Momonga, and Loa's Seasickness

Even so, there was one thing Loa could be sure of.

The newcomer was definitely not an Admiral.

Because ever since Garp and Zephyr's generation, there seemed to have been no Admirals in the Marines who specialized in swordsmanship. Kizaru, who could match Dark King Rayleigh in swordplay, always fought by firing pew-pew light beams or turning into light and shooting himself forward.

If it were one of those Admirals, they would definitely use an attack with a highly recognizable signature. Just consider Hawkeye, hailed as the world's greatest swordsman, and the several Vice Admirals who had appeared for less than a minute. Sword energy was certainly powerful, but overall, it had long since become commonplace.

At that moment, the battlefield could only be described as hell. Frozen limbs and chunks of flesh were scattered everywhere, while several intact pirate heads still wore bewildered expressions.

Loa jumped down from the air and exhaled a stream of icy breath. As it met the moisture in the air, it turned into fine, starlike particles that drifted to the ground.

"Why don't I feel sick after killing people?"

Loa pondered this philosophical question. Perhaps because he had spent too long as a hunter on a deserted island, his view of life had changed in ways he could not understand.

In the distance, seeing Loa standing on the beach, Vice Admiral Momonga ordered the warship to move closer.

No matter why the other party had killed the Scissor Pirates—whether he was a pirate, a pirate hunter, or some reclusive master living in the wilderness—as a Marine Vice Admiral, Momonga had a duty to investigate.

The warship stopped a hundred meters away. A thick layer of solid ice lay ahead, and without icebreaking equipment, the ship could not pass through. Momonga had no interest in carving a route for the warship with sword energy, so he directly led a squad of Marines and jumped down from the ship.

Once he got closer, Momonga finally saw Loa clearly, and the youthful look on his face astonished him. That attack had been no weaker than Admiral Aokiji's abilities when he was young, so Momonga had assumed the attacker was an older master. Yet he now discovered that this person's age might even be lower than Aokiji's when he had first joined the Marines.

Marine Admiral Kuzan, codenamed Aokiji, had joined the Marines at nineteen. By the time he became an Admiral in his thirties, he had already been hailed as a monstrous talent. Yet the person before him looked even younger than Aokiji had when he first enlisted, while already possessing such tremendous strength. This left Momonga deeply shocked.

If Loa knew what he was thinking, he would definitely find it amusing. Younger than Aokiji? This is called having a baby face! Looking young! Back among the new hires at the company, I got along best because I looked harmless and knew how to sweet-talk people.

As Loa's ultimate move after leveling up, Ice Dragon's Roar was naturally powerful beyond doubt. Compared to it, Kuzan's freezing ability when he had first joined the Marines had been inferior. But what about the consumption? Just that one move had depleted a third of Loa's magic power! Even if he went all out, he could only use an attack of that level three times.

As for the attack Aokiji had used back then to freeze a hundred meters of sea, even if it was not as powerful as Ice Dragon's Roar, how many times could he use it? More than ten times should not have been a problem.

Just consider the endurance he later displayed when fighting Sakazuki for ten days and ten nights in the original story.

The two sides stood facing each other. Seeing Loa's expressionless face as he contemplated philosophy, Momonga spoke first. "Thank you for your assistance, sir. I am Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Momonga. May I ask who you are?"

"Momonga?"

Hearing Momonga introduce himself, Loa snapped out of it. The memories that had been vague in his mind instantly became clear. He looked the man up and down: a mohawk, a comical mustache, a katana at his waist, and a cape of justice draped over his back. This was indeed Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Momonga.

This guy was a real good man! Loa's eyes lit up.

He was righteous and upright, cared deeply for his subordinates, and was powerful without being as ruthless as Akainu. All in all, if Loa wanted to leave the deserted island, Momonga was the right person to find. Even if he had not wiped out the Scissor Pirates as proof of his worth, Momonga would certainly help a stranded Loa.

Loa had not retained the aloofness he had possessed while hunting on the island. Though he had gained great strength, at heart he was still the same shut-in he had once been.

Having gone weeks without seeing another person, he was immediately overwhelmed with emotion and burst into tears. "My people! Someone finally came! Hurry and take me away from here! I was stranded on this deserted island weeks ago, and I've nearly eaten all the wild boars on it!"

Momonga: "..."

For a moment, Vice Admiral Momonga could not process what was happening. What was going on? Where had that master from before gone? How had he suddenly turned into a refugee?

But looking at Loa's filthy, tattered clothes and bare feet, Momonga's mouth twitched, and he chose to believe him.

Under the watchful eyes of the Marines, Loa boarded the warship. Even from far away, they had felt the intense chill from his earlier attack. They now looked at Loa with admiration, paying no attention at all to his refugee-like appearance.

In this world, strength was revered above all else. Those with power would be respected wherever they went. Besides, there were plenty of powerful people in this world with strange tastes. At that moment, they all regarded Loa as a powerful expert with an unconventional style of dress.

The moment he stepped onto the warship's deck, Loa suddenly grabbed the railing with a grave expression and stared motionlessly at the sea.

After arranging for the soldiers to clean up the battlefield, Vice Admiral Momonga followed Loa aboard. Seeing him like this, Momonga asked in confusion, "Mr. Loa? What are you...?"

Loa raised a hand and swallowed hard before giving Momonga an awkward smile.

"Vice Admiral Momonga, does the ship have any medicine for seasickness?"

Momonga: "What a strange fellow!"

He then turned to the adjutant beside him. "Go get the ship's doctor immediately. Also prepare a set of clothes." Momonga glanced at Loa's beggar-like outfit and gave the order.

After receiving Momonga's command, an accompanying ship doctor with graying hair soon hurried over. He had Loa lean half-reclined against the railing, lifted his eyelids to inspect them, and asked, "Your symptoms are quite serious, and the ship hasn't even started moving yet. Have you been like this since childhood, or did this happen recently?"

Loa did not know what to say. He had only himself to blame for being stupid. He had been so focused on leaving the deserted island that he had forgotten the greatest weakness of a Dragon Slayer: motion sickness in every form of transportation!

His face was pale as he weakly said, "I've been like this ever since I ate a Devil Fruit. Doctor, can I still be saved?"

"A Devil Fruit?" Momonga lowered his head in thought. Indeed, other than a Devil Fruit, there was no other way to explain Loa's earlier attack.

But what kind of Devil Fruit could make someone seasick?

Those who ate Devil Fruits were hated by the sea. The moment they touched seawater, they lost their abilities and became completely limp. That in itself was a curse. And compared to ordinary Devil Fruit users, Loa also had the added trait of seasickness.

Momonga was truly both curious and relieved at that moment. What kind of unlucky guy is this? Not eating a Devil Fruit was an incredibly wise decision!

This was actually the excuse Loa had prepared. Dragon Slayer Magic was not a power native to this world, and if it were exposed before others, he would eventually need a reason for it. A Devil Fruit was the best possible excuse.

Who knew how many bizarre Devil Fruit abilities existed on these seas? That was what it meant when there was no evidence to the contrary.

Besides, Loa was not lying. He really had become like this after eating a "Devil Fruit," so saying it caused him no psychological burden whatsoever.

Hearing Loa's words, the ship doctor grew serious. He first took a bottle of medicine from his medical kit and handed it to Loa, then used a cotton ball soaked in alcohol to rub Loa's temples.

"If this is a lingering effect caused by a Devil Fruit, then it cannot be cured completely. Drink this first. It will make you feel a little better. Later, I'll get you some medicine. It won't cure you, but it will let you sleep peacefully."

"Th-thank you, Doctor."