The New World — Open Sea, Marine Warship Deck
"Report! Pirate ship sighted ahead! Flag confirmed—bounty 410 million Beli, the pirate known as 'Iron Tomb' Baimon—!"
The lookout's report had barely finished when Sakazuki's fist ignited with magma, his gaze turning icy cold.
"Another piece of trash."
"Trash? Then let Lipo handle this one!"Lipo shot her left hand into the air like an eager student volunteering in class.
Gern Reginald Sigmar leaned lazily against the railing, glanced at Lipo—clearly itching to fight—and the corner of his mouth curled upward.
"You're going this time?"
Lipo nodded hard, her long ears trembling slightly with excitement.
"If Uncle Sakazuki goes, there won't even be ashes left!And you always beat them so badly, Gern—there's barely any blood left to draw!"
"Be careful," Gern replied calmly.
Perhaps because it really was just fodder, Sakazuki snorted and, surprisingly, didn't object. He simply folded his arms and stood aside.
Gern didn't think much of it either. After weeks of relentless purges, there was no way a real monster would still be lurking nearby. A pirate crew worth around four hundred million Beli was more than fine as practice for Lipo.
He chuckled softly and made a courteous gesture with his hand.
"Then I'll leave it to you, partner of justice."
"Roger!"
With a light tap of her toe, Lipo launched herself forward. Using Geppo, her petite figure streaked across the sea like a bolt of white lightning, bounding several times before landing cleanly on the enemy ship's deck.
At the same time—
Not far away, another pirate ship bobbed gently with the waves. Its unfamiliar flag fluttered in the wind.
The ship was the Drunken Whale, and standing on its deck was Vasco Shot—'The Heavy Drinker', with a bounty of 825 million Beli.
He tilted his head back and guzzled down a massive mouthful of strong liquor. Alcohol spilled from his sausage-like nose, soaking into his wrinkled clown outfit.
Ever since Gern and Sakazuki had joined forces, the New World's pirate underworld had exploded into chaos.
And so this infamous pirate had no choice but to take down his skull-and-crossbones flag and disguise himself as a small-time crew.
After all, ships flying unknown flags had a chance of slipping past patrols—and sometimes even fooling inexperienced Marine vessels.
"Still haven't left G-3's jurisdiction, huh…?"Vasco Shot belched loudly, squinting his drunken eyes."Those two lunatics are terrifying…"
His gaze suddenly froze as a small figure appeared on the deck.
"Huh…? Hic… Marines?" He shook his head, thinking he was hallucinating."No… wait. A rabbit?"
Standing by the railing, Lipo's long ears stood faintly on end from static electricity. Her pink eyes locked onto Vasco Shot, her small face set in a serious expression.
"You're 'Iron Tomb' Baimon, right?"
Hearing that name, Vasco Shot froze for two seconds. Then he glanced at the flag hanging from his mast.
Realization struck.
And then he burst into raucous laughter.
"Hahahaha! 'Iron Tomb' Baimon?"
He swayed, lifting his oversized wine jug, his greasy nose gleaming from drink.
"And just an Ensign? What—has the Navy started sending kids to catch pirates now?!"
Sobering slightly, he squinted and examined Lipo more closely.
The rabbit-eared girl in a Marine uniform tilted her head as she studied him. Her pink eyes shimmered in the sunlight, her snow-white ears swaying gently in the sea breeze.
"Well now~ Not bad at all!" Vasco Shot let out another thunderous belch.
His gaze roamed shamelessly over her body before settling on her slim waist and long legs. A nauseating grin spread across his face.
"Hehehe… little bunny, did you get lost?"He staggered to his feet, his loose clown costume swaying."Why don't you come have a drink with Uncle here? I'll make you feel… hic… real good~"
The surrounding pirates erupted into lewd laughter. Some whistled. Others shook their bottles and made obscene gestures.
More of them, however, had already drawn their weapons and began closing in with malicious intent.
"Pirates really are disgusting."
Lipo didn't answer. She took a deep breath and slowly clenched her fists.
Bzzzt—!
Weak arcs of electricity crackled across her body as the Mink Tribe's natural electro ability activated.
The next instant, she kicked off the deck.
Crack!
The wooden planks split beneath her feet as her small body launched forward like a cannonball!
BOOM!
The pirate at the front didn't even see her move. A straight punch caved into his chest, sending him flying backward through a cabin wall.
"What?!" Vasco Shot's drunken haze vanished by half.
Lipo didn't stop. Using the Mink Tribe's incredible jumping power, she ricocheted across the deck at high speed. Every landing unleashed a thunderous kick.
Pirates were sent flying like bowling pins, screams echoing everywhere.
"Damn it! Grab her!" Vasco Shot roared. He lifted his jug and took another swig—then spat a mist of alcohol into the air.
"Liquor-Liquor: Drunken Fog!"
Thick alcoholic vapor instantly engulfed the deck.
Lipo's movements faltered.
The fog didn't just block vision—it carried a dizzying, hallucinatory effect!
"Hahahaha! Now let's see you jump, little bunny!"Vasco Shot lunged forward, his obese body shockingly agile as he swung his massive wine barrel downward.
Lipo arched backward at the last moment. The barrel smashed past her nose and crashed into the deck, which collapsed with a thunderous roar.
She flipped backward, her long ears swiveling sharply through the fog—
Mink hearing wasn't something alcohol could dull.
"Left!"
She twisted and unleashed a spinning kick, smashing perfectly into a pirate's jaw. Teeth flew as he dropped unconscious.
Vasco Shot narrowed his eyes. "Interesting…"
He pounded his belly and let out an earth-shaking belch.
"Liquor-Liquor: Combustion!"
"WHOOSH—!"
The alcohol mist ignited instantly. The air above the deck turned into a sea of flames!
Within the inferno, Lipo darted frantically—but part of her uniform still burned, leaving a scorched patch.
The sea wind howled. The atmosphere on deck froze.
"Is this… really a four-hundred-million pirate?"Cold sweat slid down Lipo's forehead. Something was very wrong.
At the same time, Vasco Shot's laughter abruptly stopped. His wine jug slipped from his hand and hit the deck with a dull thud.
Confusion flashed through his half-lidded eyes—then twisted into something vicious.
"It's not that I'm strong," he growled hoarsely."It's that you picked the wrong opponent, little rabbit."
His massive body straightened, casting a looming shadow over Lipo.
"But since you've delivered yourself to me… don't blame me for being rude!"
Lipo's ears snapped straight up, her pink pupils contracting.
She instinctively stepped back half a pace—then steadied herself, clenching her fists as crude Armament Haki wrapped around them like black lightning.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Vasco Shot grinned, revealing crooked yellow teeth.
"Now this is fun!"
Before his words even faded, his fist—coated in violent Haki—smashed downward!
BOOM!
The deck shattered under the force. Wood splintered everywhere.
Lipo flashed aside like white lightning and countered with a whip kick aimed at his knee.
But despite his size, Vasco Shot moved with terrifying agility.
He dodged, seized her ankle mid-air, and swung her like a sack of sand—
CRACK!
She slammed into the mast. It snapped in two as her body embedded into the deck, smoke and dust erupting.
"Cough—!"
Blood spilled from her mouth as she struggled upright, her ears trembling from pain.
Vasco Shot looked down at her, mockery filling his eyes.
"That's it? This is the Navy? What a disappointment."
Lipo wiped the blood from her lips and took a sharp breath. A soft green glow bloomed in her palm as the Healing Fruit activated, rapidly mending her wounds.
"It's not over yet!"
She leapt forward again, legs compressing like springs as she slammed both feet toward his chest.
"Too weak!" Vasco Shot sneered, his Armament-coated fist smashing forward!
The clash detonated with a thunderous impact.
Lipo's small body was blown backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing into the railing. The wooden guard shattered instantly.
Her Armament Haki—still unrefined—collapsed completely under the pressure.
"Cough… cough…"
She curled on the deck, vision blurring as Vasco Shot's massive silhouette advanced like a nightmare.
This was the overwhelming gap of mid-tier New World pirate power.
Against Lipo, it was absolute suppression—the moment he truly fought back.
"Hehehe… never tasted Mink before…"
He exhaled rancid alcohol, his red tongue licking his lips as he raised his enormous hand toward her trembling rabbit ears.
Suddenly—
The air across the entire sea froze.
"…I was wondering why something felt off."
A voice colder than the deepest abyss echoed.
It crawled up Vasco Shot's spine and froze his thoughts solid. His outstretched hand locked in place.
"So it's you, huh—'Heavy Drinker' Vasco Shot."
The instant those words fell—
The pirate ship let out a tortured groan.
The deck fractured like a spiderweb. The air itself seemed to shatter.
"This Haki?!"Vasco Shot's pupils shrank violently.
Gern Reginald Sigmar stood behind him like a ghost.
Dark-purple bolts of Conqueror's Haki crackled around Gern's body like raging thunder serpents. His black blade Eight Desolations was fully unleashed, vibrating amid shrill, high-frequency hums of pale oscillating particles.
"Gern…"Lipo looked at him and called softly, her voice tinged with lingering fear.
She really had been scared.
Seeing her like that, Gern's murderous intent condensed instantly. He stared coldly at Vasco Shot's fear-twisted face.
"If a single strand of my Lipo's fur is missing—"
"I'll carve off a chunk of your flesh."