"Alright! It's finally done!"
Palmer wiped the sweat off his forehead, smiling as he admired the towering Kirin statue before him.
This statue had been commissioned by the citizens of Water 7, who had collectively petitioned Mayor Iceberg to build it.
Their reason was, of course, to express their gratitude to Rorschach for defeating the massive tsunami, Laculana, and saving their city—and their lives.
Originally, the citizens wanted to erect a life-sized statue of Rorschach himself.
But, just as Palmer and the others had expected, Rorschach flatly refused.
Left with no other choice, Iceberg settled for a compromise: having the shipwrights of the Galley-La Company construct a colossal 20-meter-tall Kirin statue.
This enormous monument was visible even from far out at sea.
To the people of Water 7, this divine, sacred Kirin would protect their city from future tsunamis.
"Alright! Great job, everyone! I'll send someone to invite Mr. Iceberg and Rear Admiral Rorschach over later to see if any adjustments are needed. Oimo, Kashi, do you two want to come with us to Bruno's bar for a drink?"
Palmer grinned at the two giant brothers standing beside him.
"No thanks, we need to head over and help Colonel Penn build the Marine base. See you tonight!"
Oimo and Kashi shook their heads with a smile.
At present, the two of them held the rank of Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Commander.
Penn, thanks to Rorschach's recommendation, had been promoted from Lieutenant Commander to Colonel and was appointed as the first Commander of the Water 7 Marine Branch.
At first, the straightforward Penn had stubbornly refused the position.
That was until Rear Admiral Rorschach scolded him into accepting it.
As for Oimo and Kashi, who had recently joined the Marines, they were placed under Penn's command, serving as Lieutenant Commanders in the Water 7 Marine Branch.
With two giants joining their ranks, the sense of security among the city's residents skyrocketed.
Many citizens even began eagerly enlisting to join the branch Marines and auxiliary forces.
Palmer, having heard of the two brothers' past experiences, only admired and appreciated Rorschach even more.
He was also genuinely happy for Oimo and Kashi.
Watching them leave, Palmer adjusted the Heavenly Dragon Halberd strapped to his back and burst into laughter, waving at the remaining shipwrights. Together, they swarmed toward Bruno's bar.
"Alright, brothers! Let's go! Tonight, we're drinking to our hearts' content—I'm treating!"
"Woohoo! Then we're gonna drink you dry! Last time, we spent all our savings because of you!"
A group of dozens, led by the ten-meter-tall Palmer, made their way toward the bar in high spirits.
Passersby on the streets, rather than feeling alarmed, greeted them with smiles.
None of them noticed the red-eyed Jean Ango trailing several dozen meters behind, his gaze locked onto the Heavenly Dragon Halberd on Palmer's back.
Silently, he followed.
Half an Hour Later
"Hahahaha! Keep drinking, keep drinking! Bruno, hurry up! Stop dawdling! If you don't bring out more booze, I won't come here next time! There are plenty of bars in the Upper District!"
Inside the bar, dozens of shipwrights, along with Palmer, were laughing and chatting boisterously over their drinks.
Palmer, his face flushed from alcohol, slammed his wooden table with enough force to make a dull boom, causing Bruno—who was behind the counter pouring drinks—to twitch.
Bruno forced a smile. "Heh, Palmer, if I recall correctly, Rear Admiral Rorschach doesn't allow you to drink too much. If he finds out, not only will you be punished, but Mr. Iceberg will also scold me."
"Don't ruin the mood! Just bring the booze! I'd love to be punished by the Rear Admiral, hahahaha!"
Palmer laughed heartily, completely unconcerned.
By now, everyone was at least somewhat drunk.
Even though Palmer had a massive alcohol tolerance, the drinks were finally starting to get to him—his tongue was even starting to slur.
Suddenly, he felt a prickle on the back of his neck, like an electric shock.
Palmer froze.
The sensation reminded him of the body-strengthening electricity used during training on the warship.
The stimulation was mild—about one million volts.
For Palmer, a giant whose body was far tougher than Law, Bepo, and the others, a million volts was nothing.
After enduring the electricity-based training for a while, his resistance to electric shocks had also improved significantly.
"Wait... could it be Rear Admiral Rorschach?"
Palmer shuddered and quickly turned around—only to come face-to-face with Jean Ango's ghostly pale expression.
He also saw the Heavenly Dragon Halberd clutched in Jean Ango's hands.
The moment his eyes landed on it, Palmer's gaze turned blood-red.
"You bastard! You dare steal the Rear Admiral's weapon?! You must have a death wish!"
With that, Palmer swung his four-meter-long giant arm straight at Jean Ango.
Jean Ango barely had time to register his shock before the massive limb smashed into his chest with a sweeping strike.
BOOM!
Tables and chairs shattered. The bar's walls exploded as Jean Ango's body was sent flying, crashing through a massive hole in the structure.
The chandelier hanging from the ceiling swayed wildly, and the entire bar seemed like it might collapse at any moment from the violent tremors.
Palmer's face twisted with fury as he stormed out of the bar.
Inside, the stunned shipwrights took only a moment to process what had happened before their faces turned equally furious.
In an instant, they charged out of the bar.
"You've gotta be kidding! Someone actually tried to steal Rear Admiral Rorschach's weapon?!"
"Who was it?! Don't tell me it was those idiots from the Franky Family again?!"
Behind the counter, Bruno looked at the now-destroyed bar, feeling utterly drained.
Can't a government agent have a peaceful undercover life around here anymore?
The long street outside the bar was in chaos. A massive hole had been blasted into the residential building across the street.
Thick smoke and dust billowed as explosions echoed through the street, sending pedestrians scrambling to safety.
"Cough, cough... What's with this guy? Even after getting hit in the back of the neck with a one-million-volt stun gun, he's completely fine? Even for a giant, this level of toughness is absurd! This stun gun was premium merchandise I bought from those slave-hunting squads—specifically designed to capture full-grown giants!"
Amidst the shattered bricks and rubble, Jean Ango clutched his agonizing chest, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and struggled to rise from the wreckage, gripping the black war halberd tightly.
The weapon was incredibly heavy in his hands, its metal density far beyond normal.
The sheer weight of it erased all doubts from Jean Ango's mind.
This was definitely the Heavenly Dragon Halberd, the national treasure of the Land of Flowers!
"Who are you?! Speak! Why did you steal the Commodore's weapon?"
Palmer took three giant strides, covering over ten meters, and stretched out his enormous hand through the hole in the building, reaching for Jean Ango.
"Commodore? Heh heh heh, a treasure of this caliber—something on the level of a Supreme Grade Blade—is far beyond what a mere commodore should wield."
Jean Ango grinned, tossing aside the stun gun in his right hand. He then grabbed his own cactus-like hair, yanked it upwards, and pulled it down.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
His entire body, still clutching the massive war halberd, was lifted by his own right hand grabbing his hair. Just like that, he evaded Palmer's grasp, accelerating sharply as he shot out of the hole in the building, like a javelin thrown at high speed.
"HAHAHAHA! Go tell your so-called Commodore that his weapon has been claimed by the great Treasure Hunter Jean Ango!"
Jean Ango's unrestrained laughter echoed across the upper district, drawing countless eyes skyward.
Then, suddenly—
A massive, transparent dome appeared out of nowhere, sealing off Jean Ango mid-air.
"ROOM!"
"What the hell?!"
A powerful sense of danger surged through Jean Ango's mind.
Without hesitation, he raised the black war halberd in defense.
The next moment—
A young Marine swordsman appeared abruptly in front of him, suspended in midair, gripping his blade with both hands as he slashed down.
"CLANG!"
The blade struck Jean Ango's war halberd, sending him plummeting from the air, crashing toward the ground.
With cold, sharp eyes, Law gripped the hilt of Kikoku, his body lowering as he thrust forward.
"Gamma Scalpel!"
"Zzt zzt zzt!"
Silver-white electricity crackled along the length of the blade as it aimed straight for Jean Ango's heart.
"Danger!"
Jean Ango's instincts screamed at him. Feeling an imminent fatal blow, he yanked his own hair once more, flinging himself toward the long street to the right.
"Emergency Dash! Sonic Javelin!"
"Whoosh!"
At the last possible moment, just before Law's Kikoku could pierce him, Jean Ango barely managed to slip past him. In an instant, he shot forward over a hundred meters, hurtling toward the lower district.
Behind him, Law's sword slammed into the ground, sending a burst of electricity crackling through the stone pavement, blasting a crater and scattering debris.
Frowning, Law glanced toward the rapidly retreating Jean Ango.
"What's with this guy? That bizarre ability—he must be a Devil Fruit user."
"HAHAHA! I am the Javelin-Javelin Fruit user! My body is a javelin! I can throw anything at supersonic speeds, including myself! Marine brat, you're not bad, but you're still too inexperienced to catch me!"
Jean Ango's laughter rang out from the sky. By now, he had already escaped over three to four hundred meters away from Law and the approaching Palmer.
"It's mine! The legendary Heavenly Dragon Halberd is finally mine!
I've struck gold! This time, I've really struck gold! Hahahaha! As expected of me—the greatest treasure hunter in the world, Jean Ango!"
Law's face darkened. He raised his right hand, fingers splayed.
"Who's your brat? ROOM! SLAUGHTERHOUSE!"
Jean Ango's vision blurred. Suddenly, the world spun violently.
Instead of the open sea beyond Water 7, the ground rushed up to meet him.
"What? No way—"
"BOOM!"
A dull, heavy crash rang out.
Jean Ango, still clutching the Heavenly Dragon Halberd, smashed headfirst into the paved streets of the upper district.
Caught off guard, his head slammed hard, leaving him dizzy and bloodied, sprawled on the ground, unable to move.
"THUD! THUD!"
The earth trembled.
A furious Palmer strode forward, cracking his enormous fists. Without hesitation, he swung his massive hand downward at Jean Ango.
"Watch out!"
Suddenly, Law's expression shifted, and he shouted in alarm.
A powerful, unfamiliar presence suddenly burst into the range of his Observation Haki, closing in at high speed.
"Apologies, Marine—I can't let you have him."
A deep, magnetic voice echoed from above.
Then—
The entire sky over Water 7 seemed to ignite into a blinding sun.
The light was so piercing that it stung everyone's eyes, forcing them to shut them tight as tears streamed uncontrollably.
Even Law shielded his eyes with one hand.
Then came the sound of Palmer's grunt, followed by a deafening crash of shattering buildings.
The light faded as fast as it came.
When Law reopened his eyes, he saw—
Palmer had been sent flying, crashing dozens of meters away. His massive body had wedged itself between two residential buildings, the walls cracking under his weight.
And Jean Ango—
He was now being hoisted into the air by a bald man nearly three meters tall, gripping him like a dead dog.
The bald man turned toward Law and grinned.
"Name's William Hanks—Six-Star Hunter of the Bounty Hunter Guild."
(End of Chapter)
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