One Piece Gunslinger

Charlie had given a strict order: no matter what happened, the shipyard had to be guarded. So even when the port was in trouble, none of the dozens of guards stationed there left.

Two guards stood at the gate. One of them asked his companion anxiously, "The incessant cannon fire has finally stopped. I wonder if Lord Andrew will be able to return safely this time."

"Don't worry, Lord Andrew will be fine. He has blocked several of these fierce attacks. Last time, that guy with a bounty of 5600 million, the great pirate named Long-Haired Pacquiao, didn't he have his head chopped off by Lord Andrew? You've seen how powerful Lord Andrew is, they are no match for him."

Actually, the guard was also a little worried. He was comforting the other guard, and also comforting himself.

"Well, maybe." Even though he knew Andrew was very strong, he couldn't help but feel worried and had a bad feeling.

Just as the guard breathed a sigh of relief, he noticed a red dot on his companion's face.

Chapter Fourteen: The Calm Li Ang

"boom!"

With a gunshot, his companion, who had just been talking to him, fell to the ground with a bloody hole about the size of a finger on his head.

The guard stared at his fallen comrade, momentarily stunned. By the time he came to his senses and remembered to sound the alarm, the red dot of death was already looming over his face.

However, he didn't need to sound the alarm; the two gunshots had already alerted the guards inside.

Ugh, this is infuriating! If we had a silencer, Li Ang could have taken down even more enemies before they even realized what was happening.

Louis and Lehman, standing next to Leon, stared in shock at the two fallen soldiers. Lehman exclaimed in surprise, "That gun is really powerful."

"Of course, this is my treasure." Li Ang said proudly, but then seemed to realize something, "Shouldn't you praise me, the person who uses the gun, for being good at it before praising the gun itself?"

Lehman and Louis watched this clearly. After Li Ang raised his gun and aimed, the strangely shaped weapon shot out a very thin red beam of light, which turned into a red dot on the enemy.

Then, by simply moving the red dot to a vital spot, and gently pulling the trigger, Li Ang could take a life. Moreover, the gun fired two shots, both hitting the target with perfect accuracy; the precision was simply terrifying.

In comparison, what Lehman and Louis are holding now is practically a stick. Not only is the interval between shots long, but the accuracy is also very low; sometimes, after pulling the trigger, they don't even know where the bullet is going.

"Wow, that's amazing." Louis stared intently at the pistol, almost making Leon feel embarrassed. Louis asked, "Do you still have this kind of firearm?"

"Well, this kind of firearm is currently only available to me, so it can be considered one of a kind." Looking at Louis, who seemed slightly disappointed, he added, "However, it is possible that it will be copied in the future, at which point the number of these guns will increase."

This isn't just something Li Ang made up. While the overall technology in the world of One Piece is relatively underdeveloped, they occasionally come up with some amazing new technologies. For example, Vegapunk's Pacifistas and Franky's mechs.

It can be said that this is a world where backwardness and progress coexist, and technology and magic fly side by side, so it is not surprising that anything can happen.

While talking to the two men, Li Ang didn't forget to lead them inside.

"Wow! They reacted really fast. I only fired two shots, and these people have already gathered here." Li Ang rushed through the gate and saw the soldiers surrounding him.

Without hesitation, Li Ang raised his hand and fired a shot, killing a soldier who was holding a gun.

Louis and Lehman were not to be outdone, and they also raised their guns and began to fire, following Li Ang's instructions to specifically target soldiers who were armed with guns, ignoring those who carried swords.

As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. It might be troublesome once these soldiers with swords get close, but the threat posed by the soldiers with guns is greater for Li Ang.

Fortunately, few of the soldiers were armed, and Li Ang dispatched them with a few shots. In the brief moment between those shots, a soldier wielding a scimitar rushed towards him.

"Hehe, let me show you another big treasure." He said, jumping back a step to dodge the slash. When Li Ang raised his hand again, the pistol was gone, replaced by another big gun with a longer barrel and a thicker stock.

"boom!"

The first soldier to be hit was blasted away by the bullet, which pierced his body, and it was clear he wouldn't survive. Those behind and around him were also hit by shrapnel and suffered injuries of varying degrees.

After firing that shot, Li Ang pressed his advantage. Instead of retreating, he advanced, took a step forward, pulled the trigger, and blasted two more people away.

Because shotgun pellets distribute the impact force across each pellet, and spherical pellets have weaker penetrating power and sustained flight capability, they often fail to cause sufficiently lethal damage when hitting a target at a relatively long distance.

However, it is highly lethal in close-range combat. Because the muzzle is very close to the human body when it is fired, multiple small bullets directly penetrate the human body and organs, so the death looks extremely gruesome, with blood and flesh in a mess, and torn flesh scattered around.

Everyone was stunned; they'd never seen anything like it. Was this caused by firearms? It was practically the same as being hit by a cannon. Some people were completely dumbfounded.

This included Lehman and Louis, whose image of Leon had completely collapsed. The usually gentle and refined Leon, sometimes a little frivolous and prone to joking, had revealed such a ruthless side.

Fortunately, he didn't usually take out his weapon; once he did, he became a completely different person. In this chaotic scene, a single shotgun could suppress the enemy, each shot blasting away one or two people and injuring others nearby.

While others froze, Li Ang didn't. He bombarded the soldiers guarding the shipyard with shotgun fire. At first, the soldiers ran towards him, but after witnessing the power of the two shotgun blasts, they hesitated and gradually retreated as Li Ang approached. Finally, under the brutal barrage of bullets, the remaining enemies began to rout, abandoning their weapons and fleeing.

After firing six shots, Li Ang was about to reload when he saw the enemy already routed. There were 50 guards here, and Li Ang alone had killed more than 20 of them, all in just a few shots.

After changing the magazine, Li Ang did not continue the pursuit. He turned to Louis and said, "Stop vomiting. Time is limited. Quickly rescue the craftsmen inside."

Looking at Louis, who was vomiting profusely, Li Ang didn't understand whether his change was a good thing or a bad thing.

Originally, Li Ang was just an ordinary person on Earth, not even a soldier or a doctor. The bloodiest scene he had ever seen was ketchup on the screen.

When I first encountered pirates in Maple Village, I was quite frightened by their ferocious appearance.

But ever since the system was activated, he had become far too calm. Facing ferocious enemies and flying carnage, not even a ripple could stir his tranquil heart.

Even knowing that these guards were merely acting on King Charles's orders and had no idea what was wrong with the shipyard they were guarding, they were, in a sense, victims. Yet, Leon was willing to kill them all for the sake of his plan.

Just like that train, Li Ang had naturally categorized these people as those who were destined to be sacrificed.

It's like a machine—meticulous and precise, yet cold and deadly.

Li Ang couldn't help but worry that he might gradually turn into a completely emotionless machine. Right now, he could still crack jokes and tease others from time to time, and incidentally, do silly things and show off a bit.

What if in the future, when I can calm down and realize that joking, acting recklessly, and showing off are all meaningless and worthless, then have I completely become a robot?

Chapter Fifteen: Time Flies

"Bulu, bu, bu, bu."

At sea, Haku's Den Den Mushi (snail phone) rang.

Haku answered the phone, and the Den Den Mushi began mimicking Leon's voice: "Haku, we've rescued all the trapped boatmen. Tell them to come back, then get out of here quickly."

"Okay, the rest is up to you. Best of luck in your endeavors." Haku said this and then hung up the phone.

"Lower the pirate flag, circle around once, and then go back," Haku ordered. "Then tell them not to chase us; they've been tricked."

"Report! The pirates ahead have lowered their pirate flag!" A soldier ran to the bow of the ship and reported to Andrew, who was standing there.

Andrew was observing their movements through binoculars. He saw someone on the flagship carrying two small flags walk to the stern.

Upon hearing the guard's report, Andrew, still with his binoculars in hand, said irritably without turning his head, "I saw it a long time ago."

Then, another guard rushed over and reported, "It's bad, Lord Andrew, the other side is using flag signals, we've been tricked."

“I saw that a long time ago too.” Andrew slammed the binoculars in his hand to the ground.

"Pass down the order: turn back! Stone Britain and King Charles II are in danger. Everyone except the sailors, get down there and row as fast as you can. We're going back to rescue Stone Britain," Andrew immediately ordered.

"Damn it, I didn't expect these people weren't pirates at all. No wonder the methods I used to deal with pirates didn't work." Andrew thought to himself, "Then what is their purpose? Could it be that another army is taking advantage of this time to attack the palace?"

"No, that's not right. When I chased them out, I didn't see any other ships lying in ambush in any direction, at least not in any direction within sight on the island. Otherwise, my men would have reported it. We didn't chase them very far, and we can still clearly see Shi Yingguo. If they were lying in ambush beyond the horizon, it would take them time to rush over. We can still make it back in time, so this fleet should hold us off for a while longer."

"Could they have already infiltrated Shibing Kingdom beforehand, posing as tourists or refugees?" Andrew changed his approach. "That doesn't seem right either. Based on our recent data on merchants and tourists entering and leaving, fewer than 2000 people have entered and left Shibing Kingdom in the past year, roughly the same as last year. These 2000 people couldn't all be harboring ulterior motives; the majority are definitely genuine tourists and merchants. The so-called enemies mixed in would be at most a few dozen. At best, a small force, unlikely to accomplish anything significant."

Andrew frowned, deep in thought, and then seemed to suddenly remember something.

"A small force?" "A small force!"

"Oh no, our guard at the shipyard is also a small force of fifty men." Andrew finally realized, "Damn it, something's going to happen at the shipyard!"

Now Andrew can understand all the previous doubts. Why didn't they go ashore to loot? Instead, they poured shells along the coast to destroy the ships and provoke us.

However, they couldn't just send shells flying in that direction; that would raise too much suspicion. So they decided to launch a full-scale bombardment, firing several shells into every hangar. By bombing everywhere, they wouldn't suspect that the bombardment was primarily targeting the Treasure.

"What a clever scheme. It seems someone has spent a lot of time gathering intelligence on us, our deployments, our tactics, and the location of our ships. They've found out everything. So it seems the shipyard's secrets are no longer safe."

Andrew sighed. As King Charles's confidant, Andrew was fully aware of all the shady dealings Charles was up to. In fact, Andrew had even helped with many of the tasks.

"But even if we destroy the shipyard, or release those shipwrights, what good will it do? Do they intend to capture them and build ships for themselves?" Even though they were still far from the island, Andrew could already picture the shipyard's destruction before his eyes. He still couldn't understand why the enemy would target the shipyard.

Just then, another guard rushed over, interrupting Andrew's thoughts: "Report, the shipyard has been attacked by unknown assailants, and the soldiers stationed there have suffered heavy losses. All the shipwrights inside have now been taken away."

Andrew, annoyed that the man had interrupted his thoughts, said angrily, "I saw it a long time ago. Keep going and give it your all."

The soldier who came to report could only put on a wronged expression and step aside. Then he muttered to himself, "This time it was clearly His Majesty Charles who notified us via Den Den Mushi, but I didn't see it."

On the other hand, after entering the shipyard, Li Ang first persuaded the shipwrights to go home and tell their fellow villagers about their experiences and what they had seen and heard there, so that everyone could join in the rebellion against King Charles.

Leon addressed the group of shipwrights who had already suffered greatly, saying things like "We will die whether we die now or we start a great rebellion," which finally convinced them to resist Charles.

He then led the boatmen into the city and spread rumors throughout the square about King Charles's persecution of them.

"Abel, what's wrong with you, Abel?" Just as Li Ang was leading everyone in a public address in the street, a woman rushed out from the crowd, cupped the face of an old boatman in her hands, and said in horror, "It's only been three years, how come you've become so old?"

“My dearest Martha, forgive me for not being able to quite remember your face now. The time we’ve been apart has been three years for you, but thirty years for me,” the old man Abel said, his voice choked with emotion. “I thought I would never see you again, but looking at you still so young, it feels like I’ve been dreaming for thirty years.”

“No, Abel, this isn’t true.” Martha cried, holding Abel’s aged body.

As Li Ang and others continued their speeches in the square, more and more people gathered around. Every now and then, someone would rush out from the crowd, find a relative among the boatmen, and embrace them, weeping uncontrollably.

Young wives embrace their elderly husbands, while parents embrace their sons who are even older than themselves.

Some people even searched among the boatmen for a long time but couldn't find their relatives. They only learned from other boatmen that their loved ones had died. The bodies were nowhere to be found; Charlie's henchmen had taken them away and disposed of them.

Amidst heart-wrenching cries, news of Charles's various misdeeds spread far and wide among the crowd, and more and more people joined the ranks of those condemning the king.

People picked up sticks and kitchen knives, left their homes, and gathered together to walk towards Charles's palace.

Chapter Sixteen: The Celestial Dragons' Large Ship

The next day, on the way back, in the captain's cabin of the flagship.

Li Ang said to Kela, "So, through this incident, do you understand the lesson I just told you?"

Kerla exclaimed happily, "I understand! This king is like a ship sailing on the sea, and the sea beneath him is his people. The sea beneath the ship is the foundation of the king's journey. If the king wins the hearts of the people, the waves will propel him forward. Otherwise, the king's ship will be capsized by the angry sea."

"Hmm, very clever." Li Ang patted Kela's head and praised, "As expected of my smartest disciple, you have understood the principle that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it so quickly."

"Hehe, of course I'm your most famous disciple, because I'm your only disciple," Kella laughed.

Praising Vankella, Leon continued, "In this world, besides kings of small countries like Charlie, there are many behemoths. The largest of them are the Celestial Dragons and the World Government."

Upon hearing the mention of the Celestial Dragons, Koala, who had been rescued by Fisher Tiger, immediately fell silent, patiently awaiting Leon's next words.

“The ships they own are not Charlie’s small boats. Charlie’s boats are too small, which is why they can be easily capsized by the waves we create,” Leon said in a low voice. “The Celestial Dragons, on the other hand, possess the largest ship in the world. They don’t just control a force of three thousand men; the entire world’s army and navy belong to them.”

At this point, Li Ang looked down at the floor. "Especially the Navy. On this vast ocean, the Navy is the true king. What are the Four Emperors or the Seven Warlords of the Sea compared to the Navy? The ocean covers a much larger area than the land. Whoever controls the ocean basically controls the world."

"So, that's why they wanted to capture the Pirate King Roger so much back then?" Koala interjected.

Wow, I never expected Kella to be so smart. It's only been a short time, and she's already learned to answer questions quickly.