Chapter 16: Deep Sea Drop
"Paradise" - Near an Unnamed Island.
The three-masted galleon, the "Blood-Shark," slowly approached the shore, its blood-stained shark Jolly Roger snapping in the wind.
On deck, the pirates were laughing wildly, their cups clashing as they drank.
"Bwahahaha! Captain! Ain't we sailing a little too close to the G-3 Base?" a burly man with a necklace of human bones slurred, chugging his ale. "I heard that's 'Garp the Fist, Hero of the Marines' territory!"
At the bow, a nearly ten-foot-tall man, bare-chested and covered in grotesque blood-red tattoos, slowly turned around. His face was a mass of scars and burns, his eyes blood-red, and his smile revealed a set of serrated fangs.
"Blood-Shark" Samael.
Bounty: 320,000,000 Beri.
Zoan-Type, Fish-Fish Fruit, Ancient Model: Megalodon.
He bit through the ale barrel in his hand and laughed, his voice a low, gravelly roar. "Garp? Bwahahaha! He's just an old dog! If I ever run into him, I'll tear him to pieces!"
"YEAAAAH—!!!"
The crew exploded, banging their cutlasses and waving their torches.
"The Captain's the best!"
"That old dog Garp ain't shit! The Marines ain't shit!"
"Bwahahaha! We're the Blood-Shark Pirates! The future tigers of the New World!"
Samael slammed his foot on the railing, looking down at the ruined port with bloodlust in his eyes. "Listen up, men! We feast tonight! Find me women, booze, and meat! Tomorrow, we sail into the New World and go after Whitebeard and Kaido's territory!"
"OHHHH—!!!"
The pirates were in a frenzy, ready to slaughter the entire island.
But just then—
"C-Captain!!"
A lookout suddenly collapsed on the deck, pointing at the sea. "A... a warship! It's here!"
Samael froze.
"Wh-What?!"
"Please don't be Garp, please don't be Garp..."
He spun around, his blood-red eyes locked on the horizon—
A standard-issue Marine warship was cutting through the waves. Two men stood on its deck. One was a cold-eyed man with his hand on his sword. The other was a black-haired boy in a Marine uniform, his arms crossed.
No Garp.
Samael stared for two seconds, then threw his head back and burst out laughing. "BWAHAHAHA! You scared me for a second!"
He ripped off his ragged cape, revealing a body covered in bite marks and scars. "Listen up, boys!" he sneered. "These two brats don't know who they're messin' with! I'm gonna chop 'em up and pickle 'em in booze!"
"YEAH!!"
The pirates shrieked and spat, their filthy banner waving behind them.
"Bwahahaha! The Marines are nothing! They're just ants to the Blood-Shark Pirates!"
"Get the cannons on 'em! I wanna watch 'em get blown to bits!"
The crew scrambled to man the cannons.
On the warship, Bogard rested one hand on the hilt of his sword, his expression calm. "That's 'Blood-Shark' Samael. Ancient Zoan user. 320 million bounty."
Roy stood with his arms crossed, his black hair stirring in the wind, his eyes as cold as the deep sea. "Hn."
Bogard raised an eyebrow. "Should we fall back?"
Roy shook his head, a sharp light in his eyes. "No need."
The next second, he slowly raised his hand, and his Armament Haki flowed over his arm like black metal. His voice was flat.
"I'm more than enough."
A small smile touched Bogard's lips. "Heh... Let's see the results of Mr. Garp's 'special training,' then."
FWOOSH!
Roy's figure vanished like a ghost.
"Huh?!"
Samael's pupils shrank. He blinked, and suddenly one of the two figures on the warship was gone!
"Where'd he go?!"
The next second—
"BOOM—!!"
The "Blood-Shark's" deck suddenly exploded as a black shadow tore across the entire ship!
"Shigan (Finger Pistol): Warp-Press!"
CRACK!
A pirate's throat was pierced before he could even scream.
"Rankyaku (Tempest Kick): Warp-Flash!"
The slashing wave of compressed air ricocheted, and five pirates were cut down at the waist, blood spraying across the deck.
"Damn it! What the hell is he?!"
"He's a Devil Fruit user! Get the Seastone nets!"
The pirates panicked, but Roy was a phantom. Every warp was followed by a body dropping.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Cold sweat beaded on Samael's forehead. "What... what kind of monster is this kid?!"
Just then, Roy appeared in front of him, his gaze sharp. "Your turn."
Samael roared in fury. "Don't you look down on me!!"
"Full Zoan Transformation!"
"ROOOOAR!!"
His body exploded in size, transforming into an ancient Megalodon over thirty feet long. Its massive, fanged jaws snapped down on Roy!
Roy's expression was cold. His right fist, coated in black Haki, shot out to meet it!
"Warp: Iron Fist!"
"BOOM!!"
Fist and fangs collided. The shockwave sent pieces of the deck flying!
"CRACK!!"
Samael's fangs... were shattered on impact.
"GUWAAAAH!!"
The Megalodon let out a horrific shriek as the force of the punch sent it flying backward, smashing it into the port.
Roy's figure flashed, reappearing in the air above the thrashing shark. He warped, grabbing the shark's head. He warped again, high into the sky!
"Warp: Deep Sea Drop!"
"BOOOOOM!!!"
The giant shark was driven into the port like a meteor, smashing straight through the stone. The impact sent a shockwave that kicked up a ten-meter-high wave, and the entire dock collapsed in on itself!
The air was thick with dust and smoke.
A moment later, Roy walked out from the edge of the crater. He was holding the broken, unconscious body of Samael by the scruff of his neck. He casually tossed him onto the deck of the warship like a dead fish.
"Mission complete."
On the ship, Bogard's pupils shrank. "Was... was that... Garp's 'Fist Bone' technique?"
The wind ruffled Roy's hair. He looked down, a small smile on his face.
"That's right. I've been working hard to learn the old man's 'Fist Bone'..."
When Roy dragged Samael's massive body into the G-3 Base, the whole place exploded.
"Hey, isn't that 'Blood-Shark' Samael?!"
"A 320 million Beri pirate... taken down solo by 13-year-old Roy?!"
"He's too strong! Colonel Roy is a monster!"
"So cool!"
The soldiers stared, as if watching a hero from a legend.
Garp was already in the crowd, munching on crackers. When he saw Roy, his jaw dropped. Then he burst out laughing. "BWAHAHAHA! Good work!"
He slapped Roy on the back with a BANG! that nearly drove him into the pavement.
Roy staggered. "Mr. Garp, could you take it easy...?"
Garp ignored him, turning to Bogard. "Hey! Bogard! Get the banquet ready! We're having meat tonight! Fire up the big grill!"
Bogard's eye twitched. "Yes, Mr. Garp."
The soldiers gathered around. "I heard he used the 'Deep Sea Drop'! Isn't that the Vice Admiral's move?!"
"Colonel Roy learned that move? That's insane!"
Just then, a comms officer ran up, holding a Den Den Mushi. "Report! A call from Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Garp rolled his eyes and dug at his nose. "Tch. That old geezer Sengoku always calls at the worst times."
He lazily picked up the receiver. "Yeah, yeah? What is it?"
The Den Den Mushi instantly started roaring: "GARP! You let him go on a solo mission again?! Against a 300 million bounty?! He's only 13!"
Garp just crunched on his cracker. "Ah, what's the big deal? He won, didn't he?"
The other end was silent for a few seconds, then the voice changed to Vice Admiral Tsuru's, kind but exasperated. "Roy. Good work. That must have been difficult."
Roy snapped to attention. "Thank you, Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Tsuru chuckled. "But next time, please take backup. Don't be as reckless as Garp, understand?"
Roy nodded firmly. "Understood."
The call ended, and Garp threw his arm around Roy's shoulders. "Bwahahaha! You hear that? Even Tsuru is praising you! Not bad, not bad!"
He suddenly looked smug. "You know, not just anyone can pull off that move! I used to flatten all sorts of big-shots with it!"
Roy sighed. "Old man, you're the one who taught it to me. I'm just copying it at 70% or 80%."
Garp laughed. "Bwahahaha! 70 or 80% is plenty! You're going to have to carry on my legacy, brat!"
Bogard sighed. "Sir, could you please stop praising him and assigning him more of your work at the same time..."
Roy looked at the cheering base, a small smile on his face.