After failing to dissuade Ikki and the others, Fullbody had no choice but to accompany them, though he was filled with dread.
Initially, Fullbody considered taking a small boat to flee and leaving the warship to Ikki and his group. However, recalling the heroic image he had just cultivated among the Marines, he quickly abandoned the idea.
"I... Fullbody... will become the light of the East Blue Marines!" he shouted internally, bolstering his resolve.
Still, he couldn't fully quell his fear. Returning to his quarters, Fullbody secretly prepared a white flag. If the ship was scuttled by the fishmen, perhaps waving the flag of surrender would save his life.
Onboard the Marine warship.
Luffy and Usopp wandered through the ship, curious to explore the inside of a Marine vessel. Wherever they went, Marine soldiers saluted them out of respect, even while working.
Usopp beamed with pride. "This is amazing! Who would've thought Marines would be so respectful to pirates like us? Normally, we'd be lucky if they didn't try to haul us off in chains."
Luffy grinned. "It's because we're not just pirates."
Usopp frowned slightly, leaning closer to Luffy. "But Luffy, is it really okay for us to act like Marines? Doesn't it feel… fake?"
"Fake? Who said we're fake?" Luffy shot back, his tone casual. "We're private Marines! And the letter of appointment Ikki has is the real deal."
In truth, Luffy had been unsure about the idea of being a private Marine at first. But after traveling for a while, he realized just how convenient the title could be. With it, there were no scuffles with Marines, and instead, they were greeted with food, drinks, and hospitality.
As the aroma of food wafted through the halls, Luffy's stomach growled loudly. "C'mon, Usopp! Let's head to the cafeteria!"
Without hesitation, the two made their way toward the dining hall, following the delicious scent.
On the ship's deck.
Ikki sat cross-legged, trying to practice Nen. A training manual lay open in front of him, but despite studying it for some time, he hadn't made much progress.
This was particularly frustrating given that Luffy had picked up the skill after just a few hours of watching.
Ikki had underestimated how challenging mastering Nen would be. Initially, he had focused most of his energy on training in the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, believing it would quickly bolster his combat abilities when combined with Dragon-Slaying Magic. But now, he realized that the difficulty of learning telekinesis wasn't the problem—Luffy was simply exceptional.
'Of course,' Ikki muttered to himself. 'He is the son of destiny, after all.'
It wasn't surprising. Luffy's meteoric rise to power was unmatched. From setting sail to the Summit War, it had taken him less than a year. In that time, he developed his first, second, and third gears, and within another year of training with Rayleigh, he had mastered all three forms of Haki. In just a month of additional sailing, he honed Future Sight under Katakuri, learned advanced Conqueror's Haki from Kaido, and awakened the power of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika.
Luffy's rapid growth, culminating in his ascension to the status of Emperor, was unprecedented in the pirate world.
Reflecting on this, Ikki glanced at Zoro, deep in thought. "Zoro might be the same… one of destiny's chosen," he murmured.
Determined not to fall behind, Ikki picked up the manual again and resumed his meditation.
Elsewhere on the deck.
Zoro sat cross-legged, eyes closed, with Kuina resting on his knees. He was meditating, hoping to once again enter the world of his sword's spirit and see Kuina.
But at this moment, Zoro couldn't find the connection he was searching for with his sword. It was as if… Kuina was offline.
While everyone was engrossed in their activities, a Marine sailor hurriedly approached Ikki, looking flustered.
"Mr. Ikki, we have a problem…" the sailor said, panting.
"Huh? What is it? Are the fishmen here?" Ikki asked, his brows furrowed.
"No..." The sailor swallowed nervously. "It's Mr. Luffy…"
"What happened to Luffy?" Hearing the sailor's words, Zoro and Sanji both turned their attention to him.
"He... He ate all the food we had stored!"
Ikki was speechless. "...What?"
"All of it," the sailor repeated, exasperated.
Ikki sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's just food," he said nonchalantly.
The sailor blinked in disbelief. "Just food? On the open sea?!"
In the vast ocean, food was a precious resource. Fish couldn't always be caught casually—especially in areas like the Grand Line, where abnormal weather and dangerous sea creatures made fishing a risky endeavor. Even experienced warriors rarely jumped into the sea to fish without a second thought.
Just as Ikki was about to reassure the Marines not to panic, the sound of waves crashing broke through the air. A moment later, a strange-looking fishman leapt onto the Marine warship.
"Who do you think you are, Marines? Don't you know this is the territory of Arlong?" the fishman barked arrogantly.
The Marines on watch immediately raised the alarm. The blaring siren drew every sailor to the deck, weapons at the ready. Even Fullbody, still confined to his wheelchair, was pushed out to see what was happening.
The fishman realized too late that this wasn't a friendly group of Marines. Panicked, he turned to leap back into the sea, but Ikki moved quickly, grabbing him by the neck.
The fishman's neck was thick, and his slippery skin allowed him to slip free with a forceful twist. Realizing escape wouldn't be easy, he opened his mouth to call for reinforcements from the water.
Ikki didn't give him the chance. His fist, encased in a swirling airflow, slammed into the fishman's jaw with such force that it shattered, rendering him unable to speak.
"Zoro, there are more fishmen below!" Ikki called out, his voice calm but commanding.
With those words, Ikki activated Sky Dragon's Protection, enveloping Zoro in a soft, breathable airflow. Zoro immediately felt the sensation of a protective barrier around his body. He understood what Ikki was doing and appreciated it, though he would have jumped into the sea to fight the fishmen regardless.
'If I can't even handle some low-level fishmen from the East Blue, how can I stand in front of him again?' Zoro thought grimly.
Without hesitation, Zoro leapt into the sea, intent on dealing with the fishmen lurking beneath the ship.
The surrounding sailors—and even Fullbody—were shocked by what they were witnessing. Fighting fishmen underwater was considered suicidal for most humans.
Sanji, watching Zoro dive, turned to Ikki. "I'm going in to help him!"
Ikki pointed to the water. "Look there."
Sanji followed Ikki's finger, his eyes widening as he saw a cloud of blood blooming in the sea. Moments later, the bodies of fishmen floated to the surface.
Ikki carefully observed the scene. None of the corpses belonged to the Arlong Pirates' officers. That much was clear.
The real reason Ikki had given Zoro the Sky Dragon's Protection wasn't just to aid him against ordinary fishmen—it was to prepare him for the officers of the Arlong Pirates.
Officers were on an entirely different level than common fishmen. In the original timeline, even Sanji had been pushed to the brink while fighting underwater against a fishman officer. It wasn't until he returned to land that he managed to turn the tide.
With the Sky Dragon's Protection, Zoro could breathe underwater and move as freely as he did on land. The resistance of the water posed no problem. The effect was similar to the Water-Repelling Candy, but the duration of the ability was dependent on Ikki.
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