Chương 55: Chapter 54 - Attacking Marine Base 16 Part 1.
[Chapter Size: 3219 Words.]
Third Person POV
Somewhere at sea, East Blue.
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...
"So we'll meet later..." Lami announced on the marine ship, securing it to the dinghy with Krieg's prisoners, who looked annoying as they cried for freedom. Luffy didn't even feed them properly, so the group could only cry when their sizes returned to normal.
"Yeah, I decreased the temporary weight of the ship to make it easier to take it to the next naval base. Don't forget to say that you took this ship from us after a confrontation; maybe the marines will reward you with some gold, and I don't want to miss that opportunity," Luffy told Lami.
"Wait, Luffy, why is she leaving? Isn't there a base near Cocoyasi Village Island? Wouldn't Base Naval 16 be faster for Lami?" Nami asked, even making Lami look at Luffy with questioning eyes, expecting him to clarify this.
"Well, it's the same base that should take care of Arlong, but for some strange and very corrupt reason, in my opinion, the pirate has been dominating that area for almost 10 years without the marines interfering, right?" Luffy asked Nami, who quickly understood what the captain was talking about, as she knew how corrupt the marines of that base were and had strong connections with Arlong.
"I understand..." Lami also understood.
"And more importantly, why would I deliver pirates to a base that I plan to rob at the next stop?" Luffy smiled, earning raised eyebrows from those who heard it.
"What do you mean, Luffy?" Kuina asked a bit cautiously.
"Our first stop before Arlong is Base Naval 16; I plan to loot that place before moving on..." Luffy had a sadistic smile as he spoke these words.
"The marines will be very angry about this..." Zoro commented.
"It's not like we haven't attacked a base before, right, Zoro?" Luffy retorted.
"Whatever, I hope to find someone to fight..." Zoro muttered.
"Anyway, let's say our goodbyes. I hope to see you later. Maybe delivering Arlong after our crew destroys a marine base will raise a lot of suspicions for you, so I believe this is the last time you deliver any pirate as a supposed rising pirate hunter." Luffy said, and Lami nodded.
Saying goodbye to everyone, Lami started her dinghy and moved away from Luffy, pulling the marine ship behind her.
"Now let's set this beautiful new ship on course and continue our journey!" Luffy, asking Nami to start navigating it.
Cutting through the stormy waters, the "Black Pearl" emerges from the shadows of the horizon, a sight that would be feared by all seas in the future. Its hull, bathed in a deep ebony, absorbs the sunlight, giving the vessel a sinister and majestic appearance. At the front, the bow is crowned by an Ifrit head carved in obsidian, roaring towards the horizon with imaginary flames dancing in its fiery eyes.
The masts, tall like black spires piercing the sky, support black sails that seem to absorb light rather than reflect it. Each sail is adorned with ancient runes, a mystical touch that adds an aura of dark magic to the ship. The crew's flag, a skull symbol with a straw hat crossed over two crossed bones, fiercely flutters at the top of the main mast.
The main deck of the "Black Pearl" is a choreography of movement orchestrated by the skilled crew. Black cannons, embedded on the sides, give the vessel an intimidating and menacing air, just like at the front and rear, making the ship retaliate from all sides against attacks at sea. The polished wood, carved with intricate patterns, bears witness to the craftsmanship that shaped this naval masterpiece.
The captain's cabin, strategically located in the heart of the ship, is a marvel of dark engineering. The massive door, adorned with carvings that tell stories of victorious battles, opens to reveal a sanctuary of dark leather and golden details. In the center, an obsidian throne serves as the captain's seat, surrounded by star maps and mysterious artifacts.
The giant figure of the Ifrit head at the bow seems to guide the "Black Pearl" through the turbulent waters, a mythological entity bringing with it the fire of destruction. As it cuts through the waves, the vessel leaves a trail of black foam, adding a touch of mysticism to its passage.
The legend of the "Black Pearl" would echo through ports and taverns, inspiring fear and respect. Its destinations are unknown, its origins shrouded in mystery. It is a dark threat that will loom over the seas, a force that defies natural entities, commanded by a powerful crew that would make the world tremble one day.
As he sailed, all the crew members began to explore the new ship with curiosity. The space was much larger for them to train outdoors, and there was even a garden for them to plant trees and plants. This initially shocked him, and they quickly moved inside the Black Pearl to explore the interior.
"Incredible! There's a room exclusively for me! There's even a tank to swim with Megalo!" Shirahoshi shouted from somewhere.
"The kitchen is so large!" Reiju couldn't help but comment.
"There are so many useful things in it; the refrigerator can fit a Sea King!" She concluded as they looked around with curiosity, getting familiar with the place where they would spend a good part of their time.
"Look at these cannons! They can even point to the front of the ship!" Usopp said on the side of the ship, inspecting the weapons and the depot.
"There's a front cannon with a special weapon too." Luffy said, making Usopp's eyes gleam as he ran to see this weapon.
The ship had a laser cannon in the front and an emergency nitro, like the Thousand Sunny; however, the energy was different, using Franky's cola. Luffy could add his heat to recharge the batteries.
"Incredible!" Luffy could hear his excited marksman's shout seeing the weapon.
The captain was quite satisfied with his new ship; it was black and fierce as he always imagined for his own ship. He placed a mold of the Ifrit head at the front of the ship to represent his own identity.
"Luffy, how did you do this..." Kuina approached Luffy at this moment, while getting closer to the ship.
"As I said, I can exchange berries for items, including ships. In this case, I refurbished that ship from Kaya and turned it into this big warship, spending 500 million berries plus 200 on accessories that I placed in the right places."
"That's amazing; you spent all the money, didn't you?" She questioned.
"Yes, I only have 220 million left, adding the 25 Lami brought from the last delivery, I have 245 million now," Luffy said, and Kuina nodded.
"I can't say it's not incredible, so I guess it was money well spent, even though I think it was a large amount," Nami joined the conversation after setting the ship on course.
"There's a room especially for you to map out your maps, so start getting familiar with your new room and workspace," Luffy told Nami.
"Really? I'll check it out!" Nami got excited and ran into the interior of the ship.
"Kuina! Look at these weights!" Zoro drew Kuina's attention in the training area as he picked up giant dumbbells.
"AU!" Chouchou barked happily, seeing a little house in the open space for him, where he couldn't complain, as he asked Luffy for something like this a few days ago. He never liked staying inside the ship, preferring to sleep on the mast like a lookout.
While everyone familiarized themselves with the ship, choosing the best room for them and seeing different structures on the ship to meet their needs, Luffy stood at the bow while looking at the horizon. He was happy to finally have his own ship with a reliable crew that he already considered great.
"Everyone, I think you've taken too much time getting to know the ship. I want everyone gathered for training in the next 10 minutes!" Luffy announced, amplifying his voice so everyone could hear.
It didn't take long for everyone to gather in the middle of the ship, as Luffy wanted to train them before their confrontation with the navy.
"I've set up the weights for you to do your basic training, so no gravity today, but you'll follow the training program."
"Are we not going to train that manual?" Reiju asked with some interest, as there was a skill about flying in the sky, something that interested her a lot.
"Not yet. I plan to start doing that after passing through Nami's homeland. Anyway, you need to strengthen your bodies before that training. I'll be with Nami today since she still has no idea how to use her mythical zoan." Luffy announced.
And without much secrecy, everyone went to their positions in this new training field, which was much superior to the previous one. There was a board where he wrote the training list, with them following this training regimen, it made the captain's job much easier, allowing him to pay more attention to Nami without worrying about the others.
"Luffy, what can I do? I'm much stronger now, but you seem to recognize that my powers are more than the physical strength I gained..." Nami said in front of Luffy.
"First, you now have the ability to fly, try to create wings like me," Luffy said, as wings grew on his back, making his mantle move as they grew within it.
Nami looked attentively at Luffy's beautiful black wings, making him look like some kind of dark angel with those red eyes.
"He's so handsome, both in this form or when he's normal..." Nami couldn't help but have this thought as she looked at Luffy staring at her, who raised an eyebrow as Nami's expression seemed strange to him.
"Nami, focus! Concentrate on the wings. Imagine wings growing on your back like new limbs," Luffy scolded her, and Nami quickly did so to escape her embarrassment with slightly naughty thoughts.
Nami made a mental effort, creating the image of wings growing like Luffy's, a green glow began to emanate from that place, and white wings began to form, but halfway through, they dissipated with another glow, and Nami knelt exhausted from the sudden effort.
"It's hard, it's as if all the energy in my body is spent on this, but I felt it!" Nami said happily, seeing that there were indeed wings growing on her back as Luffy instructed.
"Breathe, this is your first attempt. I know you're excited to fly, but let's take it easy, even if you have to face Arlong tomorrow..." Luffy said, surprising Nami a bit.
"Tomorrow? I thought we would arrive today with the speed of the ship; it's much faster than the navy's, and with your Devil Fruit, that wouldn't be a problem!" Nami complained, wanting to reach her village as soon as possible.
"Hold on there, miss. I want to arrive tomorrow for a reason; I want you to be ready to fight that fish-man, otherwise, you'll lose if you're not yet accustomed to your body. I know your new powers have made you confident, but you must be familiar with them first before this fight." Luffy gave her a lecture.
"I understand..." Nami acknowledged Luffy's reasoning and stood up for another attempt.
She tried to create the wings three times; with each attempt, she improved, and on the last one, she created a huge white wing with a 2-meter span, completing this phase 1 of her transformation.
"I have wings!" Nami jumped for joy, seeing the result of her efforts.
"That's good, now let's get you used to them before we start flying." Luffy said, and they trained without Nami being able to undo her wings, something that impressed Luffy with apparently a natural talent from the girl, who was getting used to the transformation quickly.
"Great, let's stop here; you seem to be getting used to the wings. Now let's start your first flight. These wings are like any limb of your body; it's something like running, putting force into your legs, you gain speed. Use this concept, because at least for me, it works." Luffy crossed his arms and waited for Nami to try taking flight.
Nami began to get used to the movements and control of these wings as she moved them, she started flapping them to gain strength to lift off the ground, after starting to flap with the wings rapidly, forming a wind on the ship's deck, she began to move away from the ship's wood.
"I... I'M DOING IT!" Nami shouted excitedly as she ascended in front of Luffy, who let his hair get messy after receiving the wind from those wings.
"Well done!" Luffy smiled.
"Look at this, Luffy! I can fly! I'm flying, I... huh?! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nami was so excited that she caught the attention of the entire crew in the air, who were watching her demonstration, but soon, excitement turned into fear as she was falling 15 meters from the ground, screaming as she fell.
"Luffy! Help me!" She shouted as she approached the deck in despair.
Could Luffy catch her like a princess? Could he? He just watched her falling.
*Boom!*
She fell from the deck with a strong impact, starting to get up with some difficulty.
"Ouch! WHY DIDN'T YOU CATCH ME? A MAN SHOULD BE A GENTLEMAN WHEN A LADY IS IN DANGER!" Nami growled at Luffy as soon as she got up.
"Nami, your body is strong enough not to feel the impact. I'm your captain, not your babysitter..." Luffy spoke honestly. He wouldn't help anyone unless it was a matter of life and death; they had to solve most of their problems themselves.
"Did you feel the impact, Nami?" Luffy asked, breaking the silence that Nami had as she heard his words.
"No..." She admitted.
"Well, then don't expect my help for trivial things. I like you, Nami, but you'll never grow and become strong if I do everything for you." Luffy said seriously.
"I guess you're right..." Nami admitted a bit embarrassed.
"Now let's continue; I'll fly with you to train in the sky. Hold on tight." Luffy grabbed a stunned Nami by the waist and took off into the sky with her screaming, as Luffy's actions were quite sudden.
"AHHHHH!"
After flying more than 2 kilometers in the air, Nami held onto Luffy like a cat not wanting to let go.
"Luffy, this is not a joke! I'm scared, take me down! Please!" She screamed and cried at the same time.
"Calm down, silly girl. I put negative gravity on you; try to fly. I'll catch you if you fall, but you'll only fall slowly, and the wind here won't bother you with that; this will be your training." Luffy said, making her look suspiciously at him, as there was still fear in her eyes.
"Release slowly... Trust me, when I say I won't let you fall here, it's because I won't let that happen..." Luffy spoke; he could be very tough, but he always did what he said.
"Okay..." She said, releasing him; he caught her by the waist, lifting her in front of him, and asked her to flap her wings.
As she did so, he released his grip on her waist, and she began to fly.
"I'm doing it!" She said excitedly, even though she was afraid to look down miles away from the Black Pearl.
"Very good, keep it up." Luffy smiled at her.
"Luffy, I'm falling!" Nami panicked a moment later.
"Calm down, you'll fall slowly due to the gravity I put here." Luffy clarified and saw her realization in the next moment.
"Huh? It's true, this is amazing!" Nami couldn't help but be surprised when she saw herself falling slowly, just as Luffy said.
"Rest for a bit and resume practicing and ascending when you recover; let's continue with these exercises for the rest of the day." Luffy said, and Nami nodded.
1 day and a half later.
At a Marine base stationed in the middle of the sea on a small island, sailors were at the edge of it, carrying out their daily tasks, mainly monitoring the sea. Despite being a mundane activity, they reported any approaching Marine or civilian ships, a routine duty at this base.
"The base gets so boring when Captain Nezumi leaves for his business..." complained one sailor with a spyglass.
"Yeah, it seems he went to meet Arlong," said his colleague, showing a malicious smile.
"Did you hear that Arlong had a proposal for the captain to earn a lot of money?" the other asked.
"Yeah, I wish I had gone with him, but the captain didn't choose me to go. I hope to get some share of that money because staying here at the base is so horrible and boring!" he grumbled.
"Hm?! Give me your spyglass. There's something coming from the horizon..." His colleague didn't wait for an answer; he snatched the equipment from his hand and looked at the dark spot at least 10 kilometers away.
"A ship, but I still can't see who it is," he analyzed.
"It can't be Captain Nezumi. It must be a trader or even one of ours from another base."
"Or a pirate..."
"..."
"..."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"
"That was good..."
"As if a pirate would attack us, not even Arlong and Krieg have that courage..."
"True."
They continued with their chores while chatting and ignored the approaching ship.
"Hey, that ship is already so close; it looks so strange, don't you think?"
"True, but wait, isn't that a warship and still with a pirate flag? Look at that flag; let me see it through the spyglass."
"WHAT!? IT'S A PIRATE SHIP! THAT FLAG IS STRAW HAT PIRATE WITH A BOUNTY OF 10 MILLION!"
"SOUND THE ALARM!"
*ALARM*
*ALARM*
*ALARM*
*ALARM*
The sound stirred the entire base; meanwhile, Luffy looked at the bow of the ship standing on the head of Ifrit that he placed in front of the ship. He looked forward with crossed arms, and his cloak lifted with the wind from the ship's speed.
"Hm? They finally saw us, but they took so long that we're only 1.5 kilometers away from them. What a bunch of idiots and slackers..." Luffy snorted at this, as they had managed to approach so closely without drawing much attention so far.
Luffy looked at the base in chaos, with sirens blaring everywhere, while sailors ran back and forth carrying weapons, and some prepared cannons.
He raised his hand as he instructed his crewmates as they approached the base.
"Now. Fire!" Luffy lowered his hand, and Usopp and Shirahoshi, who were on the cannons, pulled the ropes of the weapons immediately.
*BANG!*
*BANG!*
The shots initiated a small war on this sea, with the Straw Hat Pirates openly firing on the base along with the naval base, attracting the attention of everyone in the next few days since no pirate had attacked a Marine base so openly in years in this sea.
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