"What the hell is going on?"
Ace scanned the training field and let out a big sigh of relief.
Just moments ago, Makino had rushed over in a panic, saying Luffy was getting beaten up.
Ace thought the kid might've gotten into a fight with Smoker—or worse, Hina.
That would've been a death sentence!
But when he arrived, what did he see?
Luffy was brawling with a random foot soldier?
Why the hell did he rush over for this?
Currently, none of the regular soldiers in Jun Lin had awakened Armament Haki.
As long as there was no Armament Haki involved, there wouldn't be any real damage.
In fact, this wasn't even as bad as the beatings Ace himself used to give Luffy back in Windmill Village.
After all, Luffy's a rubber man. Normal punches don't really hurt him.
"Makino, relax. Let him take a few hits. It's good for him. Otherwise, when he sets sail in two years, who knows how he'll die?"
"But… he really looks like he's getting beaten up badly…"
"It's fine. The kid ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. Regular punches can't—HOLY SHIT!"
Ace didn't even finish his sentence before his eyes widened in shock.
The soldier on the field suddenly drew back his right fist—and a layer of black sheen coated it.
Ace knew exactly what that meant.
Armament Haki!
The next second, the soldier threw a punch that sent Luffy flying several dozen meters before crashing to the ground.
"THAT HURT!!"
Luffy clutched his face and howled.
Meanwhile, the soldier stood frozen in place, staring at his now jet-black arm in stunned silence.
Did I… awaken Armament Haki?!
Ecstatic, he no longer cared about the fight with Luffy. He turned and sprinted toward the training center.
After all, he needed to see just how much his Doriki stat would increase now that he had awakened Haki.
Ace, on the other hand, walked up to Luffy, shaking his head.
"Oh, my stupid little brother. Now do you finally get it? You're so weak you couldn't even beat a random soldier from Jun Lin."
"And yet you keep picking fights?"
"Don't you know most of Jun Lin's people were rescued civilians who once suffered at the hands of pirates?"
"If you don't change that attitude, you're going to get yourself killed as soon as you set sail."
Ace knelt down and gave Luffy a pat on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.
What he didn't realize was that everything he just said had gone in one ear and out the other—in less than seven seconds.
One look at Luffy's expression, and Ace knew it.
This idiot didn't absorb a single word.
Sigh, what a waste of breath.
Maybe Luo Lan was right—if they could end this Great Pirate Era before Luffy ever set sail, it'd save them all a lot of headaches.
"Alright! Break it up! What are you all standing around for?"
Luo Lan's voice boomed across the field like thunder. Everyone scattered instantly.
Only Luffy, Ace, Makino, Ian, and Baby 5 remained.
"Ace, take the kid to get patched up. We're leaving tonight."
"Got it," Ace nodded and dragged Luffy away.
Luo Lan turned to Ian.
"You two—why are you still standing here?"
In an instant, Ian and Baby 5 also disappeared.
Only Makino remained.
"Makino, you'll be overseeing the Navy canteen for now. That okay?"
"I guess it's fine… but why are you still wearing a mask here?"
"Well, duh. If Luffy sees my face, with that big mouth of his, how long do you think I can stay low-key?"
"But I've seen it too. What, are you going to lock me up?"
"I wouldn't go that far. Didn't I just say you're managing the canteen? That's a position of responsibility, isn't it?"
Luo Lan shrugged.
Makino stared at him in disbelief.
"So… you're really not letting me go back to Windmill Village?"
"Don't look at me like that. Blame Ace. He called me in front of you and shouted my name like an idiot."
Yes, blame that dumbass Ace!
Luo Lan went over the logic again in his head, and—
Yep. Flawless.
It's all Ace's fault.
Makino didn't argue further. She just gave Luo Lan a long, thoughtful look…
Then turned and walked away.
---
Three hours later.
Night had fully fallen.
At the port, a group of navy soldiers wearing Jun Lin uniforms boarded a ship in an orderly fashion.
Once everyone was aboard, the hatch slammed shut and locked tight.
The "Danaan" slowly set sail.
---
Three and a half days later.
Mock Town, Jaya Island.
Inside a nondescript shack, a group of men dressed like pirates huddled around strange devices.
One of them wore a headset, listening to a chaotic stream of voices, and jotting down everything he heard.
After a long while, they finally relaxed.
"Thank god—it's over!"
"Over? My ass. They're just drunk!"
"Seriously, with all these pirates here, why doesn't HQ just send in troops and wipe them out?"
"Are you stupid? There are no civilians on this island. Letting the pirates run wild doesn't hurt anyone. In fact, it lets us gather tons of intelligence!"
Clearly, these men weren't pirates.
They were part of a secret Navy Intelligence Listening Post, set up two years ago by the Naval General Staff.
At that time, it was still Luo Lan who was in charge of this monitoring plan.
The intelligence obtained here also provided a solid foundation for Jun Lin's plans.
"Guys! Get over here—something's wrong!"
One man suddenly shouted. The others rushed to his side.
They stared at a small, old-fashioned screen, similar to a black-and-white TV.
On the screen, a group of figures in black uniforms were storming through the town under cover of night.
One of them—wearing a mask—looked directly up at a surveillance Den Den Mushi hidden on a rooftop.
The next second: static.
Signal lost.
"Those are Jun Lin troops! Contact headqua—"
SHHHING!
A black blur flashed in front of him, and the communication snail's head was cleanly sliced off.
The blade that had been stuck in the table now floated in the air for a second before spinning and zipping away like a streak of light.
If Luo Lan weren't using this mission as a training exercise, he could've just unleashed his Conqueror's Haki and wiped out the entire town.
Inside the room, the three men were frozen in shock.
What the hell just happened?
Outside, dozens of Jun Lin soldiers charged through the streets, guns blazing, cutting down pirate after pirate.
Gunfire echoed.
Screams filled the night.
The three Navy operatives?
Shaking in their boots.
---
Currently at chapter 415 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27