A few hours later, the morning mist in the East Blue hadn't completely dissipated when Broly, dripping wet with seawater, jumped back onto the warship's deck with a "thud."
Doberman was completely stunned. To be able to push a warship forward in the sea at a speed comparable to a Vice Admiral running on land...
The journey from Loguetown to Marineford, which originally would have taken half a month to twenty days, was now estimated to take only four or five days at this rate.
Now, the delaying tactic he and Kong had devised was shattered by a single kick before it could even be deployed.
However, Doberman didn't gain nothing.
After pushing the ship for two days, Broly felt this amount of training wasn't enough. So he tore off the anchor, tied it to himself, and dove into the sea to swim while dragging the warship.
This time, Doberman was certain: this kid was definitely not a Devil Fruit user.
After all, what Devil Fruit user could soak in the sea and still act like they were using cheats?
"Fleet Admiral! This is a huge discovery!"
Doberman, who had been feeling stifled for several days, took advantage of the time Broly was hugging his pillow and snoring at night to quickly take out the Den Den Mushi and report. His tone was as jubilant as if he had picked up a hundred thousand Berries.
The Den Den Mushi mimicked Kong's furrowed brow, stayed silent for a few seconds, and then suddenly cursed: "You idiot! What's there to be happy about? This means seawater and Seastone are useless against him!"
Far away in Marineford, Kong slapped the desk, cracking the surface, and cursed Doberman's eighteen generations of ancestors in his heart.
What kind of useless things am I raising?
The smile on Doberman's face froze like plaster. It took him a long time to react, and he swallowed his saliva: "That... that seems to be the case... Then what should we do now, Fleet Admiral? At this speed, he'll reach Headquarters in three days at most. Have you and the Five Elders come to a conclusion?"
Kong scratched his balding forehead, his teeth aching from anxiety. "The next stop is Alabasta, right? Stall him there for a few more days! I'll go urge the Five Elders again. Damn it, this brat named Broly gives me a surprise every day. Isn't the nickname [Demon Child] quite fitting? Why change it!"
He even wanted Doberman to hand the Den Den Mushi to him so he could shout at Broly, "I'll help you change your nickname, just don't come, okay?" But he was afraid of provoking the brat's rebellious streak.
You tell me not to come, so I won't come? I insist on coming!
If it really came to that, things would only get worse.
...
At nine o'clock the next morning, Broly finished his morning exercise according to the Turtle School training method.
The warship had entered the waters of Alabasta.
This was a superpower in the first half of the Grand Line. In terms of land area and population of tens of millions, it ranked high in the Grand Line. But in the eyes of Admiral or Emperor-level powerhouses, numbers were just digits.
Doberman braced himself and walked to the bow, clearing his throat to draw everyone's attention: "Next, we will stay in Alabasta for a few days to replenish supplies and carry out an important mission. Bastille, you lead a squad to guard the ship and wait for our return."
After speaking, he dawdled and turned to Broly, stammering even when addressing him: "Um, that... Demon... oh no, Broly, what do you think??"
If Broly wasn't happy and insisted on leaving, all of them combined couldn't stop him.
Fortunately, Broly was paralyzed on a deck chair flipping through a newspaper, dangling his short legs. He waved his hand as if shooing away flies. "Whatever."
Doberman let out a long sigh of relief. Now, every day he could stall was a win.
After Doberman led the main force off the ship, the hundred or so Marines remaining on board didn't dare to breathe loudly. The deck was as quiet as a funeral; everyone was afraid of making a noise and provoking that ancestor.
Seven-year-old Smoker huddled in a corner of the gunwale doing one-handed push-ups. His arm was shaking like a sieve, but he didn't stop.
Having seen Broly's monstrous training methods these past few days, he knew he might never catch up in his life, but he still gritted his teeth and trained.
All the way from Loguetown, he had seen no fewer than ten pirate ships, and every one of them was annihilated by Broly.
But this kid's way of killing was too ruthless. It was no longer a quick death with a light cannon, but dragging the warship to chase them like a cat chasing a mouse, driving the pirates to a mental breakdown, and then leisurely making his move—the same routine as a cat biting a mouse to death only after getting tired of playing with it.
Smoker didn't sympathize with pirates. What he feared was that one day this method would fall on the Marines, or even innocent people.
Even if hope was slim, he had to become stronger.
Broly flipped through the newspaper. Today's headline was about Gecko Moria, known as the Hero of the West Blue, forming a large pirate crew and beginning to march into the Grand Line, repeatedly claiming that he would obtain the One Piece and become the Pirate King.
"Not a mention of Roger's kid," Broly muttered to himself.
According to the timeline, the Marines and the World Government should have made their move against the orphans of Ohara, but it wasn't strange. How could such dirty business be published in the newspaper?
The Turtle School reading time was from 8 AM to 12 PM. The content in this newspaper wasn't enough for him to read.
Broly looked up and asked Hina beside him, "What time is it?"
"Not yet nine-thirty."
Having spent a few days together, although she was still fearful inside, Hina was outwardly much calmer than when they first met.
Broly smacked his lips, crumpled the newspaper into a ball, and burned it to ashes. "Boring, gonna go for a stroll."
Seeing Broly get up to leave the ship, Bastille and the other Marines turned pale instantly, but none dared to utter a word to stop him.
It wasn't until Broly's back melted into the yellow sand of Alabasta that Bastille dialed the Den Den Mushi with trembling hands: "Vice Admiral! Broly got off the ship. What do we do now?"
"Let him go!" Doberman's voice revealed a helpless resignation. "Do we have any other choice?"
The Marines on this end of the Den Den Mushi were silent. Hina couldn't help but interject, "But we can't just let him wander around blindly, right? What if he goes crazy like in Loguetown?"
Smoker glanced at Hina strangely.
That didn't count as going crazy, right? The whole world was watching. It was Sengoku who tried to capture him first; the commotion just ended up being a bit big.
Hearing Hina's voice on the other end of the phone, Doberman paused: "Then what do you think we should do?"
He didn't expect this five-year-old girl to have any brilliant ideas, but he was truly out of options. Maybe a child's thought process could spark some ideas.
"We can sneakily follow him!" Hina's eyes sparkled. Being recommended to the Marine Academy by her hometown, this little loli was indeed somewhat clever. She had long noticed that Doberman and the others were secretly observing Broly these days, wanting to figure out the details of his power.
"Following him might reveal the secret of his ability!"
Doberman fell silent for a few seconds before finally relenting: "Alright, you go."
If he sent adult soldiers to follow him, they would definitely die miserably if discovered.
If it were a child, maybe he would show some mercy.
However, when Doberman said this, he completely forgot—Broly was two years younger than Hina.