"Even the system gets 'slapped in the face' sometimes, huh?"
Kenji was in a good mood, chuckling as he read the entire mission content, then his eyebrows shot up.
"Oh? 3 random upgrades? The reward is quite generous."
"The difficulty of this mission… seems a bit mismatched with the reward."
"Is it really out of shame and anger?"
Even in the system's timeline, Kenji was a highly decorated and powerful Marine Commodore, far from being comparable to a "useless" Rear Admiral like Truger.
The strength of the Nine Snakes Pirates primarily lay in Empress Monika's combat power, which appeared to be higher than described in Marine intelligence reports.
However, currently, her combat power seemed limited and not a significant threat.
"If the system isn't 'acting up,' then… there's something else going on?" Kenji grew a bit interested and got up to the bow of the ship.
At this moment, the Nine Snakes Pirates in the distance were still continuously firing arrows, and it wasn't just Monika. Some female warriors with astonishing vigilance were also drawing bows and shooting arrows.
It was just that these female warriors' abilities were ultimately inferior to Monika's. Most of the arrows they shot went off target after crossing a long distance, and the few that hit had greatly reduced power.
In fact, the Marine warship still only needed to focus on dealing with Monika's arrows.
Boom! Boom!!
After reacting, the Marine officers and soldiers quickly fired cannonballs in return.
Although the target pirate ship was too far to hit, the cannonballs still blocked most of the arrows.
Sakazuki stood by the ship, directing the troops, occasionally striking down any arrows that slipped through.
"Damn it! They're using the Calm Belt as cover!"
Looking at the pirate ship stably anchored not far away, Sakazuki couldn't help but clench his fists.
The Calm Belt, as a nest for Sea Kings, was undoubtedly extremely dangerous.
Ordinary ships couldn't even sail in this sea area.
And the Nine Snakes Pirates' ship was anchored near the edge of the Calm Belt, but still a certain distance away.
At this distance, they could see the enemy, but their cannonballs couldn't reach.
If the enemy were even more 'annoying,' they could even make the pirate ship repeatedly jump back and forth along the dividing line between the Calm Belt and the Grand Line, going in and out, primarily to 'mess with the opponent's mindset.'
"Do they think they're absolutely safe hiding in a place like that?"
"Don't underestimate the Marine!"
Sakazuki finally couldn't bear it any longer, stepping onto the ship's railing, preparing to brave the Calm Belt alone.
Just then, Kenji arrived at the bow, raising his hand to signal Sakazuki to step back.
"Admiral Shirojishi, you are…" Sakazuki's expression stiffened, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"I didn't expect Admiral Shirojishi to take action personally… Damn it, I can't even deal with a mere Nine Snakes Pirates!"
He lowered his head slightly, a wave of frustration surging within him, but it was quickly washed away by a resolute thought.
"Sakazuki, you stay and guard the warship." Kenji simply instructed.
The next moment, he rose, running through the air, quickly rushing towards the pirate ship in the distance.
At the same time, on the Nine Snakes Pirates' ship, the female warriors also noticed the commotion on the opposite warship, watching wide-eyed as a figure rushed into the air, running by stepping on the air.
"What does that Marine officer want to do?" Monika was the first to spot Kenji leaping into the air, but she didn't recognize his identity.
After all, she was just a young woman who had been in office for less than a year, and probably lacked guidance from elders before.
At this moment, her pair of alluring eyes stared intently at Kenji running in the distant sky, her full red lips slightly parted, and she said in surprise, "Does he intend to force his way through the Calm Belt by air?"
Then she sneered, "Hmph! This little Marine wouldn't think the sky above the Calm Belt is safe, would he? How naive!"
"However, the Marine's skill of walking in the air is indeed good. Is it the so-called Six Styles? A bit interesting…"
As she spoke, the situation in the distance suddenly changed, and the sea surface beneath Kenji suddenly churned violently.
Before long, several massive figures burst through the sea surface, they were several incredibly huge Sea Kings.
One of them, an eel-shaped Sea King, was the fastest, opening its gaping maw to bite fiercely at Kenji, and releasing tens of thousands of volts of high-voltage electricity.
"Hehehe~ You fell into my trap!" Monika laughed happily, her waist swaying, her chest trembling.
"Attempting to force your way through the Calm Belt will result in this outcome."
The female pirates gloated, but the Marines on the other side showed little reaction, not displaying the slightest worry or fear.
Monika was very perceptive, catching the calm expressions of the Marine personnel, and she vaguely felt that something was amiss.
She quickly turned her head and looked at the distant sky again, then saw a shocking scene.
She saw that Kenji, who had been ordinary while walking in the air, suddenly emitted a dark red light all over his body, with streaks of Haki swirling around him.
The moment the dark red light appeared, the several ferocious Sea Kings attacking from below instantly rolled their eyes, as if they had died on the spot.
Monika didn't understand, but she was greatly shocked.
"I won't let you get close like this…"
Monika gritted her teeth, raised her hand, aimed at Kenji in the distant sky, drew her bow, and shot an arrow.
Just then, a calm voice, tinged with surprise, suddenly came from behind her, "That light… is Conqueror's Haki!"
"Damn it! The opponent is an Admiral! Retreat quickly!"
Upon hearing this, Monika looked at Kenji in the distant sky in surprise, focusing on the dark red light swirling around him.
She asked in confusion, "That light… is Conqueror's Haki?"
"Can Conqueror's Haki be seen with the eyes?"
The calm voice from behind sounded again, this time with a hint of haste and panic.
"No time to explain! I'll tell you slowly later, we must leave as soon as possible!"
Under the insistence of this voice, Monika finally took the advice and ordered a change of course to return to Island of Women.
However, their movements were a bit too late.
Or rather, Kenji was too fast.
Kenji continuously suppressed the Sea Kings that surged from the sea, his running pace never slowing.
Before long, he had already arrived above the pirate ship, and then his figure plummeted at high speed.
Like a meteor flashing across the sky.
Bang!
A few seconds later, Kenji landed precisely on the pirate ship, his feet heavily stepping onto the deck.
The massive warship suddenly sank under this step, its waterline rapidly rising, and the entire ship body shook violently.
"Ugh, you dare to step on my…"
Monika was furious, about to get up and attack him, but then she realized her body couldn't move, and her face instantly turned pale with fright.
Thud! Thud!!
At the same time, the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground came from behind her, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw female warriors rolling their eyes, losing consciousness, and falling straight down.
"Heh, I was wondering what was going on… So it was you causing trouble, huh?"
Kenji stood on the deck, scanning around, his gaze finally settling on a certain figure opposite him.
"Gloriosa!"
(End of Chapter)
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