Chapter 48: Looting the Entire Base
The G8 kitchen staff were lightning-fast. In about ten minutes they'd packed fifty extra-large bentos, saying the injured needed more calories to recover.
"That's a lot to carry. Want us to help deliver them?"
They genuinely liked Luo Lin and offered to help, but there was no way he'd let them see where he was going.
"No need, no need! I got this!"
With a totally-not-thick-faced grin, he took the mountain of bentos and walked out.
The moment he opened the door, he ran straight into Luffy and Sanji—both also wearing stolen Marine uniforms.
Sanji's eyes nearly popped out. He recognized Luo Lin instantly.
Luffy, face-blind as ever, thought they'd been busted.
Before Luffy could yell, Luo Lin spoke first:
"Yo! You guys are late! I already ate my fill! Don't worry, there's still tons of delicious food inside!"
Without waiting for a reply, he shouldered the giant pack and slipped away.
Sanji was still buffering.
Luffy just marched right in—he was starving, and Luo Lin said there was food. No further questions.
…
Luo Lin strolled outside, checked no one was around—ZAP—gone.
Next second he was back on the Devil.
Robin looked at the guy who'd just gone in minutes ago, now wearing a Marine uniform and carrying a huge sack, and raised an eyebrow.
He didn't even wait for her to ask—just opened the bag proudly.
Fifty bentos.
Robin: …
So the plan was "go find Nami," but you actually infiltrated the base to raid the kitchen?
"Robin-baby, you haven't had breakfast, right? Here! Special delivery just for you! They taste amazing!"
He shoved a bento into her hands like a proud husband.
"Uh…"
She took it reflexively, opened her mouth, closed it again—too many slots to even begin.
"You eat first! Save the rest in the fridge! I gotta pop back in real quick!"
He was about to vanish again.
"Wait! Explain!"
"Oh! Got hungry, infiltrated the kitchen, ate fifty bentos, packed some for you. Nami and the others are fine, totally safe!"
Three sentences, done.
Robin relaxed—he'd at least confirmed the crew was okay—and let him go with a "be careful."
She was actually hungry, so she started eating. Really good, too.
Luo Lin teleported right back into G8 like he owned the place.
"Now… where next?"
A glorious idea struck.
"We're running low on food anyway… why not do some shopping?"
No more kitchen this time—he went straight to the main storage warehouse.
Wearing the uniform, the guards found him a bit weird but didn't question it.
No way a pirate would break into a Marine fortress just to steal rations, right?
Who's that stupid?
Definitely one of ours!
Luo Lin made ten round trips and cleared out an entire corner of the warehouse.
Completely emptying it was impossible—there was a week's worth of food for several thousand Marines—but he made a decent dent.
Robin watched him teleport back and forth a dozen times, each time with more crates, and went numb.
Bro, did you just wholesale the Navy?
The Devil's waterline dropped a solid twenty centimeters before he finally stopped.
After reporting to Robin ("I'll be right back!"), he went in again.
By now Zoro and Usopp had already been captured, and Luffy's group had just left the kitchen.
"Meh, let them play. I'm heading to the dock."
Still in uniform, he strolled toward the shipyard.
Any Marine who didn't question him got ignored.
Any who did—zap—knocked out and stuffed in a closet.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was just too perfect!
Instant teleportation? Insanely cool.
He used to dream of stealing Blackbeard's Darkness fruit—supposedly the "most vicious."
Now? Trash.
Who cares about strong when you can be THIS stylish?
Haki boost + lightspeed movement? Darkness fruit can't copy that in a lifetime.
Style is forever.
When he reached the dock, only shipwrights remained—the rest were hunting Straw Hats.
Before they could speak, a burst of Conqueror's Haki dropped them all unconscious.
He inspected the Going Merry—repairs already done.
Walked to the bow, looked at the iron chock holding the ship—KICK—sent it flying.
With an ear-splitting screech, the Merry slid into the water.
Satisfied, Luo Lin climbed aboard.
Robin was safe outside—he'd take a quick nap.
…
He woke up to shouting.
"Hey! Marine over there! Stop slacking! Get up and set the ambush!"
"Huh?"
He groggily sat up—somehow the dock was now packed with hundreds of Marines.
He spread Observation Haki and understood instantly.
"Oh, they're planning to ambush Luffy here? Sorry, boys—plan failed."
Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
Hundreds of Marines dropped like wheat before a storm.
Not one left standing.
"Yawn~"
He lay back down, expressionless.
A few minutes later, another battalion rushed in—froze at the sight of bodies everywhere, some having fallen from high scaffolding.
"What… what happened?!"
"Wake up! What went down here?!"
"Is the ship really haunted?!"
"Idiot! It's the Straw Hats' ship! How can it be haunted?!"
While they panicked, Luffy's group burst in—equally shocked by the carpet of unconscious Marines.
But no time to think—they started fighting the new arrivals.
Without the hidden ambush, things were tough but manageable.
Luo Lin had zero intention of helping—he'd already cleared half the base.
Plus no one had noticed him on the ship.
More Marines poured in, tightening the circle.
Nami arrived with Chopper and the blood-phobic Dr. Kobato—crashed right into Usopp and sent him flying.
Then Kobato let out a blood-curdling scream that nearly shattered everyone's eardrums, Luo Lin included.
"SHUT UP!"
He roared.
Every eye turned to him.
He hadn't planned on revealing himself, but that scream was demonic.
"Luo Lin?!"
"Oh ho ho! You were here the whole time?!"
The Straw Hats lit up.
Nami had just arrived and thought he'd bailed—turns out he'd been napping on the ship.
Now they felt a lot safer.
The Marines? All guns trained on him.
Even though he was wearing their uniform, one major recognized him instantly.
"Portgas D. Luo Lin! Rumors said you joined Straw Hat Luffy. We thought it was fake since you weren't on the intruder list. But here you are!"
"Yo! Someone actually knows me!"
"Of course! The World Government's been after you for 20 years! And since the infamous 'Devil's Guard' is here… that means the Devil's Child, Nico Robin, is nearby too, right? Let me guess—that ship parked outside the base?"
The major looked smug.
He didn't notice Luo Lin's lazy eyes turn razor-sharp, his whole aura turning ice-cold.
Nami inwardly: YES! Keep talking! I know exactly how to piss him off!
(She'd once called Robin a monster as a kid—got her ass thoroughly spanked by angry Luo Lin.)
The major kept going, oblivious:
"I don't know how you got in, but records say Nico Robin is a Devil Fruit user. If I order that ship sunk right now, catching her should be child's play!"
Nami's eyes glinted mischievously.
↜(⃔っ՞ں՞c)⃕ YES! More! Harder!
Before he could finish—BAM!
Luo Lin's fist sent the major flying sideways, bowling over a dozen Marines.
Nami: (งᵒ̌ ꇴ ᵒ̌)ง JACKPOT!
"You talk too much. I hate smug bastards who think they've got everything under control. Stand up and give that order—I dare you."
The remaining Marines finally reacted, guns up.
Luo Lin had teleported right next to the major.
"Sir! Are you okay?!"
"Damn it! The doctor's still with the Straw Hats!"
"Fire! Open fire!"
The major was out cold, foaming at the mouth.
Some Marines panicked and shot anyway.
Bang bang bang!
Luo Lin didn't even dodge—bullets passed right through his lightning-form body.
"Stop! Bullets don't work!"
"Damn, a Devil Fruit user?!"
Luo Lin: (乛 ✓ 乛)
"My turn. 100,000 volts—Discharge!"
The Straw Hats (who'd seen his powers) scrambled to non-conductive spots.
The Marines? Instant electric dance party.
He kept it going a full minute—just to be sure.
Then turned to the stunned Straw Hats, slightly annoyed:
"Hey! You guys still here? Go!"
"What about you?"
"I'll head back in a sec!"
Everyone: …
Fine! You can teleport, you win!
They scrambled onto the Merry and sailed for the exit.
Luo Lin stopped the juice, watched them leave, then ZAP—gone.
…
After escaping the dock, the Straw Hats sailed a bit farther.
When the Marine cannons opened fire and they wanted to shoot back—they realized everything was gone.
Every cannon, every weapon, all their gold, even the fridge contents—cleaned out.
Including the one-billion-beri Bomb-Bomb Fruit (Spring-Spring Fruit) Nami had kept in a fancy box under her pillow.
"UNFORGIVABLE! They took all our gold!"
Nami was shaking with rage—that gold had nearly cost them their lives!
They looked at the gate they'd just blown open, decided revenge > escape, and turned the ship around to get their stuff back.
The warships that chased outside only saw the Devil—no other ships.
They even hailed Luo Lin and Robin to ask.
Of course the two played dumb—if they'd seen the Merry they'd have left already.
While the Marines reported to Vice Admiral Jonathan, the major in dock 88 woke up—he hadn't actually been shocked.
He reported everything.
Jonathan was shocked—immediately ordered the warships to sink the Devil and capture both Luo Lin and Robin.
Unfortunately for him, Luo Lin's Observation Haki had been active the entire time.
Every word heard crystal clear.
"Tch. Went too easy on you."
ZAP!
Robin finished making coffee, came out, saw him gone again, sighed, and sipped alone.
Luo Lin reappeared—inside Jonathan's office.
Everyone reached for their swords.
One glare of Conqueror's Haki—everyone except Jonathan dropped unconscious.
Jonathan was stunned.
He recognized the intruder, but had no idea how he got in.
Conqueror's Haki too?!
Luo Lin ignored him, plopped down on the opposite sofa, and nodded approvingly.
Nice couch. Taking it later.
"You were just about to order that ship outside sunk and drag us back, right? I strongly suggest you don't."
Jonathan took a deep breath, forcing himself calm.
"Portgas D. Luo Lin! Never thought the criminal the World Government hunted for 20 years would show up in my office—and with Conqueror's Haki no less!
But you're a wanted man. Capturing you is justice!"
Luo Lin sneered—he'd always despised the Navy's "justice" spiel.
"So I'm advising you—don't. Or people start dying."
"To fight evil, some sacrifice is acceptable!"
That self-righteous tone again.
Irritation exploded.
Luo Lin waved dismissively.
"Shut up. Annoying. Just sit there and behave. Move one muscle and I wipe out your entire base."
His sheer presence froze Jonathan.
The Vice Admiral opened his mouth—Luo Lin raised a hand.
A massive bolt of lightning crashed into the sea right beside the fortress.
Several warships were metal-hulled.
Marines touching the railings were instantly charred black.
Jonathan's jaw dropped.
Lightning?! He can control lightning?!
Plus Conqueror's Haki?
And his bounty was only 50 million beri?
Are you kidding me?!
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