One Piece: Impel Down's Guard - Chapter 21
After nearly four days of monotonous sailing, Figo returned to the Navy Headquarters.
This was also his “first” time arriving at Marineford. As soon as the crescent-shaped island appeared on the horizon, Figo stepped onto the deck to look, alerted by the sailors.
The island, shaped like a crescent moon, had layered buildings built against the hills. The symbols representing the vast ocean’s blue color and the emblem of the dove, a symbol of peace, were prominently visible from afar. The most striking were the two large characters “Navy” on the buildings!
Just like in the anime, it seemed the Navy Headquarters didn’t frequently relocate. At least, for the past hundred years, they hadn’t encountered a situation requiring them to move.
As the warship gradually approached the dock, Figo noticed another warship also heading towards the headquarters from the other side of the crescent island. Compared to the ship he was on, the opposite warship was significantly larger, about twice the size, with large-caliber cannons on both sides, symbolizing immense power.
“That looks like Rear Admiral Mia’s ship!” a sailor exclaimed.
“Really? Is it really her?”
“It is! We’re so lucky!”
“Will we get to see Rear Admiral Mia?!”
One sailor after another rushed to the deck, excitedly looking towards the approaching warship.
Figo scratched his head. Mia? The name sounded somewhat familiar. His previous self should have known it. He searched through his memories.
“Oh, the Navy’s Flower?”
The most beautiful… at least the most stunning female officer in the entire Navy Headquarters, reaching the rank of captain at 22.
However, this “flower” was now 30 years old and had been promoted to rear admiral. She was still immensely popular.
Seeing the excited sailors, Figo waved his arm. “Men! Bring the ship closer!”
The sailors were momentarily stunned and then exclaimed, “Sir Figo, is that alright?”
“Who do you think I am?” Figo laughed. “I’ll take responsibility if there’s any problem!”
“Yes, sir!” The sailors responded enthusiastically.
They adjusted the helm, and the warship’s course shifted slightly, slowing down as it neared the other ship.
Perhaps hearing the commotion, a female officer in a rear admiral’s uniform emerged from the cabin of the other warship. She had a height of about 1.9 meters, fair skin, a beautiful face, and long legs. Her black bangs hung diagonally across her forehead with two strands slightly sticking out, giving her a playful look. She didn’t look like a 30-year-old woman at all, more like a young girl.
However, her neat uniform and brisk steps added a touch of heroic charm to her appearance.
She stood out, an elegant figure with a youthful face, far outshining the nun. No wonder she was so popular.
She looked towards them curiously and, upon seeing Figo standing at the bow, seemed slightly surprised.
“Are you… Figo?”
They weren’t well acquainted but recognized each other. Otherwise, Figo wouldn’t have steered the ship closer for no reason.
In his previous self’s memory, they had both been standout recruits in the training camp, training together in the elite camp. But while Mia remained outstanding, his previous self had been among the bottom few, so they hadn’t spoken much.
Fortunately, his past self hadn’t left any memories of youthful infatuation or secret admiration, allowing Figo to naturally reintroduce himself to Mia and take the first step towards reacquainting with his previous social circle.
“Long time no see, Mia.” Figo waved and greeted.
Mia smiled slightly. “It really is you. It has been many years…”
Her words were abruptly interrupted by a strange wave of energy emanating from Mia’s warship!
It was difficult to describe the feeling, like being stared at by the most evil wolf, looked down upon by a higher being, and crushed by the aura of a strong presence. Figo’s Observation Haki sensed an unknown pale red aura sweeping over, bringing a strong sense of discomfort. He furrowed his brows and stomped on the deck, causing cracks to drive the discomfort away!
“What is this?”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of people collapsing echoed around him as all the sailors, entranced by Mia’s beauty, rolled their eyes and dropped their jaws, rendered unconscious by the pale red aura! The sailors on Mia’s warship experienced the same fate!
“Conqueror’s Haki?!”
Figo was shocked. Suddenly, there was a loud crash as a large hole was blasted open in the cabin of the opposite warship. A black-haired young man, tightly bound by chains, crashed through the cabin wall, taking his cell with him into the sea!
Mia staggered. “This is bad!”
Even before she finished speaking, Figo had already leaped into the sea. Chains bound the black-haired young man’s hands and feet, and he was confined in a cell, naturally unable to free himself or swim. But he didn’t seem to intend to escape, as he continuously gulped down seawater, apparently attempting suicide!
Figo couldn’t let him succeed because he was a captured pirate. He swiftly swam over, pulling the cell out of the water and throwing the prisoner back onto the warship with a strong arm!
Mia was pleased and shouted:
“Figo, the ship!”
Figo had already noticed.
With the sailors knocked out by the burst of Conqueror’s Haki, the two warships had gone out of control, continuing to drift and threatening to collide.
He quickly swam back, pushing against one warship with all his might. At the same time, countless white arms sprouted from both ships as they were about to collide, helping Figo separate them.
Being known as the Navy’s Flower wasn’t just because Mia was beautiful; it was also due to the Devil Fruit she had eaten—a fruit Figo was very familiar with: the Hana Hana no Mi!
Figo climbed up and leaped onto Mia’s ship because the two warships wouldn’t collide.
“Thank you, Figo. If it weren’t for you, he might have succeeded in his suicide attempt,” Mia said, inspecting the cell and expressing her gratitude.
“No, if it weren’t for me steering the ship closer, he wouldn’t have had the chance to attempt suicide.”
Figo shook his head and pointed to the black-haired pirate in the cell, not taking credit. “Was that the legendary Conqueror’s Haki?”
“Probably. I didn’t know he possessed such power either.” Mia nodded solemnly, looking at the now unconscious prisoner. “No wonder he’s the captain of the Crazy Laugh Pirates, Gerald, with a bounty of 630 million berries!”
How much? 630 million berries?
Figo had thought he was a new pirate with potential who had just awakened Conqueror’s Haki. But Mia… how did she capture him?
Noticing Figo’s confusion, Mia shook her head and explained, “He was recently captured by Admiral Mokar himself. Because Admiral Mokar was pursuing other members of the Crazy Laugh Pirates and to prevent them from rescuing him, he asked me to escort him back. We almost had a mishap!”
Captured by an admiral? That figures.
Wait a minute.
Does jumping into the sea to rescue him count as stopping an escape attempt?
Did I just participate in a capture?
Figo suddenly felt a surge of excitement.
The beautiful rear admiral was still introducing the Crazy Laugh Pirates, her voice pleasant, but Figo was not in the mood to hear her chatter.
This pirate might be…
The prison files materialized in his mind, flipping to a blank page and imprinting the image of the black-haired young man!
[Criminal: Gerald]
[Level: SSR1]
[Status: Incarcerated]
[Crime Index: 25]
[Capture Participation: 35%]
[Selectable Rewards (5 out of 1): Merchant, Swordsmanship, Cook, Childcare, Navigation]
[Event 1: Activatable]
[Event 2: Not Yet Activatable]
[Core Event: Not Yet Activatable (Complete all character events to activate the core event. Completing the core event allows selecting three abilities from the character’s ability list)]
It counted as a capture?!
How was the 35% participation calculated?
No, no, no, more importantly, before returning, Figo thought he could not capture an SSR-level criminal anytime soon. Yet today, on this single return trip, through a random encounter…
He had stumbled upon an SSR!
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