Inside a solitary cabin.
Roya lay there, a look of helplessness on his face. The voices of the Marine rear admiral and those officers speaking outside were not very loud, but he could still roughly make out what they were saying.
"Sigh, these guys…"
Roya shook his head and couldn't be bothered to explain. He had run nonstop from Marine Headquarters to the G4 branch, and now they were about to set out immediately to grind the Silver Sword Pirates. He had no time to deal with these NPCs.
Getting some proper rest, then running into the Silver Sword Pirates and having a good fight—maybe even getting a drop like one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades, something like a Dragon-Slaying Treasure Saber—that was the real business.
Thinking of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades, Roya's thoughts stirred, and a hazy, illusory soul space appeared before his eyes. The Soul Sword floated quietly within it.
"Soul Sword… I always feel like you're not some ordinary third-rate online game item, but I can't find anything else unusual about you either. Just what exactly is your origin?"
Roya looked at the crystal-clear Soul Sword hovering there, as if speaking to himself, yet also as if speaking to it.
For some reason.
As the Soul Sword continued to strengthen, Roya increasingly felt that it was not some kind of system or third-rate online game item, but rather… a real Zanpakutō.
But.
No matter how he looked at it, it didn't resemble a Zanpakutō either.
Roya had never heard of a Zanpakutō that could produce an attribute panel like a third-rate online game item, while simultaneously possessing both flame-type Ryūjin Jakka abilities and Zangetsu's Getsuga Tenshō-style slashing attacks—and perhaps even a third ability later on.
Staring at the Soul Sword floating there, Roya subconsciously reached out, wanting to touch it. But the instant he did, it was like scooping the moon from a well—impossible to grasp.
"Forget it. At this rate, if I keep strengthening you, sooner or later I'll figure out exactly what you are."
Roya withdrew his hand, gathered his scattered thoughts, and shook his head.
---
"Report! The Silver Sword Pirates have been spotted ahead!"
"Advance at full speed!"
After the warship departed from the G4 branch base, it sailed continuously. They had thought it would take at least half a month to catch up to the Silver Sword Pirates, but unexpectedly, in less than a week, they encountered them head-on.
The moment the Silver Sword Pirates' ship was spotted, all the Marines aboard the warship sprang into action. Those carrying shells carried shells, those turning the helm turned the helm, those adjusting the sails adjusted the sails.
The power system of a large Marine warship was naturally not something the Silver Sword Pirates' ship could compare to.
In this world, not every pirate crew had a ship whose power system could rival a warship. After all, large Marine warships were not just sailing vessels—they were also equipped with turbine power.
Scouts continuously relayed intelligence to the rear admirals in command.
"Report! We've entered artillery range!"
"Fire!"
One of the five rear admirals, his expression solemn, gave the order. Instantly, the cannons aboard the warship fired in unison, and countless dense shells rained down toward the Silver Sword Pirates' ship.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Almost at the same time, on the Silver Sword Pirates' ship, all kinds of abilities erupted in every direction—most notably sword energy. Sword energy and various abilities crisscrossed, blocking every shell that fell toward the pirate ship.
Facing the Marine warship that was steadily closing in, the Silver Sword Pirates showed almost no fear. Instead, they looked toward their captain.
"Damn unlucky—running into the Marines again…"
The captain of the Silver Sword Pirates shook his head, a ferocious look suddenly appearing on his face as he said, "I'm in a really bad mood today! Men, this time give the Marines a taste of hell—wipe them out completely!"
"Yeah!!"
Compared to the Marines, whose attire and movements were extremely orderly and uniform, the pirates looked chaotic and disheveled. Yet when they shouted together, their momentum was no weaker at all.
The Silver Sword pirate ship also began firing its cannons at the warship.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Deafening cannon fire roared without end. Shells splashing into the sea sent towering plumes of water skyward. On the deck of the warship, all five Marine rear admirals stood ready for battle.
"Report, sir! Our shells are having difficulty threatening their ship!"
"Continue firing!"
"Do everything you can to block enemy fire. Do not slow down—charge in and prepare for boarding combat!"
Against pirate crews of the New World, artillery fire naturally could not play a decisive role. It was mainly used for interference. The most important factor was still the boarding battle.
Not every pirate crew possessed a ship with a power system like the Thousand Sunny of the original protagonist, Straw Hat Luffy. Marine warships could usually forcefully catch up to pirate ships.
On the warship.
The five rear admirals each took their positions and began intercepting incoming shells. But as the distance between the warship and the opposing pirate ship grew shorter, it became increasingly difficult to block everything. Some shells landed on the warship, detonating with thunderous explosions and sending metal fragments and splinters flying.
At this moment, on the uppermost corridor of the warship's cabins, Roya leaned against the railing, gazing at the pirate ship drawing ever closer.
"This distance is still a bit far. Wait a little longer…"
Just as Roya was pondering something, another volley of shells roared in from afar. The nearest Marine rear admiral and two Marine captains acted quickly, knocking the shells out of the air.
Even so, due to imperfect coordination among the three, two shells slipped through and fell straight toward the cabins atop the warship.
As the two ships drew closer, the shells naturally became harder to intercept.
"Not good!"
Seeing that two shells had slipped through, the rear admiral immediately cried out inwardly. Just as he was calculating how severe the damage would be, he suddenly noticed that at the midpoint of the shells' impact zone, Roya happened to be standing there.
At that sight, the rear admiral's heart sank even further.
Roya, this trainee Marine, clearly had a powerful background. He was here to pad his combat record, and even their base commander could only turn a blind eye. If he died aboard their warship, the trouble would be enormous.
But almost at the very moment this thought flashed through the rear admiral's mind, a faint, ghostly light suddenly cut across the void.
Slash!!
The two shells froze almost simultaneously. Then, each split cleanly down the middle and exploded midair.
Amid the billowing smoke, Roya still stood quietly in the corridor, his gaze fixed on the distant pirate ship as if he hadn't moved at all. Only his hand rested on the hilt of Engetsu hanging at his waist.
"This is…"
The Marine rear admiral and the two nearest Marine captains were all shaken, their pupils contracting sharply as they instinctively drew in a breath.
An expert!
This man was no trainee Marine at all—he was a master swordsman!
Some of the weaker lieutenant commanders and junior officers nearby hadn't even realized what had happened.
"Impossible. With swordsmanship like that, he's only a trainee Marine… Could it be that he is—"
Several officers were utterly stunned. As the rear admiral inhaled, it was as if he suddenly thought of something. His eyes flickered, revealing an even greater shock.
"That's impossible. Even though I couldn't get in back then, even the people from that place had no reason to be this strong… unless he was among the very top even there!"