Flow!

A figure walked through the passage beside him. "I did lose, Major Naito."

"Huh?"

Emiya Naito looked up in confusion, still chewing unconsciously.

He looked at Commodore Doll's tall figure from behind and twisted his lips. "Psycho."

Naito couldn't figure out what Commodore Doll was up to, but her attitude had indeed changed quite a bit. At least when they ran into each other now, she no longer looked at him as if she wanted to eat him alive.

The Marine Guerrilla Unit continued training for another week. After the final full-scale exercise, Zephyr finally announced with satisfaction, "Training is over. We can set sail!"

And so, today, after loading up on all manner of supplies, the five enormous warships officially set sail.

Starting today, this irregular Marine force would travel between the various Marine Bases in the New World, pursuing and hunting down dangerous pirates.

Of course, their first priority was still to pursue the group of fugitives. But in the week and more since then, there had been no reported sightings of them in the New World. Even if the Marines wanted to pursue them, they had no way to do so.

So the kindhearted Naito decided it was time to provide a clue.

Tomorrow, Akainu would replace Kizaru as the Admiral stationed at G-1 Base, and Kizaru would return to Marineford.

That way, even though Punk Hazard wasn't particularly far from G-1 Base, Akainu definitely wouldn't make it there in time to provide support.

It was time to act.

The five warships spread out across the sea in a V formation.

The large ship at the front and center belonged to the first division. It was designated Ship One, commanded by Commodore Doll, and served as the guerrilla unit's headquarters.

Inside a spacious room on that ship.

Zephyr slapped a wanted poster onto the blackboard. "This guy is the target of our first operation!"

Naito's rank was low, so he couldn't sit. Standing lazily against the wall, he glanced at the wanted poster.

It showed a burly-faced, bearded middle-aged man.

"Black Axe Leonard, bounty of 560 million Beli. The Leonard Pirates he commands are a large crew with twenty pirate ships and over three thousand pirates. They've occupied the Ruins Kingdom for years."

"Because the Ruins Kingdom isn't a World Government Member State, we've left him alone until now."

"But we're different from ordinary Marines! Our targets are scum like these who do whatever they please!"

Vice Admiral Simon folded his arms and nodded slightly. "The Leonard Pirates? We're starting off with a tough one."

Pirates with bounties over 500 million were rare even in the New World.

Even a headquarters Vice Admiral would struggle to defeat a pirate of that level.

"Isn't that perfect?"

Rear Admiral Marcus said, "Once we take them down, we can announce our arrival to the New World."

"They've occupied the Ruins Kingdom's coastal port area all this time. Even though it isn't an Affiliated Nation, we still need to minimize civilian casualties."

Zephyr said seriously, "So my plan is for the fleet to launch a frontal feint while we use Geppo to infiltrate and take out their leader."

"That's a good idea."

Vice Admiral Simon nodded slightly. "Instructor Zephyr, will you be taking action yourself?"

"I'll go, but this guy!"

Zephyr slapped the wanted poster again and looked at the unperturbed Naito. "Naito, are you confident?"

"What?"

Commodore Doll, who had been listening intently, thought she had misheard. "Instructor Zephyr, you're saying you want him to-"

She turned to look at the sleepy-faced Naito.

No matter how strong he was, he was still only seventeen!

"Instructor Zephyr!"

Simon hurriedly spoke up as well. "Aren't we rushing things a little? We all acknowledge Major Naito's strength, but having him face a pirate of this level already-"

"Naito."

Zephyr didn't answer. He simply repeated his question. "Are you confident?"

Naito's drooping eyelids slowly rose, and a sharp glint flashed in his usually listless eyes. "Then I'll take care of this guy."

He paused, then added, "For justice."

Instructor Zephyr really is considerate. He knows my advanced Armament Haki training has reached a crucial point and just needs a little push.

Unlike those other two. They actually look down on me.

Doll looked at the confident Naito and started to say something, but closed her mouth again and silently lit a cigarette.

So this is what they call youthful spirit?

If it's him, perhaps he really can do it.

Chapter 24: Flow! (Please keep reading!)

The Ruins Kingdom was a small island nation in the New World's entrance region.

But calling the country a kingdom was already somewhat misleading.

It had no king, and it could hardly be called a country.

The royal family had long since been slaughtered, and the country's social order had largely collapsed.

Only two kinds of people lived in the country now: pirates and slaves.

The Leonard Pirates had ruled the country for three years. Because it wasn't a World Government Member State, the Marines had turned a blind eye to it.

At first, some people resisted, but it was no use. Every last one of them was killed by the man wielding a giant axe.

Then, to punish the people of the country for daring to resist, the man named Leonard sold large numbers of young men and women to slave traders.

The slave traders didn't want the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled who remained, so they became slaves serving the Leonard Pirates.

They built a magnificent seaside palace for Leonard, and rows of houses beside it for the pirates to live in.

They cultivated the land for the pirates, hunted for them, and raised livestock for them.

The pirates' palace on the coast was magnificent, with singing ringing out through the night, while many people starved to death every day in the distant slums.

Hope had long since ceased to exist in this country.

So hope came from the sea.

Five enormous warships surged across the sea. At the far end of the horizon, a faint outline was already visible.

Inside Ship One.

Zephyr spread out a map of the Ruins Kingdom and pinned it to the blackboard.

"According to the intelligence we have,"

He pointed to a bay on one side of the island. "The bay we're approaching is where the Leonard Pirates are gathered. It's separate from the ordinary civilians' residential area."

"But there are many civilian slaves in this area. To keep casualties as low as possible, we'll mainly fire on the enemy ships in the port, then use the bombardment as cover to take out their leader."

"Simon, stay on Ship One and take command. I'll lead the others in using Geppo to infiltrate."

"Understood."

Simon nodded solemnly.

"Then prepare to move out!"

Zephyr slapped the blackboard, his tone resolute.

Naito stood lazily to one side.

Hmm. No one's saying whether the shells might reach the residential area, or what kind of casualties the fleeing pirates might cause.

Marines are human too. This is already the limit of what they can do.

In any case, the operation began.

The five warships advanced at full speed, and before long they had drawn close to the relatively small island.

Standing at the bow with Zephyr, Naito held a telescope and looked toward the distant island.

From here, he could already see the pirates moving about in the harbor, as well as the ships moored along the shore.

Those ships were much smaller than the giant vessel beneath his feet—the difference between adults and children.

Just then, the warships stopped advancing and slowly turned broadside on the sea, their densely packed gunports aimed at the distant bay.

Zephyr adjusted his tie. Naito stood behind him, while two Rear Admirals and five Commodores stood alongside him.

"Now then, open fire."

The signalman immediately began sending flag signals.

The order was passed down through the ranks.

The gunners opened the gunports and pushed the loaded heavy cannons out through them, one after another.

Then.

Boom!

One deafening blast was followed by many more. Heaven and earth began to roar, and the air suddenly trembled.

Amid the flashes of fire, cannonballs came together in a rain that poured down on the distant harbor.

"Move out!"

At Zephyr's command, he sprang forward ahead of everyone else, bounding through the air like a phantom.

"Then I'll go on ahead. Geppo: Shun!"

Naito smiled lazily. In the next instant, he appeared in the sky as if he had teleported. The moment his foot stepped down on the air, he appeared again dozens of meters away.

"A combination of Geppo and Soru?"

Rear Admiral Gavin couldn't help saying in admiration, "So fast!"

"If we keep standing here marveling, we really won't catch up!"

Doll was already the first to chase after Naito, watching his retreating figure.

But she simply couldn't catch him.

The valiant-looking female Commodore gritted her teeth inwardly.

The others naturally hesitated no longer and sprang into the air.

As Naito raced through the sky, the first volley of shells landed in the harbor ahead.

The first shell struck a ship in the harbor. In the next instant, flames erupted and a gale howled. The ship was blown to pieces, and the blast even caught a nearby vessel.

And that shell was only the beginning. Cannonballs rained down from the sky.

In an instant, a series of massive explosions swallowed the entire harbor, forcibly turning the bay into a sea of fire. Even the buildings beside the harbor were caught in the bombardment. Several shells fell in that area, immediately making heaven and earth shake.