Assault on Punk Hazard! Reinforcements
"Hey, Naito! Look!"
Binz suddenly cried out.
"Hm?"
Naito looked back in surprise.
Large crowds had gathered along the shore of the island they were gradually leaving behind.
They were too far away to hear their voices now.
But he could see some bowing, some waving, and some shouting something.
"They all came to see us off!"
Binz laughed. "Is this how heroes get treated?"
Heroes?
The corners of Naito's mouth lifted slightly. "I told you, Binz, that has nothing to do with you."
Marine Naito was meant to be a great hero.
Chapter 26: Assault on Punk Hazard! Reinforcements
The fleet was approaching the nearest G-5 Base. They needed to drop off the pirates on board first.
What happened to those pirates afterward was none of the Marine Guerrilla Unit's concern.
On the deck of the first ship.
Naito had once again entered a trance, doing squats with a massive barbell.
Stamina was the foundation of all abilities.
Not far away, in the shade of the cabin, Vice Admiral Simon was drinking tea with Zephyr. The veteran Marine vice admiral looked at Naito's back and spoke with admiration.
"He's already started training again? So gifted and yet so diligent. I can see why you hold him in such high regard, Teacher Zephyr."
He had thought it terrifying enough that Major Naito could be compared to Sakazuki and Borsalino when they had just graduated.
But who could have imagined that he would master Advanced Armament Haki so quickly?
To put it bluntly, Sakazuki and Borsalino right after graduation were definitely no match for Naito.
Naito's strength now ranked among the best in the entire Marines.
Simon thought for a moment, then said softly, "Perhaps he could become a second Vice Admiral Garp."
He was only seventeen. His body had yet to fully mature, and he was still at an age when he could improve rapidly.
Zephyr took a sip of tea. "Naito won't become a second anyone. He's just himself."
At least that guy Garp wasn't a Devil Fruit user.
Speaking of abilities, Zephyr felt a twinge of regret.
Naito had eaten a Devil Fruit too early, and it just had to be one that wasn't particularly powerful.
If Naito had been given a Zoan Devil Fruit, even one that wasn't a Mythical Zoan, his strength would have reached another level.
"Hahahaha!"
Simon laughed. "Even you have a soft spot for your best students, Teacher Zephyr."
Zephyr merely smiled faintly. Without answering, he quietly took another sip of tea.
"I've rested enough. It's time I started working hard too."
Zephyr stood up.
Back to rehabilitation.
I have to recover more of my strength.
Otherwise, even though Naito had grown this strong, it would be difficult to defeat that group of escapees if they ran into them again.
"Oh? Has Naito rubbed off on everyone?"
Simon smiled and continued drinking his tea.
Unlike Teacher Zephyr, whose strength had declined dramatically because of his state of mind, Simon was at an age when it was already difficult to grow stronger through training.
As for Naito rubbing off on everyone-
Beside Naito, who was mechanically performing weighted squats, Commodore Doll was gritting her teeth as she did weighted push-ups with a large block of iron on her back.
The commodore's arms were trembling, and sweat poured from her face onto the deck.
"Commodore Doll, you don't have to compare yourself to Naito."
Ain, who had also finished a round of Six Powers training and was sitting against the railing to recover her strength, spoke with some exasperation. "When he trains, he's like a machine. It's as if he's completely lost awareness of everything around him."
"Are you kidding? I'm nowhere near my limit yet!"
Doll's words came out from between clenched teeth.
Ain shook her head helplessly.
Back at the training camp, there had always been people who initially thought they could keep up with the intensity of Naito's training.
All she could say was that the ability to work hard was an extraordinary gift in itself, and not everyone possessed it.
"But-"
Doll struggled to lift her head and looked at Naito's expressionless face. "He's really not asleep?"
Ain quickly warned her, "He's just too focused. Whatever you do, don't disturb him right now, or Naito will attack without hesitation!"
Doll's red lips parted slightly.
He can go that far just to train?
Naito, you...!
I acknowledge your resolve!
So I can't give up either!
Doll's gaze sharpened.
And then-
"Whoa-"
"Commodore Doll!! Someone, hurry and help move the iron block!"
And what was Naito, who was training so diligently, doing at that moment?
The New World, somewhere at sea.
A lush island lay quietly in those waters.
It appeared to be uninhabited. As far as the eye could see, there were only mountain peaks and dense vegetation covering the island.
A small boat gradually approached the island.
Naito, once again possessing World, stood at the bow and gazed at the unremarkable-looking island.
"Master, the gate is up ahead."
Luna stood beside Naito.
The boat rounded a cape and entered a small bay.
At the far end of the bay stood two enormous metal doors. They had been somewhat concealed, but were quite obvious once one drew close.
"My lord, how are we going to get in?"
Behind him, Anthony asked in a low voice.
Naito simply raised his right hand.
Invisible matter condensed into a giant sword.
"Like this."
Whoosh!
The sword pierced the air in an instant. Under the power of the More-More Fruit, its speed and size soared, and friction set the air ablaze. Though the sword was invisible, it now trailed a long tail of flames.
There were no guardians on Punk Hazard worth worrying about at the moment, so they could simply go straight in.
Faster than sound could follow, the invisible giant sword slammed into the tightly shut metal doors like a meteor.
Boom!
The metal doors were pierced straight through and abruptly collapsed with a tremendous crash, revealing a dark passage.
"We're speeding up."
Naito raised his hand. An invisible giant hand grabbed the boat, and its speed surged.
Inside Punk Hazard, this was the port area that connected it to the outside world.
Just moments ago, an invisible force had pierced straight through the sturdy metal doors.
The completely invisible attack had continued unabated into the port, slicing several ships in two before smashing into the wall separating the different areas and blasting a huge hole through it.
The port area erupted into chaos.
"What happened? Where did that attack come from?"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Sound the alarm!"
Amid the chaos, a boat came flying in through the passage connected to the sea.
It was truly flying, at a speed that left people dumbfounded.
The boat shot straight into the port, sending many caught-off-guard guards and Marines flying along the way.
"Who the hell are you?!"
An officer wearing a Justice Coat, with the rank of lieutenant commander on his shoulders, roared as he drew his sword and charged toward the boat as it gradually slowed to a stop.
"Ugh!!"
The lieutenant commander was forced to stop before he could even take a step closer.
He felt himself being grabbed.
An invisible giant hand had seized him!
He couldn't budge it. It felt as though the slightest extra pressure would crush him!
The giant hand carried him forward to the bow of the boat.
"You're-"
The lieutenant commander's eyes widened.
Because he saw the man standing at the bow. "Byrnndi-"