Chapter 109: Volume 2 – Chapter 11: Confronting the Pirate King

"Crap... totally forgot about that..."

Tokikake clutched his head, his face twitching uncontrollably.

"Are you a child!?"

Gion snapped, gritting her teeth as she glared at Daren.

Daren just shrugged, ignoring the two of them. He turned to Dragon and smiled.

"Rear Admiral Dragon, you can drop Lieutenant Commanders Gion and Tokikake off at the nearest island. But I've decided—I'm staying on this ship. It's my personal decision and has nothing to do with anyone else. If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility."

Dragon frowned, his tone serious.

"Are you sure about this, Daren?"

"This isn't a game. If battle breaks out—and in a situation that intense—I can't guarantee your safety."

"I'm sure," Daren replied with a grin.

"Besides, Rear Admiral Dragon, you know just as well as I do... even if you threw me off onto some island, I'd still make it to the battlefield."

"I can fly."

Dragon stared at him deeply, his brows furrowing even tighter.

Gion and Tokikake were practically holding their breath, eyes fixed on Dragon, hoping he could talk this lunatic down.

One second...

Two seconds...

Three seconds...

"Hahahahaha!! Good!! Daren, you really are a man I can respect!"

To Gion and Tokikake's utter shock, the once-silent Dragon suddenly threw an arm around Daren's shoulders and burst into hearty laughter.

His face lit up with excitement, and he cracked his knuckles loudly, enthusiasm surging.

"Well then... let's go take down that Roger guy!"

That expression... it looked way too much like a certain infamous Vice Admiral.

Gion's face went stiff with exasperation.

Tokikake groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Crap... forgot about that too..."

Dragon chuckled at the two of them.

"Alright, I'll drop you both off at the nearby island. You can send up a signal—nearby naval forces will send a warship to pick you up."

"No need!" Gion hissed, her jaw clenched so tight her teeth were grinding.

"Oh?"

Amusement flickered in Daren's eyes.

Tokikake clenched his fists, eyes red as he growled,

"We're going too!"

Now that Daren had said it, could they really back out?

Marines weren't cowards!

Tokikake glared at Daren with gritted teeth and muttered bitterly,

"I knew it... this genius is definitely gonna die because of you, you bastard!"

"Hahahahaha!!"

Dragon laughed again and waved his arm.

"In that case... full speed ahead!"

The warship immediately changed course, accelerating toward the coordinates provided by Headquarters.

With the sea breeze whipping across the deck, Daren's eyes burned with battlelust, nearly crazed in intensity. His cape billowed violently behind him.

Gol D. Roger—the Pirate King!

How could he not go?

...

Two hours later.

The Grand Line.

"Genkotsu Ryuseigun!!"

Countless cannonballs traced dark arcs across the sky, roaring toward the fast-moving Oro Jackson.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Jets of seawater erupted around the pirate ship, towering skyward.

Blazing red explosions lit the air, followed by plumes of black smoke.

"Roger!! Don't run!! This time I will take you down!!"

At the bow of the dog-headed warship, Garp, sleeves rolled up and wearing his signature silly hat, howled with rage. His arms spun like windmills as he hurled cannonball after cannonball with terrifying force.

"Then stop chasing me already, Garp!! This has gone on long enough!! You've been at this for three whole days and nights!! You maniac! Don't you ever get tired!?"

From the distant pirate ship, Roger's annoyed voice shouted back.

On deck, the Marines were scrambling in a frenzy, drenched in sweat.

They were hauling cannonballs from the hold and lining them up on a custom conveyor system.

Black shells rolled down the line like clockwork, continuously feeding into Garp's relentless barrage.

Garp's adjutant, wearing a brown cap and with a saber at his waist, stood sharply at attention, eyes constantly sweeping the scene.

He watched as the pirate ship rocked in the waves and explosions, the distance between them slowly widening. His mind raced.

The Oro Jackson was made from the core of the Treasure Tree Adam—an extremely rare, unbelievably durable, and incredibly lightweight material.

It was, hands down, the finest shipbuilding material in the world.

Because of that, Roger's ship could outpace even the fastest Marine warships.

This was one of the key reasons Vice Admiral Garp had failed to capture Roger so many times in the past.

We need more speed—fast!

Even with Garp's bombardment slowing them down, it wouldn't be long before the Oro Jackson slipped out of sight.

The adjutant pressed down on his cap and scanned the warship. His sharp eyes quickly landed on the heavy cannons.

They lit up.

The ship had five heavy cannons. If they dumped those, along with some unnecessary provisions, they could boost their speed by at least 30%!

Headquarters had already confirmed reinforcements were en route. Rear Admiral Dragon—Garp's son—was on his way.

Until then, he couldn't allow the Roger Pirates to escape.

"Quick! Dump all the heavy artillery into the sea—now!"

The adjutant gave the order without hesitation.

"But... without the cannons, how are we supposed to bombard—"

A young Marine started to speak, but immediately shut up as every other soldier looked at him like he was an idiot.

Realizing his blunder, he blushed and rushed to dismantle the guns.

"We have to keep on them!"

The adjutant clenched his fists, staring hard at the pirate ship.

As long as they held out until reinforcements arrived, Dragon alone would be enough to force Roger's ship to stop.

Then they could launch a pincer attack from both sides—finally cornering the infamous Gol D. Roger and bringing the Pirate King to his knees.

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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