One Piece: Lightning's Heir

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"Good! Just wait a moment!" The short, stout captain nodded hurriedly and rushed into the ship's cabin, bellowing, "Cook! Get your ass out here and cook!"

His face was filled with misery. "How am I so unlucky? I just snatched a bunch of scholars from the last island, planning to sell them for a quick money, and now I run into a Great Pirate?"

The short captain, Rockwell, was frustrated—but he didn't dare resist, knowing his own limitations. If he resisted, he'd probably be feeding the fish in the next second.

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Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Fleet Admiral Kong sat with his arms crossed, his head lowered in thought, quietly awaiting the battle report.

In his estimation, the chances of this operation failing were extremely slim.

First, surround the target. Kizaru, with his speed, would contain him, preventing Arthur from escaping if he sensed danger.

Vice-Admiral Tsuru's presence would make Arthur wary, preventing him from fighting with his full strength.

Sado Nath, with his superhuman physical prowess honed through life-and-death struggles, would engage Arthur in close combat. Once captured, Tsuru would wash away the evil thoughts in Arthur's heart.

....

It was a perfect plan, with each step meticulously linked.

It had been devised by the brilliant strategist Sengoku.

If they couldn't capture Arthur, they had to kill him on the spot to prevent endless future troubles.

A sixteen-year-old boy could defeat two specially trained CP0 agents with just his physical prowess and fruit ability.

If he were given time to grow...

Kong didn't dare to imagine what kind of monster would emerge from the Pirate ranks. That was why he was so concerned about this matter—constantly waiting for the Den Den Mushi to ring.

"Sigh! The Marines don't have any good prospects this generation, but pirates keep popping up." Kong sighed, deeply regretting that a talent like Arthur had chosen to oppose the World Government.

"Freedom.... to hell with freedom!" He was extremely irritated by these two words.

If everyone in the world sought freedom, it would inevitably disrupt the existing order. Without the constraints of rules, the world would descend into chaos.

"Selfish pirates, don't they think about the consequences?" The more Kong thought about it, the darker his expression became.

However, everyone had their own pursuits.

The Marines could never completely prevent this from happening. They could only continue their decades-long propaganda campaign about the pirate threat, making everyone in the world aware of the dangers of pirates.

"Buruburuburuburu!"

"Buruburuburuburu!"

The Den Den Mushi rang at the right moment. Kong immediately snapped out of his thoughts and picked up the phone.

"Moshi moshi? This is Fleet Admiral Kong!"

"Fleet Admiral Kong, this is Tsuru!" On the other end of the line, on a warship off the coast of the City of Wine, Tsuru responded calmly.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru, how did the mission to apprehend Arthur go?" Kong asked in a deep voice, a hint of anticipation in his tone.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." Vice Admiral Tsuru paused. "We were unable to stop Seabury D. Arthur, Although the three of us could contain him, we couldn't pose a threat to him!"

"What did you say? With you and Kizaru restraining him, he still managed to escape?" Kong was in disbelief.

How could this be? Even with such a well-thought-out plan, he still escaped. What could be done to capture him?

"The plan was perfect! But there were errors in the execution. Seabury D. Arthur's abilities are very strong. He has even learned [Armament Haki]. It was an error in intelligence!" Vice Admiral Tsuru analyzed rationally.

"If we target his abilities, we might still be able to attempt a capture, since he hasn't entered the New World yet."

"Abilities.... Shouldn't it be the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?" Kong's face darkened.

"According to Vice Admiral Kizaru, Arthur possesses a special ability that can influence the propagation of light—It's suspected to be an advanced development of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Kizaru's lasers couldn't hit him at all."

"Huff! Huff!" Kong took two deep breaths to calm himself. "Return. Return to Marine Headquarters for a meeting. We need to re-discuss the methods for capturing Seabury D. Arthur.

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The Marines were discussing how to deal with Arthur again—but Arthur was completely unaware of this.

He sat directly on the deck of the pirate ship, waiting for the pirate crew's cook to prepare the food.

Perhaps because of the short, stout captain Rockwell's urging—it only took a few minutes for the meat to be served.

"Very good—you did well!" Arthur nodded. Although this pirate captain was short, he was very capable. This kind of person—who could read the situation, was sure to have a bright future.

Arthur devoured a plate of meat in one gulp. The food in the kitchen kept being cooked and brought to Arthur by the pirates, one after another.

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It took more than an hour.

The two or three cooks in the kitchen were almost exhausted. Arthur finally burped—patting his full stomach.

Rockwell was heartbroken.

Sailing on the sea required storing food and fruit, basically filling the warehouse to the brim in case of emergencies.

But now, Arthur had eaten two-thirds of their food supply alone. This meant they had to speed up their journey and replenish at the next island.

"Rockwell, judging by the direction your ship is heading—it's Carnival City, right? Are you planning to follow this magnetic route to the Sabaody Archipelago for coating, and then head to the New World?" Arthur, having eaten and drunk his fill, leaned back on the deck chair, picking his teeth with a toothpick, and asked casually.

"To tell you the truth—Lord Arthur, that's exactly what I plan to do. Although the New World is called the pirate's graveyard, where the strong are as numerous as the fish in the sea, how can a pirate not be excited about it?" Rockwell looked longing, his expression fervent.

Arthur nodded, thinking this man was a qualified pirate, with his own dreams. "I advise you to train hard for a few more years. It's best not to go to the New World during this period. Wait two more years before considering it."

"Lord Arthur, you're a great pirate. In the future, you will definitely go to the New World to fight for territory. You must be lacking manpower. Please take me with you!" Rockwell looked expectant, his gaze burning.

"Take you with me?" Arthur's eyes instantly turned cold. "What value do you have that would make me take you?"

"I..." Rockwell was immediately flustered, not knowing how to answer.

The decision he had just made was a flash of inspiration—but he hadn't expected Arthur to be so unpredictable.

"I've captured some slaves, scholars from Ohara. They're best suited to be butlers, servants, or to educate future generations. They can be sold for a lot of Money."

"Money?" Arthur's disdain was palpable.

"On the Grand Line, the most important thing is strength, Rockwell. When you think you're strong enough, go to the New World and find me. Right now, you... are as weak as an ant, understand?"

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