New Recruits' First Battle
Spring Island of Four Seasons Island, in the first half of the Grand Line.
A pirate crew from the West Blue had successfully crossed Reverse Mountain. Having just arrived in the first half of the Grand Line, they could not wait to begin plundering.
For them, this raid might not even have been necessary. It was more because of the excitement and inexplicable restlessness of arriving at the Grand Line for the first time—they wanted to do something big!
Their goals were simple: money, fame, women, and fine wine.
But what they did not know was that an unremarkable Navy Training Ship had quietly approached. Carl held a rifle, took aim, and pulled the trigger.
Bang~
The lookout on the pirate ship wailed as he fell from the Lookout Tower. He died rather miserably.
"Damn, I'm rusty..." Carl shook her head helplessly.
Back when she was at Branch 108, she had been an excellent shot. After not touching a gun for two months, her accuracy had slipped.
"Big Sister Carl, hitting the target with one shot from so far away is already amazing!" Ain had clearly become her little fangirl, cheering wildly for her.
"Alright, stop flattering me. Get ready to land on the island!"
Chunyu Town.
"Wahahaha! As expected of an island in the Grand Line, it's really rich!"
A tall, lanky man with a long gun slung over his back greedily stared at the gold and silver treasures his underlings had looted, grinning from ear to ear.
He was Doman, captain of the Musket Pirates. With a bounty of 13.5 million Beli, he could no longer make it in the West Blue and could only bring his men to try their luck in the Grand Line. He had not expected his very first raid to go so smoothly.
He had seen reporters taking pictures earlier. His majestic appearance while killing people would surely make the news soon! How much would his bounty rise by then?
"Boss Doman, we've got enough already. If we take any more, our ship won't be able to hold it. We should get out of here! It'll be trouble if the Navy arrives!"
Doman looked at the town being consumed by flames, the trembling civilians, the sobbing women, and the crying children. A vicious glint flashed through his eyes.
"No rush. Since we're already here, we might as well make this a big one. Boys, listen up! Slaughter this town. Kill all the men and children. As for the women..."
"Hahahaha! Brothers, do whatever you want with them!"
The little pirates immediately erupted into wild, ghostly cheers. "Oohhh! Boss is brilliant!!!"
Bang~
The door of a well-kept, medieval-style building was smashed open. A huge pirate barged in and greedily eyed the luxurious furnishings inside.
"This is a jackpot! This place hasn't been hit yet, hahaha! Looks like I'm getting rich today!"
With a strange cry, the burly pirate charged into the rooms and began wantonly grabbing anything he thought was valuable.
In the corner of the room, a beautiful mother and daughter huddled together beneath the bed, trembling and not daring to make the slightest sound. They prayed that the vile pirate would not find them.
Otherwise, this helpless mother and daughter would surely be doomed.
Soon, hurried footsteps drew closer. The mother and daughter instinctively held their breaths. The heel of an old shoe appeared before them as the pirate crouched on the floor, rummaging through their wardrobe.
"Huh? Why are these all women's clothes? Could it be..." The burly pirate's eyes lit up. He had wondered why this room was so quiet. Someone had to be hiding here.
And most likely, they were women!
"Hehehe~" The man let out a lewd laugh and unconsciously scratched at his crotch.
"Stop hiding. I know you're here. You can't run away. I promise I won't hurt you!"
The wardrobe was roughly shoved over by the pirate with a loud crash.
"Ah!"
The daughter in her mother's arms cried out in fright, and the burly pirate immediately caught it.
"Hahahaha, so you were hiding here! You really made me search!"
Just as the pirate was about to reach out and lift the large bed, urgent shouts came from the street.
"The Navy's here! The Navy's here! Retreat! Retreat!!!"
"Damn Navy!"
The man stomped his foot in frustration and quickly left the room. The mother and daughter immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Their clothes were nearly soaked through with sweat, but thankfully, they had escaped disaster.
On the Training Ship.
"Carl, you have the most combat experience here. I'll leave this operation under your command!
"Remember, although this pirate crew isn't very strong, you must be careful in all things."
Carl smiled faintly. Her time spent slacking off today was about enough anyway, so she would treat this as a chance to stretch her muscles.
"Don't worry, Teacher Zephyr. Leave it to me!"
After saying that, Carl walked before the eager new recruits, Holy Light gathering in her hands.
"May the Holy Light bless you. Victory to the Navy!"
"Victory to the Navy!"
The new recruits, who had long been itching for action, excitedly shouted the slogan. Under Carl's command, they formed an encirclement around the town, gradually closing in and trapping every pirate who had been looting it.
"Damn, it's the Navy! Boys, get them!"
Bang! The battle erupted at once.
The standout recruits casually dodged the pirates' bullets and launched their counterattack. These trash pirates were utterly no match for the well-trained Training Camp cadets.
Ain stared at the lanky man, a sharp glint flashing through her eyes.
Shave!
"Damn woman, you think you can beat me? I'm Musket Doman! Die!"
Doman swiftly aimed his musket at Ain. After briefly charging it, he fired more than a dozen bullets in rapid succession. As expected of a pirate captain, he did have some skill.
"Damn it!!"
Ain hurriedly used Shave to dodge to the left, but the dense barrage still grazed her arm. Intense pain shot through it, making her frown.
But soon, a warm force soothed her pain. When she turned her head, she saw her wound rapidly healing under the golden energy. In just three seconds, it had completely healed.
"So this is the healing effect Carl mentioned? Only after experiencing it firsthand could she understand how powerful this force was!"
With no worries holding her back, Ain immediately became incredibly fierce. She rapidly closed in on Musket Doman and slapped him.
"Y-you, what did you do to me?!"
Doman watched in horror as he grew smaller and smaller. In the blink of an eye, he had changed from a middle-aged man into a young fellow. That alone would have been one thing, but Ain slapped him again.
This time, he changed from a young man into a child. He could not even lift his beloved musket anymore.
"Tie him up!"
Temporary commander Carl was in the center of town, sitting on a crude wooden stool with her legs crossed, leisurely blowing smoke rings as though the battle had nothing to do with her.
A bearded pirate carrying a gun quietly emerged from an alley. He aimed his musket at Carl, who sat there without moving, and roared.
"Die, pretty boy!"
He pulled the trigger. Bang!
Already aware of him, Carl merely tilted her head slightly and easily dodged the pirate's sneak attack. Her expression remained calm as she looked at the pirate who had ambushed her.
She had not noticed this pirate earlier, but she had somehow sensed that an attack was coming. Yet she had clearly not awakened Observation Haki. Carl preferred to call it a half-step awakening!
"Hey, that's too much. Don't tell me you're jealous because I'm prettier than you!"
"Damn it!" Seeing Carl dodge so easily, the pirate frantically loaded his rifle. But just as he prepared to aim, Carl's right hand appeared in his sight.
Finger Pistol!
Whoosh~
A bloody hole appeared between the pirate's brows. He fell to the ground in disbelief, unable to understand even in death how such a harmless-looking pretty boy could be so deadly.
"You could say you died for a worthy cause. At least because of your death, the average looks of all men have risen a tiny bit."
After a while, a Training Camp recruit came running over, looking around anxiously. When he spotted Carl, his eyes lit up.
"Carl, someone's injured! It's urgent, come take a look!"
Carl froze. What was going on?
She had definitely given them all buffs! How could someone still be seriously injured!