WebNovels

Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: Awakened Fruit

Tsuru shouted in a panic, "What kind of pirate is this? They send out a mere girl who can actually defeat Momousagi?" She couldn't comprehend how a crew of such power had been recruited from the East Blue.

"Hahaha, Marines, it won't end so easily," Baki laughed, clapping her hands. An aura of immense power radiated from her body.

"Awaken!" she whispered, taking off her white gloves and pressing her hands down on the Marine warship below.

With a tearing sound, the hull instantly split into countless, perfectly round and neat pieces. The female Marines on board screamed as they fell into the sea.

"Little Tsuru!" Garp, from his distant ship, saw the chaos. His face changed, and he shot into the air.

"Your opponent is me," Mihoko's cool voice rang out. She met Garp with sword, her eyes locked on him.

"Crocodile, what are you doing, you stupid b**ch? Get them out of here!" Baki yelled, suspended in the air.

"Hmph! In this world, aren't you the b**ch?" Crocodile retorted, but her actions were swift. She created sandstorms that swept the Marines from the water and shattered deck pieces. Some were even sucked dry, turning into mummified husks.

"What are you doing!" Tsuru yelled, jumping into the air, but Baki quickly suppressed her.

"You'll see soon enough," Baki said with a grin. After all the Marines were swept clear, Baki pressed her hands together. The shattered warship instantly reassembled, appearing completely intact. Within a certain range, she could split and reassemble large areas of inorganic matter—this was the power of her awakened Devil Fruit.

"Whoosh!" The sandstorm grew, sweeping Tsuru and Momousagi into its vortex.

Rodin leaped into the air, landing on the newly captured warship. "Trade the old for the new; you don't mind, do you? I will give you an answer in another three days," he called out to Tsuru and Momousagi with a smile.

Baki landed on the deck, a look of glee on her face as she prepared to count the loot.

"Set sail first!" Rodin instructed.

"I'm on my way to the power room!" Baki responded.

"To the mainsail, Madam Crocodile," Rodin ordered, then glanced at Mihoko, who was still fighting Garp. Mihoko caught Rodin's signal. She parried Garp's iron fist with her 'White Sword Hiru,' then used his force to propel herself back to the new warship.

Garp, having no intention of fighting anymore, plunged into the sandstorm to rescue Tsuru and Momousagi. By the time the three landed safe on the remaining ships, Rodin and his crew had long vanished. The female soldiers, gasping for air, were relieved to see that no one was seriously injured.

Garp, relieved, laughed heartily. "Hahaha, Little Tsuru, have you seen their strength now?"

"You can still laugh," Tsuru said, glaring at him. "Compared to this, they've added another strong member to their crew." She mused that with their current high-end combat power, they far surpassed any other Warlord faction and likely would not be accepting their offer.

"She's still a swordsman's nemesis," Momousagi lamented, on the verge of tears. "Sister Tsuru, I lost my knife."

"It's all gone. We can't keep up," Tsuru said, shaking her head in defeat.

"What did they say?" Garp asked, biting into a donut.

"They'll think about it for three days," Tsuru replied.

"I say we should annihilate them in the first half of the Grand Line!" Garp insisted.

"Besides you, are the other Admiral-level forces so easy to deploy?" Tsuru shot back. "If they set their sights on the New World, we don't have to worry about them for now." She concluded that they would need to meet with Sengoku to decide on a course of action and issue a new bounty.

On the new warship, the crew enjoyed the superior amenities. Everything, from the power system to the living quarters, was a hundred times better. However, some of the crew couldn't get used to the excessive women's clothing and the less colorful decor.

"Captain, I've got a famous knife!" Baki said, holding out the reassembled Golden Konpira. After her battle with Momousagi, she had secretly put it back together.

"You can use it yourself," Rodin said with a smile.

"Is that Momousagi-sama's knife?" Tashigi's eyes lit up.

Crocodile flew down, scoffing. "You still call her 'sama'? She doesn't even know who you are. She didn't see you at all."

"She... probably didn't know I was on the ship," Tashigi said, her eyes darkening.

"You're just a Ensign," Mihoko said, passing by. Her words stabbed Tashigi in the heart.

After the battle, everyone had a better understanding of Baki's strength. Her bizarre ability to disarm and dismantle any bladed weapon, even one coated in Haki, made her the ultimate swordsman's nemesis. This fact was especially troubling for a great swordsman like Mihoko, who could only fight her with blunt force, greatly diminishing her power. It made Crocodile feel a new sense of urgency. Her pride had been wounded after fighting Garp, and her desire for strength was now more intense than ever.

"If I remember correctly, this route should lead to Alabasta soon," Crocodile said, pursing her lips. Her age was twenty, and the "Sand Crocodile" of Alabasta was forty-four. She had twenty-four years to catch up. The thought excited her.

"Just wait, I'll finish you off."

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