One-Punch Man in the One Piece World

58. Kizaru is on the move!

The port of Lingming Island gradually returned to normal three days after the Norton Pirates left.

The residents of the slums cautiously pushed open the doors of their shacks, only daring to step onto the streets after confirming that the boats flying the silver skull and crossbones flags had truly disappeared on the horizon.

The wealthy on the inner island were busy taking stock of their losses, cursing the incompetence of the naval branch, while secretly rejoicing—at least their lives had been saved.

In the naval branch, when Rear Admiral Campbell was taken down from the flagpole, his face was swollen like a pig's head.

But the first thing he did was not to treat his injuries, but to rush to the communications room and kick the communications soldier who was still under hypnosis awake.

"Contact headquarters! Contact them now!"

This time, the purring sound of the Den Den Mushi finally connected Marineford.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Several newly delivered reports were spread out on the large desk, the edges of the papers still carrying the scent of sea salt from Lingming Island.

Sengoku's fingers tapped on the table, producing a dull rhythm.

Staff Officer He stood by the window, his back to the office, watching the new recruits training on the field.

"Robbing the naval branch's armory, looting the entire island's wealthy district..." Sengoku's voice was laced with suppressed rage. "This is blatant provocation!"

If every pirate were to emulate Norton, how would the Navy maintain its prestige?

But given Norton's capabilities, who would be a suitable candidate?

The office door was suddenly pushed open, and a lazy voice drifted in: "Oh~ what a terrifying man!"

"So we should go and deal with him, Marshal Sengoku!"

Borsalino walked in, hands in his pockets, his yellow striped suit wrinkled as if he had just woken up. He slumped into the chair in front of Sengoku's desk, crossing his legs.

Zhan Guo slightly raised his head and pondered for a moment.

Based on past intelligence, Norton has not displayed any Haki in battle. When fighting Smoker, he only managed to defeat him by stealing his Seastone weapon.

If it's a Logia-type Shiny being... then maybe there really is hope.

After a few seconds of silence, Sengoku nodded: "Alright, you can go! But remember, if things go wrong, retreat immediately!"

"Okay, okay~" Kizaru waved his hand and sauntered out of the office.

In the corridor, Garp was holding a bag of senbei (rice crackers) and munching on them.

"Are you going to see Norton?" Karp asked, unusually without a smile.

"It's Fleet Admiral Sengoku's order~" Kizaru replied in his usual tone.

Karp stared at him for a few seconds, then said, "Be careful."

Kizaru's smile vanished for a moment.

When Karp speaks in this tone, it usually means that things are really serious.

"Oh dear, even Mr. Garp says so~" Kizaru smiled again, "Then I'd better get serious~"

...

...

A few days later, in the waters near the Drum Kingdom.

The fog came without warning.

One second the sea was a clear winter day, the next a gray-white fog surged in from all directions, swallowing up the view.

Visibility dropped to less than fifty meters within minutes, and the outlines of the ships became blurry ghostly figures in the fog.

On the watchtower on the coast of the Drum Kingdom, the sentry rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things.

But when he raised the binoculars, all he saw through the lens was a white blur.

Then he heard a sound.

Like the call of a whale, deep and long, it came from the depths of the fog.

The sentry shivered and sounded the alarm.

Inside the palace, Wapol was sitting on his specially made throne, munching away, stuffing a whole roasted chicken into his mouth without even spitting out the bones.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" A soldier rushed into the hall and knelt down. "There's fog at sea! Very thick fog! And we've heard strange noises from the watchtower!"

Wahlbo swallowed a piece of chicken and let out a loud burp: "Fog? What's so strange about fog in winter?"

"But there's a sound in the fog! It sounds like...like a whale calling!"

At this moment, two figures walked in from the side door of the main hall: a man with thick, wavy lips and a man with a high hairline and an afro.

The former was Jess, the kingdom's advisor, and the latter was Cromarimon, the affairs officer, who were Walpo's right-hand men.

Jess said, "Your Majesty, according to ancient records, under certain climatic conditions, ghost fog will appear in the waters of the Drum Kingdom. The whale songs heard from the fog are actually the cries of the spirits of lost ships."

"An undead?" Wapol's eyes widened. "Interesting! Send someone to check it out! If it's a ghost ship, capture it! I want to keep it!"

Cromarimon stroked his beard: "Your Majesty is wise. But just in case, I suggest sending Captain Dalton. His abilities are best suited to handle unforeseen circumstances."

Faced with danger, Cromarimon naturally wanted to protect himself first. If Valpo decided to send him first, he couldn't refuse.

"Dalton!" Walpo shouted, "Where's Dalton?!"

Heavy footsteps came from outside the hall.

A burly man with a serious expression walked into the hall. He was wearing the uniform of the Drum Kingdom's guard, but the uniform looked tight on him, not because of his obesity, but because of his rock-like muscles.

Dalton, captain of the Drum Kingdom's guard.

He was one of the few soldiers in the country who still had a conscience and a sense of honor, and one of the few who dared to object to Walpow's absurd orders—though usually to no avail.

"Your Majesty," Dalton said, kneeling on one knee, his voice steady.

"Fog's rising at sea, and there's a ghost ship in the fog!" Wapol exclaimed excitedly. "Take some men and bring the ghost ship back! I'm going to eat it!"

Dalton frowned slightly. "Your Majesty, sailing in fog is very dangerous. Moreover, the so-called ghost ship is very likely just a lost merchant ship or..."

"That's an order!" Walpo interrupted him, grabbing another roasted lamb leg and gnawing on it. "Go now!"

Dalton paused for a few seconds, then stood up: "Yes, sir."

He knew arguing was pointless. Once Valpo made up his mind, he would never listen to advice.

All he could do was try his best to complete the mission while ensuring the safety of his soldiers.

...

...

After half an hour.

Three small patrol boats from the Drum Kingdom sailed out of the harbor and plunged into the thick fog.

Dalton stood at the bow of the lead ship and heard a faint sound, like the low moan of some kind of huge whale.

"Captain..." a young soldier's voice trembled, "This fog is too eerie. Should we go back...?"

"Keep moving forward." Dalton shook his head. "Keep formation, don't break apart."

The fleet sailed slowly through the fog, where visibility had dropped to twenty meters. The ships could only maintain contact with each other by lanterns and shouting.

The sea was unusually calm, even the waves had become smaller, as if the entire sea was holding its breath.

Suddenly, Dalton saw a shadow.

At first, it was just a dark outline in the fog, like a larger fog cloud. But as the fleet approached, the outline gradually became clearer.

That's the outline of a ship!

Tall masts, billowing sails...

Left, right, front, back... More and more shadows emerged from the fog!

Dalton's breathing stopped.

It was a moving castle—no, it was a massive, suffocating three-masted sailing ship!

The bow features a statue of a young girl holding a bird, the hull resembles an abyss, and the densely packed cannons on both sides look like the sharp teeth of a monster.

On the mainsail, the silver skull with the chess piece and scepter crossed was still dazzling in the hazy mist!

"Norton..." Dalton's lips moved silently, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

The rumors that had been making headlines in the newspapers recently exploded in his mind in an instant!

King Killer, King of Evil in the East Blue, the Fifth Emperor who defeated the hero Garp, and sank ten warships... Every title is steeped in bloodshed and terror.

Behind him were only three old patrol boats and a few dozen ordinary kingdom soldiers.

"Turn around!" Dalton's voice was hoarse and violent with extreme tension. "Full speed turn around! Retreat to port! Signal the other two ships to retreat! Now!"

The helmsman was startled by Dalton's unprecedented look of terror and turned the helm with almost all his might. The hull left rapid white streaks on the sea.

However, it was too late.

During the whale song, the fog dissipated at an astonishing speed, as if the stage curtain had been suddenly pulled back.

Twenty-seven pirate ships of varying sizes, all flying the same silver skull flag, surrounded them in a crescent shape, like a pack of ferocious beasts rising from the deep sea!

The nearest enemy ship, its menacing ram, was almost touching the patrol boat's side.

Dalton felt cold all over.

There's no escape. The disparity in numbers, combat strength... it's all a hopeless gap.

"Listen!" Dalton turned abruptly and growled at the pale-faced soldiers on the ship, his words coming out as fast as popping beans.

"Take the first squad and take the speedboat through the western gap. Get the news of Silver-Haired Norton's attack back to the palace no matter what! The rest of you, prepare for boarding action and buy them time!"

"Captain! What about you?!"

"I'll stay behind to cover the rear." Dalton's voice was unusually calm as he drew his snow shovel. "Execute the order. Now!"

The soldiers' eyes were red, but their duty as soldiers made them nod heavily, and the five most agile soldiers rushed toward the small boat hanging at the stern.

At the same time, four specially made speedboats shot out like arrows, far exceeding the speed of the kingdom's ships.

Two of the ships headed straight for the patrol boat that was trying to launch a small boat, while the other two flanked the other two kingdom ships that were trying to turn around.

The boarding rope, with its iron hook, came whistling in and clanged shut on the ship's side. The menacing pirates howled as they swung along the rope.

"For the Drum Kingdom!"

With a roar, Dalton swung his snow shovel and severed three ropes, sending three pirates screaming as they fell into the sea. His imposing figure blocked the stern like a rock, buying precious seconds for the lowered boat.

The small boat successfully landed in the water, and the soldiers rowed frantically, rushing towards the seemingly weakest point on the west side of the pirate encirclement.

"Trying to leave?" a mocking voice rang out.

A white-gloved hand shot out and grabbed the small boat.

Dalton swung his snow shovel to block, but two swift, cat-like figures pounced on him from the left and right.

The cat-men joined forces, with Sam's claws piercing straight for his heart, and Buzz opening his mouth to bite Dalton's wrist holding the snow shovel.

"Get out of here!"

Dalton roared, his snow shovel sweeping across with tremendous force.

Sam nimbly leaped backward to dodge, but Buzz let out a low growl and, without flinching, bit down hard on the snow shovel with his teeth!

"What?!"

Dalton was startled; the teeth were harder than he had imagined. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attack, Sam's claws had already left a harsh scraping sound and deep white marks on his breastplate.

"snort!"

Dalton clenched his other fist and slammed it hard into Sam's blocking arm.

Sam screamed in pain and flew backward.

At the same time, Dalton exerted force with his wrist, and Buchi groaned as he was forcibly thrown away, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, but clear teeth marks were also left on the shovel.

Instantly repelling the two, Dalton was about to intercept Bucky's split hand when a dark shadow descended from the sky like a ghost, silently landing on the sea in front of the small boat!

Sanosuke, dressed in a jet-black ninja outfit, slowly folded the black wings on his back.

"King said that your opponent is me," Sanosuke said calmly.

Before he finished speaking, Sanosuke's figure disappeared from the sea.

Dalton's pupils contracted sharply, his animalistic sense of danger triggering a frantic warning, and he instinctively sidestepped and lunged.

"clang!"

The tip of the kunai touched the side of the snow shovel, sparks flying.

Sasuke had appeared beside him without him noticing. His attack missed, and his figure blurred again, as if blending into the shadows. The next moment, he attacked Dalton from behind, his ninja sword slashing towards the back of Dalton's knee.

Dalton roared, his muscles bulged, and his fur sprouted, instantly transforming him into a half-beast bull-man form. His speed and strength increased dramatically, and he swung his shovel down with the force of splitting a mountain!

Instead of taking the hit head-on, Sanosuke flapped his wings and retreated lightly, his snow shovel slicing through the air and creating a crack in the deck.

But as Sanosuke retreated, he swung his hands repeatedly, sending six kunai flying in strange arcs toward Dalton's eyes, throat, heart, and other vital points.

Dalton swung his shovel to block, knocking the kunai away with a clang, but Sanosuke was already close again like a leech, his ninja sword transforming into a silver-gray net of light, slicing, thrusting, and striking with such speed that it left afterimages, targeting joints, ligaments, and gaps in armor.

The powerful defense granted by the Minotaur form allowed Dalton to withstand most of the attacks, leaving only shallow bloodstains on his fur. However, Sanosuke's attacks were relentless and relentless, with a cold precision that kept him busy and unable to leave the battle to provide support elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the five soldiers' small boat finally broke through the encirclement and sped frantically toward the port.

The other two kingdom patrol ships had been completely controlled due to their overwhelming numerical superiority, and the soldiers had been disarmed and captured.

Dalton was extremely anxious. He knew he had to act quickly, or at least buy more time for the departing soldiers!

He let out a deafening moo, fully transforming into his beast form—the Bison Man!

His height increased to over three meters, his muscles bulged, his horns were menacing, and his strength and defense reached their peak.

Dalton no longer pursued delicate techniques, but instead launched a ferocious charge, like a heavy tank crushing Sanosuke, attempting to use brute force to overcome skill and knock Sanosuke off the ship or force him back.

Sanosuke's eyes narrowed slightly. Just as Dalton was about to collide with him, the black wings on his back suddenly unfolded completely and flapped upwards!

Dalton, the Buffalo Man, missed his intended strike, but the immense momentum propelled him forward.

As Sanosuke leaped into the air, he folded his wings and, head down and feet up, swooped down like a hunting eagle, his ninja sword slamming heavily onto Dalton's broad back with the force of his fall!

"Bang!"

A dull, loud bang.

Dalton, now fully transformed into a beast, possessed extremely high defense. This attack did not cause serious injury, but the combined force of gravity and speed caused his massive body to completely lose its balance, causing him to fall forward and crash heavily onto the deck, creating a dent in the wooden deck.

Dalton tried to get up, but Sanosuke's kunai was already pressed against the back of his neck.

At the same time, four or five elite pirates rushed forward and bound him tightly with specially made thick ropes made of sea monster sinews.

The form of the Bison Man slowly faded away, and Dalton, panting heavily, stared in the direction where the small boat carrying the five soldiers had disappeared.