"Cheat, Lie, Right?"
"What happened up ahead?!"
"It was clear just before..."
Colonel Rot stared at the main sea route ahead, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
The blockage in the sailing route meant that the "distinguished guest" he was so eager to please would now be unable to leave the North Blue.
But the real problem was far more severe: the delay in escorting the heavenly gold.
Failing to deliver the treasure to the Grand Line on schedule would surely incur the wrath of the Celestial Dragon aboard.
Rot's ambition of leaving the North Blue—and perhaps even his rank as Rear Admiral—hung by a thread.
The Immovable Obstacle
As Rot stared at the countless red stones that blocked the main route, dread began to consume him.
Even if he immediately sent a crew to begin clearing the path, the sheer scale of the blockage would make it impossible to finish the job in less than a month.
"This… what in the world is going on?!" Rot muttered, his frustration nearing its peak.
At that moment, one of the Marines on deck—shaken but observant—shouted in alarm.
"Rear Admiral Rot! There's someone ahead! A ship!"
"Someone?"
Rot's eyes narrowed. He shifted his gaze toward the sea, his mind racing. Pirates? The North Blue's mafia? Or perhaps… the rumored Revolutionary Army?
Whoever it was, could they really have been responsible for sealing off the main route between the North Blue and the Grand Line?
"That's insane..." Rot whispered.
Even with a thousand troops, it would take weeks to block such a crucial passage. And this wasn't just any warship—it was an escort vessel carrying heavenly gold.
The consequences of attacking it were unthinkable, severe enough to crush even the most powerful factions in the North Blue.
A Curious Sight
Rot scratched his head in confusion, his frustration mounting. But then, as his thoughts raced, he suddenly realized something strange.
The ship ahead wasn't a pirate vessel. Nor was it a mafia warship or a Revolutionary Army flagship.
It was… a single-person boat.
A wooden craft, no more than 4.6 meters long and 1.4 meters wide, floated calmly amidst the chaos.
And aboard that small, fragile boat stood an old man. His hair was gray, and he wore a spotless white shirt.
Rot's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What kind of joke is this?" he muttered.
This solitary old man, with nothing but a tiny boat, had dared to stand in the path of a massive warship escorting heavenly gold?
Anger began to bubble within Rot, a stark contrast to his earlier confusion.
"This is absurd! I've been tricked!"
He gritted his teeth, his fury rising.
The Command to Fire
"Perfect," Rot thought bitterly. "I need a target to vent my frustration."
Without hesitation, he barked the order:
"Fire!"
The command was cold and final, laced with unrestrained anger.
The Old Man's Resolve
On the calm sea, the old man—Bai Ye—stood unshaken.
Overhead, seagulls flew in lazy circles, as if mocking the massive warship towering more than 50 meters high.
Bai Ye's eyes held no fear, only indifference.
"It's ironic," he murmured, "that the ones using destructive force to intimidate the North Blue are the Marines themselves."
He glanced at the warship, noting the dozens of black cannonballs now flying toward him.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The sounds of cannon fire echoed across the sea.
But Bai Ye didn't flinch.
Instead, he raised his right hand, veins bulging as he clenched his fist.
"I am no longer a Marine," he said quietly. "And I couldn't care less about their rules."
As the cannonballs grew larger in his vision, Bai Ye's gaze hardened.
"One punch," he said, his voice calm yet resolute.
A Terrifying Scene
With those words, Bai Ye swung his fist forward—not at the cannonballs, but at the sea itself.
The moment his fist struck the water, there was silence.
For a brief second, nothing happened.
Then—
Boom!
The sea erupted with terrifying force.
The impact split the ocean, creating a massive, gaping black hole as seawater surged back violently.
The cannonballs, now caught in the shockwave, exploded midair.
And the massive warship, towering more than 50 meters high, trembled as the sea beneath it roared to life.
The Marines aboard the vessel were thrown off balance as the ship swayed uncontrollably.
"What's happening?!" Rot shouted, his voice filled with panic.
Waves, as tall as mountains, rose from the sea and crashed down onto the warship.
"Defend! Defend!" Rot screamed hysterically, his earlier confidence shattered.
But it was too late.
The warship's bow began to cave in under the force of the impact. The overwhelming power of the waves deformed the vessel, its structure crumpling like paper.
As water flooded the decks and chaos consumed the Marines, Rot could only watch in horror.
"Who… is this monster?!"