Flight

Laughter rang out beside Xia Le. He grinned and swung the dumbbells in his hands again.

Although he was quiet, his youth earned him plenty of care from the other officers aboard.

A colonel named Simboo often chatted with him, sharing tips on surviving and fighting at sea.

At the warship's bow, Rear Admiral Jerry listened to the clamor behind him and glanced at Xia Le.

So this is the guy they call a monster, just like Kuzan and those other two.

And they assigned him to my ship.

Naturally, he had heard plenty about Xia Le at G-5 Base over the past few days.

He's only grasped the basics of the Six Powers. They must have assigned him to a relatively safe area because his foundations are weak, but his potential is great.

Special treatment from the higher-ups?

Well, that makes sense. He's still young and inexperienced.

Jerry could only speculate.

He, too, considered his assigned area safe. They might not even encounter an enemy before the mission ended.

I heard headquarters has decided to give a batch of Devil Fruits to the younger generation to strengthen them.

Will he get one, too?

But that had nothing to do with him. He was getting old, and his limits were clear. Naturally, the best resources would go toward nurturing younger people with greater potential.

Meanwhile, in another area.

"Sengoku, why isn't Xia Le on our ship?"

"That kid clearly has what it takes to fight the Golden Lion Pirates and Roger Pirates head-on!"

Garp held a Den Den Mushi and roared into it.

His old friend had actually separated him from his beloved disciple for this mission.

The youngsters accompanying him were Kuzan and Sakazuki.

"I have my reasons, Garp."

"You still don't understand. Our mission isn't to fight Golden Lion Shiki. It's to observe from a distance."

"While two of the world's major pirate crews are fighting, we need to pay even more attention to the safety of our Marine bases and headquarters."

Sengoku's reply was stern.

"What reasons? All I know is that you've taken Xia Le away!"

Garp bellowed.

"He hasn't been a Marine for long, and his foundations are still weak. What he needs now is time to grow."

"Being with you is too dangerous. Can you guarantee his safety?"

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku lost his temper and shouted back.

If such a promising youngster met with disaster while following Garp, it would be a tremendous loss for the Marines.

Even a gifted genius needed time to develop.

By comparison, Kuzan and Sakazuki, two of the Three Monsters, were already quite mature in both physical ability and combat experience. They could shoulder major responsibilities.

"Of course I can!"

Garp shot back without hesitation.

He knew perfectly well that his disciple possessed immortality.

Such an exceptional youngster could achieve unexpected results in a head-on battle.

"You bastard!"

Sengoku cursed.

"Where is he? At least tell me which area he's responsible for!"

Garp demanded.

"To the northwest, in the A13 Sector."

Sengoku snapped.

The Edd War Waters covered a vast expanse. In truth, the Marines had no advantage in manpower in the New World, and in this era, they struggled to contend with pirates.

This time, he had divided the waters into countless sectors, with orders to monitor them and quietly look for opportunities.

Once the two great pirate crews clashed, they would decide their next move based on how events unfolded.

It was undoubtedly a meticulous and cautious strategic deployment.

Yet Garp remained an unpredictable factor.

"Hahahaha! Got it."

Garp laughed heartily. He quickly checked the chart and found that his own area was not far from Xia Le's.

But the danger levels of their respective areas were polar opposites. According to Sengoku's assessment, his area was high-risk, while Xia Le's was low-risk.

Flying

Just as Rear Admiral Jerry had predicted, Xia Le and the others did not see so much as a single pirate crew over the next few days.

Everywhere they looked, there was only the boundless sea.

One thing worth noting was that his system had inexplicably gained a point the day before.

I didn't die, but my points still increased.

Xia Le soon worked it out.

Yesterday marked exactly one month since I arrived in this world.

Looks like I gain points even without dying. One point a month.

Not much, but at least it's a guaranteed minimum.

In other words, even if he lay low and avoided risks, his strength would still grow steadily.

Without hesitation, he put the point into Conqueror's Haki again, raising it to level 86.

Two more days passed.

Unlike the clear skies of the previous days, a huge bank of dark clouds now loomed overhead, with faint rumbles of thunder coming from within.

Beneath the warship, the sea heaved, rocking everyone aboard from side to side.

"A heavy downpour is coming!"

Saron's voice boomed.

"When we encounter weather like this while operating at sea, we need to be even more careful and stay alert for danger at all times."

"Downpours and changes in the weather affect visibility at sea. That can be fatal."

Simboo spoke gravely.

For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

Xia Le's expression was equally solemn as he nodded.

He remembered clearly that a massive storm had struck during Golden Lion Shiki's battle with Roger in the Edd War Waters.

That meant unknown dangers were about to descend upon them.

He looked toward the bow. Rear Admiral Jerry stood with his back to them, smoke curling before him. There was no telling what he was thinking.

Soon, the sky darkened further and the sea began to surge violently. Thick bolts of lightning flashed between the clouds, occasionally striking the water and throwing up white mist amid brilliant flashes.

Even without anything else, the sight alone was awe-inspiring and terrifying.

Time crept by. Thunder roared through the clouds, and the sea grew ever more turbulent, yet the rain still refused to fall.

"Looks like we're in for a storm unlike anything we've ever seen!"

Simboo's expression was grave as he turned toward him again.

"Xia Le, remember this. Out on this sea, the greatest danger isn't always the enemy. Sometimes, it's the weather."

Xia Le nodded.

The entire warship bustled with activity as everyone prepared for the approaching storm.

Whoooosh!

Fierce winds swept over their heads.

Then, without warning—

Pheeeeet!

A shrill whistle pierced everyone's ears. Xia Le hurriedly looked up to see an officer in the lookout pointing straight ahead, his face stricken with shock.

He immediately turned. The first thing he saw was Rear Admiral Jerry's back, wreathed in smoke.

Then, across the dark, churning sea, black dots had appeared at some unknown point. They were packed so densely that they seemed endless, stretching beyond sight.

A wave of shock swept through his entire body, making his heart seem to stop.

Everyone around him froze, as though someone had pressed pause.

Only after two or three breaths did sharp, strained shouts tear through the air.

"Pirates! It's pirates!"

"It's the Flying Pirates' fleet!"

"They're heading toward us!"

No one could have imagined that enemies would actually appear in the sector Sengoku had judged least likely to encounter them. And judging by those densely packed black dots, this was undoubtedly their main force.

Xia Le drew a breath and stared ahead, the corners of his eyes twitching.

As time passed, the black dots grew clearer. One oddly shaped ship after another emerged across the sea, forming an arc that filled their entire field of vision.

At the same time, as those dots grew larger and clearer, ships in the sky also came into view, their oars sweeping through the air and skull flags flying with an ominous majesty.

The pressure was unimaginable!

Their numbers—their seemingly endless numbers—bore down on everyone with an overwhelming weight.

"Flying Pirates fleet sighted in Area A13."

Rear Admiral Jerry sounded composed, but the fine sweat beading on his forehead revealed how tense he truly was.

"Repeat, Flying Pirates fleet sighted in Area A13!"

The Den Den Mushi answered quickly. Standing nearby, Xia Le could hear that the man responding was Sengoku.

"Understood. Report enemy numbers!"

Jerry pressed his lips together. "Too many to count."

Silence fell over the Den Den Mushi. Standing at the bow of his warship, Sengoku tightened his grip on it. "Rear Admiral Jerry."

"Your mission is to do everything in your power to escape the Flying Pirates' attack range."

Jerry shuddered, then answered loudly, "Understood!"

The call ended. He took a deep breath and glanced again at the densely packed fleet stretching beyond sight. The despair in his heart defied words.

No matter how he looked at it, escaping from such an enormous fleet seemed all but impossible.

The weather had limited the lookout's visibility. By the time they spotted the enemy, their warship had little time left to withdraw.

And worse still.

The enemy had fleets both at sea and in the air, and the airborne ships were faster.

"All hands, listen up!"

"Do everything you can to get us out of here, now!"