One Piece: The Undying Me Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki First

P.S. Brothers, please support this new book! Vote for it, add it to your favorites, and keep reading—the early days matter so much! It updates daily, so please take another minute or two to catch up with the latest chapter! Thanks to Xiao Xiaoye for the tip!

Jerseylo Island

Night fell quickly, and Garp's fanciful training method clearly couldn't continue.

Bogard was a man of few words, but he thoughtfully brought Xia Le a fresh Marine uniform, along with plenty of meat, vegetables, fruit, and drinking water.

"You need to get your strength back."

The simple words earned him a grateful look from Xia Le.

Their eyes met, and neither said another word.

Then Xia Le began devouring the food.

Death might make him stronger and erase his injuries, but it did nothing to ease the hunger in his stomach.

The night breeze was cool. Given Garp's careless nature, he naturally hadn't bothered to arrange a place for Xia Le to sleep.

Xia Le leaned against the mast and closed his eyes to rest.

Footsteps sounded. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Kuzan creeping toward him with a thin blanket in his hands.

"I thought you could use this!"

Kuzan smiled.

"Thanks!"

Xia Le took the blanket. Kuzan sat down beside him, his back against the mast.

"I've never met anyone like you. You're just a commoner, yet you dared to draw a blade on a noble and defy the Celestial Dragons."

"And you're not a Devil Fruit User, but you just won't die!"

Kuzan smiled.

He was clearly curious, eager to know the secret behind the boy.

"Nobles? Celestial Dragons?"

"How are they any different from us?"

Xia Le fell silent for a moment. When another sea breeze blew past, he spoke.

Kuzan froze. His first instinct was to answer, Of course they're different!

But then he fell silent too and gave the question serious thought.

What was different about them?

Their status. Their standing.

But when he thought harder, they were the same: living people with one head on two shoulders. A bullet or a blade could kill them.

At that thought, Kuzan's expression turned strange. If anyone was a monster, wasn't it the boy before him?

"You're right. There's no difference!"

At last, Kuzan nodded with a soft laugh.

Xia Le said nothing more. He closed his eyes and soon began to snore softly.

The long day had left him exhausted in both mind and body.

The next morning, dawn light spilled across the deck.

Xia Le's eyes flew open. For a moment he felt dazed, but then he remembered where he was and woke fully.

He was no longer in his old world. Even after more than ten days, everything here still felt unfamiliar, as though he didn't belong.

Still, he had to admit that last night was the best sleep he'd had since arriving.

"Garp, Kuzan, Bogard."

Xia Le murmured the three names, a smile appearing on his face.

"Maybe this place will be interesting too!"

Suddenly, the Marine who had stood watch all night blew his whistle.

Tweet, tweet—

The shrill, sustained whistle shattered the morning quiet.

Xia Le stood and walked toward the bow, looking ahead.

"Hey, recruit! Stop looking around and get ready to fight!"

"See that island up ahead? The town's crawling with pirates!"

"That's our target."

"Jerseylo Island!"

Only then did Xia Le notice another Marine in the crow's nest beside the one blowing the whistle. He was shouting down at him.

Get ready to fight?

How was he supposed to do that?

Confusion rose in Xia Le's mind. He had never fought pirates before.

The next instant, hurried footsteps rang out. Figures poured from the cabins and assembled on deck. Their grave, stern faces made the air aboard the ship turn heavy and tense.

A tall shadow suddenly fell over him, and an iron fist came crashing down.

"What are you standing around for? Get in line!"

The thunderous roar made Xia Le flinch. The fist struck his head hard enough to nearly give him a concussion, and he grimaced in pain.

He turned and saw that the man with the close-cropped black hair and square face was Garp.

But the easygoing grin from yesterday was gone. His expression was cold.

"Fall in, Marine recruit!"

Garp roared.

"Yes, sir!"

Xia Le instinctively shouted back, clutching his head, then ran to the back row.

Kuzan was already there, right beside the spot where Xia Le took his place.

The future Admiral stood ramrod straight, his expression solemn and his gaze fixed on Garp at the front. His eyes shone with unmistakable admiration and longing.

"You all know about the urgent mission."

Garp spoke in a low voice.

Xia Le froze. I don't know a thing.

"Early yesterday morning, the Jerseylo Island branch came under a sudden pirate attack. It lost control of the island in very little time."

"The pirates have occupied the town. The Major in charge of the branch made the right choice: the Marines withdrew along with the townspeople."

Garp paused, then smiled.

Xia Le could see the killing intent behind that smile.

"So our job is simple."

"We wipe out every pirate on that island. Not one gets away!"

A Marine in the front row saluted and called out, "Vice Admiral Garp, do we know which pirates they are?"

"Do we need to?"

Garp raised an eyebrow.

The Marine faltered, then lowered his head.

Clearly, their commanding officer hadn't bothered to ask for more details—or simply didn't care.

"Same plan as always."

Garp picked his nose.

"Yes, sir!"

The Marines roared in unison.

Xia Le stood among them, completely lost.

What exactly is the mission? What's the usual plan?

And where's my weapon?

But no one paid him any attention. Even Kuzan merely winked at him before hurrying off to prepare.

Crates of cannonballs were swiftly carried to the bow.

"Let's give them a little greeting!"

Garp grinned and scooped one up.

Xia Le was impressed. He knew how heavy those black cannonballs were. The ease of Garp's movement showed the immense strength in his arm and hand.

No wonder Xia Le's head still throbbed.

The next second, Garp hurled the cannonball.

Whoosh!

It shot through the air at an incredible speed, following a precise arc toward the ships moored along the shore.

Boom!

The deafening blast engulfed a pirate ship in flames. Screams followed.

Xia Le sucked in a breath. The instant the cannonball struck, the ship broke in two at the point of impact.

The warship surged forward, closing on the shore at high speed.

Around Xia Le, Marines drew swords and other weapons. Faces fierce, they leaped from the bow one after another.

"Charge!!"

"For justice!!!"

"Kill those sons of bitches!"

Their cries shook the air, and the atmosphere turned feverish.

Xia Le saw Kuzan rush forward too, short blade in hand, brimming with the passion of youth.

He glanced at his empty hands, turned, and snatched up the Chair beside him. Then he sprinted forward and leaped from the bow.

"Kill!!!"

Behind him, Garp was just about to sit down when he spotted Xia Le running along the shore with the Chair in his hands. He stared in disbelief.

"You little bastard."

"That's my chair!"

Hand-to-Hand Combat

Jerseylo Island.

The battle turned fierce in an instant, with cries of combat shaking the air.

Xia Le followed behind the others. Caught up in the charge, he felt his adrenaline surge and his blood boil.

The pirates reacted fast. As one ship exploded, pirates immediately leaped from the others. A shrill warning whistle pierced the air and carried toward the nearby town.

"The Marines are here!"