"Hey, Sakura-san, can you teach me your medical skills?"
On the Leviathan, Law sat on top of the cabin, watching Sakura continuously throwing punches on the deck.
"You little brat, you haven't even paid your medical bills yet, and now you want me to teach you medical skills? Trying to take everything you can get, huh?"
Sakura below laughed angrily at him and casually threw a punch in his direction.
The water molecules in the air, pulled by Chakra, created rippling shockwaves that sent Law tumbling through the air four or five times.
"What was that? What did you just do?"
Sliding down from the sail with a red mark on his face, Law stared incredulously at Sakura's fist.
"Nothing much, just struck the moisture in the air."
Originally, Sakura had been experimenting, but once she started training, she found it wasn't as difficult as she had imagined.
Mainly because she had already done a lot of practice manipulating water during her Chakra Training.
Now that she had started practicing Fish-Man Karate, Sakura realized she was actually quite skilled at controlling water flow.
She'd probably master it in a few more days.
You could say it came naturally, without any difficulty.
"Can you teach me that too, then?"
"You greedy little brat, your priority right now is to focus on recovering!"
Sakura flicked his forehead, making Law stumble and fall back like a startled fawn.
Waves crashed as the Leviathan cut through the swells, arriving in the eastern part of the North Blue.
"Rankyaku!"
With a fierce shout, a sharp blue light materialized in the air, instantly slicing through the sea and heading straight for Sakura's Leviathan.
"Hmm?"
A glint of Observation Haki flashed in Sakura's eyes. She tilted her head and spotted the massive wind blade.
A swirling heat current gathered in her hand, forming a large sword. With a slight tremor, she neutralized the imposing wind blade as effortlessly as blocking a gentle breeze, without sustaining any damage.
"Brat, you're not going anywhere today. Come back to Impel Down with me quietly!"
From the other end of the sea, a massive warship shattered the waves, its cannons emitting a dark glow. The legendary Marine had come across the seas.
And this time, their target was Sakura alone.
Hearing that deep, familiar voice, Sakura was momentarily stunned, then her lips curled into a wide grin.
"Oh, long time no see, Jiraiya-sensei! You've gotten quite imposing, haven't you?" (T/N: Jiraiya's Japanese VA is the same as Zephyr.)
The girl's mischievous interruption ruined the atmosphere of the chase. Everyone on the warship glanced back and forth between Zephyr and Sakura.
'Wait, since when did Zephyr-sensei have a pirate disciple?'
"Who's Jiraiya? Don't try to act familiar!"
A middle-aged man in a purple suit, with purple hair and gold-rimmed glasses, roared at Sakura.
Seizing the opportunity, a coating enveloped the Leviathan, and it swiftly carried Sakura and Law underwater.
The sudden turn of events left everyone on the warship stunned, except for Zephyr, who burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, no wonder you managed to escape from Garp's hands. But... Hina! Smoker!"
At his call, two young marines leaped from the ship.
"White Vine!"
Smoker, with two cigars in his mouth, swung his right arm, sending a spiral column of smoke to carry Hina to the spot where the Leviathan had submerged.
"Black Cage!"
Hina, with her arms crossed, extended numerous iron branches from her arms. Like black spears, they shot downward, piercing through the sea.
Breaking through the water's resistance, they drove straight toward Sakura's ship.
"Hey, hey, aren't you guys being a bit too persistent?"
Sakura, who is underwater, watched the rain of black spears falling from above and scratched her head in frustration.
She stretched her hand outside the coating, enduring the weakness brought by the seawater, and released a surge of cold air, freezing the sea's surface.
In an instant, the sea came to a standstill, turning into a prison.
"So that's how it is. Kuzan's technique, huh?"
The sound of leather shoes stepping on the wooden deck echoed as Zephyr removed his Justice Coat and suit.
His entire right arm turned jet black as he leaped high into the air, descending toward the ice like a white rainbow piercing the sun.
"Crushing Meteor!"
With a single punch, immense Armament Haki transformed into pure brute force, shattering the ice surface. The shockwaves spread like rolling waves, accompanied by expanding cracks.
The battleship behind Zephyr surged forward at full power, its iron ram breaking through the ice as it continued its pursuit of Sakura.
Beneath the sea, her Observation Haki captured the events above. Sakura clicked her tongue in frustration.
"Tch, they even modified their ships specifically to counter me? They really want to catch me that badly?"
Even though a massive crisis was hot on her heels, Sakura couldn't suppress the thrill rising within her.
A pirate's career isn't complete without being chased by the Marines, especially when the one pursuing her is a former Marine Admiral.
Her cheeks slightly flushed as the young girl took a few deep breaths.
"Hey, Sakura-san, are you okay?"
Law, who was helping control the sails, saw her expression and asked with concern.
"This is just so exhilarating!"
Hearing her words, Law's jaw dropped, and he froze on the spot, utterly petrified.
Ignoring Law's reaction, Sakura rushed to the control room and channeled the power of the Heat-Heat Fruit, providing propulsion for the ship.
"Law, furl the sails!" She shouted to Law on the deck. The Leviathan's sails were quickly drawn in and secured.
Under Sakura's control, the entire ship raised its bow and surged upward, breaking through the sea's surface and appearing before the gathered Marines.
"Hmm?"
Zephyr, who had landed back on his ship, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes.
'What were these pirates up to? Had they given up resisting?'
But then he saw the mission's target, the pink-haired girl, stand atop the highest point of her speedboat.
"Hey, Marines!!!"
Her voice, clear and crisp like a mountain stream, drew the attention of the many Marines on Zephyr's ship.
Sakura raised both fists toward them, slowly bringing them together until they touched, as if she were a prisoner being handcuffed.
"This girl...!"
Zephyr's smile turned wild and unrestrained.
'Facing a powerful enemy coming to take her life, she dared to stand openly before us and issue an invitation?'
'Just for this sheer audacity, she could be called a true champion of the seas!'
'However...'
Zephyr glanced down at the enraged naval trainees on his ship and sighed regretfully, 'The ones here... are still too young.'
To oppose pirates like this, one must devote their entire conviction and passion.
Otherwise, acting solely for fame and fortune makes it easy to be swayed by their will and charm, let alone these greenhorns on board whose sense of justice was still nebulous.
"Troublesome like a little hedgehog, damn witch!" Zephyr puffed out his chest.
Anchored by a conviction no less formidable than crashing waves, his immense spirit surged, wresting the Marines' gazes back from Sakura.
"You brats, don't let her provoke you! Encountering an enemy like this is our fortune! Burn with your justice and apprehend her!"
Spurred by Zephyr's voice, their eyes grew firm, united in their hostility as they turned their focus toward the distant Sakura.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere on the enemy ship, Sakura's smile widened even further.
"Haha, this is the benefit of having a seasoned veteran on board, isn't it? Really great!"
'Well then… come at me, Marines!'