One Piece Gunslinger

Although the TMP bullets had penetrated Joz's chest, given his physical strength and massive size, the bullets hadn't damaged his internal organs at all; they were all lodged in thick layers of fat. His apparent weakness was simply due to the Seastone's effects. Once back at the ship's hospital, the bullets would be removed, and he'd be back to his lively self in no time.

Secondly, the TMP has a high rate of fire, with bullets almost firing in a continuous barrage. When the first bullet was deflected instantly, Joz felt a momentary weakness that alerted him to something was wrong, but it was too late to react. The barrage of bullets that followed roared into Joz's body.

Of course, that's not enough. If Joz isn't confident enough to not be afraid of whatever Li Ang does and lets Li Ang do whatever he wants, then the outcome of this battle is uncertain.

Despite Joz's tall, massive stature and somewhat short legs, his agility is astonishing in addition to his immense strength. Li Ang might not be able to land a hit on him so easily.

Therefore, before the battle, Li Ang deliberately used his actions and words to provoke Joz, leading him step by step into the trap he had set.

When Li Ang said he would "teach you a lesson," he was not exaggerating. He not only made Joz aware of the existence of Seastone bullets, but also made him be careful of people like Li Ang who are good at using words and actions to launch psychological attacks.

Moreover, this lesson wasn't just for Joz; it also served as a reminder to the other captains: never underestimate a sniper—who knows how powerful their weapon is?

With the emergence of Vegapunk, the most intelligent human being, and as technological development gradually gets back on track, even more powerful technological weapons will naturally spring up like mushrooms after rain over time.

Chapter 322 You can dodge the first day of the month, but you can't dodge the fifteenth.

Just as Li Ang finished resolving his own issues and was preparing to rekindle his dream of being a bystander, he discovered that there wasn't much soy sauce left for him to use.

The battle on Ace's side was nearing its end. Marco seemed like a completely different person, launching an even more ferocious offensive than before, and his combat power had also increased to a higher level.

Ace lost his former glory and could only be suppressed by Marco. It was only a matter of time before he was defeated.

Marco had actually been playing around with Ace the whole time, never really showing his full strength. But after seeing Leon defeat two Whitebeard Pirates division commanders in quick succession, especially Jozu's instant defeat, Marco lost all interest in continuing to play along with Ace.

Li Ang has already defeated two captains, but he hasn't even been able to take down Ace. If this gets back to the Revolutionary Army, won't they look down on him?

Marco is the second-in-command of the Whitebeard Pirates, which corresponds to Leon, the chief of staff, being the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army. Without comparison, there's no harm done. If Marco continues to drag his feet, while Leon quickly finishes the battle, wouldn't that suggest the Whitebeard Pirates are inferior to the Revolutionary Army?

This is absolutely unacceptable to Marco, who values ​​the honor of his pirate crew and his father more than his own life.

Marco's actions were also meant to show Li Ang, to make Li Ang understand that he hadn't used his full strength before, and not to make a mistake.

And so, our poor, troublemaking eldest brother, Ace, got a severe beating. He was beaten unconscious in no time and had to be taken away by the Whitebeard Pirates for treatment.

Sigh, if Li Ang knew that Marco's sudden attack on Ace was based on this plan, he'd be both amused and exasperated. Li Ang didn't dare underestimate Marco's strength. Moreover, as fellow second-in-commands, Marco was indeed far more powerful than Li Ang in combat; Li Ang never even considered comparing himself to Marco, because there was no need for such a comparison.

The other captains knew Marco's strength and knew that he was just playing around before. No wonder they had focused their attention on Leon's battle. There was really nothing interesting there. What was the point of watching Marco tease Ace?

At this point, all members of the Spade Pirates have been captured. The remaining task is to slowly incorporate them back into the crew, especially the troublemaker Ace, who will require considerable time.

Of course, it was at this moment that Li Ang, that shameless guy, also boarded the Moby Dick.

To be honest, Whitebeard didn't even consider you. His original plan was to beat you up and leave you where you were, at most leaving you a small boat. But Leon actually defeated two captains and forced his way onto the Moby Dick.

However, Whitebeard didn't dislike Li Ang as much this time. With some strength, everything was manageable. Moreover, Li Ang had held back during the battle, not truly harming Vista and Jozu. They recovered quickly. This improved Whitebeard's impression of Li Ang considerably.

Therefore, Whitebeard did not mind giving Li Ang another leg of the journey and sending him to the Revolutionary Army's territory.

However, Whitebeard had sailed the seas for decades and had seen all kinds of people. With his keen senses, he could vaguely sense that Leon had other purposes and that this trip was not simply to visit Fishman Island.

Although no words were spoken, Whitebeard felt that Leon's purpose in coming here was very likely to see him. And Whitebeard always trusted his intuition.

So after setting sail again, Whitebeard sought out Li Ang and asked bluntly, "Is there something you need from me?"

Since Whitebeard had already gotten straight to the point, Li Ang didn't mince words and readily admitted, "Indeed, there are some things I want to convey to you."

"Never mind what it is for now," Whitebeard suggested, "I'd like to ask you if you'd be willing to be my godson."

Huh?!

Li Ang hadn't anticipated this turn of events; logically speaking, it shouldn't be like this. First of all, he wasn't the kind of person who went to sea for a dream, much less a pirate. Most importantly, he was already the chief of staff of the Revolutionary Army, yet Whitebeard wanted to take him in as his adopted son—what kind of logic was that?

However, becoming a son was out of the question. Leon had no intention of leaving the Revolutionary Army, nor did he want to become a pirate, much less seek out the legendary final island, Laugh Tale.

Li Ang could only reply with neither humility nor arrogance: "I can respectfully call you 'Old Man' like Jinbe and the others, but it is absolutely impossible for me to leave the Revolutionary Army and join the Whitebeard Pirates. Just as pirates dream of finding One Piece, I also have my own dream and a goal to strive for."

As Li Ang spoke, he felt a sharp gaze fixed on him. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw it was Marco. It seemed Marco hadn't helped Whitebeard forcefully take in his son.

"Gurararara." Whitebeard laughed loudly, "I don't know how many people want to join my pirate ship, but do you know what? The people who eventually join the Whitebeard Pirates are often not those who wanted to join my pirate ship before."

"I know, how could I not know?" Li Ang thought to himself, "You can tell from Ace that most of your sons came about this way, right?"

Li Ang glanced around and saw that many of the captains had strange expressions, so he knew he hadn't guessed wrong.

Li Ang continued, "Oh? Then it seems I'll be an exception."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Ang felt a pulsating power emanating from Whitebeard's hand, pressing directly towards him. Li Ang immediately realized that Whitebeard was unleashing his Conqueror's Haki at him.

Since Whitebeard had made his move, Li Ang was unwilling to back down so easily. He also unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, which seemed childlike compared to Whitebeard's, and began to clash with Whitebeard from a distance.

Of course, Li Ang's Conqueror's Haki didn't last long; it was shattered in seconds. Before unleashing his Conqueror's Haki, Li Ang hadn't realized how powerful it was, but after this attack, he understood just how formidable Whitebeard's level of Conqueror's Haki truly was. He felt like a small boat in a raging ocean, easily torn apart.

Li Ang could even clearly feel the murderous aura emanating from the waves; if he didn't agree, he would really be killed by Whitebeard.

However, Li Ang did not back down so easily. Instead, he continued to gather his domineering aura and kept feeding kills to the enemy, only to be defeated again a few seconds later.

Having been thoroughly defeated twice in a row, Li Ang was already feeling a headache when he activated his Conqueror's Haki again, but even so, he continued to charge forward recklessly.

If Li Ang continues like this, he'll become an idiot in two minutes from overusing Haki. In severe cases, he might even suffer brain death. That way, Whitebeard won't even need to kill him.

However, this terrifying event did not come to pass. After easily defeating Li Ang several times, Whitebeard withdrew his domineering aura and his expression returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Whitebeard then changed his tune: "Alright, alright, it seems that it's really hard to poach members from the Revolutionary Army. Besides, you even have Conqueror's Haki, no wonder you're unwilling to join my crew."

To this, Li Ang could only manage a wry smile: "Looks like I've escaped with my life."

However, Li Ang's bitter smile at this moment looked somewhat terrifying, or rather, no matter what expression Li Ang made, it would become terrifying. Bleeding from all seven orifices—that perfectly described Li Ang's current state.

This is the result of forcibly clashing Conqueror's Haki. If Li Ang hadn't forcibly used Conqueror's Haki to fight Whitebeard, he wouldn't have suffered such damage.

"What you did was very dangerous. If you ever encounter an opponent whose Conqueror's Haki far surpasses yours, never do something so foolish again."

Fortunately, Whitebeard stopped this time, otherwise it wouldn't have been as simple as bleeding from all seven orifices.

"Thank you for your advice, Dad."

After saying this, Li Ang could no longer hold on and lay straight back, unconscious on the deck.

In truth, Whitebeard didn't value Li Ang as much as Ace did; he simply wanted to test Li Ang. He wanted to see if this Revolutionary Army member was as dignified and unyielding as rumored. If Li Ang submitted, all the better, as it would be a perfect way to retaliate for the Revolutionary Army's exploitation during the World Government Summit.

This outcome pleased Whitebeard, even though Leon did not yield. Between being used by a villain and being used by a virtuous person, the latter is clearly easier to accept.

Pshaw, that's not true at all.

It actually had absolutely nothing to do with being neither humble nor arrogant, or being unyielding to the death. Li Ang had calculated that Whitebeard wouldn't actually kill him. Although Whitebeard wasn't afraid of anyone, there was no need for him to incur the hatred of the Revolutionary Army.

Moreover, Whitebeard knew that he wouldn't live for many more years, and his adopted sons hadn't reached the level of the Four Emperors. Once he passed away, wouldn't all the enemies he had made during his lifetime jump out to settle scores with his sons?

Now it's time for Whitebeard to think not only of himself but also of his sons. Family is Whitebeard's powerful motivation, but it is also his Achilles' heel.

While it couldn't truly inflict irreparable damage on Leon, it still made him suffer a bit, thus fulfilling Whitebeard's wish. Although Leon escaped Vista and Jozu, he ultimately couldn't escape Whitebeard's punishment.

Li Ang was then carried off the ship by the doctor to rest. If Li Ang had anything to say, he would have to wait until he recovered.

And so, in the Moby Dick's infirmary, the unconscious Ace had a companion. The two were even assigned adjacent beds, truly becoming brothers in misfortune.

Chapter 323 An Impossible Mission

However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. At least after waking up, Li Ang immediately discovered that his Conqueror's Haki seemed to have improved a lot, so it wasn't all for nothing that he fainted.

Moreover, Li Ang soon realized that he was no longer at sea. Judging from the smell of the air and the stability of the remaining bed, he had been taken ashore by the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Alright, we'll have to figure out how to get back later."

Li Ang yawned and got out of bed. This place looked like a medical clinic, with many beds. However, he was the only one there, along with a doctor sitting in a chair by the door. He didn't see Ace.

With few other options, Li Ang could only wake him up and then learn about the current situation from him.

After two minutes of conversation, Li Ang learned that they were back on Whitebeard's territory, and two days had passed. He had only come ashore at noon today. As for Ace, he hadn't stayed with Li Ang after coming ashore; instead, Whitebeard had placed him with his side.

I also heard that after Ace recovered to about 70% of his health, he ambushed Whitebeard again, only to be beaten so badly by Whitebeard that he vomited blood and had to lie back down.

As for the questions "Where are the others? Why are you all alone here?" and "Can you get us some food?", they were combined into one answer: the Whitebeard Pirates were preparing to hold an open-air banquet on the beach.

Hey, you've just gotten back and you're already throwing a banquet to celebrate Whitebeard having another son? Typical of a pirate who lives for the moment, this banquet culture is something else. No matter how big or small the occasion, if you're happy, you throw a banquet.

So now that Li Ang has woken up, this guy is really free. He doesn't have to stay here anymore, so he took Li Ang and headed to the beach where the banquet was being held.

It was nearly dusk when Li Ang came out, and by the time he followed him to the banquet venue, it was completely dark. At that moment, a huge bonfire was lit, shooting up flames into the sky.

"Yeah, great." Li Ang looked at Marco lighting the fire and complained, "Does this mean Ace will be doing this job from now on? I mean, why would we need a campfire in the future? Ace just stands in the middle and takes on this function himself."

"Haha, you have quite the imagination! Maybe you can try it when you're short on cash." A voice rang out from Li Ang's right. Li Ang didn't need to turn around to know that it was Vista.

Besta happened to see Li Ang at the banquet, so he went over to chat with him, only to hear Li Ang complaining.

Vista immediately put his arm around Leon's shoulder and looked at the densely packed crew members in front of them with Leon. He continued, "How about it? Never seen anything like it before, right? Isn't it spectacular? Hehe, only our Whitebeard Pirates can gather so many people for a banquet and still maintain the pure taste. Today, you can relax and have fun. There are no superiors or subordinates at this banquet, and there are no outsiders."

When Leon saw that Vista wanted to hug him, he instinctively wanted to dodge. However, since they had become friends after their initial conflict, it would be too awkward for Leon to dodge, so he let Vista do as he pleased.

Of course, that wasn't the most important thing. The important thing was that Leon noticed Joz had also noticed his arrival and was walking towards him. Leon looked at Joz's much taller and more muscular physique and decisively chose Vista, whose size was not much different from his own.

Vista was right; the hierarchy on Kaido's side is the most tense, so banquets are practically nonexistent. Big Mom's banquets are all wedding parties, their purpose being to eat a birthday cake and to use her children's marriages for political gain. Shanks' side is simpler, just with fewer people. As for the other pirates, it goes without saying.

So this is indeed a scene that can be seen in Whitebeard's world, but it is limited to the pirate community.

Li Ang twitched slightly. He remembered that when they were in Dressrosa, it was a national banquet, so it was better not to say it and hurt Vista.

"Yes, yes, it's really great!"

"Snapped!"

Just as Li Ang finished his casual, perfunctory remark, he felt a violent slap on his back.

"Haha, you're lucky you arrived just as the banquet started. Otherwise, if you missed this opportunity, you wouldn't know when you'd get another chance." It was none other than Joz, who held a wine glass in one hand and laughed smugly.

“Very good.” Li Ang thought through gritted teeth, “I’ll remember this grudge.” He had been knocked unconscious by Whitebeard and had been lying in bed for two days without anything being done. He had almost lost half his life when Jozu hit him like that.

"So all I care about is when I can eat. I feel like I'm starving to death," Li Ang said weakly, his eyes squinting. Joz, please don't do it again, or Li Ang worries he might not even live to see tomorrow.

"Brother, you should have said so sooner!" Joz then remembered that Li Ang hadn't eaten for two days. "You wait here, I'll go and urge him to eat. He should be better soon."

“Oh dear, yes,” Vista chimed in, “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”

"Keep acting, keep acting. Who was it that held me so tightly when Joz's powerful slap came at me, preventing me from dodging?" Li Ang thought to himself. "He clearly noticed my weakness when he was slapping me, but he had to bring up something else. I'll remember this grudge."

Leon knew that Vista was just playing a joke on him; mutual sabotage was part of One Piece culture, and if you didn't like it, don't play along. Leon could only remember it and find a chance to get back at him later.

Not long after, Joz appeared carrying an enormous platter that was much larger than himself. The platter contained a type of meat that Li Ang did not recognize, probably a cut from some unknown sea monster or sea king.

Behind Jozu were many people dressed as chefs, all carrying huge plates, just like him. It seems that to be a chef in such a large pirate crew, one must have considerable strength, otherwise one wouldn't even be able to lift the plates used to serve the food.

"Hey bro, come quick, the food'll be ready in no time," Jozu said, waving to Leon after putting down the plate. No sooner had Jozu finished speaking than he was pulled away by the rest of the Third Division.