"How much longer until we reach Water 7?"
Iceburg stood behind Franky and asked.
"About two hours."
Franky replied, his face showing a hint of excitement.
Normally, it would take a whole day for a regular ship to travel from Enies Lobby to Water 7. But with this propulsion device, they could make it in less than four hours. This speed…
If he could develop something like this, how fast would his future ships be?
Combined with his Wind Cannon technology…
The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't contain his excitement. He just wanted to get back to the shipyard in Water 7 and start building ships immediately.
But just then…
"Warships… warships are coming!"
A loud shout made everyone look ahead. Five warships, much larger than the one they were on, appeared on the horizon and quickly surrounded them.
"Damn it!"
"How did they find us?"
Someone shouted in panic.
Vivian, lying on the deck and looking at his soaked cigar in despair, suddenly spoke up, "Because you're on a warship."
"What do you mean?"
Nami and the others turned their attention to him.
"Warships, to prevent them from being lost or falling into pirate hands, are equipped with tracking devices," Vivian explained.
"Tracking devices? Where are they?"
Nami pointed her Clima-Tact at Vivian's head, trying to intimidate him.
"The tracking device is embedded in the keel of the ship. In other words, to remove it, you'd have to dismantle the ship, which means it won't be able to sail," Vivian continued.
Silence fell over the deck.
Sanji rushed forward, grabbed Vivian by the collar, and angrily said, "You planned this from the start, didn't you? You came alone on this warship, destroyed Iceburg's ship, and forced us onto your warship to capture us all at once, right?"
Vivian: "…"
"I didn't mean to cut that ship. Do you believe me?"
He had seen the Galley-La Company employees pull out weapons, including flintlock guns, and had no choice but to use a lightning slash to suppress them.
But he had used too much force and accidentally damaged the ship.
It couldn't be helped; his strength had increased, and with his new sword, Blood Demon, which rivaled the Great Grade Swords, it was normal to cut through the ship with one slash.
"Do you think I'll believe that?"
Sanji looked at him with a "you must be joking" expression, ready to teach Vivian a lesson. But the next second, several cannonballs exploded near the ship, causing it to shake violently.
"Damn it, they're firing at us."
"Turn the helm, Franky!" Nami and Usopp shouted in panic, holding their heads.
Vivian pushed Sanji's hand away from his collar, "Don't bother. They're warships too, with plenty of fuel. You can't outrun them."
"But we can't just sit here and wait to die!"
Zoro drew his sword, and Luffy struggled to stand up, trying to defend the ship from the cannon fire again.
"Hey," Vivian called out.
"What?" Sanji and Zoro turned to look at him, annoyed.
"Pull me over and hold a sword to my neck," Vivian said.
"Huh?" Everyone was shocked. Who would volunteer to be a hostage?
Whose side was this guy on?
"This might actually work," Franky suddenly said.
As the words fell, and seeing the cannonballs continuously attacking, Franky didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, used his strong arms to lift Vivian, and threw him to the stern of the ship.
"Marines, stop the pursuit, or I'll blow this guy's head off right now!" Franky shouted loudly.
But the next second.
Bang—Bang—!
Two more cannonballs flew past the ship, nearly hitting the mast.
Vivian: ∑(O_O;)
Everyone: ┏(゜口゜;)┛
Seriously, no respect for me at all?
Vivian almost wet himself.
If those had hit, wouldn't I have lost half my life?
"Do you… have no status in the navy?" Nami asked skeptically.
Vivian: "…"
"I think maybe they just didn't recognize me." Vivian said uncertainly, "How about… you go to the cabin and get a loudspeaker, and I'll try again?"
Ten seconds later.
"Cease fire, cease fire! This is Officer Vivian from Navy Headquarters. I've been captured by the Straw Hat crew. If you continue firing, they'll kill me immediately!"
Boom—!
Another cannonball flew over.
This time, it hit the deck, sending several employees of the Galley-La Company flying, and shrapnel grazed Vivian's handsome face.
"Alright, it seems they really don't care about my life." Vivian said, throwing away the loudspeaker and spreading his hands with a calm expression.
Luffy and the others: "…"
"So what do we do now?" Nami asked, looking at Luffy.
Even though this guy usually acts like he's missing a few screws, in critical moments like this, the crew almost instinctively chooses to trust him unconditionally.
After all, he's their captain.
"Of course… we'll knock them out!" Luffy raised his fist and shouted.
Hearing this, everyone looked at each other and then raised their weapons.
"Aye, Captain!"
"Hey, more cannonballs are coming!" Usopp shouted.
But just as the cannonballs were about to rain down on them.
"Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Flaming Thunder God!"
With an ear-piercing roar, a golden thunder dragon burst from the blade, swallowing all the cannonballs and sweeping over two of the pursuing warships.
Zzzap—!
The iron hulls were instantly covered in lightning.
Vivian's figure descended from the sky, spinning and landing steadily on the ship's edge.
On the deck, everyone, including the Straw Hat crew, watched this scene with their mouths wide open, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
"What… what was that?"
"Flying slash?!"
Chopper and Usopp swallowed hard.
Zoro, on the other hand, stared intently at Vivian's back, his muscles trembling with excitement.