Chapter 46: Encounter with the Three Marine Legends
Staring at the center ship, many pirates still had fear in their eyes—clearly, they'd had run-ins with Garp before… or perhaps just heard too many stories.
"It's not just Garp you need to worry about," Luo Han said.
Watching the three approaching Marine ships, Luo Han sensed a fierce battle ahead.
"What are you afraid of? We've got four top dogs with us," one slightly stronger underling scoffed.
"Yeah! Lord Newgate and Lord Shiki are here—and don't forget Lords Luo Han and Cole! We've got nothing to worry about!"
The lackeys chattered confidently. Even Luo Han almost believed he was that reliable.
"Ahahaha! Finally found you bastards! Newgate! Shiki!"
Standing on the lead warship, Garp looked ecstatic as he locked eyes with Whitebeard and Golden Lion.
"This time, with Rocks gone, the three of us Marines will be sending you off to retirement in Impel Down!"
Retirement? …Apparently the Marines onboard didn't quite get Garp's sense of humor.
Whitebeard and Golden Lion—still in their prime—seemed to develop a new understanding of the word "retirement."
"Haha! So it's you three idiots again!" Whitebeard shouted from the ship's bow.
"What, you saw us split up and thought you could beat us this time? I gotta say—the intel from the World Government is sharp."
"Hahaha!" Garp laughed.
"Check this out! This morning's paper. Every detail about the Rocks Pirates is already public!" he said, waving a newspaper.
Ugh… Whitebeard winced.
Yup, that's definitely something Captain Rocks would do…
Garp laughed again, but Sengoku cut him off.
"Whitebeard, Golden Lion, we can't let you run wild any longer," said Zephyr from another ship.
"Let's end your careers here and send you to Impel Down to rot."
Slash! Slash! Slash! Three crescent-shaped flying slashes shot out toward the Marine ships.
Golden Lion had had enough of the talking and made the first move.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Three punches intercepted the slashes in midair, dispersing them. Even so, the scattered blades left long gashes across the sea's surface.
Despite being shattered, Golden Lion's refined attacks retained immense power—enough to make Luo Han realize just how strong Marine Admirals were.
Boom boom boom! Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr landed on the surface of the ocean.
"Open fire! Sink the pirate ship!" Sengoku ordered.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Sengoku!" a Marine soldier responded.
Clunk clunk clunk… The cannons aboard the Marine ships turned toward Luo Han's vessel.
"Return fire, you bastards!" Whitebeard roared.
In an instant, cannonballs flew everywhere—but they all splashed harmlessly into the sea.
Any that got too close were batted away by the pirates onboard.
Same on the Marine side.
Luo Han was a little disappointed. This wasn't the kind of naval battle I had in mind…
Only Cole looked thrilled, watching the two sides play "exploding fish" with the cannonballs.
Sister Shao stood calmly, smiling as if watching a game.
"Haha! Not working, huh, Sengoku?" Garp laughed.
"Shut up, Garp," Sengoku muttered.
"Zephyr, Garp and I will handle Golden Lion and Whitebeard. You take care of the rest of the pirates, then regroup with us to finish them."
"Got it. I'll clean up the trash first," Zephyr said.
"Oi oi! Sengoku, I can handle this myself!" Garp protested.
"Shut up, Garp," Sengoku growled again.
"Move!" Sengoku barked.
The three of them launched into the sky with Moonwalk, heading straight for Luo Han's ship.
"Bring it, Garp! Sengoku!" Whitebeard and Golden Lion surged forward to meet them.
Clash! Crack! Fists met swords, fists collided in midair—blasts echoed through the sky.
The very air around Whitebeard's punches shattered like glass, invisible shockwaves rippling in all directions.
On the ship, pirates were knocked off their feet.
No good! If this keeps up, the ship's gonna get wrecked!
"You idiots! Move the ship out of here!" Luo Han shouted.
…He might've picked up that "idiot" tone from Whitebeard.
"Where do you think you're going, trash?"
Zephyr had already reached the ship, glaring down at Luo Han and the other pirates.
Suddenly, he felt a massive force slam into him—he barely had time to coat himself in Armament Haki.
Boom! Zephyr was blasted off the ship and into the sea.
Splash! Thud thud! Zephyr used Moonwalk to rise into the air again.
He looked at Luo Han and the crew, startled and puzzled.
I thought this ship had no more strong fighters… Where did that come from?
"Ara~ this handsome Marine gentleman, I'll leave him to Luo Han and Cole," Sister Shao said with a smile. "Let's move the ship so they have room to fight."
"So reliable! We're blessed to have Lord Luo Han with us!"
The lackeys were back to fanboying.
Luo Han was left speechless.
"Alright. You guys move the ship. Cole and I will handle Zephyr," he said finally.
There weren't many who could take on Zephyr anyway—maybe Sister Shao, but she clearly didn't want to fight.
Fine. Whatever.
Ignoring the useless cheerleaders behind them, Luo Han and Cole flew into the sky to face Zephyr.
Clang! Clang! Crack! Another round of midair collisions.
Garp and Sengoku noticed the situation.
"Looks like we've got unexpected trouble," Garp said.
"No worries. Zephyr should handle it. No intel on those two—probably recent recruits," Sengoku said, studying Luo Han and Cole but finding no matching records.
"Haha! Sengoku, we actually had to split up this time," Golden Lion said.
"Don't forget—it's the Rocks Pirates who currently dominate the New World."
Sengoku winced. He couldn't deny it—but it still pissed him off.
"So what?! We'll send all of you to Impel Down today!" Sengoku shouted.
And with that, the four resumed their chaotic aerial battle—neither side gaining ground.
They could probably fight for days unless something tipped the scales—and that "something" depended on the fight between Zephyr and Luo Han & Cole.
Meanwhile, Zephyr was growing serious. Floating midair, he studied the two.
They can fly? Must be Devil Fruits. And they're in stable forms—not temporary ones…
While Zephyr was still thinking, Cole couldn't wait any longer.
"Han-ge! I'm going in first!" he shouted.
He activated his half-beast form and launched forward with Moonwalk.
"Divine Fist Style!" Cole roared, throwing a punch at Zephyr.
"Hmph!" Zephyr coated his arms in Haki and struck back.
Clang!!! A massive shockwave burst from the collision of their fists.
Waves erupted beneath them from the force.
After a brief clash, both were pushed back ten meters.
"Kid! Who the hell are you? With power like that, why become a pirate?"
Zephyr looked at Cole's young face, a touch of regret in his eyes.
(END CHAPTER)
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