Electromagnetic Cannon! [Please Keep Reading!]

Seven days later.

A Marine warship bearing the insignia of the West Blue 15th Branch slowly sailed into a turbulent stretch of sea.

This area was known as the Terra Sea, the part of West Blue closest to Reverse Mountain.

After entering the Terra Sea, they could see from afar the towering, endless red ridges—the world-famous Red Line.

No one knew how the red land on the continent had formed.

As far as the eye could see, the Red Line was barren. There was not a trace of green, only lifeless desolation, completely unlike any other mountain range.

This was not Xia Luo's first time seeing the Red Line, but it was his first time viewing it from the deck of a warship.

Fun fact: Reverse Mountain, which connected the four seas, was actually a small part of the Red Line.

"Roar roar roar..."

On the warship's deck, the Poop-Throwing Gorilla, on its first voyage at sea, was extremely excited. It shouted and jumped around Xia Luo, making itself the center of attention.

Fortunately, Xia Luo had not made it wear overalls and play basketball, or the sight would have been unbearable.

Notably, none of the Marines aboard dared approach it. They all stood far away, fear visible in their eyes.

Everyone had recognized the Poop-Throwing Gorilla's identity. Really, who would not fear a gorilla that might suddenly "fly freely" at any moment?

Though the Poop-Throwing Gorilla had repeatedly claimed it had turned over a new leaf, who would believe that?

"Quiet."

One look from Xia Luo made the Poop-Throwing Gorilla clamp its mouth shut on the spot. It stopped yelling, though it still paced around the ship, hopping and bouncing like someone with ADHD.

Time passed, and as the warship drew closer to Reverse Mountain, the Marines aboard visibly grew more nervous.

At this point in time, the Marines had yet to invent technology capable of crossing the Calm Belt. Just like pirates, they had to pass through Reverse Mountain to enter the Grand Line.

As everyone knew, Reverse Mountain's ascending passage was extremely narrow, and its currents were swift. One careless mistake could lead to a wrecked ship and dead men.

Under the Marines' careful control, the warship successfully entered the passage.

Once inside, driven by the rising current, the warship rapidly climbed upward at astonishing speed. A few Marines could not help crying out, terrified that they would crash into the rock walls.

Unlike the frightened Marines, the Poop-Throwing Gorilla immediately screeched with excitement, waving its arms and dancing with delight.

And so, amid one piercing shriek after another, the warship successfully entered the Grand Line.

The warship had barely stabilized.

"Phew, we survived!"

"That was way too exciting! My heart nearly jumped out of my chest!"

"Damn it, why was that gorilla so excited? Wasn't it scared? It kept howling the whole way."

"Low IQ, thick nerves."

Listening to their discussion, Xia Luo irritably knocked the Poop-Throwing Gorilla on the head, then cut them off.

"All right, enough talking. The Grand Line isn't like West Blue. Stay sharp, all of you, and keep watch!"

"Yes, sir!"

Over the next half month.

Other than necessary resupply stops, the warship sailed at nearly full speed.

As long as they did not encounter severe weather, the warship maintained a high cruising speed.

As for the pirate ships they encountered along the way, whether they were hundreds or thousands of meters away, or even several kilometers away, Xia Luo sank them all with his Railgun.

In one word: the moment they showed themselves, they were dead.

At that moment, Xia Luo was lounging leisurely in a chair on deck, his fingers moving as a metal coin danced across them.

After a period of development, he had more or less mastered electromagnetic force.

The Railgun was a move he had developed by imitating the Railgun girl.

Under normal circumstances, Xia Luo did not need a coin to fire a Railgun, but flipping a coin before firing one was just so cool!

At the very least, he could use it to show off when crushing weaklings.

"Brown, how much longer until we reach Marine Headquarters?" Xia Luo turned and asked the navigator beside him.

Brown unfolded the nautical chart and thought for a moment before answering, "We should arrive in two days."

"Marine Headquarters is really far away. We set out from the 15th Branch and actually had to sail for over twenty days!" Xia Luo sighed. If he had traveled alone, it probably would not have taken him more than a few days.

Brown laughed. "Hehe, we're already better off than some. Those from farther away have to set out at least a month and a half in advance."

"Captain Xia Luo, do you find traveling at sea boring?"

"Not really. It's just hard for me to eat my fill on the ship!" Xia Luo sounded helpless. There were only two cooks aboard; even if they worked themselves to death, they could not satisfy his appetite.

Ingredients were another problem. He could not exactly dive into the sea and catch Sea Kings in front of everyone, which left them short on supplies.

Besides, Xia Luo could not possibly eat all the food aboard. The other Marines needed to eat too.

"Uh..."

Brown suddenly did not know what to say. Captain Xia Luo really did have a monstrous appetite. He could eat as much as a hundred people, and the food aboard truly was not enough.

"It's fine. I just need to endure another two days. Once we reach Headquarters, I'll make up for what I've missed these past days." Xia Luo grinned.

Compared to the 15th Branch, Marine Headquarters would definitely be far more satisfying to fleece!

In the blink of an eye,

Two days passed.

A small Marine warship from the West Blue 15th Branch slowly sailed into the enormous harbor of Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Warships of every type and shape were moored throughout the harbor, vast in number.

In addition, many warships sailed in and out, making the place look extremely busy.

Standing at the bow, Xia Luo surveyed Marine Headquarters, this military fortress. Even from far away, he sensed several powerful presences.

Those auras alone made his expression turn grave.

As expected of Marine Headquarters. Powerful people were everywhere!

I have to be extremely careful here. I can't act as recklessly as I did at the 15th Branch just because I'm strong. Especially my Azure Dragon Fruit ability—I absolutely cannot expose it!

Soon,

The ship docked.

Xia Luo slung his luggage over his back, took the Poop-Throwing Gorilla with him, and leaped off the warship.

On the warship, Brown cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Captain Xia Luo, this is as far as we can take you! May you have a brilliant future and rise higher with every step. Until we meet again!"

Xia Luo looked up with a frown. "You're leaving already? Won't you stay and rest for a few days?"

Brown shook his head and explained, "Headquarters has not ordered us to stay, so we cannot linger. Once we finish resupplying, we must leave. It's always been this way."

Xia Luo had no strength to complain about Marine Headquarters' bizarre rules. He nodded.

"All right, then. Be careful on the way back and stay safe. If you run into danger, remember to contact me immediately. I'll be there soon."

"Understood!"

Brown smiled from the bottom of his heart.

Xia Luo's promise was not something to take lightly. Ordinary people would not care whether low-ranking Marines like them lived or died, much less worry about their safety on the return voyage.

And they knew Xia Luo well. If he said he would come, then he would definitely come. He would never break his word.

After watching Brown and the others' warship depart, a Marine dressed as a communications officer stepped forward, saluted Xia Luo, and said,

"Hello, Captain Xia Luo. I am the receptionist responsible for welcoming the training camp recruits this time. You may call me Layton."

Xia Luo was somewhat surprised. "Hello, Layton. You know me?"

Layton replied, "Every branch sent your photographs and information to Headquarters in advance, so I recognize every recruit in this training camp class."

"I see."

Xia Luo nodded in realization.

Layton continued, "Please come with me now. I'll first take you to the dormitory to get settled. Once you've put down your luggage, I'll take you to the instructors' office to register."

"All right. Then I'll trouble you."

Layton smiled broadly. "You're too polite. It's my duty."