"Something's off... why would there be ships here?"
At the bow of the Shark Emeralda, Lucci and the other two murmured, watching the island silhouette getting closer and closer.
Not far from them, Naomi still maintained a wary expression, looking at them.
"No need to worry. With me here, they can't hurt you."
Standing on Naomi's head, Karin, now only the size of a sparrow, comforted her.
She discovered that her current state was really convenient… just perch on anyone, and she had a human-shaped mount. She didn't even need to walk herself.
"I... I'm not worried at all."
Even though she said that, Naomi's tone completely lacked confidence, making Karin sigh helplessly.
"Sigh... forget it. Maybe you should drink after all."
When she first took Naomi in, Karin, because she hated drinking, had strictly forbidden the other party's heavy drinking behavior.
But compared to the bold, decisive, and drunk woman in her intoxicated state before, the current Naomi was clearly too timid.
During this period of interaction, Karin also noticed.
Naomi wasn't like Mad Treasure, someone with a certain purpose, completely unscrupulous and without bottom lines.
Her nature wasn't particularly good, but not particularly bad either… it was more of a go-with-the-flow state.
Could mix in with good people, could also mix in with bad people.
Of course, the premise was that she was in a drunken state.
The current Naomi, not having drunk, acted cautiously and fearfully… it was indeed too restrictive.
Hearing Karin's permission, Naomi immediately took out a bottle of wine from an inconspicuous cargo box nearby, under Karin's surprised gaze.
'So it was hidden here?'
Seeming to sense Karin's gaze, Naomi, holding the wine bottle, stiffened just as she was about to take a couple of sips, then shrunk her neck, looking pitifully at the little golden bird glowing in mid-air.
"Captain, you said it was okay."
"...Forget it, forget it, drink, but don't drink too much, okay?"
Karin's words came too late.
Due to the forced abstinence over the past few days, when she took the first sip, Naomi's whole body subconsciously made a comfortable sound.
Immediately after, an entire large bottle of alcohol, under Karin and Lucci's gazes, was guzzled down by this girl in one breath.
"Burp… Bo... boss, wha... what did you just say?"
Naomi, her face noticeably much rosier, asked the little bird in mid-air.
But don't think she was drunk… her footsteps actually became steadier.
"I said don't you... forget it, forget it, only this much to drink today."
Saying this, seemingly disliking the smell of alcohol, Karin decisively flew onto Lucci's head with the top hat.
Not sure if it was an illusion, but Karin felt this spot was particularly comfortable.
As if it was specifically made to be a bird's nest.
Maybe an illusion?
Lucci wanted to shake her off, but before he could do anything, Kaku beside him pointed into the distance and said.
"The guys over there are coming... seems like they mean trouble."
Everyone looked over. Except for a few large cargo ships not moving, the surrounding fleet of small and medium-sized warships was now aggressively charging toward their direction.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After entering a certain range, without any communication, the opponent's cannons roared continuously.
Dense cannonballs flew toward their direction, forming a curtain of fire in the air.
"Seems like enemies!"
Kaku took out his weapon… two long swords.
Drawing the swords, he prepared to use slashes to detonate those cannonballs mid-air.
"Leave it! Let me handle it!"
Perhaps recalling her own timid behavior these past few days, the intoxicated Naomi clearly wanted to show off her muscle.
Hearing her voice, Kaku paused, stood straight again, and looked over.
Naomi, under everyone's gaze, showed no stage fright, directly took the longbow from her back, then casually grabbed a handful of arrows.
The bowstring pulled back, several arrows simultaneously nocked, then shot out with the taut bow limbs.
It has to be said, Naomi could survive in the New World for so long because she had some strength.
Those arrows flew incredibly fast, each seeming to have a mind of its own, each precisely hitting a cannonball.
The moment the arrowheads made contact with the cannonballs, explosions occurred immediately.
The explosions of the arrowheads not only triggered the cannonballs themselves to explode but even caused the surrounding cannonballs to explode simultaneously.
The power of these explosive arrows was no less than cannons. Combined with Naomi's hundred-percent-accurate archery, the effect was no less than a human-shaped Patriot missile launcher.
Before the first batch of arrows even exploded, the second batch had already been shot.
Naomi seemed like she didn't need to aim at all.
Nothing else, just sheer skill.
While the curtain of fire was detonated, the Shark Emeralda truly charged into the enemy fleet like a fierce predator.
"Counterattack."
Karin's voice spread throughout the entire ship.
Now, the legacy from Mad Treasure came into play.
Dozens of cannons of different calibers quickly extended from the Shark Emeralda. Under the control of the sailors, they began fiercely returning fire.
Although their accuracy couldn't compare to Naomi's, the enemy didn't have anything noteworthy either.
While the cannons returned fire, Lucci and the other two also flew toward different ships using Geppo.
Those guys in protective suits holding flintlocks were no match for them at all.
Just one encounter, and many ships stopped moving, unable to proceed.
And Karin, now standing at the ship's bow, felt the smell of gunpowder and the roar of cannons in the air.
'Is this what Naruto-san called 'naval warfare'?'
'Although the scale couldn't compare to the previous war at all, this was proper naval warfare.'
'Finally, my journey also experienced some authentic maritime flavor.'
Thinking this, Karin didn't take the initiative to wipe the field clean but let these newly joined members show their prowess.
With Naomi's firepower interception and Kaku and others boarding, this naval encounter battle hardly delayed the Shark Emeralda for long.
The ship painted like a shark charged straight out from a bunch of smoking warships, as if it had just feasted heartily.
Just as the sailors got worked up and prepared to open fire on the few cargo ships that had gotten close, Karin stopped them.
"Those are... children? Everyone, stop!"
Some who didn't react in time, or were overly excited, had their necks light up immediately, sobering up in the pain of suffocation.
The cannon fire abruptly ceased.
And Karin clearly saw the scene at Punk Hazard's port dock.
Those children with obviously abnormal builds were being escorted by armed personnel into the cargo ship's holds.
Whether from the children's expressions or the direction the weapons in the hands of those around them were pointing, these children clearly weren't willing.
Although some of the children were three or four meters tall, their faces still showed helpless, fearful expressions.
That look was no different from Karin's back in Kusagakure.
Anger quietly rose. Karin flew into mid-air, her body enlarging.
And Orochimaru, who had come to the surface with Caesar, happened to witness this scene.
"A golden bird... seems familiar..."
Somehow, Orochimaru, this former Ninja, encountered another Ninja again.
In contrast, Caesar focused his attention on the escort ships.
"These idiots, just this short while, and they've all been defeated?"
Saying this, both shocked and angry, he intended to return to the underground facility but was stopped by Orochimaru.
"No need to be nervous. Have you forgotten what we made?"
Reminded by him, Caesar also came back to his senses.
"You want to use it here?!"
"No matter how detailed my data is, it's not as good as you seeing it with your own eyes."
"Perfect timing. Take this chance to let you see the effects of Drug No. 1."
Hearing this, Caesar immediately looked displeased.
"Bastard, its name is [Pink Memories]!"
But after saying this, he also showed a smile.
"Fine, let me see just how powerful the special gas that can alter life properties really is."
Saying this, he took off one of his gloves, his hand quickly turning into a gaseous form.
As a Gas Human who ate the Gasu Gasu no Mi, Caesar didn't need to rely on pre-deployment.
He directly opened a test tube, then poured it into his palm, which immediately turned pink.
"Go! Pink Memories!"
With Caesar's shout, pink gas quickly spread out.