"Ready? Usopp, if you are, let's begin..."
Sanji grabbed Usopp's arm and asked.
"Okay... alright, come on!!"
Usopp's teeth chattered, and his whole body trembled as he replied.
"Let's begin...3"
Upon hearing that Usopp was ready, he pressed Usopp's hand without hesitation and began the countdown.
"...2"
Zoro followed suit in the next moment.
"...1"
" Impact!!"
After Luffy shouted his last words, everyone responded in unison, then grabbed Usopp's arm and pressed him down.
boom...
A powerful Impact erupted from Usopp's hand, propelling the entire Going Merry into the air, where it slowly rose under the buoyancy of the Balloon octopus.
Thump...
Jonathan knocked Luo Chen, who was blocking with both hands, away with a single blow. Then, hearing the noise behind him, he turned around and looked over.
"Hmm... This is?! This is the reason you said it could help the Straw Hat Pirates leave this place, right? I'm really surprised."
However, this still won't allow you to leave...
He glanced at it with slight surprise, then turned his gaze to Luo Chen and spoke to him leisurely.
"Really? Then you should take a good look at how they overcome their difficulties..."
Shura: Thorny Blood Road!
After Luo Chen finished speaking, he bent down slightly and placed his hands on the ground.
Clang clang clang...
In an instant, countless red spikes suddenly shot out from the ground, piercing directly beneath Jonathan, attempting to penetrate him.
"Hmm... Geppo!!"
Swoosh...
"That was close! I never knew you could use your abilities like that. If I hadn't been careful, I would have fallen for your trick..."
Jonathan used Geppo to ascend into the air and said with a smile.
"Aren't you still alright?... Armament: Straight Punch!!"
Luo Chen lightly stomped his feet and charged towards him like a cannonball, his right hand wrapped in Armament Haki, delivering a punch straight to his face.
"Heh, naive... Black Fist!!"
Thump...
Jonathan countered with his own fists, which were coated in Armament Haki. Their fists collided, creating a chaotic whirlwind of air currents and storms.
"Uncle Usopp, get up! It's not ready yet, we need to trouble you to use it again..."
At the bottom of the Going Merry's cabin, Zoro and Sanji, who had been thrown back by the recoil, quickly stood up again, reached out and grabbed Usopp, pulling him back to where they were, ready to do it again.
"What, you want to do it again...?"
Upon hearing this, Usopp turned pale and was reluctantly dragged there by them.
"Alright... then I'll use it again. Remember this: the injuries I'm sustaining are for the Going Merry..."
After being pulled there, Usopp made up his mind again and spoke to Zoro and Sanji.
"Okay, I'm ready, let's begin... 3"
"2"
"1"
" Impact..."
The three shouted in unison, and then pressed the button again.
boom...
This time, thanks to everyone's efforts, the Going Merry finally passed the fortress and rose into the sky once more.
"Quickly... quickly use the cannons! Aim at the Straw Hat Pirates ' ship and fire!!"
In the command room, Drake, in place of Jonathan, instructed his men to aim the gun emplacements at them and prepare to fire.
Bang...
At that moment, Colonel Shepherd, who was below them, once again 'did a good deed' for the Straw Hat Pirates.
He originally intended to shoot down Luffy's ship, but he accidentally destroyed the cannon instead, allowing them to escape.
"Oh my! This is really... Colonel Shepherd, you've really done me a great favor!!"
Jonathan was also observing their movements. He had originally thought that he could bring the Straw Hat crew down, but he had overlooked one person and could only watch helplessly as they left.
"Haha, I told you so, Vice Admiral Jonathan, their luck is truly extraordinary!!"
Luo Chen smiled and said to him.
Swoosh...
After he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye, only to suddenly reappear in front of Jonathan.
"Don't let your guard down, Vice Admiral... Crimson Breath Dragon Fist!!"
Chant...
Luo Chen's black fist, encircling the crimson dragon, roared towards his head.
Thump...
The sound of flesh colliding rang out, and Jonathan's figure flew backward like a cannonball.
boom...
His body slammed directly into the mountainside, creating a huge crater that was covered by smoke and dust.
brush...
Jonathan quickly stood up, looking expressionlessly at Luo Chen's location, his body slightly shifting.
Swoosh...
"Maximum Armament Haki... Black Arm!!"
Jonathan appeared in front of Luo Chen in an instant, his black fist carrying immense force as it swung down directly at him.
boom...
"It's time to stop... Vice Admiral Jonathan... There's no need for us to continue!"
Suddenly, his fist stopped less than a centimeter away from Luo Chen's forehead, while Luo Chen's condensed palm blade stopped at his neck.
"Hmph, you were the one who called for war, and you're also the one who called for a halt. What exactly do you want, Luo Chen...?"
Jonathan had been truly enraged by Luo Chen's unpredictable attacks since the beginning, couldn't help but ask a question.
"What do I want? I want them to stop, of course. Isn't that what you wanted too?"
You think I don't know that you haven't been serious from the very beginning? I suppose you share the same thought as me...
After fighting against Jonathan for a while, Luo Chen guessed his thoughts.
He likely turned a blind eye to Luo Chen's grandson because he had received a favor from Garp at headquarters, but he had to take action because of his duty. It was Luo Chen's appearance that gave him the idea to do so.
"Phew... you're right."
So, what do you want to do next?
Jonathan, whose thoughts had been guessed, breathed a sigh of relief, turned and walked towards the base, but stopped after a few steps and turned back to ask him.
"Me?! Of course, I'm sticking to the plan. Vice Admiral, you're not going to back out, are you...?"
Luo Chen was referring to Jonathan's promise to give him a ride on the way to headquarters.
"Really? Then let's get ready to depart here. We'll set off the day after tomorrow!!"
I have other things to attend to, please do as you please...
After Luo Chen's deliberate reminder, Jonathan paused before speaking.
Then he used his Geppo to hurry back to his residence to take care of the remaining matters.
"Honey, you're back..."
Outside Jonathan's office balcony, his wife Jessica stood there, waiting patiently for his return. Finally, when she saw Jonathan appear before her, she exclaimed with delight.
"Yes, I'm back, Jessica..."
Jonathan nodded and pulled her into his arms.
"Hehe... How enviable! Should I also find a partner in this world?"
Hmm... never mind, the most important thing right now is to improve our strength. A Headquarters Vice Admiral is already this difficult to deal with...