Chapter 343: The Recollection of the One Piece World (IV)
[Just two rounds of bombardment, and your ship's sails are already on fire, the vessel starting to sink. Since when did you become such a destroyer of vehicles?]
[At this moment, it feels like you spent all your savings to buy a motorcycle back in school, only for it to be stolen before you could even ride it—your opponent has successfully enraged you.]
[With a dark expression, you cast Time Stop, leaping from the nearly sunken ship. Stepping on the mast, you propelled yourself into the air as Star Platinum floated closely behind you. The Stand hurled the broken tip of the mast, still attached to a rope, straight at the enemy's ship—hitting dead center along the hull! Thick fog began to spread across the sea.]
[In the dense mist where you couldn't even see your hand, your and Star Platinum's golden-white figures flickered in and out of view, always hovering close behind you. Its fists swung out from time to time—within its range, Star Platinum's destructive power never failed. One ship after another began to sink, and sailors jumped into the sea like dumplings dropped into boiling water.]
[When only the last main ship remained, you inserted your right hand into your pocket and calmly flipped yourself onto the deck rail. Through the fog, you could make out familiar faces—Leander, and beside him, a fat young man wearing sunglasses and a transparent bubble hood over his head, sitting astride a muscular man with blood trickling from his forehead, using him as a mount.]
[Around him stood several giant bodyguards with iron chains around their necks, as well as armed naval soldiers.]
[Though the fat man didn't yet realize what was happening in the mist, Leander did—he instantly recognized you and nervously explained that this was all a misunderstanding. The man beside him was Saint Rosward, a World Noble from the Holy Land Mariejois, and this ship was transporting the Heavenly Tribute from the South Blue's Sorbet Kingdom and Torino Kingdom to the Celestial Dragons.]
[But the fat man showed Leander no respect. He arrogantly shouted that the only reason he had fired on you was because you'd gotten in his way—but now he had changed his mind. He wasn't going to kill you; he preferred collecting captains as slaves.]
[Captain slaves? You've got to be kidding me, fatso. Anyone who knows you could tell—you were already furious. You clenched your fist, and Star Platinum behind you did the same.]
[That line of yours seemed to hit the man's nerve. As if deeply insulted, he instantly pulled out his cane—inside it was a hidden pistol—and fired three shots at you. Meanwhile, the surrounding marines and giant slaves all charged forward.]
[Nice try, but Star Platinum's speed surpassed bullets. Its hands flashed, effortlessly catching the three rounds midair. At the same time, the surrounding fog grew thicker as you, within that dense shroud, adjusted your hat and began to stride forward.]
[With each of your steps, all the nearby marines—including the giant bodyguards—were bound by writhing fog and couldn't move a muscle. Only a few with strong Armament Haki managed to break free, but they still couldn't see clearly in the mist. Star Platinum darted forward through the fog toward Saint Rosward and unleashed a storm of punches—ORA ORA ORA!—a torrential downpour of blows.]
[For scum like him, you never hold back. You pummeled him for two full minutes. By the time you were done, it was impossible to tell how many bones he had left intact; his bubble hood had shattered, and he lay on the ground like a pile of broken mud. Even so, he still kept running his mouth—crying and screaming that the Navy would avenge him and kill you.]
[Oh? Kill me? And who would replace Zhou Ning as the protagonist, then? Without indulging him further, you slapped him across the face several times until he passed out cold.]
[Then you turned on the rest of the enemies. The golden-white Star Platinum flickered through the fog; with each flash, another foe fell. You held back a little on the regular marines, but as for the detestable Leander—you gave him some special attention, coating your fists in Armament Haki and landing two extra punches. Within minutes, not a single enemy on the ship was left standing. Ignoring their struggles, you began tossing them one by one into the sea, starting with Saint Rosward. (Mission Progress: Iconic Battle Scenes 1/5)]
[You exhaled deeply, finally feeling your mind clear. Somewhere deep inside, a new power seemed to be awakening.]
[Afterward, you searched the ship. Aside from mountains of Berries, the so-called Heavenly Tribute also contained a Devil Fruit. You even found a Marine combat manual that had fallen from Leander's body—its contents were quite advanced. You obtained: Unknown Devil Fruit ×1.]
[February 3rd, 1501—you abandoned the ship carrying the Celestial Dragon and landed on a nearby island.]
[There, you saw your own wanted poster. You had been branded a criminal for murdering a Celestial Dragon—your bounty: 600 million Berries. The highest initial bounty in history, an unprecedented record.]
[Unbelievable. You'd never even intended to become a pirate, yet somehow ended up with a bounty higher than Shanks'. You shook your head—perhaps this was fate.]
[Your next goal remained the Grand Line. No one would dare to give you passage now—but fortunately, you could still swim! You were glad you hadn't eaten that Devil Fruit.]
[The fastest route to the Grand Line would be through Reverse Mountain, but swimming up it was clearly impossible, so you had no choice but to enter directly from the Calm Belt into the middle section of the Grand Line. By sheer coincidence, right at the entrance to the Calm Belt, you encountered that familiar leopard-headed beast again—Leopard-Headed Godzilla!]
[Was it here specifically to pick you up? For a moment, you almost felt a touch of nostalgic kinship—but it certainly didn't. The instant it saw you, it let out a pitiful wail, rolled over its massive body, and played dead with its white belly facing up. But you didn't let it off the hook. Reluctantly, it became your mount for the third time, tears of deep humiliation streaming down its face as it carried you into the Calm Belt.]
[February 12th, 1501—after a week of travel, Leopard-Headed Godzilla finally carried you into the Grand Line. During that time, you hadn't been idle. Your mastery of both types of Haki had improved slightly, and from the Marine combat manual, you learned a technique called Shigan (Finger Gun). Used by Star Platinum, it proved quite formidable—capable of piercing the sea surface and striking fish deep below. You learned the skill: Shigan (Beginner).]
[February 15th, 1501—you finally landed on a populated island blanketed in snow and ice. There, through the News Coo, you came across a new report: the Navy's newly appointed Vice Admiral Sakazuki, along with your old acquaintance Borsalino, had been assigned to capture you.]