T/N: Please don't use your brain too much when reading.
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"O great ocean, you're nothing but water!"
In just ten short days, the Chris had already weathered seven storms, four hailstorms, and two thunderstorms. The weather here was utterly unpredictable—practically demonic!
One moment the sun was shining bright overhead, and the next, a bolt of lightning could come crashing down from the heavens. If it hadn't been for Weiss' quick reflexes, they'd all be dead by now.
But it wasn't just the erratic weather. The number of pirates had clearly increased—and they weren't like the small fry back in the East Blue either. These were stronger, meaner, and more organized, forcing the three on board to stay constantly alert.
These days, whenever they ran into pirates, Weiss would only occasionally step in—treating it as training for the other two. On the Grand Line, he wouldn't always be there to watch their backs. They'd need to learn to survive on their own.
On the Paradise half of the Grand Line, Weiss was practically untouchable. As long as he didn't recklessly charge into Marine Headquarters or Mary Geoise, there was no one who could challenge him.
A year ago, he had already become a swordmaster. And with a year of solid training behind him, paired with the rapid growth phase he was still in, Weiss' strength was now on par with the likes of Marco or Katakuri.
"Captain, we're almost out of food," Karina called out, emerging from below deck. She was currently serving as the ship's cook.
"What? That can't be. Didn't we stock enough for nearly twenty days? It's only been ten." Weiss looked confused. Had their appetites really grown that much?
"My dear captain, have you already forgotten how many storms we've been through? How many pirate crews we've had to fight? All that burns calories, y'know!"
...
...
"Even if you didn't do much fighting, those two guzzled down enough after every battle to feed a sea king!"
Weiss rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Ah... didn't really notice. How's our freshwater supply? I'll take care of the food situation."
As a man who spent years training with a sword in the sea all year round, couldn't find food in the sea? The Grand Line might not always have massive Sea Kings in sight, but it still had plenty of sea beasts and fish.
"Well then, my beloved captain, today's lunch depends entirely on your fishing skills." Karina narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint flashing through them.
Seeing that look sent a chill down Weiss' spine. This girl was getting more and more out of hand. Maybe it was time someone kept her in check.
Those two blockheads on the crew were utterly useless in that regard. When there were no women on board, they never stopped shouting and bickering. But now, with a girl on the crew? They suddenly turned into perfect gentlemen. All shy and proper, as if no one knew what they were really like. Such a farce!
Not wasting any time, Weiss grabbed the sword beside him, and with a smooth dive, plunged gracefully into the sea—hardly making a splash. Perfect form. Ten out of ten.
"Jack, drop the anchor! Weiss is diving for fish. If he fails, we're drinking seawater for the next few days!" Karina shouted up to the crow's nest.
Jack paused mid-rifle polish, covered his face in slight embarrassment, and muttered under his breath. Who knew eating a bit more these days would cause such an issue? Though, to be fair, it had improved his strength noticeably.
In fact, he wondered if the reason his power had stagnated back on Valan Island was because he hadn't been eating enough. Shaking his head, he went to drop anchor.
And so, the Chris sat quietly on the ocean surface, waiting for Weiss' return. In all their time sailing, they had yet to try fish from the deep sea.
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"Captain, there's a ship up ahead—it's anchored and not moving!"
Not far from the Chris, a pirate ship was lazily floating on the waves.
"Oh? Then let's plunder their treasures and their women! Hahaha!" The pirate captain barked with laughter, not even bothering to ask what kind of ship it was.
This pirate crew had just managed to shake off a Marine pursuit that had lasted three whole days. Finally able to breathe, and now… they spotted what looked like a merchant vessel.
In the Paradise half of the Grand Line, most of the ships they'd run into were just rookie traders from the four seas—nothing to be afraid of.
"Captain, that ship doesn't have a flag. Just three strange characters painted on it—'Rescue Ship'. That kind of marking's rare on these seas…" one of the officers advised, trying to keep the captain from walking into a trap.
"Hahaha! Lute, don't tell me you left your courage inside some woman's skirt! Who am I, huh? Say it loud, boys—who's your captain?!"
"Owwww! Our captain is the one and only Doran—the Mad Beast with an 80-million-berry bounty!"
Doran was a hulking brute, over three meters tall. With wild hair and a jagged scar running across one eye, his body was packed with corded muscle. He wore nothing on his torso but a pirate's cape, and within arm's reach lay his massive spiked club.
"Captain, if you say so, I'm fired up now. Let's see if your combat officer has lost his nerve!" Lute licked his lips and gripped his broadsword tighter, eyes gleaming with bloodlust as he stared at the unmoving Chris.
"Boys, let's give them a warm greeting!"
"Aye aye, Captain!"
"Open fire! Fire at will!"
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Jack was just climbing back up to the crow's nest when his face suddenly paled. In the distance, a pirate ship was speeding straight toward them.
"Kadun, get out here! We've got pirates incoming!"
Kadun popped his head out of the bridge, holding a book on navigation. Lately, he had been training every day and studying Grand Line navigation. He realized many basic principles from the East Blue were useless here.
"Pirates? Why are you still reading!?" Jack was already running to the bow with his rifle. Karina heard the commotion and rushed out to join him.
Kadun jumped down from the cabin. He was no longer the weakling who looked like a stiff breeze could knock him over. At least now, he could fight.
The three of them stood at the bow. The pirate ship had its sails full and was charging in without a hint of hesitation—clearly underestimating them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Jack calmly raised his rifle and fired three shots. Three small explosions rang out over the sea as the bullets hit their marks.
His sharpshooting was becoming more and more refined.
"Kadun, Karina—load the cannons! We can't just sit here and take hits."
Kadun nodded, grabbed Karina, and ran over to the cannons. They loaded them with practiced efficiency—this was exactly the kind of scenario Jack had argued they needed them for after they took down a group of pirates.
They couldn't rely on Weiss forever. Their own strength was lacking, so they needed firepower to make up for it.
Weiss had agreed and kept the two cannons on board. They had wheels, didn't take much space, and today… they were finally proving useful.
"You two done?" Jack called out after dealing with a few incoming shells.
"All done! Both cannons are ready!"
Satisfied, Jack slung his rifle and focused on aiming. Being attacked while stationary wasn't ideal. Time to return fire.
Kadun had deflected a few incoming shells. The ones that missed just splashed into the sea—accuracy in pirate-world cannon fire was pure luck anyway.
But for a sharpshooter like Jack, cannonballs were no different from bullets.
After adjusting his aim carefully, Jack lit the fuse.
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Currently at chapter 460 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27