"Set sail—!"
With Roger's command, the massive anchor was pulled up, and the brand-new sails unfurled with a satisfying whoosh in the sea breeze. The Oro Jackson, a golden ship built from dreams and masterful skill, silently glided out of the dock under the watchful eyes of everyone in Water 7. It moved with an impossible steadiness, its hull cutting through the water with almost no sound of resistance, only a smooth, pleasant gurgle, as if the sea itself were gently kissing its body.
"This ship… it's truly dancing with the sea…" Bluemarine whispered, his eyes filled with fascination as he felt the subtle, living rhythm of the ship beneath his hand.
"Tom—!" Roger stood at the bow, turning back to wave at the giant figure on the shore. "Thank you! This is the best ship in the world!"
Master Tom stood on the shore, his powerful frame looking like a small mountain. He didn't wave back. He just grinned, his signature hearty smile spreading across his face, and shouted the loudest farewell he could muster.
"Go! Go and turn this world upside down! DON!"
His voice boomed like a cannon, echoing over the harbor long after they were gone. The Oro Jackson picked up speed, and the magnificent city of Water 7 slowly shrank into a dot on the horizon. The crew leaned against the railings, their faces lit up with uncontrollable excitement.
"This feels completely different!" Nozdon shouted as he ran back and forth on the wide, spacious deck. "There's so much room!"
"This is what a pirate ship should be," Isaac said, leaning against the main mast with his hand on his sword. Even a man of few words like him had a faint smile on his lips as he scanned the horizon.
Kyle walked over to the custom main cannon that was built into the figurehead and gently ran his hand over the cold barrel. He could feel power and soul in every plank of the ship.
"What is it, Kyle?" Rayleigh asked as he walked over, holding a glass of wine.
"I was just wondering what its first 'laugh' will sound like," Kyle said with a grin.
Rayleigh smiled back and raised his glass. "I think we'll get our chance very soon."
As if on cue, the urgent, loud ringing of the alarm bell came from the crow's nest.
"Enemy attack—! There's a large Marine fleet directly ahead!" Miller Pine shouted.
The relaxed mood on the deck instantly vanished. Everyone rushed to the bow and saw a line of black dots on the distant horizon. As they got closer, the dots turned into menacing warships, their cannons aimed forward and their seagull flags fluttering in the wind. The fleet was massive, forming a crescent-shaped wall on the sea that blocked their path completely. It was an overwhelming and suffocating sight.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Punk Rock gasped. "Did they move an entire Marine branch here to meet us?"
"No," Colonel Mu Gulian said, his voice grim as he took a drag from his cigar. "This is more than a branch. Look at the flagship… that's one of the newest battleship models, the kind they only have at Marineford."
Just then, Kyle's eyes narrowed. He sent out a subtle pulse of electromagnetic waves to scan the enemy fleet and immediately recognized several figures on the flagship's deck. There was a man laughing while picking his nose, a man with round glasses and a serious, intimidating presence, a tall, calm woman, and a burly, purple-haired man…
"This is going to be a problem," Kyle said softly.
"What is it?" Roger asked, turning to him. There was no fear on his face, only eager excitement.
"Garp's here," Kyle said, pausing for a moment before adding, "And… so are Sengoku, Tsuru, and Zephyr."
The most famous monsters of the Marine's new generation were all here, gathered in one place just to sink their ship on its very first voyage.
The next second, a wild, hearty laugh erupted on the deck.
"Kuhahahahaha!" Roger stomped his foot on the ship's rail, drew his cutlass, and pointed it at the massive fleet. His eyes burned with a fire hotter than the sun. "Excellent! This is the greatest welcoming party the Oro Jackson could ask for! Let's go, lads!"
"Oh oh oh oh oh!"
Inspired by Roger's fearlessness, the crew's fighting spirit ignited.
"Finally, a chance to fight some real masters!" Isaac's body trembled with excitement.
"Let's show them what we can do!" Nozdon shouted.
"Alright, boys!" Roger raised his cutlass high. "Kyle! Let our new partner give them its first big laugh!"
"That was the plan!" Kyle grinned and placed his hands on the main cannon. He poured compressed shockwaves into the barrel, and the twin maiden figureheads at the bow seemed to come to life, a bright light flashing in their golden eyes.
Boom—!
No cannonball shot out, only a pure white shockwave, condensed to its limit, which blasted forward at supersonic speed. It tore through the air, creating giant sonic boom clouds in its wake.
On the enemy flagship, Garp seemed to have been waiting for it. He laughed, took a step forward, and threw a punch covered in Armament Haki directly at the incoming shockwave. "Fist Bone: Impact!"
The two destructive forces collided over the sea with a massive roar, instantly creating a huge crater in the ocean. The resulting tidal waves crashed violently against the surrounding warships.
"All ships, open fire!" Sengoku ordered calmly.
In an instant, hundreds of cannons roared at once, and a storm of cannonballs rained down on the Oro Jackson, blotting out the sky.
"Light Illusion Mirage!" Kyle clapped his hands together, and the light around the Oro Jackson twisted, creating three identical illusions of the ship on the water. Most of the cannonballs fell into the empty sea, but a few still accurately locked onto the real ship.
"I've got this!" Jabba roared, spinning his massive twin axes into a whirlwind that deflected every incoming cannonball.
"We need to break through their lines!" Rayleigh shouted, his eyes narrowed. "Isaac, you take the left flank!"
"Right!"
The two of them leaped from the ship's railing, using the splashes from the cannonballs as footholds as they rushed toward the nearest warships. Rayleigh's sword moved like lightning, cutting down every Marine in his path. Isaac was even more direct, using his fast and ruthless strikes to destroy the enemy ships' rudders and masts, taking them out of the fight.
"What an energetic bunch of bastards," Zephyr said from the flagship, flexing his black-coated arm. "Sengoku, I'm going to go deal with that Rayleigh fellow."
"Be careful. His sword is fast," Sengoku warned.
"Oh dear, what a headache," Tsuru said slowly as she watched the Oro Jackson expertly weave through the cannon fire. "We can't let them get any closer." As she spoke, several warships shifted their positions, forming an even tighter net of cannon fire.
"They're trying to surround us!" Spencer shouted.
"Then we'll punch a hole through them before they can!" Roger laughed and unleashed his Conqueror's Haki. A wave of invisible pressure swept across the sea, and the weaker Marines instantly fainted. The Oro Jackson used the opportunity to charge forward, breaking into the Marine formation.
"Tidal Roar Ripple!" Kyle slammed his palm toward the sea, and two massive waves rose up, crashing into the warships on either side and clearing a path.
The battle became a close-quarters brawl. Miller Pine's hammer smashed huge holes in the decks, and Nozdon charged through the enemy lines like a rampaging beast. But there were simply too many Marines. Rayleigh was locked in a fierce battle with Zephyr, and the shockwaves from their fight alone were enough to nearly capsize a warship. Roger, meanwhile, was once again face-to-face with his lifelong rival, Garp.
"Roger—!" Garp's heavy punch sent Roger flying from one ship to another.
"Not good enough, Garp!" Roger just laughed harder, raising his sword and charging back in.
These two are having way too much fun, Kyle thought as he weaved through the chaos with his naginata. He quickly realized that no matter how hard they fought, they couldn't break through the defensive line. Sengoku's commands were flawless, and Tsuru's tactics were brilliant. The Marine fleet was like a giant net that was slowly closing around them. If this kept up, they would all be captured or killed.
"Roger! We have to retreat!" Kyle yelled.
Roger knocked Garp back with a powerful slash and quickly scanned the battlefield. He knew they couldn't keep fighting. He grinned. "Alright, lads! That was fun! Time to go!"
"You want to leave? Not without getting past my fist!" Garp shouted, chasing after him.
"Kyle!" Roger roared.
Kyle took a deep breath, planted his feet firmly on the deck, and raised his naginata high. Endless ripples spread out from him as the sea began to boil and the wind began to howl.
"What is that?" Sengoku's eyes widened, a bad feeling rising in his chest.
"Vortex: Azure Dragon Twister!"
Kyle swung his naginata down, stabbing it into the deck. A hurricane of sound and water instantly formed around the Oro Jackson. Seawater was pulled into the sky, the air shrieked, and a massive waterspout connecting the sea and the sky formed in seconds, completely engulfing their ship.
"You have got to be kidding me!" a Marine soldier screamed in terror.
Before everyone's disbelieving eyes, the giant waterspout slowly lifted the Oro Jackson into the air, pulling it right off the surface of the sea.
"They're getting away!"
"Trying to run?!" Garp roared, about to leap after them.
"Don't, Garp!" Zephyr shouted, grabbing him. "You'll be torn to shreds!"
The waterspout carried the Oro Jackson high above the battle, easily bypassing the Marine encirclement before speeding off into the distance. On the deck, the crew clung to whatever they could as the entire ship tilted and rose into the sky.
"Whoa! Amazing! We're flying!" Nozdon yelled excitedly, his face pressed against the deck.
When the waterspout finally dissipated, the Oro Jackson landed smoothly back on the water dozens of miles away, leaving the Marine fleet far behind. The deck was a mess and the crew was battered and bruised, but they were all laughing.
"Kuhahaha! That was a thrill! An absolute thrill!" Roger shouted, wiping the seawater from his face as he laughed until tears streamed down his cheeks. They had tested their new ship in the most dramatic way possible and had also been reminded of the overwhelming power of the Marines.
Kyle put away his naginata and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. Rayleigh walked over, handed him a flask of water, and patted him on the shoulder. The proud look in his eyes said everything.
Roger walked over to Kyle, put one foot on the railing, and looked back in the direction of the fleet, his spirit as strong as ever.
"Do you see, World Government! This is our ship, and this is our crew!"
The sea breeze ruffled the brim of Roger's straw hat and filled the sails of the Oro Jackson, carrying the lawless pirates toward the deeper, more dangerous waters of the Grand Line.
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