and found an adorable little face gazing up at him with its head tilted.

"What the—"

Billy finished peeing, gave himself a shake, and trotted into the cabin to ask Jelly for food.

His pants reeked of dog piss. Simon took a deep breath. He couldn't give himself away, so he forced a smile and walked into the cabin to change.

"It's getting a little cold," Rogge said over dinner.

"No kidding. You're the only one who hasn't noticed," Jelly snapped, bundled in a padded coat.

Everyone else had put on warm coats. Rogge alone was still wearing a short-sleeved shirt, his arms bare.

"We've entered Winter Island's waters. We should see the island before long," Ham said with a smile.

"I'm getting bored. Isn't the Grand Line supposed to be crawling with pirates? We've barely run into any. I really want a fight." Rogge listlessly ate his meat.

Simon glanced at Rogge after hearing that. What kind of madman actually wanted a fight? He was starting to regret boarding this ship.

"Hm?"

Rogge suddenly stopped eating and looked outside.

"What is it?" Ares asked.

"They're here," Rogge said quietly.

"Who?" The others all looked at him.

Whoosh! Boom!

A huge explosion sounded outside, and the ship rocked violently. Cook's voice came through the dining room speaker.

"Enemies!"

At Cook's warning, everyone rushed out.

Five ships had appeared behind them. They looked all too familiar: Marine warships.

"Tch. I thought they'd be pirates. Marines? What rotten luck," Rogge said in disappointment.

Fighting pirates could at least bring in some money. A naval battle with the Marines was just asking for trouble. He had no desire to get tangled up with them when there was nothing to gain.

"Can we lose them?" Rogge asked Cook.

"You think our ship can outrun a warship?" Cook replied.

"It can't, even like this? Is this ship really that lousy?" Rogge asked, eyes wide.

Cook's temper flared. He got right in Rogge's face and roared, "There's nothing wrong with my ship! But we can't beat a warship for speed. And don't forget, this ship was built for comfort, not speed—unless we engage the auxiliary propulsion."

"I heard you! Why are you yelling?" Rogge shouted back, covering his ears.

"Forget it. I wanted a fight anyway. Get ready to meet them head-on." Rogge rubbed his ears.

"We're fighting them outright?" Simon asked.

"Obviously. Turn us around and take them out. They picked a fight with me," Rogge said irritably.

Cook spun the wheel hard. The ship slowly turned and headed straight for the five warships.

The Marine soldiers aboard the warships stared in surprise as the pirate ship turned toward them. They had never seen pirates do this before. Instead of fleeing from Marine warships, these pirates were coming straight at them.

"Interesting. What pirate crew is that?" asked a pink-haired woman with a cigarette between her lips.

"We're not sure. They probably just arrived from the Four Blues," a Marine soldier said, shaking his head.

"Then destroy their ship," Hina ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The gun mounts on all five warships rose. They were unlike ordinary cannons: instead of cannonballs, their barrels held black spears shaped like harpoons.

"Black Spear Formation!"

The five warships spread out and aimed at the pirate ship. A storm of iron spears shot toward it.

"Those aren't cannonballs!" Ham and the others were startled. They had prepared for cannon fire, not a volley of sharp iron spears.

"This is bad. We can't let those hit us. At that speed, they'll punch straight through the ship," Cook said. Cannonballs were one thing, but those spears had far greater penetrating power. If they pierced the hull, the crew would have to abandon ship.

"Jelly, keep an eye on things." Rogge rolled his shoulders as he watched the incoming spears.

"Got it. I'll keep the ship safe." Vines spread from Jelly's hands and wrapped around the vessel.

"A Devil Fruit!" Simon exclaimed when he saw Jelly's power.

Rogge leaped up and landed on the bow, raising his fist high.

"What's he trying to do?" Simon cried.

"That's..." Hina had spotted Rogge standing atop the skull figurehead. He was alone up there with his fist raised. Did he mean to stop the iron spears with a punch? One man and one fist could never block that many spears.

Hina thought the pirates must be fools. The fight would probably be over soon.

"Sky-Shattering Fist."

Rogge gathered his strength for a moment. A ring of light appeared around his fist, covered in cracks. It was slightly different from Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

"Hah!"

He drove his fist into the air.

Boom!

A tremendous crack rang out. Fractures spread through the air from Rogge's fist, branching forward like tree roots. Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit shattered the air across a broad plane, like breaking a mirror. Rogge's shattering power spread lengthwise, like roots pushing outward.

Crack, crack, crack!

The air split. The iron spears flying toward the ship froze in midair as the fractures spread across them.