Chapter 100: Smoker, Falling Into The Sea!
The Merry was about to charge into the heart of the battlefield.
And behind them, the Marine Headquarters warship was following closely.
On the warship, Tashigi stood at the bow, holding a telescope, her expression puzzled.
"The 8th Branch... why are they still firing?"
She murmured to herself, "That pirate Ralph already fell into the sea, didn't he? Why..."
She lowered the telescope and looked at a Marine soldier beside her:
"Send a signal, ask the 8th Branch why they haven't ceased fire!"
"Yes!"
The communications soldier was about to send the inquiry.
But the response they received was—
Another wave of cannonballs, flying toward them.
"What?!"
Tashigi's eyes widened,
"They... are attacking us?!"
"Chief Petty Officer Tashigi!"
A Marine ran over, his voice urgent, "The 8th Branch might... have rebelled! They want to cover up the secret of the Sennenryu, planning to silence everyone present, including us!"
Tashigi froze.
Her mind couldn't process this information for a moment.
A Marine branch... attacking a Headquarters warship?
To cover up a legend?
"..."
But the incoming cannonballs wouldn't give her time to think slowly.
"Evade!"
Tashigi finally snapped back to reality, shouting the order, "All cannons prepare to return fire! Send an emergency distress signal to Headquarters!"
"Yes!"
...
Meanwhile, on Warship Island.
Apis stood on the recently surfaced ruins of the dragon's nest, her small hands tightly clutching Ryu's feathers.
She had seen the moment Ralph fell into the sea.
"..."
Her voice trembled, "Ralph..."
Ryu lowered his head, gently nudging her face with his nose, letting out a low, comforting rumble from his throat.
But Apis could understand.
Ryu was saying:
[He's not dead yet.]
Apis was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously.
She looked up at the sky.
There, flocks of Sennenryu were still circling, letting out clear, resonant cries.
As if cheering for someone.
As if calling for something.
Just then, beneath the sea.
Ralph, who was swimming underwater, suddenly heard the system's notification sound.
[Ding!]
[The system judges that the host has established a "Friend" relationship with the Sennenryu "Ryu"]
[Relationship reward obtained: Lifespan +10 years]
Ralph's underwater movements abruptly halted.
Lifespan?
Ten years?
He blinked, making sure he hadn't misheard.
Not a skill, not an attribute, not equipment.
It was lifespan.
Real, tangible, ten years of lifespan.
Although it wouldn't boost combat power in the short term...
"This reward..."
Ralph murmured in his heart, "That's way too practical, isn't it?"
Everyone wants lifespan.
He immediately confirmed to receive it.
A warm energy surged from deep within his body.
The exhaustion from the earlier battle, the consumption of stamina, even some hidden injuries he hadn't been aware of...
All rapidly recovered under the nourishment of this energy.
In just a few seconds, Ralph felt his condition was even better than before the battle started.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Falling into the sea was part of the plan anyway..."
Ralph thought to himself, "Now with my stamina restored, it's like adding wings to a tiger."
He identified the direction.
He remembered the flagship's location clearly.
Ralph adjusted his posture and, like a fish, silently swam toward that direction.
The ambush plan continued.
...
On the sea surface.
Smoker stared at the spot where Ralph had fallen into the ocean, then glanced at the surrounding warships still firing their cannons.
He finally understood the meaning behind Ralph's last words.
Slowly, Smoker raised his head to look at those warships.
At their dark, smoking cannon barrels that were still aimed and ready.
Just moments ago, after Ralph fell into the sea, the cannon fire had indeed paused for an instant.
But only for an instant.
Then, the cannon barrels readjusted—
Aimed directly at him.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Smoker roared, his voice filled with incredulous anger,
"I'm Navy Headquarters Captain Smoker! The notorious pirate Ralph has already been knocked into the sea! Cease fire immediately! That's an order!!"
But the response he received was another volley of cannon fire.
As well as...
Several massive nets glinting with metallic sheen.
"That's..."
Smoker's pupils abruptly contracted.
Seastone nets.
Special equipment distributed by Navy Headquarters to various branches specifically for dealing with Devil Fruit users.
The netting was woven with Seastone particles—once trapped, ability users would instantly lose their strength.
And now, these nets were flying toward him.
"Bastards—!!!"
Smoker tried to evade, but the nets were too large, too fast, and launched simultaneously from multiple directions.
He attempted to transform into smoke, hoping to slip through the gaps before the nets closed.
But just as he began to smokeify—
A net accurately enveloped him.
"Urgh—!"
The suppressing effect of Seastone instantly erupted.
Smoker felt all his strength drain away as if sucked empty, his smoke form uncontrollably condensing back into solid form.
Then, like a bird—a trapped bird—he plummeted straight down toward the sea surface.
"Splash."
Water sprayed upward.
Navy Headquarters Captain, White Hunter Smoker, had been captured by his own comrades using Seastone nets and fallen into the sea.
...
On the flagship.
Commodore Nelson lowered his binoculars, watching the white figure sinking in the distant sea, before suddenly bursting into mad laughter.
"Haha...hahahaha! Hahahahahaha!"
He laughed so hard that his fatty flesh trembled uncontrollably, the flesh on his face squeezing together, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"Eric! Eric, did you see that?!"
Nelson said to his most trusted mercenary:
"We succeeded! We succeeded! The Headquarters Navy, and that troublesome pirate—"
Eric's sunglasses nearly fell off from Nelson's excitement, but he maintained a respectful smile.
"Yes, Your Excellency's brilliant leadership."
Eric said, "Thanks to your decisive command, we managed to eliminate two problems at once."
"Next—"
Nelson's eyes glittered with greed, "—we'll silence all witnesses! Then, the Sennenryu will be ours! The Elixir of Immortality, the Elixir of Immortality..."
He had already descended into mad fantasy.
Eric lowered his head, a flash of cold mockery passing behind his goggles.
Silence witnesses?
Of course we'll silence witnesses.
But the targets for silencing include you, you fat pig.
After using the Navy to deal with the Straw Hat crew and the Headquarters personnel, I'll kill you.
Then, the secret of the Sennenryu, the formula for the Elixir of Immortality—all will be mine alone.
Thinking this, Eric couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curl upward slightly.
But he quickly suppressed the expression, raising his head again to speak in a respectful tone:
"Admiral, please give the order. How should we deal with the remaining small fry, the Straw Hat Pirates, and that Marine Headquarters ship?"
Nelson finally snapped back to attention.
He looked toward the Merry in the distance, which was trying to break through the encirclement, and the Marine Headquarters ship that was returning fire. A ferocious grin spread across his face.
"Sink them all."
He said viciously,
"Leave no survivors."
"Yes."
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