Strawberry asked, "What should we do next, Vice Admiral?"
Borsalino scratched his cheek lazily. "Hmm… let's just start by tracking down the Sun Pirates~ we'll make a move once we're fully prepared~ after all, those fish-n, each one of them is as strong as a monster~"
Strawberry was left speechless. "Uh… yes, sir."
He lowered his head, turned, and walked out to carry out the orders.
Left alone in his office, Borsalino picked up a mission report from the desk. After flipping through a few pages, he let out his familiar drawl. "How troubleso."
* * *
North Blue, Fuwahana Island. 194th Marine Branch, Recruitnt Office.
Jorisen, now retired, lay back in a rocking chair not far from the clerks recording new applicants. He smiled warmly at the sight of young n lining up to enlist.
He had lived a long life. In his youth he had served in the North Blue, then sailed into the Grand Line. Following an injury, he was sent back to the North Blue, where he guarded Fuwahana Island for decades.
Looking back, through all the twists and turns of his life, his happiest years had been here. Even after retirent, he couldn't bring himself to leave.
Watching the Marines grow stronger year by year filled him with pride.
Then, among the crowd, he noticed a young man. His posture was straight, his face serious, his deanor disciplined. Jorisen's eyes lit up.
From years of experience, he could tell this one was promising.
Slowly getting up, he walked over, carefully examined the youth, and nodded with approval. "Not bad, not bad. Young man, what's your na?"
The youth, with a few grains of rice still stuck to his cheek, turned his head. After a brief pause, he answered honestly, "Vergo."
* * *
East Blue, Reverse Mountain.
Ten marine warships were charging down the current.
Enel sat on the railing of a ship with one leg crossed and the other dangling. His right hand propped up his chin as he watched Bullet, who was caressing a missile like it was a priceless treasure.
With a helpless sigh, he muttered, "Bullet, they're all yours. You don't need to touch them like that."
Back in the South Blue, out of boredom, Enel had built a few missiles powered by lightning. The massive explosions when he tested them had caught Bullet's eye. Since then, this was what he had beco.
Bullet just chuckled. "This is a man's romance."
He pulled a missile half his size from the pile nearby and hoisted it onto his shoulder. The weight, the feel… it was perfect.
Pressing a hand to his forehead, Enel said, "That's not how you use them. Where's the launcher?"
"Too much trouble." Bullet grinned. "I threw it away. The launcher's speed doesn't even co close to mine."
Enel's face darkened. "You're right… it doesn't."
He had no way to properly describe Bullet's thod of "launching."
Monts later, the exit at the base of Reverse Mountain ca into view. Bullet suddenly gave a nacing laugh, stomped his foot, and disappeared, the missile still balanced on his shoulder.
Enel turned his head toward the unlucky pirate ship below, silently offering a prayer. 'In your next life, et
instead. I wouldn't be this cruel… just a clean strike of lightning to ash.'
* * *
Below, Bullet reappeared high above the pirate vessel. Gripping the missile with both hands, he hurled himself and the weapon down.
Boom!
A mushroom cloud dozens of ters tall rose from the explosion. The blast churned up towering waves that surged in every direction.
* * *
Aboard the warship, Enel sighed in resignation.
Yes. This was Bullet's thod of launching: throwing himself alongside the missile.
Given current technology, no launcher could match his speed or strength. It was suicide-style brute force, carried out to perfection.
And with the missiles packed full of compressed electricity and high explosives, the result was always the sa. Death. Ships weren't left behind, only fragnts scattered across the sea.
Whoosh!
Bullet landed back on the deck. His clothes were tattered, but his body was unscathed. Grinning wildly, he said, "Now I understand why that old man Garp loves throwing cannonballs at people. That feeling of explosion is just too good. But his shells don't have the sa power as ours. And he sure isn't as accurate as . Kahahaha!"
Enel shook his head with a smile. "That's true. There are only a handful of people in the world who can actually stop you. When you throw those missiles straight in, even if the target survives, the ship won't. Iron warships would be ruined. As for wooden pirate ships, they stand no chance."
He paused, eyes narrowing toward the distance. "Eh, here co two more. Are there really that many pirates in the East Blue?"
Bullet also saw the approaching ships. He grabbed two more missiles and vanished.
Boom!
Another mushroom cloud rose high into the air.
Enel stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The power's still a bit low. Against strong fighters, this won't do much."
He glanced at Bullet, once again erging from the smoke unhard, and fell into deep thought.
* * *
On one of the pirate ships, panic had already taken over.
Everyone stared in horror at the scene before them. The man holding two strange weapons had thrown one onto the other pirate ship, and in an instant, that ship vanished from existence. The crew stood frozen in disbelief, then terror struck them even harder.
Because that sa man was charging toward them.
Their captain, trembling, swung his sword desperately. "F-Fire! Shoot him! Shoot!"
Bang, bang, bang…
Gunshots rang out nonstop, but while his crew fought in fear, the captain slowly slipped behind them. Without making a sound, he began to float upward.
* * *
Both Enel on the warship and Bullet, having jumped into the air above the pirate ship, froze when they noticed.
"That ability..."
Though caught off guard, Bullet didn't hesitate. His body moved on instinct, and the missile in his hand ca crashing down.
Boom!
A mushroom cloud erupted again.
In the blink of an eye, Bullet appeared in front of the fleeing captain. His massive fra blocked the shockwave as he reached out and grabbed the man, leaping far away to shield himself from the blast.
The pirate captain was stunned. "Th-thank yo—Aaaaaaahhh!!!"
Crack. Crack.
The sound of bones breaking echoed. Bullet had crushed all four of his limbs. Then he pressed a hand under the man's jaw and murmured coldly, "Shut up."
With a quick squeeze, he shattered the jaw completely, forcing it inward so the man couldn't make a sound.
* * *
Dragging him back to the warship, Bullet tossed the pirate captain onto the deck like trash.
Hopping down from the railing, Enel studied him. "I wasn't seeing things, right? He was floating."
Bullet nodded. "Yeah. He definitely floated. Not just floating, he was flying away on his own."
Enel smirked. "So, the Float-Float Fruit. Interesting."
He waved over two soldiers. "Bring the sea stone chains. And have the dic patch him up. Don't let him die."
As the captive was dragged away, Enel turned to Bullet with a grin. "A nice surprise. This fruit has good potential. Now, it belongs to us."
Bullet tilted his head curiously. "Did Dr. Vegapunk create sothing new again?"
Enel laughed. "No, no, not yet."
**
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