Rebecca and Wendy covered their mouths, their bodies trembling as they struggled to hold back laughter. Their faces were flushed, and their eyes glistened with barely contained amusement.
"What are you two doing? Is this funny to you?" Gion's expression darkened—Little Yellow had already stabbed her in the heart with his antics, and now these two were twisting the knife. Only Victor watched the three of them with exasperation.
"We... weren't laughing... just remembered something happy... HAHAHA!!!"
Wendy tried to explain, but the moment she opened her mouth, she completely lost it. Rebecca, infected by her laughter, burst out as well.
The two of them were beyond saving. They were trained Marines—no matter how hilarious something was, they never laughed. Unless, of course, they couldn't help it!
The other recruits watched the scene with envy.
Just then, Kevin's urgent voice rang out from the crow's nest.
"Pirates! More pirates! There's a pirate ship heading straight for us! Everyone, stay alert!!!"
At his warning, the crew sprang into action, rushing to their stations and preparing their weapons.
"Don't panic yet," Barnett commanded. "They might not be targeting us. Have Little Yellow change course—we'll avoid them for now."
They were still trainees, after all. Without knowing the enemy's strength, recklessness could get them killed.
Too much passion might lead to real bloodshed.
The warship adjusted its direction, but Victor and Gion exchanged glances, their relaxed expressions replaced by focus. Their Observation Haki had already sensed the enemy's power—and that unmistakable Jolly Roger.
"A future Emperor's crew? To run into them this soon, and in the first half of the Grand Line... This is a rare opportunity."
Victor's fighting spirit burned, and he saw the same eager fire in Gion's eyes.
"Bad news!" Kevin shouted again. "The pirate ship is speeding up—they're definitely coming for us! Prepare for battle!!!"
"That's the flag of the Beasts Pirates! It's the Beasts Pirates! We're in danger!!!"
The deck fell silent. These weren't ordinary Marines—they were elite recruits selected from across the Four Seas and the Grand Line. After their training, they knew exactly what kind of monsters made up the Beasts Pirates.
Their captain, Kaido, was hailed as the Strongest Creature, a man even the Navy couldn't execute no matter how many times they captured him.
Then, chaos erupted.
Some groaned in despair, lamenting their terrible luck. Others outright broke down, cursing the heavens for not sending Vice Admiral Garp to deal with this instead.
Most were just frozen in fear.
'That' crew—the legends themselves. What were they supposed to do?
They didn't know yet that it wasn't Kaido on that ship, just one of his top officers.
The pirate vessel chased them relentlessly, refusing to give up.
Victor knew they couldn't keep running. Morale was crumbling, and if the warship was caught and destroyed, things would get even worse.
"Stay calm!" Victor called out. "Kaido isn't on that ship. Gion and I will intercept them—the rest of you, retreat! We'll regroup later!"
Hearing his voice, the crew instantly felt reassured. With Victor and Rear Admiral Gion working together, who on these seas could stop them? Unless Kaido himself showed up!
No one protested. They simply watched the two, their eyes filled with hope—these were the strongest fighters on the ship, their only chance.
Seeing their expressions, Victor knew they agreed.
There was no time to waste. At this level of combat, the recruits would only add to the casualty count.
Victor approached Rebecca and Wendy.
"Wendy, provide covering fire from the ship. If the range is too far, don't force it—just retreat with the others. Rebecca, you're coming with us."
The two women nodded seriously. This wasn't a training exercise or some game—this was a real battle at sea.
Victor scooped Rebecca into his arms and launched into the air with Moon Walk, Gion following close behind.
His blood was boiling. This was a high-ranking officer of a future Emperor's crew—a worthy opponent.
Kaido wasn't an Emperor yet—only Whitebeard held that title. Before Shanks rose to power, there was no "Four Emperors" title—just Emperor of the Sea.
It wasn't until Red-Haired Shanks claimed his throne that the term "Four Emperors" was born.
"Big Bro Queen! Three people are flying toward us! What do we do?!" a lackey shouted.
"Idiot! Shoot them! Bomb them! Arrow them! Do I have to teach you everything?! If they reach the ship and wreck the 'Brachiosaurus', I'll feed you to the seakings!!!"
Queen roared, his face twisting into its usual exaggerated fury.
He was exhausted. Did these morons leave their brains back in Wano? Every day was like herding cats.
"Y-Yes, Big Bro Queen! You heard him—open fire! Don't let them get on the shi—'ship'!"
The lackeys unleashed everything they had—cannonballs, bullets, arrows—but against two Observation Haki users, it was useless.
Victor and Gion sliced through cannonfire, deflected bullets, and dodged arrows with ease.
Meanwhile, Wendy's precise sniping from the warship picked off pirates one by one, sending Queen into another rage.
The Battle Begins
They hadn't even started fighting yet, and already his crew was taking losses. But Queen's anger was useless—there was nothing he could do. Poison bombs would just be dodged at this range.
"Big Bro Queen! Look at that guy's face—isn't he the one who fought Red-Haired Shanks at Sabaody a month ago?"
"Huh? You're right—Orens Victor! What's he doing on a Navy ship? Is he a Marine... or CP?"
Queen was starting to regret this. He'd thought they were just some weak Marine recruits, easy pickings. But now he was facing someone on 'Red-Hair's' level.
To outsiders, Victor had lost to Shanks—but their sword skills were evenly matched. Victor was only slightly weaker in Haki, putting them in the same tier.
Queen had never fought Shanks himself, but the fact that the redhead's bounty was higher than his said something.
Shanks wasn't even a particularly ruthless pirate—so how had he earned such a high bounty? That was worth thinking about.
Victor and Rebecca weren't wearing standard Marine uniforms—they were still new recruits, but special cases. Only officers at the rank of captain or higher wore the Justice Coat, and Gion's was the only one on board, adorned with pink cuffs.
The fact that they could use Moon Walk meant they weren't ordinary fighters. Queen could only assume Gion was a Marine, while Victor and Rebecca could be either Marines or CP agents.
Soon, the three of them landed on the 'Brachiosaurus'. Queen had no choice but to fight.
Seizing the initiative, he immediately transformed into his hybrid Zoan form—a towering brachiosaurus-man. His elongated neck shot forward like a spring-loaded weapon, segmented with mechanical joints, aiming straight for Victor, who still carried Rebecca.
Victor's eyes flashed red. A razor-sharp sword slash tore through the air toward Queen's head. Sensing the threat, Queen hastily armored his skull with Armament Haki.
CLANG!
The slash collided with the dinosaur's hardened skull. The Haki defense shattered—Queen had been too rushed, his Haki too thin—but the attack didn't draw blood.
Queen's charge was halted, but he wasn't hurt. Victor sheathed his sword and leaped over the dinosaur's head, landing on the deck.
All around them, Queen's underlings raised their weapons, ready to attack.
Victor knew better than to underestimate an opponent like Queen. Getting surrounded could mean serious injury.
While Queen was still recovering, Victor flicked his wrist—a handful of throwing daggers shot out, accelerated to blinding speed by his Speed-Speed Fruit.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
In seconds, only Queen, Osten, and a few weaker but still-standing pirates remained.
"The rest must be the Beasts Pirates real fighters," Victor guessed.
Now—the real fight was about to begin.