The moment his words fell, Orion didn't hesitate in the slightest, slowly raising his right fist.
Black Conqueror's Haki lightning coiled around his arm like ferocious dragons, while his supremely refined Armament Haki dyed his entire arm pitch black, as if capable of devouring all light.
He didn't aim at the bizarre colored fog, but instead directed his fist toward the sea ahead of the training ship.
The next second, he threw a punch!
There was no earth-shattering roar, only a dull, soul-shattering hum that seemed capable of shaking one's very spirit.
BOOM—
The sea before the training ship exploded as if struck by an invisible nuclear bomb, violently collapsing into a bottomless giant crater! Immediately after, an indescribably terrifying energy erupted wildly from the depths below!
The training ship jolted violently, the tremendous recoil lifting the entire bow high into the air!
"Ahhhhh—"
A chorus of screams instantly erupted across the deck.
Before anyone could react, the training ship abruptly accelerated like a cannonball launched from a catapult, then soared into the sky!
The hull screeched as it violently scraped against the air, defying all laws of physics as it shot into the clouds!
That eerie seven-colored fog was left far behind.
On the deck, every intern experienced what it truly felt like to have their souls leave their bodies.
Trafalgar Law, known for his calm and steady demeanor, was pressed firmly against the ship's railing while clutching his sword Kikoku, his mouth agape wide enough to swallow an egg.
His iconic spotted hat had long since flown off to who-knows-where.
His eyes, usually carrying a hint of playful amusement, were now completely vacant with pure stupor.
What in the world was this?
The recoil from a punch?
This is just too insane!
Not far away, Hawkins was in an even more sorry state.
The Tarot cards in his hand fluttered through the air like snowflakes as he rolled uncontrollably across the deck.
His perpetually dead-fish expression had morphed into a full-blown meme face.
Zoro and Sanji stood back-to-back, anchoring their feet firmly to the deck as they barely managed to keep their balance.
Zoro's grip on the hilts of his three swords was so tight that sweat marks formed on them.
Watching the clouds whizzing past below and feeling the howling wind against his ears, he felt his entire worldview being mercilessly shattered.
"Nami-san! Are you alright?" Sanji strained against the gale, turning his head with difficulty in an attempt to display his gentlemanly manners, only to have his mouth filled with a gust of wind.
But the noisiest spot was undoubtedly at the ship's bow.
"Wahahaha! We're flying! We're flying! This is amazing!"
Luffy stood on the bow railing with his arms spread wide, his face showing unprecedented excitement and ecstasy.
Had the training ship not been flying at high speed, he would have definitely started jumping around.
"Help! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!"
"Luffy! Whatever you do, don't let go! Waaah..."
Usopp and Chopper clung to Luffy's thighs like oversized accessories, their tears and snot stretching into two glistening trails in the fierce wind as they screamed like pigs being slaughtered.
The only completely steady person aboard the entire ship was Orion.
The violent air currents made his marine coat flap noisily, yet he remained perfectly still.
However, he too was covered in "decorations."
Nami clung to his neck like an octopus, her screams nearly piercing his eardrums.
"Fleet Admiral! We're going to fall! We're going to fall!"
Behind him, Hancock had also instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around his waist from behind due to the sudden weightlessness.
But unlike Nami's terror, the moment the training ship shot into the air, the Empress's brain short-circuited, replaced by lovestruck fantasies.
Feeling that broad, solid back against her, with the howling wind in her ears and the azure sky and white clouds before her eyes—
Could it be—
That she was having a sky wedding with Orion-sama?
Hancock's cheeks instantly flushed with two shades of crimson, her eyes turning into heart shapes as she completely lost herself in the blissful scene her imagination had conjured.
The training ship traced a breathtaking arc through the high altitude, flying for a full kilometer before beginning to plummet rapidly.
"Ahhhhh! We're going to crash!"
Another wave of heart-rending screams followed.
BOOM!
With a tremendous crash, the training ship slammed back onto the sea surface, sending waves several meters high.
On the deck, everyone collapsed, feeling as if their internal organs had been rearranged.
"We... we're saved..." Usopp mumbled weakly, foam bubbling at his mouth.
However, before he could finish speaking—
Boom—
Another familiar, dull explosion sounded!
The training ship, which had just returned to the sea surface, shot skyward once again at a bizarre angle!
"No—"
The deck erupted in wails ten times more miserable than before.
"Why is there more?!"
"I don't want to fly anymore! I want to go home!"
"Urgh..."
This repeated over and over.
The training ship was like a stone thrown into water by a mischievous child, skipping across the sea surface again and again.
Each time it lifted off, it was accompanied by a chorus of terrified screams from the deck.
When it finally landed for the fifth time without taking off again, the entire ship fell into dead silence.
The deck was littered with people lying haphazardly everywhere.
From the trainees to Morgan and the other Marine soldiers, everyone had rolled-back eyes and expressions of utter despair, having completely given up on struggling.
Orion remained the only one standing.
He looked down and found even more people clinging to him.
Nami was still hanging from his neck, having fainted from fright.
Hancock was hugging his waist from behind, a blissful, silly smile still on her face.
Meanwhile, his legs were tightly embraced by Nojiko and Koala, each clinging to one side.
The two girls had buried their faces in his pant legs, their shoulders trembling—clearly paralyzed with fear.
The scene was extraordinarily absurd.
Orion detached the four "accessories" from his body one by one, then scanned the trainees lying like corpses on the deck.
With a smile, he announced, "This sea adventure was quite entertaining. I am pleased."
"Therefore, this handsome one has decided."
"We won't return to Marineford just yet."
"We'll head directly to Sabaody Archipelago to coat the ship, then take a tour of the New World."
The New World?
The trainees, who just moments ago had been lying on the ground like salted fish, too exhausted to even lift a finger, suddenly opened their eyes one after another.
"The... New World?"
Luffy was the first to flip over and sit up, his eyes instantly regaining their sparkle as he exclaimed excitedly.
"Are there stronger guys and more delicious meat? I want meat, meat, meat!"
Zoro leaped up from the ground, shedding his previous disheveled appearance.
Gripping his sword hilt with one hand, a fierce fighting spirit reignited in his eyes.
Ace, Sabo, Sanji, Law...
One by one, the "corpses" revived in quick succession, clearly eager to broaden their horizons in the New World.