Before he knew it, Pons had already spent over a month at sea.
During that time, aside from occasionally docking at certain islands to resupply and being able to wander around on land for a bit to alleviate his boredom, there had been little else of interest to break the monotony.
Then, one day, as the warship was sailing across the sea just as it had done every day prior, the lookout suddenly shouted to Galland: “Major Galland!
Pirate ship sighted ahead…
it’s… it’s the Aroma Pirates!” The sailor’s voice carried an unmistakable tone of sheer terror.
Upon hearing the report, Galland’s expression immediately turned grim and troubled.
Seeing this, Pons’s expression also grew serious.
He asked Galland: “Are the Aroma Pirates that formidable?
Are they even tougher to handle than the Glide Pirates?” Galland swallowed hard, nodded, and said: “The captain of the Aroma Pirates is named Merck.
He is a Stench-Stench Fruit user, capable of emitting a putrid stench so overwhelming that even Marine sailors have been literally choked to death by his odor during past capture operations, resulting in complete routs.
Marine Headquarters once considered recruiting him as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, but he refused the offer.
Another Marine unit later engaged the Aroma Pirates while wearing gas masks, but the masks still could not fully block Merck’s stench…
and they too were ultimately defeated…” Pons could not help but break out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, ‘If what Galland said was true, then this Merck was indeed terrifying.’ He recalled that Crocodile and Boa Hancock had both had bounties of around eighty million Berry when they became Warlords.
Merck, with a bounty of seventy-seven million, was certainly not to be underestimated.
Also, the fact that he named his crew the “Aroma Pirates” when his ability revolved around emitting a foul stench was nothing short of morbidly ironic.
Pons looked ahead.
There was only one pirate ship, but it was enormous…
roughly three times the size of the small warship they were aboard.
As Pons observed, Galland asked him: “Pons, do you think you can handle Merck?” Pons was speechless, ‘How could I know whether I could handle Merck without having fought him before?’ When he had confidently challenged Robert, he had been taken down almost immediately…
and it was only the desperate awakening of Poltergeist at the brink of death that had saved him from drowning.
Merck’s bounty was far higher than Robert’s.
There was no way to know if he could defeat him.
So Pons replied: “I’m not sure.” Galland’s expression flickered.
After a moment, he ordered the sailors: “Change course.
Avoid engaging the Aroma Pirates for now.” Though it was the Marines’ duty to eliminate pirates, that did not mean they should recklessly charge into battles they could not win.
With only himself, Pons, and four sailors aboard, and with Pons uncertain of being able to defeat Merck, there was no reason to provoke a conflict.
The helmsman acknowledged the command and turned the ship, attempting to steer clear of the Aroma Pirates’ vessel.
To their surprise, however, the pirate ship turned and sailed directly toward them.
Pons was also taken aback, ‘Were all pirates this aggressive?
First, the Glide Pirates had intercepted a Marine supply ship.
Now the Aroma Pirates were actively attacking a Marine vessel?’ ‘Had it not been said that even the greatest pirates like Roger and Whitebeard would steer clear of Marine warships?
Why were these “small-time” pirates with bounties in the tens of millions acting so bold?’ The Glide Pirates had attacked for money…
there was at least a motive one could understand.
But what were these pirates after?
Wiping out the few people aboard this small vessel would not gain them anything worthwhile.
Regardless, Galland now had no choice but to engage.
The small warship was not particularly fast.
If they tried to flee, they would likely be overtaken.
It was better to fight head-on than to be caught from behind.
As the warship and the pirate ship drew closer, Pons decided that since battle was inevitable, he might as well take the initiative.
Standing at the bow, Pons transformed into his Gengar form, and dark energy began to emanate from his body.
The enemy was likely to be extremely powerful, so Pons resolved to go all out from the very start and use his ultimate technique…
Poltergeist.
The dark energy spread into the sea, quickly wrapping around the water and forming five towering waterspouts that surged toward the pirate ship.
He had used this same technique against Robert’s vessel with devastating effect…
especially using seawater against Devil Fruit users, which proved particularly effective.
When the Aroma Pirates saw someone controlling seawater to launch waterspouts at their ship, they were utterly stunned.
Captain Merck hurried to the bow, attempting to stop the waterspouts’ advance.
“Aroma Shockwave!” Merck thrust out both hands, and a large volume of yellowish-brown gas materialized in front of his palms.
He condensed the gas and released it in the form of a shockwave.
The stench-laden shockwave struck one of the waterspouts and successfully dispersed it.
However, the impact also scattered the shockwave’s gas into the air.
Since the Marine warship happened to be downwind, some of the foul odor drifted toward them.
Pons felt a putrid stench invade his nostrils and immediately clamped his hand over his nose…
though it was ultimately useless.
The smell was several times worse than the most repulsive odor he had ever encountered in either of his two lives.
And this was just a faint trace drifting over.
If he were to be hit directly by Merck’s stench attack, Pons could not even imagine the horror.
No wonder some Marines had been choked to death by it.
Merck had already produced two more Aroma Shockwaves, dispersing two more waterspouts.
However, he could only generate them at a limited rate.
Though he had managed to dispel three waterspouts total, the remaining two still crashed into his ship.
Fortunately, the pirate vessel was large, so the damage was not too severe at first.
But with each successive collision between Aroma Shockwaves and waterspouts, more and more of the stench drifted toward Pons and his companions, making it increasingly unbearable.
A thought crossed Pons’s mind, ‘If Poltergeist could control seawater, could it also control gas?
If so, I might be able to redirect Merck’s own stench back at him.’ Pons continued to release the dark “spirit” energy from his body and directed it toward the drifting stench.
Soon, the spirit energy merged with the putrid gas, then carried it back toward the Aroma Pirates’ ship.
The pirates were horrified.
They knew all too well how terrifying Captain Merck’s stench could be…
how could they not panic at the sight of it being turned back on them?
Merck himself was immune to his own stench, but he knew his underlings could not withstand it.
With the ship still taking damage from the waterspouts, he ultimately ordered his helmsman: “Full speed retreat!” He had originally spotted the small Marine warship and wanted to show off his dominance.
But he had not expected such a formidable fighter to be hidden aboard such a tiny vessel…
and now he was the one who had suffered a setback.
The helmsman quickly turned the ship, trying to escape the range of the returning stench.
Seeing Merck’s ship turn and flee, Galland could barely contain his excitement.
He asked Pons: “Should we pursue?” Earlier, when Pons had said he was unsure if he could handle Merck, Galland had been quite anxious.
But now, it seemed Pons had effortlessly suppressed the enemy.
The pirate ship had been damaged by the waterspouts, which would certainly slow its speed.
Even their small warship should be able to catch up.
This might be their chance to eliminate the Aroma Pirates!
Pons nodded with a grunt of agreement.
Since Merck’s stench could be controlled by his Poltergeist, it likely posed no significant threat.
Galland immediately ordered the pursuit.
At the same time, Pons directed the spirit-laden stench to drift to the sides, keeping it away from his own ship’s crew.
Under the helmsman’s desperate efforts, the pirate ship finally escaped the waterspout assault, and the crew no longer had to worry about being choked by their captain’s stench.
However, the vessel had been battered and damaged.
They would need to find an island for repairs soon…
if they continued sailing, the ship might suffer further damage or even break apart.
When Merck turned and saw the Marine warship pursuing them, he grew furious.
He was a notorious great pirate, yet here he was being chased by a tiny Marine vessel.
Merck went to the stern and watched the warship gradually closing in.
A murderous gleam flashed in his eyes.
He felt a surge of impulse to turn and fight to the death…
but the mysterious fighter aboard the warship still made him wary.
He ultimately suppressed that urge, not daring to turn back.
Meanwhile, Pons dismissed the remaining two waterspouts.
Now that they were in pursuit, keeping them active risked accidentally damaging their own ship.
Merck thought for a moment, then spread his arms wide: “Aroma World!” In an instant, massive quantities of stench poured out from every part of his body.
The volume of gas far exceeded what he had produced for his Aroma Shockwaves, and even a small patch of sea behind the pirate ship was soon blanketed in the foul fog.
Though the warship had not yet entered the thick stench cloud, Pons and the others already felt dizzy and nauseous.
If the ship sailed straight into it, everyone on deck might very well be choked to death.
Pons once again used Poltergeist, spreading a large amount of spirit energy into the stench cloud ahead, trying to redirect it back toward the pirate ship.
The massive cloud of stench did indeed push forward slightly…
but then Pons suddenly felt dizzy and nearly lost his footing.
He reverted from Gengar form back to his human shape.
“What happened?” Galland asked with concern.
Pons shook his head to clear it.
“I think… I overexerted myself…” It seemed that using Poltergeist took a significant toll on him.
He was now feeling somewhat drained.
Galland made a snap decision and ordered the helmsman: “Abandon the pursuit!
Steer clear of the enemy ship and continue toward Marine Headquarters!” After all, Pons’s combat power was essential if they were to fight the Aroma Pirates.
Since Pons was not at his best, it was unwise to continue.
The warship turned away from the battlefield.
When the pirates saw the Marines stop chasing, they continued their escape.
And so the encounter came to an end.