Chapter 9: Engagement

"Hey, Roger, long time no see, I've been missing you so much."

Just as Weismann caught sight of the dog-headed warship, a particularly loud voice echoed in his ears.

"Your voice can reach this far, what a big voice you have."

Despite the distance of at least three or four hundred meters between the two ships, Garp's voice managed to overshadow the sound of the waves pounding against the hull.

"Garp, I don't want to see you. Your face disgusts me, and we only just met two months ago."

Roger's voice carried a powerful aura, not backing down.

"Is that so? I forgot."

Garp scratched his nose with his little finger and flicked something into the sea.

"Garp, you're my nemesis." Upon hearing this, Roger's face darkened, and he muttered softly.

He couldn't understand why Garp, with two other pirate crews like the Golden Lions and Whitebeard's, kept targeting them.

Following this, Roger stood at the bow, lifting his sword high and declaring loudly, "Everyone, prepare for battle."

"Ah, okay."

Soon, the crew members of the pirate group began to get excited, even Weismann felt a surge of adrenaline.

But just as he ignited his fighting spirit, it was extinguished by someone, as if a bucket of ice-cold water was poured over him, chilling him to the bone.

"You stay back here. We're not at the point where rookie crew members need to join the fight yet."

At some point, Weismann felt Bullet pull his collar from behind, saying so.

"What's wrong with rookie crew members? They also need to contribute to the pirate group."

"Not necessary. You staying here will only cause trouble for us, and I'll have to divide my attention to protect you."

"I don't need your protection."

"Even so." Bullet's tone was firm, absolutely forbidding Weismann from joining the battle.

"Fine then." Weismann seemed to resign himself to fate.

"Bullet, you keep an eye on Shanks and Weismann. If anything happens, I'll hold you responsible."

"Don't worry, First Mate, I'll complete the task." Bullet said, puffing his chest out proudly.

Weismann knew Shanks's personality, a restless character itching for a fight at any opportunity.

As for Bullet's personality, the entire crew knew that unless there was an emergency, he wouldn't join the battle.

Although Rayleigh wasn't sure if Bullet could keep Shanks and Weismann in check, there was no time to deal with these matters now, as Garp was already attacking.

Cannonballs filled the sky, raining down on Roger's pirate crew. These weren't fired from regular cannons.

"Garp's strength is still as terrifying as ever."

The crew members on board began to demonstrate their skills, some wielding swords, others guns, and some using their fists. Not a single cannonball hit the ship's hull.

"Alright, stop watching. Let's find a place to hide." Bullet quickly instructed the two, eager to leave this dangerous place.

Chapter 9: Engagement

"Hey, Roger, long time no see, I've been missing you so much."

Just as Weismann caught sight of the dog-headed warship, a particularly loud voice echoed in his ears.

"Your voice can reach this far, what a big voice you have."

Despite the distance of at least three or four hundred meters between the two ships, Garp's voice managed to overshadow the sound of the waves pounding against the hull.

"Garp, I don't want to see you. Your face disgusts me, and we only just met two months ago."

Roger's voice carried a powerful aura, not backing down.

"Is that so? I forgot."

Garp scratched his nose with his little finger and flicked something into the sea.

"Garp, you're my nemesis." Upon hearing this, Roger's face darkened, and he muttered softly.

He couldn't understand why Garp, with two other pirate crews like the Golden Lions and Whitebeard's, kept targeting them.

Following this, Roger stood at the bow, lifting his sword high and declaring loudly, "Everyone, prepare for battle."

"Ah, okay."

Soon, the crew members of the pirate group began to get excited, even Weismann felt a surge of adrenaline.

But just as he ignited his fighting spirit, it was extinguished by someone, as if a bucket of ice-cold water was poured over him, chilling him to the bone.

"You stay back here. We're not at the point where rookie crew members need to join the fight yet."

At some point, Weismann felt Bullet pull his collar from behind, saying so.

"What's wrong with rookie crew members? They also need to contribute to the pirate group."

"Not necessary. You staying here will only cause trouble for us, and I'll have to divide my attention to protect you."

"I don't need your protection."

"Even so." Bullet's tone was firm, absolutely forbidding Weismann from joining the battle.

"Fine then." Weismann seemed to resign himself to fate.

"Bullet, you keep an eye on Shanks and Weismann. If anything happens, I'll hold you responsible."

"Don't worry, First Mate, I'll complete the task," Bullet said, puffing his chest out proudly.

Weismann knew Shanks's personality, a restless character itching for a fight at any opportunity.

As for Bullet's personality, the entire crew knew that unless there was an emergency, he wouldn't join the battle.

Although Weismann wasn't sure if Bullet could keep Shanks and Weismann in check, there was no time to deal with these matters now, as Garp was already attacking.

Cannonballs filled the sky, raining down on Roger's pirate crew. These weren't fired from regular cannons.

"Garp's strength is still as terrifying as ever."

The crew members on board began to demonstrate their skills, some wielding swords, others guns, and some using their fists. Not a single cannonball hit the ship's hull.

"Alright, stop watching. Let's find a place to hide." Bullet quickly instructed the two, eager to leave this dangerous place.

If they were out on the open sea, there would be nowhere to hide except inside the ship.

Weismann and Shanks were reluctantly pulled into a small room by Bullet. They could only observe the battle outside through a small glass window.

As the distance between the ships decreased, the two sides began boarding each other.

The first to charge was Garp, while Roger and Rayleigh blocked his path. Only the captain and first mate working together could stop such a monster.

Bullet, on the other hand, was entangled with a female marine. Standing together, they looked like Beauty and the Beast, as the female marine was barely half Bullet's height.

But from Bullet's expression, it was clear that this female marine was not to be underestimated.

"Who's that female marine fighting Bullet? She looks quite formidable." Weismann asked Shanks.

"She's called Tsuru. I forgot her rank, whether she's a Vice Admiral or Rear Admiral."

"Is she Tsuru?"

Weismann couldn't recognize her, as her appearance was nothing like the image of a frail, white-haired woman he had in mind.

"Don't judge her by her appearance. Tsuru is quite powerful. Her Devil Fruit ability can be described as terrifying. Even Bullet doesn't dare to be hit by it."

Weismann observed and noticed that Bullet was using a trap to attack Tsuru. When faced with Tsuru's attacks, Bullet always dodged.

"By the way, who's the crew member fighting the ice-wielding marine? He's incredibly strong." The ice-wielding marine naturally referred to the future Admiral Aokiji, but Weismann couldn't recall the crew member wielding a knife.

"Your memory is really bad. Didn't I introduce him to you before?"

Shanks gave Weismann a disdainful look.

"Is that so? I forgot." Weismann smiled awkwardly.

"His name is Seagull. Although he looks chubby, his speed is not slow at all. He's also one of the top five strongest crew members on the ship."

"I didn't realize."

"You'll see after watching for a while longer. The guy using ice can't match Seagull."

Sure enough, as Shanks said, after a few moves, Aokiji had several wounds on his body, and blood was flowing from the corners of his mouth, indicating internal injuries.

In contrast, Seagull, despite some shortness of breath, had no injuries.

Even so, the marine showed no intention of backing down, fighting even more bravely despite accumulating more and more wounds.

"That marine is quite impressive."

"Yeah, the captain said he's a true marine. If nothing goes wrong, he should become an Admiral in the future."

"The captain is amazing. He casually guesses who will become an Admiral."

"It's not casual. We've had several encounters with that marine, and both sides have a certain understanding."

The battle on the ship had been going on for a while, but Weismann and Shanks could only watch helplessly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Weismann wanted to verify the extent of his two months of effort.

"Weismann," Shanks called softly.

"What's wrong?

Weismann turned back, looking at Shanks with a questioning gaze.

Shanks glanced at Bullet, indicating that they should approach. Weismann instantly understood what Shanks wanted to do.

"OK."

Shanks and Weismann then turned to Buggy, revealing sinister smiles.

"What do you want to do?" Seeing their smiles, Buggy felt something was wrong, but he still said firmly.

"It's up to you to decide, but if you can't speak, then it's our decision."

"No, don't do this."

Seeing Buggy's expression, Weismann felt as if he was looking at himself from two months ago.

But it was precisely because of this that Weismann had to do this. Perhaps it was to satisfy some twisted desire in his heart.