16 Famous all Over the World
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"Confound it! They've breached our blockade. The power of logia devil fruits... indeed lives up to its reputation." Shiki said, his tone was serious as he watched the battered warship recede into the distance.
His stratagem had been in the works for an extended period, particularly upon discovering the presence of three logia fruit ability users aboard the warship.
Shiki's intention was to eliminate them before they could fully bloom, thereby eliminating any future threat they might pose.
Should these three reach their full potential, the might of the Marine would undoubtedly surge.
In the aftermath of the Rocks Pirates' downfall, Shiki had assembled his own band of pirates.
Within a mere handful of years, he had seized control of over half of the New World. His sights were now set on the World Government and the World Nobles, with the Marine standing as the primary impediment to his ambitions.
His aim was to quash these three burgeoning threats before they could reach their peak.
Regrettably, they had managed to shatter the blockade and flee. It wasn't beyond possibility to continue the chase, but the arrival of Marine reinforcements was imminent. If those reinforcements were led by the likes of Garp or Sengoku, coupled with Zed, he would find himself hard-pressed to confront them single-handedly.
"Damn it!"
With this realization, Shiki spat out a curse, resigned to his defeat.
"Men! We retreat!"
As the Marine warship disappeared from view, Shiki lost all interest in pursuit. He turned on his heel to depart, recognizing the futility of his current predicament.
...
Zed reboarded the warship, met by a sea of silent stares.
Dozens of lifeless bodies lay strewn across the deck, though not all the fallen had been retrieved.
Time had not permitted them to be hauled from the sea's depths.
At the onset of the battle, their ranks had numbered around a hundred recruits. Now, fewer than fifty stood before Zed.
This marked their most significant loss since they had first set sail.
"Phew~"
Zed remained silent, extracting a cigarette and placing it between his lips. He settled onto a nearby ammunition crate, lighting up and smoking in quiet contemplation.
Brontes lay prone on the deck, a Marine medic tending to his wounds.
His injuries were the most severe of the trio, having been the sole one to engage Shiki in combat for a significant duration.
This had resulted in grievous injuries from Shiki's formidable onslaught. Furthermore, he had pushed his devil fruit ability to its limits, leaving him currently incapacitated.
"It was a tough battle, but we've survived. Do not mourn the loss of your comrades and friends; they met their end with the valor of true heroes."
"We will return to base. Once you've all recovered, your training will resume." Zed finally said, his voice carrying a note of gravity.
"Yes, Instructor!" Momonga and the remaining recruits lifted their heads, their voices ringing out in unison as they responded to Zed.
"And what is your assessment of your current strength, post-battle?" Zed inquired, positioning himself beside Brontes.
"I must admit I'm disappointment. The gap between us was too vast, but given time, I'm confident I can beat him." Brontes responded, a grin playing on his lips.
"Beat him? Hahaha! Lad, you certainly have a knack for boasting. But your lofty ambitions serve as a strong motivator."
"You performed admirably this time. Nothing is more crucial than safeguarding those around you."
"As for you two, Sakazuki, remember you're not waging this battle by yourself. You have a band of comrades at your back. Our duty extends beyond merely vanquishing pirates."
"And Borsalino, you acquitted yourself well in this battle." Zed said to the trio.
Neither of them responded, but the simmering dissatisfaction within Brontes and Sakazuki was palpable.
...
Reinforcements arrived shortly after, a fleet of ten warships. After all, they were up against the formidable Golden Lion Pirates.
This time, nearly the entire Marine force from the G-2 Marine Base was mobilized. Their commander, a seasoned Vice-Admiral.
"Zed, where is Shiki?"
Several Vice-Admirals and a host of Rear-Admirals boarded the warship. Confronted with the sight of young Marines' bodies strewn across the deck, the lead Vice-Admiral clenched his fists, his voice seething with anger as he addressed Zed.
"We broke free from the blockade. As for Shiki and his crew, they retreated to their stronghold." Zed responded.
This Vice-Admiral, older than Zed and once his superior, didn't feel the need to address Zed with the same deference as others. In his eyes, Zed remained the impetuous young recruit, always charging headfirst into the fray.
"Damn it! They've slipped away." the elder Vice-Admiral ground out through gritted teeth.
"Let it be. Our survival is victory enough. Moreover, we decimated over half their fleet. It's likely they suffered losses in the thousands among their crew. While this battle may not be deemed a loss for us, the recruits who fell in the line of duty..." Zed's voice trailed off, his fists clenched tightly, a mix of sorrow and anger lacing his words.
The recruits of the Elite Training Camp were not ordinary Marines; they were the cream of the crop. Yet, over half had fallen in a single battle, a fact that filled Zed with a potent mix of desolation and fury.
Surveying the survivors, Zed understood that without the crucible of war, they could not truly be considered Marines. Only a bloody battle of this magnitude could catalyze their rapid growth.
This was the very reason he had initially decided to continue their internships, to forge them into the true elite of the Marine.
...
News of this incident rapidly disseminated across the seas.
The activities of the Golden Lion Pirates were impossible to conceal from those with vested interests. After all, as the reigning pirate overlords of the New World, Shiki's movements were bound to draw the attention of other pirate factions.
However, they hadn't anticipated that Shiki would personally lead his pirate fleet to besiege the warships under Zed's command.
Moreover, the cost he paid—over a thousand of his crew—for an outcome that saw Zed and the three Logia devil fruit users escape unscathed, was deemed a poor trade-off by other powerful pirates.
The outcome of this battle significantly bolstered the reputation of the World Government and the Marine.
Despite Zed losing half his students in the battle, the damage inflicted on the Golden Lion Pirates was far more severe.
Particularly, the performance of the three logia fruit users left the World Government immensely gratified.
A day after the battle, newspapers published detailed accounts of the conflict.
They highlighted how Brontes had single-handedly faced off against Shiki, and how he had not only survived the encounter but had also managed to wound Shiki—an impressive feat considering his youth.
Sakazuki's Meteor Volcano, Borsalino's Eight Span Mirror, and Brontes's Lightning Dragon were all featured prominently in the newspapers.
Their fame skyrocketed. They had already made a name for themselves in the New World, and now their renown had spread globally.
...
New World, Whitebeard's Territory.
"Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Glint-Glint Fruit, and Magma-Magma Fruit. The Marine has suddenly gained three logia devil fruit users. I had thought Zed had retired and taken up the mantle of instructor at the Marine camp, but it seems he's been busy training logia devil fruit users for the Marine."
Whitebeard fell silent for a moment after perusing the newspaper, then he erupted into hearty laughter, exclaiming:
"Gurararara! With those three in the mix, the seas are bound to become more thrilling. I'm genuinely eager to see what the future holds for the Marine."
"But they're still green, mere fledglings if they believe they can eliminate all the pirates in the sea. The current seas are far from being the Marine's playground." Whitebeard chuckled.
At his prime, Whitebeard was already one of the sea's overlords. To him, the three Logia-Type fruit users were far from posing a threat to his status.
...
Somewhere in the New World, aboard the Roger Pirates' ship.
"Hey, Rayleigh, there are some impressive new faces in the Marine. I think the future's going to be quite a ride, Hahaha!" Roger, donning a straw hat, excitedly relayed to Rayleigh, newspaper in hand.
"I agree, but our ship is the swiftest. They'll never manage to catch us." Rayleigh responded with a smile.
"Wow! Three logia fruit users! The Marine really hit the jackpot this time," Gaban chimed in, grinning.
"But considering someone like Shiki suffered such significant losses at their hands, perhaps the New World is on the brink of change. Who knows, we might even cross paths with them in the New World." Rayleigh teased.
"Hahaha! Well, let them come!" Roger roared with laughter.
...
New World, Totto Land.
Big Mom, ensconced in Totto Land awaiting the birth of a child, caught sight of a newspaper in one of her offspring's hands.
"That old lion Shiki actually lost, well~ Well, that's certainly a cause for celebration. But the Marine's sudden acquisition of three Logia fruit ability users is not to be taken lightly. Moreover, one of them possesses the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. I'm quite curious to see whose lightning is stronger, my Zeus or that Marine brat's lightning!"
