NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 29: C29
"To die in a duel with a swordsman… that's an honor in itself."
"No, I'm just afraid of being wanted by the Navy."
…
Weiss once had an idea—one that he first tested on Valan Island, and then refined over the next fifteen days at sea. Now, it was ready to use at any time.
The idea was simple: since Soru (Shave) works by stepping dozens of times in an instant to generate explosive speed using recoil force...
Then why couldn't he do the same—by swinging his sword dozens of times in an instant?
Weiss was already a speed swordsman. So the concept naturally evolved from there. On Valan Island, he succeeded for the first time. After fifteen days of practice, he could now unleash five slashes in a single instant.
It looked like one slash. But in reality, the enemy took five hits.
That was Weiss's current limit. To go further, he'd need to improve either his physical strength or his Armament Haki.
"Let's go."
…
"Hoo..."
Almost the instant Bogard opened his mouth to speak, Weiss's blade was already out of its sheath.
…
As expected, Bogard lost. Though he didn't die, when the Navy pulled him out of the sea, he was bleeding from five clean wounds.
Weiss had held back. If he hadn't, Bogard would've died from that final move.
The Navy carried Bogard off for treatment. Meanwhile, Weiss walked on air (Geppo) back to the Chris, flopped into a chair, and ordered Kadun to bring him a glass of red wine.
That final attack—delivered with power but controlled enough not to kill—had drained most of his stamina and focus. Now, he was no better than a salted fish.
"So, what did you think of the fight?" Weiss asked Jack, who stood nearby.
"Incredible. I couldn't even get close to the battlefield."
"Good. Stick with me. Once we enter the New World, fights like that will be common. You scared?"
"Not at all. I'll train hard and grow stronger. If I end up dying at sea, it just means that's all I ever was."
"Nice. But don't stress too much. You're a marksman. Just kite the enemy from the back and keep being annoying."
"Who knows? One day you might need me to save your life." Jack gave a small smile.
Weiss suddenly burst out laughing, as if something funny had crossed his mind.
Jack didn't know why the captain laughed, but he nodded and went off to train like Kadun. Who says an sniper can't have a strong physique?
"Hahaha! Kid, what's your name?"
Out of nowhere, Garp jumped from the Navy ship and casually laid down next to Weiss, stuffing donuts into his mouth as if he owned the place.
"Weiss. Chris Weiss." Weiss didn't even look at him. "You're a Navy officer boarding a civilian ship without permission. That's not exactly appropriate, is it?"
He put extra emphasis on the word civilian.
"Don't worry about the details, kid," Garp said. "I just want to ask—where did you learn Moonwalk (Geppo)?"
"Is that so hard? It's not like that technique is exclusive to the Navy. There are all kinds of things for sale down in the underworld. Don't you know that?" Weiss replied smoothly, not even turning his head.
Garp didn't press the issue. After all, with money, you could buy such techniques on the black market.
"You ever consider joining the Navy? With your skills, I could get you in as a Rear Admiral right away. Work your way up, and Vice Admiral is easily within reach."
"No thanks. What's so great about being a Marine?"
That was a generous offer—especially in the current era. This wasn't the post-Marineford mass recruitment period. Normally, you couldn't just walk in and become a high-ranking officer.
Right now, under Fleet Admiral Sengoku's solid command, the Navy had three powerful Admirals and could mobilize over 100,000 elite officers at any time. Even becoming a Rear Admiral required serious accomplishments.
But Weiss? He could start as a Rear Admiral. That was basically skipping to the endgame.
"Not joining the Navy, huh? Then what—are you planning to become a pirate?" Garp's eyes sharpened, his fist tightening with an audible crack.
"Why is it always like this? Is this sea only for Marines and pirates? No other factions allowed?" Weiss was speechless. Ace had thought the same way. Like father, like son.
"Then... are you joining the Revolutionary Army?" Garp's eyes grew even colder.
"Ugh. Jack, stop training. Go get some ink and write 'Rescue Ship' on the sail."
"Got it, Captain Weiss!" Jack dashed off to do as told.
"Rescue ship?"
"Yep. Anyone we find stranded at sea—we'll rescue them and drop them off at the nearest inhabited island."
"Doesn't matter who they are?"
"Doesn't matter. Navy, pirates, merchants—whoever. As long as they pay. Twenty thousand Berries per meal, one hundred thousand per night onboard. No exceptions. Fair, honest, pay upfront—no credit."
"If it's the Navy, I'll even give you a special Garp discount. How about 1% off?"
Garp was stunned. He never thought he'd meet such a creative kind of person. He'd been sailing the seas for decades and never seen anything like this.
"Pfft—hahaha! Can't you give me a bigger discount? I am a Navy hero, after all. My face is only worth 1%?"
"Alright, fine. 20% off. But that's the limit. You're not a Face-Face Fruit user, are you? Your face isn't that valuable."
Neither of them took it seriously. They both figured the Chris would never actually encounter stranded Navy soldiers. It was just a joke.
After confirming what he wanted to know, Garp left, returning to Windmill Village to continue his vacation. Though if he ever found out his grandson was on this ship... his expression would be something to see.
As Weiss watched Garp's figure fade into the distance, he finally understood why the East Blue was known as the weakest sea.
You say you've destroyed a whole town? Garp's on vacation.
You've got a 30 million bounty? Garp's on vacation.
You're strong enough to wipe out an entire base? Garp's still on vacation.
How could it not be weak? When a max-level boss keeps returning to the newbie zone just to mess around—it's game over for everyone else.
Right now, there's a 15 million bounty clown, and a 20 million bounty fishman named Arlong. One's low-key. The other? Just shielded by someone in power.
Otherwise, do you think they'd have survived this long?
But under this pressure, once any pirate breaks through to the Grand Line, it all snowballs out of control. Just look at that next generation—Luffy, Zoro, Sanji. Every one of them a powerhouse.
Oh, you're blaming plot armor?
Well... never mind then. Forget I said anything.
---
Currently at chapter 180 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27