Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 210 First Encounter with Shanks

Sakazuki's acceptance of the order to launch the Buster Call is not inherently wrong, as it was an order from the World Government.

The World Government made a judgment and issued an order to take responsibility for the injustice. The Navy carried out the order in accordance with its duties, and there was no issue of injustice involved.

Kozakowski, unnecessarily, attacked the refugee ship that was already far from the Buster Call's range, wiping out everyone who was not originally within the killing zone.

This has nothing to do with orders; it's Sakazuki's own doing.

This incident made many Marines hate Sakazuki, and they became his sworn enemies, flocking to the ranks of Admirals Kizaru and Aokiji.

Some naval officers with a strong sense of justice would even confront him and ask if his actions were truly just.

Even if Sakazuki is very determined, when this matter is brought up, he can only forcefully explain it as "to prevent the remnants from escaping," or he can avoid talking about it altogether.

Before Shazo appeared, he could still fool people like this, but afterwards, the Navy personnel who could question him would drop all preambles and ask directly: "Do you have evidence that there were Buster Call remnants on that ship?"

"If you didn't have time to collect evidence, did you find any evidence afterward? Did you confirm whether your decision was correct?"

"Did we pay such a high price in lives to prevent the transmission of ancient history?"

Sakazuki could not answer any of these questions; he could only remain silent, letting the incident become a huge stain on his resume.

It's no wonder that General Akainu is so hostile towards Xia Zuo.

Unlike Admiral Sakazuki, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, while also suppressing and monitoring Shaza, actually greatly admired Shaza, especially his concept of "simple justice."

Considering the fact that the Navy is tightly controlled by the World Government and has become a tool for the Celestial Dragons to commit evil, he even secretly believed that Shazam and his ideals of justice might be the key for the Navy to break through its constraints in the future.

Although the possibility of a breakthrough is small, it is still worth protecting.

On the contrary, it was Sakazuki—

Sengoku glanced at the most obedient Admiral Akainu without showing any emotion, a fleeting hint of disappointment crossing his mind, but not much.

Sakazuki is the most suitable person to take over the position of Fleet Admiral, but when will he understand the fact that the Navy is a semi-independent armed entity?

As a Marine Chief, while obeying the World Government's orders, one also needs to occasionally show one's arrogance and discontent in order to avoid excessive interference from the Five Elders.

[However, expressing the Navy's dissatisfaction cannot be done by the Fleet Admiral; a somewhat unruly "hero" is needed to speak on the Fleet Admiral's behalf.]

Sengoku lowered his head, quickly signed the order, and handed it to Sakazuki for him to issue.

Sakazuki glanced at the colonel rank on the order and pursed his lips: "Luckily, he's only a colonel, otherwise things would be difficult."

The Warring States Master said nothing, but simply waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

To the Great Sengoku's surprise, just a few minutes later, Sakazuki and Onigumo returned with drastically changed expressions.

Sakazuki held a piece of intelligence urgently transmitted by the frigatebird, the header of which was surprisingly red.

This is the highest-level intelligence, related to the Pirate King, and it indicates that a battle has taken place.

Sengoku's expression instantly turned serious. He put down his pen and documents and loudly demanded, "Who is it? Where are they? With whom?"

Sakazuki, with a strange expression, replied, "It's Shanks. Shanks secretly went to the East Blue and encountered Lieutenant Commander Shanks."

Sengoku asked, somewhat bewildered, "Red-haired? Why is Red-haired going to the East Blue? What does he want to do?"

"Tsk, Lieutenant Colonel Xia Zuo discovered one of the Four Emperors' secret operations. This is another achievement. Should we really promote him to general?"

Sakazuki's bewilderment far surpassed that of Sengoku. He sighed, "Marshal Sengoku, Xia Zuo not only discovered Shanks' whereabouts, but he also clashed with Shanks."

Sengoku period: "————, damn it!"

Is his "simple justice" really that strong? Doesn't he consider the comparison of strength? I know he pounces on pirates whenever he sees them, but I didn't expect him to not even put the Pirate Emperor in his eyes.

T

"Sigh, was Lieutenant Colonel Xia Zuo killed in action?"

Sakazuki slowly shook his head: "The intelligence was urgently sent by an intelligence agent who was lurking around Shazo. It only mentioned the appearance of the red-haired man and Shazo's decision to intercept him."

"As you know, Fleet Admiral Sengoku has incredibly powerful Conqueror's Haki. Once the battle begins, neither Den Den Mushi nor Battle Bird can get close to the battlefield."

"We won't know the outcome of the battle until it's over."

"But that's Shanks. Lieutenant Commander Shaza is very strong, but even if he faced the Red-Haired Pirates alone, there was no way he could have escaped alive."

Sengoku could no longer sit still. He stood up and paced back and forth in his office before finally ordering, "Send Borsalino to the East Blue. He definitely won't make it to the battle in time, but at least find out Shanks' whereabouts and purpose."

Sakazuki nodded and said, "Yes, I will go and inform Kizaru, but he alone is probably not strong enough."

""

Sengoku agreed, saying, "Boltarino alone is definitely not enough. The king of the pirates has suddenly left the Grand Line and secretly entered the East Blue. We cannot take this too seriously."

He turned back to his desk, took a small golden telephone snail from the drawer, gently activated the dormant little creature, and began to make a call.

A few seconds later, Garp's voice came through the phone: "Sengoku, what happened?"

The usually irreverent Garp was unusually serious, without a single joke, which surprised Sakazuki. He hadn't expected this side of the naval hero.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku said just as seriously, "Garp, Shanks went to the East Blue and was accidentally discovered by our Navy."

"I'll send Borsalino to pursue them first. If you're nearby, hurry over there too, so Kizaru doesn't suffer too much."

""

Karp didn't hesitate: "I understand, I'll set off immediately. Tell me the coordinates."

After Sengoku told Shanks the coordinates of the sea area where he appeared, Garp said, "I'll be there in two hours," and immediately hung up the phone.

Sakazuki and Onigumo were deeply shocked, exclaiming, "So Garp-senpai had such a serious side!"

""

Sengoku pushed up his glasses and said with a smile, "He's a naval hero, Garp. If he were just a fool who doesn't know what's important, how could he have survived under the Five Elders until today?"

Sakazuki and Onigumo exchanged a glance, gaining a deeper understanding of the previous generation's prominent naval figures.

The Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Chief Instructor, Admiral Zephyr, the naval hero Garp, and the strategist Sengoku—none of them were easy opponents, or rather, any slightly weaker naval officer wouldn't have lived to this age.

Once Sakazuki and Onigumo had left the office, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stopped what he was doing.

He picked up a piece of intelligence from before and sighed softly, "Alas, what a pity, Lieutenant Colonel Xia Zuo."

"I thought you could be Garp's successor."

But Sengoku was overthinking it. How could Xia Zuo be killed so easily?

Even if it were the most formidable rising star among the Four Emperors, Shanks, leading his entire main force in a pincer attack, it would be wishful thinking to try and take Shaza down.

Having captured the Musketeer brothers and taken the USS Musketeer prisoner, the 77th Naval Division began its return voyage.

The Musketeer had a large hole drilled in its side by the Shark, causing water to enter and the ship to list at about 10 degrees. If it was not repaired, it would inevitably sink halfway.

But none of the naval soldiers were worried about it. In the eyes of their commander, as long as the ship didn't sink directly like the Shark, there wouldn't be any problems.

-

Xia Zuo flew to the deck of the Musketeer, placed his hand on the main gun barrel, and activated the [Wood Release: Sea Ship Creation Technique] that he had specially developed.

The entire ship suddenly came to life; new shoots sprouted from the gun muskets, decks, railings, rudder, holes, and other parts.

In an instant, it transformed into an island forest floating on the sea.

Once the branches reached Xia Zuo's satisfaction, they shed their excess leaves, intertwined and merged into larger branches, which then gathered at the damaged parts of the ship, becoming logs that blended with the surrounding wood.

In just two minutes, the Musketeer was completely transformed. All the damage had disappeared, and the old wood looked as if it had just been replaced with new wood.

Xia Zuo was very satisfied with his repairs. He raised his hands high and activated the [Water Release: Fountain Technique].

The seawater that entered the cabin gushed out through the crew's passageway, transforming into a huge fountain that shot into the sky. The sparkling water splashed onto the ship's deck and sails, washing away the traces of the battle.

The Musketeer was back in balance, and its surface was thoroughly cleaned.

First mate and lieutenant commander Faye was overjoyed: "Haha, as expected of Commander Xia Zuo, after this repair, this ship will definitely fetch a good price."

Xia Zuo's direct adjutant, Lieutenant Borg, also smiled: "Now everyone's departure bonuses are settled, without having to wait for headquarters' tedious approval process."

The morale of the other naval officers and men soared, and they drew their weapons and cheered.

The Musketeer Pirates prisoners who remained on the deck of the naval warship witnessed Shazo repairing the ship. They were so stunned by what they saw that they knelt down on the deck as if they had seen a god.

After that, these pirates became unusually obedient, doing whatever they were told, and had no intention of resisting anymore.

After being repaired, HMS Musketeer regained its navigational capabilities, and with 25 naval crew members, it was able to keep up with the speed of the warship, making the return journey very easy.

Several days later, the lookout on duty reported: "A sea vessel has appeared at one o'clock! A large sea vessel, possibly belonging to pirates!"

First mate, Lieutenant Commander Faye, inquired, "Can you confirm which pirate's ship it is?"

The lookout took out Xia Zuo's illustrated guide to East China Sea pirates, and after comparing it with the ship, reported: "It's neither a pirate ship from the East China Sea nor a ship from a large kingdom in the East China Sea. The ship type doesn't match at all."

Major Faye waved his hand: "Go closer and confirm their identities."

"We are the navy, and we cannot ignore ships sailing within our line of sight."

"Level 3 alert! Musketeer, create distance!"

Based on the level three alert, the duty navy did not sound the battle alarm. They removed the cannon covers, cleaned the breech, and filled the gunpowder and shells, but did not insert the fuses.

After training by Xia Zuo, the 77th Marine Division was ready for battle in just one minute.

About half an hour later, Captain Shazo appeared on the deck, took over command, but did not issue any orders.

Naval warfare in the Age of Sail was like this: after spotting the enemy, it often took several hours of sailing to get close enough to engage in combat.

Of course, the Grand Line is an exception, where the raging hurricanes can make warships move as fast as flying.

Today, the 77th branch was clearly out of luck; they inadvertently kicked a hornet's nest.

Just a few kilometers apart between the two ships, the 77th Marine Division was still working in an orderly and tense manner, without raising any alarm for battle, when Xia Zuo's Observation Haki suddenly sensed danger.

He leaped from his command post and blocked a bullet shrouded in black smoke in front of the mainmast.

Bullets wrapped in a domineering aura!

Xia Zuo's heart suddenly tightened. This was no ordinary skill; even in the latter half of the Grand Line, it was a powerful skill that not everyone could master.

The arrival of this bullet proves that the opponent is a pirate crew of the Pirate King level, or a powerful armed ship of the same level.

This was an enemy the 77th Marine Division could not contend with. Just as Shazo was considering whether to retreat, the naval lookout on the lookout tower called out in a trembling voice, "Rey, Rey—Red Voss!"

"That's right! A huge red ship, with a bull-shaped figurehead and a scarred skull on the sail!"

"It's the Red Voss, the flagship of the Pirate Emperor, Red-Haired Shanks!"

Without further hesitation, Xia Zuo waved his hand and shouted, "Slow down the entire ship! Hard to port! Stop the crashing Red Voss!"

With Lieutenant Commander Xia Zuo's order, the naval soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. They were just soldiers of a branch and had no connection whatsoever with the Pirate Emperor. They shouldn't have been in charge of such a terrifying enemy at all.

This is the responsibility of senior naval vice admirals, or even admirals!

Just as everyone was working together to furl the sails and prepare to turn the ship, a second bullet, imbued with domineering power, flew in, this time targeting Xia Zuo himself.

It was clearly Shanks' crew member; the sniper Yasopp wanted to use Shazor's head to intimidate the naval officers and men.

This almost casual murderous intent, along with the attitude of treating Xia Zuo like a roadside bug, enraged Xia Zuo.

Who do you think you are, Yasopp, to treat Grandpa Xia Zuo like an insect?

Xia Zuo's anger rose in his heart. He squinted at the Red Fox. His eyesight was not as good as the sniper Yasopp's, but he could still see the huge pirate ship.

"At a distance of over 3400 meters, no wonder Yasopp's bullets were so weak, but it also proves he really underestimated me!"

Xia Zuo reached into his adjutant's waist and drew the navy-issue longsword, its black and red aura swirling around it.