Celestial Drake soared through the air and finally returned to the blue sea. Noyer stood at the bow and took a deep breath.
"That's the smell…"
He felt the sea breeze. It had been so long. The trip to Skypiea felt like a dream, and now that he was back in the Blue Sea, it seemed somewhat unreal.
From this journey, Noyer had gained a combatant and a musician, plus a large-capacity power bank. Compared to some pirate crews, this lineup was still sparse, but at least they now had all the essentials.
Though Celestial Drake was far from its original size, it was still larger than ordinary pirate ships, with quite a few rooms.
Besides the bedrooms, Conis had her own pink music room, and Robin had a study filled with books. Noyer and Wyper often stayed in the training room together — he planned to teach him Armament Haki.
Wyper's fighting style was varied, but his main offensive methods were Impact Dials and Burn Bazookas. He could barely be considered a weapons master.
However, Noyer wanted him to change his approach, since his combat talent lay more in physical strength.
Noyer had personally tried Wyper's trump card, the Reject Dial, which had ten times the power of an Impact Dial. The recoil was massive. After he used it, his arm was left numb from the shock, yet Wyper's constitution could withstand this backlash.
Given his physical strength, Noyer mainly taught him Armament Haki. Wyper didn't disappoint — before long, he could sense Haki. However, using it in actual combat would require more training.
He hadn't neglected Observation Haki either, though Wyper's progress in this area was slow. After putting him through daily training, Noyer would go alone to the deck to practice swordsmanship.
The power of his Black Gold Talent far exceeded his imagination. His sword training was progressing by leaps and bounds. Even just carrying a sword deepened his understanding of the way of the sword.
When the day's training ended, it was time for dinner.
Everyone tasted Conis's cooking and was blown away. Noyer thought again that inviting her aboard was truly the right decision.
After dinner, Conis held Su and asked curiously, "Brother Noyer, what's the next island like?"
Noyer calculated the distance, "The next destination should be Water 7. It's a world-famous shipbuilding island."
Wyper, having eaten his fill, patted his stomach contentedly, "The most famous shipbuilding island in the Blue Sea? Are we going to upgrade Celestial Drake again?"
Noyer nodded, "Since we're going there anyway, might as well make some improvements. We won't lose anything."
When they left Skypiea, he had taken almost all the gold products and materials, so they were quite well-off financially.
Repair the ship? More like give Celestial Drake a complete makeover.
What deserved the most attention in Water 7 were the CP9 special agents.
Noyer glanced at Wyper, thinking. The Marines' Rokushiki techniques would be perfect for him to learn, since he'd just arrived in the Blue Sea and wasn't adapted yet.
Once they arrived, he'd find a way to get his hands on the Rokushiki.
As for Conis, getting this little girl a Devil Fruit for self-protection wouldn't be bad either.
Then there were Bell-mère and Nojiko far away in the East Blue — he could find fruits for them too, preferably Logia types. That way, even if he wasn't by their side, given the average combat power of the East Blue, he could rest easy.
What about Nami? That girl had a tough life — she probably wouldn't die.
◇◆◈◆◇
They spent several leisurely days on the ship like this, but with more people on board, trouble eventually arose.
"Oh my god!"
Early in the morning, a miserable shout rang out on Celestial Drake.
Noyer crawled out of his warm bed and looked at the Log Pose on his wrist in despair, "Before I went to sleep, I clearly adjusted the course! Why are we going back the way we came? Where the hell are we?!"
His wail spread throughout the entire ship. Wyper from next door, sporting his sharp hairstyle, walked out sleepily.
A tuft of red hair drooped to his forehead as he yawned, "What's wrong? So early in the morning…"
Noyer covered his forehead and held up the Log Pose to him, "Our ship went the wrong way."
Wyper walked outside, doubtful, "That's impossible. I kept watch for a long time last night — there was no problem."
Robin came over with Conis half-asleep, hugging her waist and following along. She explained to Wyper.
"This is the Grand Line. The weather is extremely strange here. This situation is rare, but not unheard of."
Conis asked groggily, "So… where are we now?"
His 〔Climate Hyper-Perception〕 ability kicked in, and Noyer suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Don't you guys feel something's a bit strange?"
Wyper nodded thoughtfully, "It seems like… the sea breeze is gone."
Celestial Drake fell silent.
Robin broke the silence hesitantly, "We… haven't entered the Calm Belt, have we?"
"Calm Belt? The Grand Line has this kind of sea area?" Wyper asked in surprise.
Noyer sighed, "If we've entered the Calm Belt, we'll have to use Breath Dials to get out."
Fortunately, their ship was propelled by these dials, which could fly and use jet propulsion, so navigating the Calm Belt wasn't a problem.
Robin seemed to read his thoughts and dealt him a blow, "We don't have much Breath Dial stock left."
Noyer's eyelid twitched as he forced a smile, "Then we'll just fly out! Tell the battery to get ready!"
Wyper climbed up from the ship's hold via the ladder, "He says Celestial Drake's flight system was just used yesterday and needs time to recharge."
Hearing this, Noyer remembered that yesterday, on a whim, he'd had the ship fly in the sky for a while…
Celestial Drake wasn't like the fully completed ark from several years later — it could only fly a limited distance within a certain time period.
"Forget it." Noyer sat helplessly on the cloud deck, "We'll just have to wait for the flight system to recover."
Robin shrugged, "There's no helping it. But the Calm Belt probably won't let us stop here so peacefully, right?"
Noyer was about to answer when several powerful auras rapidly approached from beneath Celestial Drake.
His face darkened, "Speak of the devil!"
A moment later, a giant beast lifted Celestial Drake into the air, and towering waves surged up in the surrounding sea.
Several fish-shaped monsters over a hundred meters long burst from the sea — one of the greatest disasters of the Calm Belt: giant Sea Kings.
Seeing such ferocious creatures, Wyper wasn't afraid. An excited smile appeared on his dark face!
"The Blue Sea is really interesting!"
Noyer shook his head and gripped his sword, preparing to deal with these big fish. But his Observation Haki brought him more bad news.
In the distance, ship outlines gradually appeared on the sea — first one, then two, five, ten… A whole fleet with blue and white flags clearly displaying the Marine insignia!
What shocked Noyer even more was the lazy man wearing an eye mask on the lead battleship!
He recognized that sharp appearance instantly.
Admiral Aokiji — real name Kuzan. Why would he be in the Calm Belt?
Noyer glanced at Robin. Sure enough, her face had turned deathly pale. She'd clearly seen Kuzan too. Had he come specifically to deal with her?
"Conis, take care of Robin. Wyper, the Sea Kings are yours!"
Noyer stepped on a Sea King's head and charged toward the Marine battleship. Wyper equipped Impact Dials on both hands, stepped on Cloud Dials, and began fighting several of the ocean kings.
At the bottom of the ship, Enel — imprisoned like a salted fish — sensed through his Mantra a very intense battle aura on deck.
That Wyper kid is fighting?
Enel smirked coldly, crossing his legs. He'd love nothing more than for those guys to be attacked — preferably wiped out completely. That way he'd have a chance to escape.
Noyer used Fish-man Karate's rapid underwater movement to close in on the Marines. Coming up beneath the battleship and riding the waves, he easily jumped right under the Marine soldiers' noses.
The Marines were startled by his sudden appearance. They uniformly raised their weapons at him. If he made any move, the soldiers would likely open fire immediately.
The nearby battleships also raised their cannons, ready to attack at any moment.
Noyer paid no attention to these threats. He smiled as he greeted the tall figure: "You must be Admiral Aokiji. Hello there."
Kuzan wore a pale green eye mask and his Justice cloak draped over his shoulders. His build was extremely tall — 298 cm. Even Noyer had to look up at him.
But after a long while, Kuzan still hadn't moved. The Marine Vice-Admiral beside him finally reacted, tugging at Kuzan, "Admiral Aokiji! The criminal Noyer has boarded our ship!"
"Oh puu…" Kuzan let out an unclear mumble, pulled down his eye mask, and said drowsily, "Nani ya… are we back at headquarters?"
The Vice-Admiral's temple throbbed with visible veins, "Stop sleeping, Admiral, look! It's Noyer!"
Kuzan lowered his head. His listless gaze sized up the handsome young man before him, "Ah… so you're Noyer."
Noyer's mouth twitched. He could fall asleep standing up — impressive.
Aokiji squinted, "Killing the king of a World Government allied nation… why would you do such a thing?" His tone was as calm as if chatting with an old friend.
Noyer shrugged, "An idiotic parasite — I killed him, so what?"
Kuzan nodded, surprisingly unfazed by such insolent words, "I know Wapol. Just a glutton who only knows how to eat. Whether he dies doesn't really matter."
His tone suddenly shifted.
"But you've damaged the World Government's authority. As a Marine, I still have to arrest you."
Noyer shook his head with a smile, "The Marines really are the World Government's good lackeys."
He gripped Rasetsuō, ready to draw his blade at any moment.
"In that case, are you going to make your move?"
Eager to fight the Admiral, Noyer suddenly froze — Kuzan had actually laid down!
Kuzan lay on the deck with his arm as a pillow, yawning, "Forget it, I'm not interested in fighting you."
My sword is already about to be drawn, only for you to say you won't receive it?
Noyer's face alternated between pale and flushed, completely unable to figure out what this man was thinking.
Kuzan half-closed his eyes, "I'll give you a heads up — that woman Nico Robin is dangerous. You'd better keep some distance from her."
Noyer narrowed his eyes, sneering, "That's none of your concern. Whether it's the Government or the Marines, if they dare lay a hand on her, just try it."
With that, he leaped into the sea in front of all the Marines and returned to Celestial Drake. The immense pressure gradually dissipated, and only then did the soldiers' muscles relax.
The Vice-Admiral asked Kuzan in confusion, "Admiral Aokiji, why let him go? Isn't Noyer our target?"
Kuzan sighed lazily, "What the Government wants is his Devil Fruit ability. They probably want him alive."
Ever since Noyer's first battle with Crocodile in Arabasta, someone had set their sights on him. The Marines were concerned about his endless abilities. According to Crocodile's account, this ability could copy Devil Fruit powers.
Such an ability had never appeared in history. Both the Government and Marines paid it special attention. No one knew what might occur if this Devil Fruit awakened.
Later, when Noyer killed Wapol on Drum Island, it gave them a legitimate reason to act against him.
Orders from Sengoku and the Government had come down early — Admiral Aokiji would personally lead the team to test him and ideally capture him alive.
Noyer and his crew had gone to Skypiea, and only now had Kuzan's team found traces of him. Through their brief encounter, Kuzan could easily see that this guy was also a lawless person who acted as he pleased. And judging from the aura on him, his Haki training was probably quite formidable.
Kuzan didn't move to capture Noyer because his subordinates were behind him. He couldn't risk the pirate attacking them.
The carefully selected Marine force had become a burden. If Sengoku found out, he'd probably send the more decisive Akainu instead.
But that was fine. Based on Kuzan's understanding of the Fleet Admiral and the Five Elders, there was another way to win over Noyer.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea…
Kuzan watched expressionlessly as Noyer departed. Whether he could reach that point would depend on the Government's methods.
His next destination should be Water 7, right? Enies Lobby was there too. The Government's secret agents, CP9, would definitely make a move on this kid.
May fortune be with you…
◇◆◈◆◇
Noyer returned to Celestial Drake and unleashed his Conqueror's Haki to quickly clear out the giant Sea Kings.
Wyper, having fought to his heart's content and breathing heavily, pointed at the battleship, "Who are those people?"
Noyer's expression turned grave, "The Marines. The one leading them is an Admiral — one of the top fighters in the Blue Sea."
Seeing his serious expression, Wyper asked, "Is he stronger than you?"
Stronger than me?
Noyer calculated the balance of power between them. The Hie Hie no Mi's power was countered by Amaterasu's flames. His Armament Haki and swordsmanship were strong enough. If they really fought, barring any accidents, his chances of winning were quite good.
Unfortunately, the Marines had been too vigilant. Noyer couldn't copy Kuzan's talents. He had a faint feeling that the Marines and the Government had already set their sights on him.
Was it because they mistook the system's functions for a Devil Fruit that could copy powers? They wouldn't actually believe there was such a thing as a Copy Fruit, would they?
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
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That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)