Summer in the East Blue was sweltering.
Inside an open-air training ground within the Marine fortress, Lucas, with his black hair tied back and his upper body bare, was continuously practicing his Gale Swordsmanship.
Compared to when he first arrived two months ago, Lucas’s body had become much more solid, and the face that once carried the tender aura of a youth had gradually hardened.
This training ground was also quite unique; it was surrounded by all kinds of plants, resembling a green garden.
These plants were all collected by Lucas after he arrived in the East Blue.
He wanted to collect as many plants as possible and understand their properties so that he could use specific plants in specific environments and diversify his plant mutation abilities through these characteristics.
Flap, flap~
In the sky, a white shadow suddenly flew by.
Looking from afar, it was unmistakably a strange-looking seagull with a wide wingspan, a sailor hat on its head, and a green cloth bag hanging around its neck, filled with newspapers.
This was one of the unique creatures of the world of the One Piece, a News Coo.
At this moment, the News Coo flew over the G5 Marine fortress, flapping its wings as it slowly dove down.
It landed on a railing not far from the training ground, then folded its wings and waited silently.
This series of actions was extremely practiced, as if it came here every day.
In fact, that was indeed the case.
Ever since Lucas arrived here, he had subscribed to the newspaper and read it every day, wanting to at least be aware of major events.
Jango, who was sitting nearby watching Lucas train, saw the News Coo, walked over, tossed it a coin he was holding, and then pulled a newspaper from the green cloth bag.
“Lieutenant Commander, here is today’s newspaper,” Jango said, coming to Lucas’s side.
Hearing this, Lucas stopped his training, wiped the sweat with a towel from the side, and took the newspaper.
Opening the newspaper, the first thing he looked at was the report from the New World.
[The Four Emperors Big Mom and the Whitebeard Pirates engaged in battle; both sides retreated after the fight!]
[One of the Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks, has appeared in the East Blue.
What could be his intention?]
Silently reading a few reports, Lucas then flipped the newspaper over.
The first piece of news on the back made his eyebrows twitch.
[After the death of Fisher Tiger, the Sun Pirates finally began to fall apart.
The Fishman Arlong, refusing to submit to the new Seven Warlords of the Sea, Jinbe, left in anger and formed the Arlong Pirates.]
Below this news were two photos: on the left was a fat blue Fishman resembling a shark, and on the right was a tall Fishman with a saw-toothed nose and a mouth full of fangs.
Afterward, Lucas saw another piece of news from the East Blue.
[Krieg is seeking to buy New World nautical charts everywhere, preparing to advance into the Grand Line!]
Seeing this news, Lucas thought for a moment and said:
“Ensign Zabu, assemble the men.
We are setting sail!”
“Yes, Lieutenant Commander Lucas!” Ensign Zabu replied immediately.
Before long, the Marine patrol ship set sail once again.
A week later, at the Billy Pirates’ lair, Shark Island.
Looking at the five pirate ships docked at Shark Island, Lucas put his hands together.
“Yarukiman Mangrove Burial!”
As Lucas used his fruit ability, a Yarukiman Mangrove grew on each of the five pirate ships.
The Yarukiman Mangroves grew rapidly, piercing through the cabins and hulls of the pirate ships in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, many vines spread from the Yarukiman Mangroves, entangling the pirates left behind on the ships.
“What’s going on?
Where did these trees come from?”
The pirates left behind on the pirate ships, who had been drinking, eating, and bragging, were suddenly entangled by the thorny vines that had sprouted, being strangled to death or pierced by the thorns.
“Go ashore!” Ensign Zabu commanded, seeing that the five pirate ships had been destroyed.
…
The Billy Pirates were a medium-sized pirate crew with about five hundred members.
Lucas arrived on the shore and waved his hand.
The Yarukiman Mangroves that had pierced through the pirate ships slowly shrank and withered, and a touch of green light drifted toward Lucas.
This was something Lucas had recently researched.
He could make the plants he sprouted return some energy to him, but the cost was the death of the sprouted plants.
However, ever since he ate the Forest-Forest Fruit, Lucas had actually grown to love plants.
Unless necessary, he didn’t want to do this.
If not for the upcoming battle, he would have kept these Yarukiman Mangroves.
Just as the Marines were landing, the Billy Pirates reacted quickly, and hundreds of men began rushing toward the beach.
Looking at the hundreds of pirates, Lucas squatted down and pressed his hands onto the ground.
“Super Vine-Binding Coffin!”
Rumble!
The ground began to vibrate, and then, with a swoosh, countless thorny vines surged up around the pirates, rushing toward the members of the Billy Pirates!
“Ah…
help me!”
Clang!
“This stuff is so hard.”
Swish!
“Charge out!”
The Captain of the Billy Pirates, Billy, slashed through a vine with his sword and shouted.
“Phew!” Lucas let out a breath.
Such a large-scale sprouting over nearly a hundred meters was his limit at this stage.
Still too weak!
I wonder when I will be able to achieve that super-large-scale attack range like Aokiji freezing the ocean!
If, in the future, I could casually cover Marineford with plants, that would be amazing.
By then, I would be able to use things like Deep Forest Emergence and Deep Forest Bloom.
“Kill!” Seeing that Lieutenant Commander Lucas had wiped out most of the pirates in one go, Ensign Zabu shouted.
Bang, bang, bang!
Just as Lucas had taught them, they fired from medium range first, and after shooting, they dropped their guns and moved in to slash.
Before long, the Captain of the Billy Pirates fell under Lucas’s sword, losing his ability to resist.
“Jango, hypnotize him and make him follow my orders,” Lucas said to Jango.
Hearing this, Jango took out his two rings and came in front of Billy.
“Now I will count to two.
You will obey Lieutenant Commander Lucas’s orders.”
“One!”
“Two!”
“Jango!”
“I wonder what orders Lieutenant Commander Lucas has for me!” After being hypnotized, Billy stood respectfully beside Lucas and said.
“I want you to contact Krieg and tell him you have the nautical charts and want to trade with him,” Lucas said.
“Yes, I will contact Krieg right away,” Billy said.
Ensign Zabu still had some sense.
Hearing Lucas’s words, he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva and couldn’t help but say: “Lieutenant Commander, are we going to take on the Krieg Pirates?
That’s a five-thousand-man pirate crew!”
Before Lucas could speak, Jango, who was on the side, cast a disdainful look at Ensign Zabu, puffed out his chest, and said: “As Marines, how can we fear pirates!”
“What the hell!” Ensign Zabu widened his eyes and looked at Jango in disbelief.
You’re a Third-Class Seaman, for God’s sake!
Two months ago, you were still a stinking pirate, and now you’re lecturing me?
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