One Piece Gunslinger

Finally, Li Ang, who had anticipated this situation, personally stepped in to resolve it, including preparing the Empress's dinner. After satisfying the Empress's appetite, he even received a "good" rating.

So Li Ang was completely baffled by the unexpected turn of events; he had no idea or preparation whatsoever. He didn't know who was attacking, nor what the current battle situation was. His sweet dream had been inexplicably interrupted, leaving him utterly helpless.

"Let's go down and take a look first." Feeling listless, and also confident in the two men's abilities, Li Ang decisively adopted a thoughtless, "wait and see" strategy, completely unwilling to think things through.

After saying that, he led the way downstairs.

"Wow, so we're the last two," Li Ang thought to himself.

After going downstairs, Li Ang found that, apart from Ah and Hancock, everyone else in the hotel was already in the lobby on the first floor, including the hotel owner and other guests. Two of them even rushed out wearing only two pairs of boxer shorts.

"What happened?" Since Leon and Hancock were the last to come out, the people below already knew more than he did.

"It's the One-Eyed Pirates! The One-Eyed Pirates attacked this place!" a man said tremblingly. "I got up in the middle of the night to fish for a kind of fish that only appears at dawn, and that's when I discovered them. That's why I rushed back to tell everyone. Because of my notification, the town's guards have already started fighting them."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces were filled with worry. Even if they had discovered the One-Eyed Pirates' night attack in advance, they were not very confident of victory and could only hope that the guards could hold out a little longer.

Li Ang also understood why there was such a commotion. It was because the night raid had been discovered, so they had no choice but to launch a full-scale attack. They could have entered the village quietly instead.

"Um, how powerful is this One-Eyed Pirate Crew?" Upon hearing that it was a pirate crew, Li Ang quickly inquired about it.

In Li Ang's initial action plan, how to infiltrate and get close to the Celestial Dragons had always been a problem, and now this pirate crew seemed to be a good opportunity to be used, so his mind immediately started working on it.

“You’re not from around here, are you? The One-Eyed Pirates are the most rampant and powerful pirate crew in the area, and their captain, One-Eyed Tyr, has a bounty of fifty million. They’ve robbed many wealthy places, but I never thought they’d come looking for our not-so-wealthy town.” A middle-aged man sighed.

Hearing this, Li Ang roughly understood. This group was just a bunch of thugs. They all had a bounty of 50 million francs but refused to go to the Grand Line. They had no ambition whatsoever; they just wanted to continue their tyranny in the West Blue. The fact that they had such a bounty meant that ordinary navies couldn't deal with them and could only let them cause trouble in the West Blue until they offended a powerful nation or the navy sent a headquarters team to wipe them out.

However, their behavior of "not expecting to come and rob this not-so-rich place" is enough to show that they have backed down, chosen to reduce their presence slightly, and are not prepared to target places with more wealth but also stronger defenses, while also making the navy feel that they are not a great threat.

However, being cowardly is actually a good thing for Li Ang. It means that this group of people has no guts or dreams, and they are very easy to control. It all comes down to who has the bigger fist.

"So, at this point, boss, don't you have any secret passages or hidden cellars for us to hide in?" a man said anxiously. You could tell how anxious he was from the fact that he ran out wearing only a pair of boxer shorts.

This explains why so many people ran down to find the innkeeper. It seems that in this world, the general public has suffered greatly from the scourge of pirates, especially these traveling merchants and travelers who have become quite experienced in dealing with such situations.

The innkeeper looked around and said helplessly, "I do have a very secluded little cellar, but it's too small. I'm afraid so many people would suffocate inside."

Upon hearing this, everyone became agitated. A middle-aged man rebuked, "How did you open this hotel? When I was attacked in other towns, the owners there let us escape through a single passage. You haven't done a good job with security."

Well, it seems this fellow is quite experienced; he even started criticizing the hotel owner for his poor preparations.

However, condemnation was useless at this point, and the hotel owner had no time to improve these things.

To prevent any unpleasant incidents from arising due to the scramble, Li Ang quickly spoke up, saying, "Since the space is cramped, my wife and I don't need to. We're quite capable; perhaps the air can hold out longer without the two of us." With that, he prepared to pull Hancock out.

This explanation was quite successful, not only giving him a reason to escape, but also potentially preventing a bloody conflict. The only downside was that Hancock, standing to his side and behind, was practically spitting fire from her eyes.

Li Ang also felt the piercing gaze behind him, knowing that Hancock was having a hard time holding back.

Just as Li Ang was about to leave the hotel, the experienced middle-aged man who had spoken earlier said sternly, "What nonsense are you talking about! How can we leave the woman outside while we hide inside! Well then, I'm not without my own abilities. I'll go with you to find another place to hide, and you can have your wife hide in the cellar." He didn't forget to flex his muscles as he finished speaking.

This statement not only left Li Ang dumbfounded, but even Hancock let go of the hand that had been making those shady moves behind her back.

Hearing the middle-aged man say this, the others felt embarrassed to hide inside themselves and chimed in, "You should let your wife hide inside first." Two robust young men also said they wanted to go out with him.

"Brother, how could you be so kind?" Li Ang roared inwardly. "You're doing more harm than good, you know? We were about to get away!"

Just as Li Ang was feeling both annoyed and relieved, Hancock made her move, kicking the wall and creating a large hole in the hotel's exterior wall. The flying debris even crashed into a wall opposite.

"No need. With our strength, we can protect ourselves completely. At least those lackeys can't do anything to us."

Without turning back, he pulled Li Ang out of the large hole they had just blasted, leaving a group of people standing there dumbfounded.

After walking a short distance, Hancock asked in a low voice, "How could a group of people with no ability make such a reckless decision?"

When faced with this historic dilemma, Li Ang could only think of two words—"draw your sword."

Therefore, Leon did not answer Hancock's question, but instead replied: "Faced with a powerful opponent, even knowing we are no match, we must still draw our swords. Even if we fall, we must become a mountain, a ridge. It is precisely because not all people are ignorant, and because many of them possess this heroic spirit, that they are worthy of our revolutionary army's salvation."

In truth, aren't we, the revolutionary army, doing the same thing? And if one day you understand the meaning behind this act of suicide, then you will understand what we, the revolutionary army, are doing.

Leon's words didn't provide a direct answer; instead, he wanted Hancock to grasp the meaning for herself. This was undoubtedly far more profound than Leon telling her the answer.

Chapter 287 Kidnapping

Hearing Leon's words, Hancock couldn't help but recall the moment years ago when the Fish-Man hero single-handedly climbed the Red Line to liberate countless slaves. Although he was a Fish-Man hero, he was nothing more than an ant to the World Government. And ultimately, under the World Government's pressure, he was indeed defeated and killed due to the secrets of some individuals.

His actions are essentially the same as those of the people we met today.

After connecting Fishertaig with the middle-aged man she had met today, and now with the Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff before her, Hancock understood something from Leon's words. She understood that this was not a pointless act of suicide.

As for what this behavior can actually bring and what its specific meaning is, these deeper aspects require more time and experience to understand.

Thinking of this, Hancock asked in a gentle tone for the first time, "My previous actions weren't considered a breach of promise, were they?"

“Of course not, Hancock, you did the right thing this time,” Li Ang said, trying to use a gentler voice.

He was actually overjoyed; it seemed that after this incident, Hancock's terrible personality had changed somewhat. She even changed her self-reference from "this humble servant" to "I." Unfortunately, as Li Ang spoke, he habitually and unconsciously placed his hand on Hancock's head.

So his joy turned to sorrow, and the screams that echoed through the air that night added another terrifying legend to the town.

……

Knowing he was in the wrong, Li Ang didn't use Armament Haki to defend himself, allowing Hancock to do as she pleased. Naturally, the result was several bruises on his hands and two large bumps on his head.

"Ahem, proceed according to plan in a bit, be careful not to reveal your abilities." After getting beaten up, he had already explained the plan to Hancock, but Leon was still worried and had to give her a final reminder.

Hancock snorted and didn't say anything, but Li Ang still understood what Hancock meant. It seemed that she was already tired of Li Ang's constant nagging.

Li Ang felt he was really working hard, having to understand the meaning of Hancock's various "grunts." If this continued, he might be able to understand what the pigs were "grunting" when he walked into a pigsty.

The two were climbing on top of a damaged house. Due to the previous shelling, half of the house had collapsed, which was probably why not many people were paying attention to the damaged house.

By this time, the battle was nearing its end. The guards were no match for these seasoned pirates in terms of both numbers and weaponry. When Leon and Hancock arrived, the pirates were already on the verge of collapse.

However, they did play a role; at least through their fighting and early warning, the ordinary civilians in the town had time to pack their things and run away or hide.

As soon as Li Ang shouted "Action!", the two of them darted out like rabbits, splitting into two directions to quickly approach the one-eyed pirate standing at the back.

The captain of this pirate crew, Tyr, is easily recognizable with his one eye. Even though Li Ang had never seen him before, he recognized him easily. Not only is he one-eyed, but he also has two underlings who hide behind him and boss others around, making everyone else fight for them. He's incredibly cowardly.

Tyr was not a native of the West Blue. He was born in the Grand Line and was captured by a pirate ship when he was a teenager, forcing him to go to sea and become a pirate.

But gradually, he not only stopped resenting the pirates who had captured him, but also grew to like the pirate life. Although it was indeed tough when he first joined, the fine wine and roasted meat, as well as the guns and blood he gradually came into contact with made him feel that the previous ten years or so had been wasted.

As he grew older and stronger, his status in the pirate crew gradually rose, and he enjoyed more things that were previously unimaginable and only available to noble lords. This made him exclaim that robbery was indeed the most addictive business, and that pirates were the best.

Everything was so wonderful until one day they were finally caught by the Navy.

Under the fierce barrage of the naval warships, the pirate ship was on the verge of collapse, and even the captain, whom he considered incredibly powerful, was killed by a naval admiral. That was the first time he felt fear; he fought with all his might to escape the naval pursuit, but in doing so, he lost an eye in the process.

He later escaped the Grand Line and rebuilt his pirate crew in the West Blue.

Some crew members suggested venturing into the Grand Line, but knowing how much more dangerous it was, how could he possibly agree? His captain had been strong enough to take on several of them by himself, yet they all died at the hands of the Navy. If he were to venture into the Grand Line now, wouldn't that be suicide?

Not only would he refuse, but after learning of the increased bounty, he decisively chose to keep a low profile and avoid the limelight. He didn't want to attract the Navy's pursuit again. Being a local tyrant for the rest of his life wasn't so bad.

However, such a closed-minded idea will not work on this sea. There is only one way for pirates: to forge ahead. Tyr may gain temporary stability by doing this, but who knows when a new pirate crew will emerge and kill him, using him as a stepping stone to dominate the West Blue.

For example, the rise of that group of supernovas two years later is when these unambitious little pirates are just giving away experience.

However, before Tel could even deliver the experience points, they arrived at the town where Leon was staying.

It can only be said that Tyr was unlucky. This time, the night raid was a sure thing, but somehow he was discovered by the townspeople, which led to many unexpected events. Most importantly, he also got into trouble with Hancock, an unreasonable female demon.

"Men, hurry up and charge!" Tyr urged again. Although the battle was one-sided and the guards had suffered heavy losses and were on the verge of collapse, even without any evidence, he had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.

The last time I had this feeling was back when I saw the captain for the last time on the Grand Line.

It was precisely because of this feeling that he stayed behind, cheering and supporting his men, observing with two trusted confidants, instead of leading his own troops into the fray. He had chickened out once again.

Just as Tyr was getting anxious, the two small pirates beside him were simultaneously attacked by a tremendous force and were sent flying into the sea in the distance.

Flying that far, it certainly wouldn't survive. However, it didn't make much noise, so it seems to have controlled its strength very well.

Before Tyr could react, a cold object pressed against his neck: "Don't move!"

After Leon and Hancock took action, they bypassed the central battlefield from the left and right. Before Tyr could react, the two of them punched and kicked the two children next to him, sending them flying. Leon then pulled out a knife and held it to Tyr's neck.

Having successfully taken Tyr hostage, it means that half of the first step of the plan has been completed. The remaining task is to control the entire pirate crew through Tyr's influence.

Based on the passengers' descriptions and his previous observations of Tyr, Leon had confirmed that Tyr was a coward. And only a coward could carry out the subsequent plan. If it were any other pirate crew, their captains certainly wouldn't be so easily controlled; even if Leon threatened their lives, they wouldn't obey.

Sure enough, after Li Ang said "Don't move," Tyr didn't dare to move or even speak.

Meanwhile, the other small-time pirates fighting on the front lines also failed to notice anything amiss because Leon and Hancock moved so quickly.

“Very good, you know what’s good for you. I like people who know what’s good for them. You just saw our strength. If we wanted to, we could even wipe out your pirate crew.” With that, Leon slowly sheathed his knife and stood in the spot where Tyr’s two henchmen had stood.

Hancock followed Leon's instructions and did the same thing as Leon, and the two of them pretended to be the two Tyr's confidants from before.

After doing all that, he immediately whispered an order to Tyr: "Tell your men to retreat now, without arousing suspicion."

Tyr had no choice but to obey orders if he didn't want to die: "Men, it's almost dawn. Let's retreat now and come back another time."

Hearing Tyr say that, Leon wanted nothing more than to slap this idiot to death. His IQ was abysmal; what kind of ridiculous excuse was this? What kind of logic was there in retreating at dawn? Did pirates not rob during the day? And just a minute ago he was saying, "Men, kill them!" The transition was so abrupt.

However, the reason that a mentally challenged commander led mentally challenged soldiers was illogical, and the pirates still stopped their attack. The guards, seeing the pirates slowly retreating, also stopped what they were doing; with their small numbers, they had no reason to pursue.

"Take me back to the ship first, to your captain's cabin." Seeing that this had actually worked, Li Ang stopped complaining about the bunch of idiots. The distance and darkness had prevented them from seeing that Li Ang and Hancock were no longer their former accomplices. Now, getting out of the pirates' sight was the priority.

So, led by Tyr, Leon and Hancock went into the captain's cabin with him, regrouped the pirates, and sailed away from the town.

In this way, by taking Tyr hostage, Leon temporarily controlled the One-Eyed Pirates through a door in the captain's cabin. At the same time, he also saved the town he had only met once.

It has to be said that these brainless pirates are so easy to fool. Li Ang made up a reason and dispelled their almost non-existent suspicions.

Next, Li Ang instructed the One-Eyed Pirates to sail in the direction he had designated, which was the route taken by the fleet escorting the Celestial Dragons.

Chapter 288 Going to Sea

In fact, with Leon and Hancock's strength, wiping out this entire pirate crew wouldn't be a problem at all; it would be an easy task.

Why go through all this trouble to control them? Of course, it's related to the subsequent actions against the Celestial Dragons.

Regardless of when they choose to target the Celestial Dragons, assassination will ultimately be the only option. Even if Leon and Hancock are equivalent to two Shichibukai in terms of fighting strength, they still wouldn't be confident of defeating the guards. Especially if they choose to strike in the Golden City, a direct confrontation would be impossible.

Even if the Marines could defeat these guards, Leon and Hancock couldn't choose to do that. These Marines weren't idiots; if they couldn't win, wouldn't they call for backup? This concerned the safety of the Celestial Dragons, and could easily provoke the deployment of an Admiral.

Even if the two manage to defeat the Celestial Dragons after going through great lengths, they will still be easily defeated by the Marine Admirals who arrive later.

Once things reached this point, even if Leon was reluctant, for the sake of his own life and Hancock's safety, he would still call for backup, asking Dragon or Fujitora to come to his rescue. He barely managed to save his life.

In the previous battle, Hancock inevitably used her full strength. Everyone knows she's the Empress of Amazon Lily, and her title of Shichibukai is effectively over. This not only hinders their grand plan but also earns Amazon Lily the World Government's wrath.