Actually, I'm a Historian!

There was no sneaking around or clandestine deal as imagined.

The Happo Navy—the most powerful pirate crew in the West Blue, and the legitimate naval force of the World Government-affiliated Flower Country.

With all those identities, plus the previous leader Chinjao the Drill's bounty of up to 500 million, they could go anywhere in the West Blue and tell any force there, "I don't eat beef."

There was no need for disguises now.

As soon as the enormous pirate ship drew close, thunderous gongs and drums rang out. Torches were lit and swayed in the darkness as ropes dropped down. Strong pirates leaped onto the cruise ship with wild laughter, kicked open doors with torches in hand, and charged into the cabins.

Aah!!!

Before long, sudden screams shattered the night's silence.

An hour later, the luxury cruise ship was brightly lit.

All the passengers had been driven onto the deck, shivering in the cold wind.

"Damn it, isn't this route under Marine protection? How could there be pirates?"

"What good are the Marines? Can't you see that pirate flag? That's the Happo Navy! The strongest pirate crew in the West Blue!"

"Don't be afraid. The Happo Navy usually doesn't hurt hostages."

Whispers continued to spread through the terrified crowd.

Jogo and Hina blended into the crowd, quietly raising their heads to survey their surroundings.

The pirates had destroyed the cruise ship's lifeboats. Holding torches, they had surrounded the entire vessel along its rails.

They clearly had no intention of letting anyone escape.

At the distant bow, where the firelight was dim, two tall figures in capes stood in the darkness.

One carried a guandao and had messy short hair. The other had an axe on his back and flowing long hair.

"Sai and Abu?" Jogo looked toward the bow.

When he had still been aboard the Acne Pirates' ship, he had seen news of the Happo Navy's change in leadership in the West Blue Times.

According to the plot he remembered, the Happo Navy's previous leader had been Chinjao the Drill, a man feared throughout the West Blue.

The one who succeeded Chinjao should have been his grandson, Sai.

And Sai's most recognizable feature was that guandao.

"It looks like the Happo Navy's main fleet came here tonight."

He frowned slightly.

Main fleet meant elites.

Especially for pirates like the Happo Navy, who had an entire country backing them.

Its members were surely rare, top-tier SSR background-pirate material.

"There might even be plenty of formidable experts, on top of Sai and Abu, whose strength I don't know..."

Jogo felt this was getting tricky.

In his memories, Sai and Abu had already mastered Armament Haki when they first appeared.

Though it was still early.

Who the hell knew how far the two of them had trained by now?

If they had awakened Armament Haki, it would be hard to say how much effect his Conqueror's Haki aura suppression would have.

After all, as he understood it, Devil Fruits increased the total quantity of one's soul, while Haki improved the quality of one's soul. Both gave strong resistance to the aura suppression of Conqueror's Haki.

"Tsk. They're not easy to deal with."

Jogo looked beside him.

There was an unusual hint of tension on Hina's face as well.

Even this mad-dog Marine Academy graduate had realized how powerful their opponents were.

Noticing Jogo's gaze, she whispered, "If we don't have to fight, then we won't."

Their opponents were a little beyond expectations.

Since her days at the Marine Academy, Hina had grown up hearing about the conflict between the Happo Navy and the Marines.

She knew better than anyone how powerful the Happo Navy was.

Opponents on this level were not something she and Jogo could handle alone.

Fortunately,

the Happo Navy had a fairly good reputation among pirate crews.

They robbed people too, but they believed in sustainable business. They rarely did things like slaughtering everyone aboard or sinking ships.

"Then we'll change our objective. We'll focus on hiding our identities and gathering intelligence."

Hina thought to herself.

Just learning that the Happo Navy was the buyer for this batch of weapons was already a major achievement for her.

"Hina isn't greedy!"

After standing on the deck for a while longer,

the pirates laughed and chatted loudly as the sea wind made the torches in their hands roar and crackle.

Several pirates responsible for searching the cabins poked their heads out from the upper deck and waved their torches at those below.

"Nobody left!"

"The people on the third floor have all come down too!"

A burly bald man stepped out from among the pirates. Stroking the bloodstained sledgehammer in his hand, he began addressing all the captives aboard.

He roughly said that the Happo Navy had always been friendly and easy to talk to.

As long as they handed over their money obediently, no one would hurt them.

But if anyone wanted to resist, then they should not blame the Happo Navy for knowing a little martial arts too.

As he spoke, several pirates carrying bags came out. Working in pairs, they began collecting money.

Jogo looked toward the bow.

Sai and Abu seemed too busy to care about the hostages. They stood at the bow cursing nonstop.

Every now and then, words like "trash," "losses," and "discount" drifted through the wind.

Their voices sounded young and immature.

But no one dared look down on them.

Beside them, several men in suits nodded and bowed. No matter how badly they were cursed at, they acted as if they deserved it.

Jogo withdrew his gaze.

It was best if they did not fight.

The Happo Navy had neither provoked him nor had any grudge against him, unlike the Capone Family. There was really no need to start a battle.

If money could buy safety, then so be it.

He only wanted to enter the Grand Line as soon as possible and reach the Sabaody Archipelago to study.

He truly did not want to concern himself with anything else.

After waiting for a while, it was finally Jogo's turn.

The pirate carrying the bag walked up to him and said with practiced ease, "You're in a luxury cabin, so you owe 1.5 million Beli. If you can't pay, you'll board our ship as a slave until your family sends the money over..."

As he spoke, the pirate looked up and caught sight of Hina's face. He immediately held his breath and froze in place.

"Oh~~~ There's a beauty!"

he cried in delight.

The surrounding pirates immediately howled and crowded over when they heard that.

"Where?"

"Let me see."

"Miss, would you like to come aboard our ship as a guest?"

Hina lowered her head, hiding a little behind Jogo, and said nothing.

Jogo calmly paid.

1.5 million Beli was already painfully expensive for an ordinary merchant.

But for Jogo, who had looted Bege's little treasury, it was no problem.

He directly took out a 3 million Beli bearer check and paid for both himself and Hina.

"This is my girlfriend. Please don't get handsy," Jogo said with a smile.

"Who the fuck are you?"

The pirates had wanted to shout that.

But seeing the Beli Jogo discreetly slipped into each of their hands, they coughed twice and broke into brilliant smiles.

"Hahaha! Nothing happened. Move along, move along. Next!"

The pirates reluctantly tore their gazes away from Hina's face.

They actually left quite obediently.

Hina, behind Jogo, let out a breath of relief.

Only the Happo Navy had discipline this strong. With any other pirate crew, they would have stolen both money and women on the spot.

Of course, if they had been any other pirates, she would have already hit them with a heavy punch.

Just as she was inwardly relieved that they had made it through, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Wait!"

The bald pirate who was clearly a minor leader walked up to them with his sledgehammer.

His gaze swept over Jogo and Hina.

"You said she's your girlfriend?"

Jogo nodded. "That's right!"

The bald man roared, "You dare lie to me? If she's your girlfriend, then why isn't she holding your hand at a time like this?"

"Who are you two really?"

Jogo froze.

Indeed, in such a dangerous situation, if he really were Hina's boyfriend, and if Hina really were an ordinary girl, she should have been terrified and gripping his hand tightly right now.

The current situation could only mean that either Hina was not ordinary, or he was not Hina's boyfriend.

"No wonder he's a minor leader. He's pretty observant."

Jogo thought to himself, but he was not panicked in the slightest.

Facing the increasingly hostile gazes gathering around them, he turned around, grabbed Hina by the collar, and snapped, "Bastard, have you been seeing other men behind my back?!"

Hina stared at him in shock.

The bald pirate stared at him in shock too.

The surrounding passengers and pirates all perked up their ears.

Seeing Jogo furious enough to look ready to start fighting, the bald pirate hurriedly grabbed him.

"Wait a second!"

"It's not that serious, it's not that serious..."

Just as he was about to persuade him, he suddenly slapped his forehead and realized what was happening. He barked, "No, don't change the subject!"

"Do you think I have no way of telling whether she's your girlfriend?"

Jogo clicked his tongue inwardly.

This guy was pretty hard to fool.

Just as he was wondering what trick the bald man had up his sleeve,

the bald pirate shifted his gaze, picked out a male passenger who looked timid, and pointed at Jogo as he asked, "Are they a couple?"

The male passenger said, "N-No."

Jogo's brows furrowed, and Hina clenched her fists.

The bald pirate perked up. He knew his instincts had been right!

There was definitely something wrong with these two!

"Say your reason out loud."

The male passenger pointed at Jogo. "He... he... he's a pervert!"

"For such a beautiful girl to end up with him would be such a waste!"

Jogo: "..."

Hina: "???"

Bald pirate: "???"

"Get the hell out of here!"

Still unconvinced, the bald man grabbed several more people in succession.

They all gave the same answer—Jogo was a pervert!

One person saying it might mean they were lying.

But if everyone said it, then it had to be true.

For a moment, the looks every passenger and pirate on the ship gave Jogo changed.

So he was a pervert!

"I..."

Jogo felt it was necessary to defend his reputation.

"Don't say another word."

The bald pirate cut him off, jabbing a finger viciously at him.

"Listen up. This girl can look for whoever she wants. If you dare stop her, watch out for the Happo Navy coming after you!"

Those two definitely had issues, but who would have thought the man was a pervert?!

What rotten luck!

The bald pirate rubbed his scalp and left.

Hina let out a heavy sigh of relief. She had thought she was about to be exposed!

Seeing Jogo's speechless expression, she quietly leaned closer and whispered into his ear, "Hehe, pervert~"

Fuck me!

Jogo hardened. His fists hardened!

Still, they had finally gotten past that hurdle.

Passengers who had paid could return to their cabins.

Jogo did not want to wait around any longer, so he signaled Hina.

"Let's go. We're heading back."

The two turned and took a step forward.

Then...

They saw the Happo Navy's current pillar and deputy pillar, Sai and Abu, who had somehow been waiting behind them all along.

The sea wind was bitterly cold, making their clothes flap loudly. The bright light at the cabin entrance shone against their backs, casting enormous shadows that swallowed Jogo and Hina.

A chill ran up Jogo's spine!

Jogo's entire body tensed instantly, while Hina behind him instinctively grabbed his hand.

When had they... No, the question should have been why these two were behind them?!

Facing the two who looked as though they were confronting mortal enemies, Sai rubbed his neck and spoke slowly.

"I thought you looked familiar just now."

He pulled a rolled-up magazine from his clothes.

A magazine?

Jogo inexplicably felt relieved, though cold sweat still trickled down his back and he was also speechless.

"They recognized us from that?"

"Does everyone in the West Blue have a copy of this crappy magazine or what?!"

However, when the magazine was opened, it was not the West Blue New Discoveries he knew.

It was a magazine called Marine Chronicle.

On its cover, a delicate young woman with bright eyes and pearly teeth smiled beneath the sun.

Below was a neatly printed headline—Marine Academy's Most Promising New Recruit!

Jogo: "???"

Before he could ask, a sharp whistle of something tearing through the air erupted behind him.

A pitch-black spear thrust out from behind him, fast as lightning, shooting straight for Sai's face!

Hina struck first!

However,

The next second.

Clang!!

The spear stopped in midair... More precisely, it stopped dozens of centimeters before Sai's outstretched fingertip!

It seemed to have been blocked by an invisible shield. The spearhead trembled constantly, and even the faint ringing carried a trace of vibration!

"Hasshoken!"

Hina's gritted voice rang out.

Sai burst into laughter.

"I never expected to run into an elite Marine graduate here!"

"Are you on vacation with your boyfriend?"

"Or could it be..."

The smile vanished from Sai's face, replaced by a wave of thick malice!

He pushed the spearhead aside. Taking advantage of the brief opening as its force was withdrawn, he lunged forward, spun at incredible speed, and brought his right leg down like a battle-axe!

His furious roar tore through the air.

"...Were you sent by the Marines to track that shipment of weapons?!!"

The shriek of tearing air was brief and piercing!

Whoosh!

Jogo retreated explosively!

He saw a black metallic sheen on Sai's foot!

Haki!

Armament Haki!

To think he had awakened it at such a young age!

No wonder he could take over the Happo Navy!

The next second,

Boom!!

A massive cloud of dust erupted from where Jogo had been standing. The tough deck, which could not be cleaved by blades or axes, shattered without resistance.

An invisible Shockwave swept wood chips and dust outward in a ring, slamming into the surrounding onlookers and shoving them backward. Those with weaker constitutions felt their entire bodies go numb, their bones and even teeth chattering violently.

As the Happo Navy's secret martial art passed down through generations, Hasshoken could unleash powerful spreading shockwaves. It could both shake and injure enemies while defending its user.

Offense and defense in one, it was reputed to be the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's great-great-great-great-grandson!

It was already absurdly powerful.

Combined with Armament Haki, its vibration and penetration skyrocketed! Exploded! Soared!!

In any case, Jogo had no desire whatsoever to confront an opponent who shook all over head-on.

Of course, he did not need to confront him.

"Armament Haki..."

"In that case, I can't hold back!"

He had already promised Hina. He would not break his word so easily.

"Only one chance. The tenfold Conqueror's Haki has to cover every member of the Happo Navy!"

"With a range like this... I have to go for it!"

However, he had barely raised his hand.

A clear shout rang out from nearby. "Hina surrenders!"

Jogo was not the only one stunned.

Sai and Abu were stunned as well.

"You surrender?"

Sai could hardly believe what he had heard.

"That's right!"

Hina did not think there was anything wrong with it.

If you could not win, you surrendered and preserved your fighting strength. That was also survival wisdom every Marine had to learn.

Besides, the relationship between the West Blue Marines and the Happo Navy was somewhat different.

They had been locked in conflict for so long not only because they were relatively evenly matched, but also because both sides exercised a certain degree of restraint.

At the very least, neither side would do things like torture prisoners or kill captives.

Sai gave a cold chuckle. He did not suspect Hina of faking her surrender and directly had someone bring him a pair of Seastone Handcuffs. After cuffing Hina, he ordered his underlings,

"Lock her up on the ship!"

Then Sai and Abu turned their eyes toward Jogo.

Sai pointed his guandao at Jogo and sneered.

"What about you?"

"Will you tie yourself up, or do I have to knock you unconscious?"

Jogo brushed debris from himself and innocently pointed at his own face.

"What does this have to do with me?"

"I'm not a Marine."

Since Hina was not fighting, he was not going to go out of his way to slap the Happo Navy in the face.

Hina also testified from the side, "He isn't a Marine."

Sai merely sneered at that.

"You think I'll believe you?"

"You have to!"

Unruffled by the doubt, Jogo pulled a magazine from his backpack and opened it beside his face.

"Actually, I'm a historian!"

—<The Youngest Historian in History Makes His Grand Debut!>

As everyone knew, historians could not possibly mingle with the Marines.

Sai's eyes widened.

What the hell was this?

Hina's eyes widened too.

When they had first met, she thought Jogo was a Marine. Not long ago, she learned that he had disguised himself as a gangster. Now everyone thought he was a pervert... Yet he had pulled out a magazine and declared that he was actually a historian!

Unbelievable!

How could one person have so many identities?!