One Piece: Shadow monarch? I'm Just Logistics!

Chapter 235: Two Years Later, the Fifth Sea Emperor

Sea Circle Calendar 1522.

Two years have passed since the Summit War.

On this unpredictable sea where a hundred boats contend, many once-famous figures have gradually faded from public view.

However, a new generation replaces the old.

Many formerly rookie pirates have also begun to make their mark.

The Supernovas, whose thunder was stolen by the Summit War back then, have now all made names for themselves in the New World.

Among them, only the Straw Hat crew, who once received the most attention, has now gradually faded from the world's sight.

Grand Line, Boin Archipelago.

This is an archipelago composed of several carnivorous plants (Baron Stomach) floating on the sea.

The dense jungle, the 'Forest of Temptation', grows a large number of sweet and enticing foods, to attract sea beasts, Sea Kings, and others to land on the island and step by step walk into the abyss of death.

On the tallest tree in the jungle, a long-nosed man was hidden, holding his breath, with only a section of his gun barrel and his intently focused aiming eye exposed.

And his target was at the far edge of the island, a sea beast with the upper body of a bear and the tail of a fish, which had just been lured up by the fragrance...

Even though the other had a body four or five stories high, under the cover of the dense jungle formed by towering trees, it was still difficult for a normal person to spot its tracks.

This distance had already surpassed the effective lethal range of a gun, not to mention that the target was such a massive, thick-skinned sea beast.

However, the man's gun barrel remained steady, deviating slightly with the opponent's movements.

"Just being able to hit it isn't enough. I need to be further, even further..."

"Coating the bullet with Armament Haki, concentrating my Observation Haki to extend the control distance... I can't let it dissipate before it hits the target..."

The man muttered nonstop, his expression seeming a bit nervous, and cold sweat began to trickle from his temples.

Bang!!

A gunshot suddenly rang out, startling countless birds into flight.

A pitch-black bullet shot out from the muzzle, whistling as it shuttled through the dense tree shadows, like a beam of black light streaking across the invisible long sky!

Pfft!!

The bullet, without any surprise, hit the sea beast right between the eyes, directly penetrating its thick flesh, but got stuck in it without going any further.

The next moment, the bullet, which had already faded from its black color, cracked open, and a large number of thorny vines grew frantically from within, in the blink of an eye binding the bear-bodied sea beast.

"Roar!!" The sharp, ferocious barbs pierced its flesh. Stimulated by the intense pain, it couldn't help but let out a painful wail, and then collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

"—Oh! I heard it!"

Under the giant tree, a man in pitch-black rhinoceros beetle armor cheered joyfully. Heracles gave the man in the tree a thumbs-up and shouted:

"Well done, Usopp! You took out a sea beast from across half the island with one shot!"

"What's the big deal? It was relying on the power of the seed," Usopp sighed, jumping down from the tree, seeming a little dissatisfied with the result.

He had already changed from his previously scrawny appearance. His body was now covered in smooth lines of firm muscle, showing that he had not neglected his physical training these past two years.

"I still haven't controlled the Armament Haki well enough. It gradually lost its power midway," Usopp commented on the result.

According to his plan, he should have relied on the power of Haki to deliver a fatal blow in one go.

He had already practiced Observation Haki to a fairly proficient level and had even developed a usage more suitable for sniper combat.

But his Armament Haki was a bit lacking. This level was still a far cry from what Reiner had described as being able to blow up a warship with one shot.

For now, he could only temporarily make up for the lack of power with the special seeds here.

When his Armament Haki training progressed further, coordinating it with the seeds to cause secondary damage effects—that would be when his new combat style matured.

An even more advanced, complete form would be to be able to apply Haki to the effects of various POP GREEN seeds.

POP GREEN are special plant seeds that grow on the Boin Archipelago, possessing the characteristics of rapid growth and diverse attack properties.

For example, the thorny restraint just now could actually be further enhanced by coating it with Armament Haki.

Besides that, there were also Exploding Pinecones, Firework Flowers, Paulownia Leaf Shurikens, and others that could also be imbued with Haki.

Usopp felt that there was probably no chance of surpassing his own father in terms of Armament Haki power. After all, the man had been at sea for many years and had been through countless battles.

But there was more than one way to increase his strength. As long as he could properly use and coordinate the various plants here, there might be a chance to overtake him on the curve.

Heracles patted his shoulder and said seriously, "Alright, Usopp. Haki can be trained slowly. Don't be too ambitious."

"When you set foot on your journey again, the accumulation of your training here will be quickly converted into your strength. Just take it one step at a time."

"I know, master."

Usopp nodded and took out a small knife, carving another slash into the giant tree trunk.

Looking at the densely packed 'tally marks' on it, he reached out and gently stroked it, sighing with emotion, "Two years have passed so quickly. I wonder if everyone has set off yet."

"So it's been that long already."

Heracles sat down cross-legged, picked a yellow fruit growing nearby, stuffed it into his mouth through the gap in his helmet, chewed, swallowed, and asked in a low voice, "When are you planning to leave?"

"It takes about three days to get to the Sabaody Archipelago from here. According to the agreed time, I'll have to set off the day after tomorrow," Usopp said, sitting down opposite Heracles.

The two of them fell into silence.

The sun was bright. Through the gaps in the green leaves, dappled light shone on the two sitting under the tree.

The small sky island, Weatheria.

The warm morning sun lit up the cozy bedroom.

Several undead were clearing away the bedsheets that had been soaked during the morning. After a passionate display of affection, it was always up to them to clean up the mess.

In the living room, Nami, who had just finished bathing, was sitting by the window in a cute yellow pajama set.

After drying her hair, she put away her tools and returned to the sofa, picking up the newspaper on the table.

It wasn't very convenient for Weatheria to receive newspapers. For the past two years, they had been flying all over the place. Only occasionally when they were at a low altitude would a News Coo arrive here.

The two, who had been immersed in study and training, had also paid much less attention to current events in the outside world.

Sometimes they would see news about people they were familiar with, mostly the Supernovas. They were all a group of very boisterous people.

And Brook, who had now become a star with some fame all over the world.

"It'll be a few more days before we reach the Sabaody Archipelago. Let's see if anything has happened recently."

Nami crossed her legs and leaned back lazily on the soft sofa. Just as she opened the newspaper, a familiar figure on the front-page photo immediately caught her attention.

"The Fifth Sea Emperor?!"

Seeing the headline on it, Nami couldn't help but cry out in surprise. "It's been a long time since I've heard news about them."

Thud!

The bathroom door opened, and Reiner walked out, bare-chested. His freshly wiped hair was still a little damp, scattered messily.

"Is that today's newspaper? I think I heard you say something about a fifth emperor."

Reiner walked over, took the blue shirt Nami handed him, slipped his arms into the sleeves, and buttoned it up one by one.

Then he sat down on the sofa, picked up his coffee, and took a sip. Nami unfolded the newspaper and came over. He glanced sideways at it and almost spat out his coffee!

"Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute! What the hell is this guy doing!" Reiner forcefully swallowed, snatched the newspaper, and stared at it with wide eyes.

"What's wrong, Reiner? No need to be so scared," Nami was a little confused. Although the news was indeed a bit shocking, it was rare to see Reiner look like this.

The headline on it was [Returning to the Peak, the Fifth Sea Emperor!]

The picture showed several familiar figures. They had all fought side by side before. The person in the lead had flames dancing all over his body. It was none other than Luffy's brother.

Portgas D. Ace! Had become the new leader of the Whitebeard Pirates!!

"Aren't the Whitebeard Pirates very strong?"

Nami lowered her head, wriggled into his arms from under his arm, and looked at the newspaper. "Although they were quiet for a period after the war, it's normal for them to reclaim the title of Sea Emperor now, right?"

"No, I can understand that," Reiner said in a low voice, his eyes quickly scanning the lines of text next to the picture.

When he heard Nami mention a fifth Sea Emperor, his first reaction was also Ace and his crew.

He saw news about the several Supernovas from time to time; they hadn't yet shown such exaggerated strength.

What surprised him was the row of figures in the photo. Besides the various division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, there were two more people!

"How did Jinbe get poached! What the hell is that pockmarked face doing!!" Reiner couldn't help but curse out loud.

The title of Fifth Sea Emperor being snatched is whatever, but what's the meaning of poaching my big blue fatty!!?

"Is there anything strange?"

Nami still didn't understand why Reiner was so angry. "I remember Jinbe and the Whitebeard Pirates have a very good relationship."

"Sigh~~, how should I put it?" Reiner put down the newspaper and sighed, holding his forehead.

The description in the newspaper was: Former Royal Warlord, 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe, has powerfully joined.

Although it wasn't officially announced that he had joined, it was no different from having already joined.

During these two years, Whitebeard's territory had been continuously encroached upon by various major powers. Ace had been running around everywhere, doing his best to hold onto his territory.

Among them, Fish-Man Island was now under their protection.

If the Whitebeard crew hadn't disbanded, Jinbe, having lost his Warlord title, would have joined them out of both sentiment and reason.

Basically, it was impossible for Reiner and the others to go and poach him back.

Why does it feel like I've been sniped? He sighed and looked back at the newspaper.

Besides Jinbe, there was another new member who also made him feel incredible, but after thinking about it, it also seemed reasonable.

The new commander of the second division...

(End of chapter)

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We've hit 200 Power Stones goal As promised This week, here's the bonus chapter. Thank you for your support—please keep it coming!