Ch 15: Encountering the Navy

Chapter 15: Encountering the Navy

"So that's why the celebratory banquet I got was a big meal in the Drum Kingdom, not a banquet on board,"

Ayaan complained helplessly while eating the unappetizing-looking food.

Ace looked at Ayaan in surprise, as if he were seeing an alien.

"Well… the chef on our ship is indeed a bit… that. Ayaan, you're eating so happily."

Ayaan rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, I have two taste systems. In addition to normal human taste, using the Baku Baku no Mi activates another taste system. So far, when I use the Baku Baku no Mi's ability, I haven't found anything unpalatable."

"So amazing?" Ace murmured with envy. "That's really unfair. You have no idea—the food Bonsi makes is a total disaster…"

Bang!

"Damn Captain! Are you complaining about the food I cook?"

An iron pot flew from a distance and smacked Ace on the head, causing sparks to fly.

"Ahahaha! That's not what I meant!"

Seeing Ace being chased by the female pirate with a smile on his face, Ayaan couldn't help but chuckle.

"Although the Spade Pirates' equipment is far inferior to that of the Straw Hat Pirates, the atmosphere on both ships is still pretty good."

As he thought this, Ayaan looked at the time-travel system in his mind again.

"Sure enough… the energy replenishment of the World Travel System is tied to my involvement in the plot!"

"In the Naruto world, it took a full five years to fully recharge the travel energy. But here, when I ate the Baku Baku no Mi, my energy suddenly surged. Then, when I killed that guy Wapol, it increased again."

"Also, when I was with Chopper, the energy recharge rate picked up significantly. And after joining the Spade Pirates, it skyrocketed."

"At this point, I have enough energy to travel to two new worlds! That's twice as fast as in the Naruto world."

"If I just want to go back and forth between the Naruto and One Piece worlds, I can make two full round trips!"

Having already visited this world once, the energy needed to return is only half as much. That means Ayaan can now go to the Naruto world and come back without issues.

"In the current Naruto world, the Third Great Ninja War should have ended, right? But with my current strength, I won't gain much. Even taking into account the power of the Baku Baku no Mi, I'm at best Jonin-level."

"However, it's still worth going back to gather common Earth Style, Water Style, Medical Ninjutsu, and some Genjutsu techniques."

Common Water and Earth Style jutsu, medical ninjutsu, and some C-rank genjutsu can be found on the black market.

After all, almost all five major ninja villages possess that level of jutsu, and even medium and small villages do too. So, there's no risk of secret leaks—buying and selling jutsu is common on the black market. Of course, the price is probably steep.

"Especially Water-Style Ninjutsu… In the One Piece world, it's strategic-level—possibly even more important than medical jutsu."

Though he'd made up his mind, Ayaan didn't plan to return to the Naruto world immediately.

He was still aboard the pirate ship—if he disappeared now, Ace's crew would probably think he'd fallen overboard.

More importantly, the ship was in motion. Who knows how the coordinates are calculated? If they're based on the ship's oceanic location, he might fall straight into the sea on return. Even with chakra to walk on water, he couldn't cross an entire ocean!

"Hey, boss! That Navy ship is chasing us again!" the lookout's voice suddenly called out.

Hmm?

Ayaan raised his head and narrowed his eyes.

If one looked closely, they'd notice that his pupils had taken on an eagle-like shape. This was due to a simple body modification—he had transformed his eye structure into that of an eagle's.

He had previously experimented with other animal traits, modifying his own body accordingly. However, he later found that while animal muscle structures temporarily boosted strength, they placed enormous strain on human organs.

Most importantly, they were incompatible with the human body, and couldn't be strengthened through training. So, he eventually gave up and instead focused on more unique parts of the human body.

Special organs like the eyes, which can't be strengthened through training, were fair game.

Now, Ayaan's vision had the sharpness of an eagle's—he could see nearly a kilometer away, far beyond normal human capability.

"It really is the Navy… but a ship of that size usually belongs to a branch colonel or a headquarters lieutenant. With that level of strength, are they chasing the Spade Pirates just to die?"

"And from the crew's comments, it sounds like this Navy ship often comes after the Spade Pirates. Is there someone special aboard?"

As Ayaan was pondering, he heard the crew teasing Ace:

"Captain, just accept her already."

"She even chased you all the way to the Grand Line!"

Scratching his head, Ayaan leaned against the railing. The atmosphere felt a bit off, so he decided to keep his distance.

Although Ace was commanding his crew to go full speed, the naval ship still slowly closed the gap. The Spade Pirates, still laughing and relaxed, weren't paying much attention.

Soon, the Navy ship had drawn close.

Boom!

A cannonball fired at the Spade Pirates' ship. But with the era's sailing-ship-level accuracy… it hit several meters off, as expected.

The Navy ship's firepower wasn't particularly impressive either. The cannonballs were sporadic and mostly missed, and the rare accurate shots were easily blocked by Ace.

To be honest, Ace had been holding back. The Mera Mera no Mi wasn't a weak fruit—if he wanted, one punch could easily reduce the enemy ship to cinders from afar.

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