Navy Pursuit

"Don't mind him. That's just how the captain is—his enthusiasm never lasts more than three minutes. Compared to anything else, he prefers training." Ham yawned as he spoke.

"Has the captain always been training?" Simon asked.

"If he has nothing to do, all he can do is train," Ham said.

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

"No problem." Ham shrugged and turned toward the cabin to fetch tea leaves. Recently, he had discovered that drinking tea while reading was refreshing—perhaps even better than coffee. As someone from the West Blue, coffee was nice enough, but he preferred black tea.

Simon curiously climbed the mast and saw Rogge lifting weights in the crow's nest. After watching for a while and finding it boring, he could only climb back down.

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

Wait. I have to wait until the right moment. Then I'll kill that guy. A fifty-million Beli bounty really isn't so simple, Simon thought to himself, careful not to let it show.

He had joined the Asura Pirates for the bounty, naturally. On one hand, he needed to evade his enemies; on the other, he wanted Rogge's head. A country bumpkin from the West Blue worth fifty million Beli—if not for the disparity in numbers and Rogge's fierce performance, he would not have wanted to infiltrate the crew like this.

Still, life aboard a pirate ship was not bad. At the very least, there were no other complicated matters to deal with.

"Hmm?"

Simon suddenly opened his eyes. His pants seemed to be wet, and there was a pungent smell in the air.

He looked down and saw an adorable little face, head tilted as it looked at him.

"Fuck—"

After finishing, Billy gave himself a shake and scampered into the cabin to look for food from Jelly.

His pants reeked of dog urine. Simon took a deep breath. He could not expose himself, so he could only force a smile and slowly walk into the cabin to change clothes.

"It's getting a little cold," Rogge said during the meal.

"Obviously. You're the only one who can't feel it," Jelly said irritably, wrapped in a padded coat.

Everyone else had put on padded coats. Rogge alone was still bare-chested in a short-sleeved shirt.

"We've entered the range of a winter island. We should be able to see land soon," Ham said with a smile.

"This is kind of boring. Aren't there supposed to be lots of pirates on the Grand Line? We haven't run into many all the way here. I really want to fight." Rogge listlessly ate his meat.

Hearing Rogge say something so savage, Simon could not help looking at him. There was actually a Madman who wanted to fight? He was beginning to regret whether he had boarded the wrong ship.

"Hmm?"

Rogge suddenly stopped moving and raised his head to look outside.

"What is it?" Ares asked.

"They're here," Rogge said quietly.

"What?" Everyone looked at Rogge.

Whoosh! Boom!

A massive explosion sounded outside, and the ship rocked violently. Cook's voice came through the loudspeaker in the dining room.

"Enemy ships."

The moment they heard Cook, everyone rushed outside.

Sure enough, five ships had appeared behind them. They looked quite familiar—what else could they be but Navy warships?

"Tch. I thought they were pirates. It's the Navy? What rotten luck." Rogge sounded disappointed.

Fighting pirates meant profit. Getting into a naval battle with the Navy was just asking for trouble. He had no desire to get too entangled with the Navy when there was not the slightest benefit in it.

"Can we shake them off?" Rogge asked Cook.

"Do you think our ship can outrun warships?" Cook replied.

"This thing still can't outrun them? Is this ship that lousy?" Rogge stared wide-eyed.

Cook immediately got angry. He shoved his face close to Rogge's and roared, "There's nothing wrong with my ship! But warships are faster than we can ever be. And don't forget, this ship was built for comfort, not speed. Unless we activate the external power!"

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

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

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

"Obviously. Turn around and take them out. They actually dared to bully me?" Rogge snapped.

Cook put the helm hard over, and the ship slowly turned around, charging straight toward the five warships.

The Navy soldiers aboard the warships were stunned to see the pirate ship turn directly toward them. It was their first time encountering pirates like this—pirates who did not flee upon seeing Navy warships, but turned around and chose to fight them head-on.

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

"We don't know yet. They should have just arrived from one of the Four Blues," a Navy soldier said, shaking his head.

"In that case, destroy their ship directly." Hina gave the order.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The gun emplacements on the five warships rose. Unlike ordinary cannons, they were loaded not with cannonballs, but black spears resembling harpoons.

Black Spear Formation!

The five warships spread out, their muzzles aimed at the pirate ship. Countless iron spears immediately shot toward it.

"Those aren't cannonballs!" Ham and the others were shocked at the incoming iron spears. They had prepared to deal with cannonballs, but had never expected sharp iron spears instead.

"This is bad. We can't let them hit us. Spears this powerful will pierce straight through the ship." Cook instantly knew they were in trouble. Cannonballs were manageable, but these iron spears had far too much penetrating power. If the hull was pierced, they would have no choice but to abandon the ship.

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

"Got it. I'll protect it." Vines continuously spread from Jelly's hands, wrapping around the ship.

"A Devil Fruit," Simon cried out when he saw Jelly's ability.

Rogge leaped into the air and landed atop the skull at the ship's prow, raising his fist high.

"What is he trying to do?" Simon exclaimed.

"That is..." Hina also spotted Rogge standing on the skull at the bow. He stood there alone with his fist raised. Was he planning to block the iron spears with his fist? But with only one person and one fist, how could he stop so many spears?

Hina felt that this pirate crew must be full of idiots. The battle should be over soon.

Sky-Shattering Fist.

After charging up for a moment, a halo appeared around Rogge's fist. It was covered in cracks, slightly different from Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

Hah!

He threw a fierce punch into the air.

Boom!

A tremendous blast rang through the air. Then, from Rogge's fist as its origin, the atmosphere spread forward like tree roots. Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit shattered things across a horizontal plane like a mirror, while Rogge's shattering power extended vertically, spreading outward like tree roots.

Crack, crack, crack!!!

The atmosphere split apart. The iron spears flying toward the ship froze in midair as the cracks spread onto them.