One-Shotting Bullet

Garp taught him personally.

A short while later, Xia Le got the hang of it. With a throw, he sent a cannonball exploding above Roger.

"That young fellow is not to be underestimated either!"

Roger sighed in admiration.

Defeating Bullet in one blow

Under Garp's guidance, Xia Le quickly learned how to throw cannonballs by hand.

Of course, the more crucial part was the unique technique for exerting force. It was Garp's own special trick, something extremely difficult to figure out without instruction.

Master and pupil stood at the bow, throwing cannonballs ahead with both hands, one after another.

Even this simple act revealed just how absurd Garp's strength was. He could throw a cannonball two thousand meters and still maintain that incredible speed.

"Stay on their tail, Bogard!"

"Xia Le, keep practicing."

Garp exhaled, produced a bag of doughnuts from inside his clothes, and started munching away.

Xia Le treated throwing cannonballs entirely as a form of training. He soon discovered that it greatly improved his wrist strength and his control over his power.

Growing stronger after death only improved his overall physical capabilities. It did nothing for the finer details of controlling that strength. Those could only be honed through training.

Day after day passed, with the pirate ship ahead and the warship behind. Sometimes the distance between them widened; sometimes it rapidly closed again.

The future Pirate King and the Hero of the Navy embarked on a lengthy chase.

"That brat is so damn annoying!"

"He keeps throwing cannonballs at us!"

"The presence he gives off is powerful, too. It's every bit as strong as the captain's."

"He might become a formidable enemy someday!"

Aboard the Oro Jackson, Shanks and Buggy leaned over the rail, gritting their teeth as they glared at the young Marine endlessly throwing cannonballs behind them.

Overhead, the cannonballs exploded one after another under the others' casual strikes, without doing any damage to the ship.

They had been dealing with this every day.

The boy seemed tireless. He threw them during the day and kept throwing them at night while they tried to sleep, leaving everyone aboard unable to rest properly. He had certainly left a lasting impression on the entire Roger Pirates.

"He's been throwing them for five days straight. He's a total freak!"

"He only sleeps two hours a night!"

Buggy spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

"How do you know?"

Shanks asked in surprise.

"I've been watching him the whole time!"

Buggy replied.

Speechless, Shanks looked at his friend. "You're a monster too."

The chase continued. Occasionally, their vice captain or another crewmate would send a slash toward the ship behind them, and occasionally, Garp would throw a punch at them from an absurd distance.

But those were only occasional attacks. Only the black-haired boy's cannonballs kept coming without pause.

Even Captain Roger had to marvel at just how many cannonballs Garp's ship had stocked.

This went on for half a month.

The chase still continued, leaving the Roger Pirates utterly exhausted.

"That bastard Garp is a complete lunatic!"

Gaban said through gritted teeth.

Rayleigh's gaze was sharp as well, while the other crewmates no longer made any attempt to hide their anger.

"Roger!"

Bullet roared.

He could no longer stand it, especially the black-haired boy's cannonball throwing, which infuriated him beyond measure. Most of the time, he was the one intercepting them.

Roger turned to look at his crew, then suddenly smiled. "I know what you're thinking."

"There's an uninhabited island ahead."

"Bring the ship alongside it!"

"We'll have it out with Garp there!"

Those words ignited the fire in everyone's eyes, drawing a thunderous roar in unison.

At the same time, aboard the Dog-Head Warship.

"Get your ass back here, Garp!"

"We've still got a mountain of work to do! Pirates are causing trouble everywhere. Stop obsessing over Roger!"

"Do you have any idea how many important military operations you've held up?"

Sengoku's furious shouts came through the Den Den Mushi.

Garp picked his ear, then casually blew away the earwax. "I know, I know. I'll come back once I catch Roger."

"You bastard!"

Sengoku cursed.

Suddenly, the casual expression vanished from Garp's face, replaced by excitement.

"They've gone ashore!"

"Looks like they're planning to fight us!"

"I can't talk now, Sengoku!"

He then tossed the Den Den Mushi to Xia Le beside him.

"Hey!"

Sengoku's roar came through.

"Vice Admiral Garp is busy. He'll get back to you later."

Xia Le replied calmly, then hung up the Den Den Mushi with practiced ease.

This sort of exchange had happened many times lately. He was used to it, and handling it had become second nature.

He slowly raised his head and looked toward the uninhabited island ahead.

Half a month had passed. From his initial nervousness and anticipation over their battle to finally growing accustomed to the chase, he had at last reached the fight he had been waiting for.

What would the outcome be?

That no longer mattered to any of them.

Xia Le turned and saw Kuzan fully geared up, Sakazuki ready for battle, and the other officers.

"Whew!"

He took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening.

"It's time!"

"Time to see how far I am from the strongest fighters in the world!"

The warship approached the island's shore at tremendous speed.

"Do not be afraid! Do not panic!"

"Pride is the greatest obstacle to survival, but fear is a shortcut to death!"

"Even against the World's Strongest, stand tall, raise your weapons, and face them head-on!"

It was hard to imagine Garp actually delivering such an inspiring speech.

Xia Le turned and saw the officers' shining eyes and excited expressions. He knew the speech had worked. Every one of them was brimming with fighting spirit.

"Charge!"

Garp bellowed.

The next second, the Marines leaped from the bow like dumplings tumbling into a pot, shouting as they charged inland.

Xia Le was right at the front, his eyes bright.

Pirate King Roger!

Dark King Rayleigh!

Let me see how strong you are!

He roared inwardly, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

"That bastard!"

Sakazuki gritted his teeth. Even running at full speed, he could not keep up with Xia Le.

Kuzan laughed heartily.

"The Marines are fired up!"

"But so are we!"

Ahead, Roger slowly rose from a rock beneath a coconut tree, drew the long blade at his waist, and spoke with a hearty laugh.

"Raaah!"

The other crewmates roared in response.

"Leave that brat to us!"

Shanks and Buggy shouted, their eyes fixed on Xia Le.

The next second, they ran forward.

Behind them came Douglas Bullet, silent and cold-eyed.

The two groups rapidly closed in on the beach, their fighting spirit soaring.

In a flash, they were face-to-face.

The first people Xia Le saw were two little kids of eleven or twelve, one with a red nose and the other with red hair.

"Die, Marine!"

Buggy roared.

"Get lost!"

"I'm not here to fight a couple of brats!"

Xia Le roared back.

In an instant, the three collided.

Xia Le threw a punch and a kick.

Bang!

The two brats, who barely reached his waist, abruptly stopped shouting and went flying like cannonballs.

Then he saw the cold-faced Douglas Bullet.

Xia Le suddenly bent his knees and leaped high into the air, black-red lightning coiling around his fist.

"Tell me your name, young Marine!"

Bullet roared, clenching his own fist as an invisible, imposing aura erupted from him.

"Xia Le!"