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Chapter 23
Title: I am the law...
….
Ace had the decency to look embarrassed when informed that he could have used a transponder snail and not ride off to meet Max personally. Which ended badly for the pirate.
"Ah, yeah… I knew about that." Ace tried to make a layman excuse, but no one believed him.
Even Max looked at him strangely, seeing stupidity in the anime was funny, but in real life… well it was still funny, but he couldn't comprehend why Ace would never even think of using a transponder snail. Those things were pretty much like radios.
Ace looked around and uncomfortably and with a smile requested, "So… can you guys let me go?"
Max raised a questioning brow at that. "No."
"C'mon man, aren't we like rivals or something?' asked Ace as his body slumped down in weakness due to the sea stone handcuffs weakening him, "You have to let me go so we continue to fight as rivals while making each other stronger."
"That is something that would happen in a story, and I wouldn't consider you a rival since both times I have defeated you it was done with minimal effort," said Max, making Ace feel like with each word an arrow pierced the pirate's heart. The marine captain then smirked maliciously. "Actually it might be more beneficial to kill you and take your fruit."
"Ahhhh!" Yelled out Ace, his body seemingly being reenergized even with the sea stone handcuffs on him, "I don't want to die in such a lame way!"
*sigh* Raynare got tired of him and went to Max, whispering in his ear. "I think we should kill him."
Max contemplated the decision as he saw Ace's ship coming getting closer. "Ray, go and tell the rest of the cannon shooters to not blow that ship up… and call the pirates in a transponder snail. Set up a meeting."
Ace breathed a sigh of relief at that and smiled. "You are not such a bad person, Bear guy."
This made Max shrug nonchalantly. "We will see about that."
….
Ten minutes later and Max was taking some 'compensation' from the Spade Pirates. It wasn't much in comparison, only a couple million Beri of gold, silver, and other treasure. Ace was left pouting by the side as the exchange happened.
"Sorry for our captain's actions," Deuce apologized sheepishly.
"No, no, don't worry. Hahaha," Max laughed greedily. "Next time bring more money though, I have never seen pirates poorer than you guys. The other criminals I rob- *cough* confiscated from usually had at least a couple dozen million Beri. So try to be better pirates."
"This guy… is even worse than a pirate," whispered someone from Ace's crew and their captain couldn't agree more.
Max even had the audacity to give them a thumbs up and encouraging speech as they sailed off.
"Do you think it was a good idea to let them leave, sir?" asked Raynare as the wind around them picked up and the sky got darker. But her captain didn't seem bothered by this and shrugged.
"We will see," he said while looking at the setting sun, "This world isn't just black and white Ray. There are bits of gray everywhere, even the evilest of people had a reason to be so. Even though some are truly born evil, is it their fault for being born so?"
Raynare frowned. "I… don't know sir."
"Good," Max nodded, "Then let's figure these things out together."
….
Some days later, and Max's ship had finally reached land again, when he got notified of this, the first thing he did was check out what kind of island it was. It seemed to be some kind of flower-shaped island.
Raynare had a small frown on her face as she read a book next to him. "There is no record mentioning these islands on the ship library. Should we go and check them out or avoid the whole thing?"
"Neither," Max said with the hint of a smile on his face, "I will go in and the rest of you stay back."
Raynare didn't rise up to the bait, usually, she would ask to go with him. But as the second in command, she had to stay back and manage the marines in the ship in case of a dangerous event.
But Max knew something that none of the people here did, and that was what these island's true nature. He remembered Ussop's training in the two-year time skip. This was the place where he had trained. These were called Bpin Islands and inside of them were forests full of food, from normal fruits to sandwiches that grew on trees. Though he wasn't going in there for the food, instead he was going for the many plants that grew in the Boin Islands. Usopp's plants gave the weakest Strawhat quite an advantage.
"Take a transponder snail with you," said Raynare, carefully hissing the hint of worry in her eyes. He smiled at her and nodded, before doing what she suggested.
…
It didn't take Max long to get in a rowboat and start rowing towards Boin Island. As he got closer, he sensed something come down towards him from the sky and saw that it was a giant bee.
Max took out his bat and as the creature cot closer, smashed the thing in one swing, splattering the while insect's body on the water.
Immediately as soon as that happened, a dozen or more bees entered which caused him to get serious. He couldn't fight in a small boat like he usually would, and if he turned into his bear form then the whole typing would sink. Max hadn't yet learned Geppo, even though he was taught the theory behind the move from Garp. The only Rokushiki move he knew was Soru that required him to kick off the ground to move faster. Something that was useless at the moment.
But Max wasn't helpless, he knew long-range attacks. Garp had used to throw around cannons. To Max that was inefficient, since he couldn't take cannonballs everywhere and he couldn't throw them as Garp did.
Still, he usually held small balls made out of metal in his pockets, so he could flick them at his enemies and they became faster and stronger than any normal bullet shot by a gun.
<Metal Machine Gun>
He started shooting out his small metal beads and riddled the bees in the sky. Killing them easily, but he didn't wait in place for much longer and instead went to sow as fast as he could. Which with his strength was faster than most motor boats.
Once Max reached the shore, on the edge he saw some kind of fat bear eating a cake. He smirked at the animal, "If you keep eating so much eventually the island will swallow you."
The Boin Island itself was carnivorous and ate all of the creatures that had been fattened up by the food on the island. Honestly, he didn't remember much from the anime about this island and how and where Usopp got his plants that he used to attack with. But by using his logic, Max assumed that the deeper he went into the island the more dangerous plants would show up and the harder it would be for people to get out of the place.
Max though didn't mind any of this and smiled, excited to train and learn how to beat all of the creatures in here. 'Let's see how strong I can become and how much I will learn from this place.'