OP: My Aircraft Carrier Evolves#15+16: Time to Make a Name for Ourselves! And Don't Forget the Ship's Bond, You Bastards! The Wind Has Risen! The Race to the End of Death!

"Captain, is this really a good idea?"

The normally quiet Wilson couldn't help but speak up. He'd spotted more than a dozen lookouts gathering at the docks, with more curious onlookers on their way.

Some were here for the spectacle. Others were here to test their mettle.

Jin betting on himself was one thing, but betting a hundred million Berries? Even Wilson thought it was insane.

It was like a child walking through a den of wolves with a sack of gold. You'd have to be a fool not to expect trouble.

Jin flashed a brilliant smile. "It's fine. Thirty-five billion Berries... if not now, when?"

Wilson was speechless. "Do you really think he can pay that out?"

You're after his massive payout. He's after your massive stake.

Jin pointed toward Hannabal Island. "The island is worth it. Don't you think the Winter Blossom Kingdom is a little too small? If I can take this place for a hundred million Berries... that's a bargain."

He glanced over his shoulder. "Alright, you guys take care of them."

"Every one you capture earns you military merit and Merit Vouchers. The time to make a name for yourselves is now."

On the deck, the crew was already itching for a fight. They drew their swords and guns and leaped from the ship.

"KILL!"

"TAKE THEM DOWN!"

"FOR GLORY AND RICHES!"

Jin's reforms to the nobility system, which gave every commoner a chance to climb the social ladder, were already showing results.

Faith? That would take time to develop.

For now, his systemic reforms were already far ahead of those of other nations. A man who is half a step ahead is a genius. A man who is a full step ahead is a madman.

The best plan was one that adapted to the time and place.

Jin watched the fighting at the docks.

"It's a shame their training was so short," he mused. "Their discipline and coordination are a far cry from a professional army's. In the world of One Piece, there are individuals who can destroy islands, even the world, with their own power—living weapons of mass destruction. But you can't neglect the importance of a team. A well-coordinated team, combined with technology, can unleash incredible power. Look at Germa 66 or the SSG. The Yonko are the exception..."

—————————

The moonlight was dim.

A figure, moving with absolute silence, snuck toward the ship. It suddenly leaped into the air, its claws slashing at Jin, who was standing at the rail.

CLANG!

The towering form of Wilson blocked the attack. His weapon was a vicious, dark-red, spiked club.

He was a master of Fish-Man Karate, a specialist in close-quarters combat.

The reflection in his fierce eyes showed the attacker: a man covered in tattoos, with iron claws strapped to his arms.

The force of the impact sent the man flipping through the air. He landed with incredible speed, then immediately launched himself from the deck for another attack.

Wilson shifted his weight and blocked him again. His massive body was like a fortress wall, and the attacker's brow furrowed in frustration.

"You must be Needless, The 'Iron Claw' of the Gasparde Pirates. Current bounty: 57,000,000 Berries."

"Hm?" Needless raised an eyebrow.

WHOOSH!

Wilson raised his club and brought it crashing down, the wind howling around the blow.

Needless agilely leaped backward.

But the spot where he was about to land suddenly split open, revealing a circular hole, like a gaping mouth.

WHAT?

It was pitch black, a bottomless pit that seemed to swallow everything.

In a moment of crisis, Needless kicked off the air with a loud thump, his falling body lurching upward.

But in the next instant...

WHAM!

Wilson's club slammed into him with brutal precision, the terrifying force sending Needless crashing back down into the hole. The deck sealed shut above him.

Pssssssssssst!

A sound like inflating a balloon filled the air. Needless was hit with a thick, strange odor, and his head began to spin.

With the help of the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit, the carrier's breeding chamber had already produced several new types of fungi.

The Hypno-Shroom was one of them.

It could be used to create a hypnotic gas, a powerful anesthetic. Its only side effect was a short period of weakness upon waking.

By the time Needless hit the floor, he was already unconscious.

—————————

Soon, the battle at the docks was over. The scouts sent by the various factions abandoned their fallen comrades and fled back into the town.

After the battle, the crew cleaned the battlefield. The bodies and prisoners were all sent to the boiler to fuel the carrier.

Military merits were tallied, and the corresponding Merit Vouchers were distributed. Those who had earned enough were promoted in rank and position.

Ai handled the calculations, so there was no room for cheating.

Merit was rewarded; failure was punished.

And the wounded were treated by a dedicated medical team.

Everything was orderly and efficient.

'This is... different,' Wilson thought.

—————————

Late at night.

Hannabal Island was still brightly lit. The initial skirmish had made it clear to everyone that these newcomers were not to be trifled with.

No one would be sleeping tonight.

Inside the conning tower, Jin was meditating.

On the eve of a great battle, he was surprisingly calm. He closed his eyes and emptied his mind, trying to achieve a state of pure thoughtlessness.

Meditation.

A common practice in martial arts and spiritual training.

It was a method used in the world of One Piece as well, by both Zoro and Luffy.

Jin was just imitating them, trying to feel, to experience.

Listening to the wind, the sea, the waves...

Gradually, he began to feel as if he and the carrier were merging into one. His senses—his sight, his hearing, his smell—all expanded, stretching out beyond his body.

An invisible energy surged from the boiler, flowing through the entire ship, and through Jin's body as well.

THUMP-THUMP...

He could hear a heartbeat, like a war drum, like rolling thunder. A vast, surging power that felt like it could erupt at any moment.

Jin was stunned.

What was happening??

In a flash of insight, he realized that he had been overlooking the bond between himself and the carrier. There was a deep, hidden potential there.

He focused on the feeling, trying to control the flow of power.

And then, he discovered that in this state, he could actually use the powers of the Munch-Munch Fruit and the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit!

Furthermore, he could consume the carrier's energy—the soul crystals—to enhance his own body and the effects of his training.

"Damn... this is insane," Jin breathed, overjoyed at his new discovery.

He was now even more confident about tomorrow's hunt.

—————————

As the sky began to lighten.

Hannabal Island was already bustling with a noisy, excited crowd.

The first-time racers were holding their Log Poses, looking up at the island's highest peak.

"Strange... why is the Log Pose pointing to the other side of the mountain? Is it broken?"

"The boss said the starting line was here."

"Guhahaha! That's right," someone laughed. "There are a lot of rivers on this island. They all meet up at the river on that mountain. And the summit is the starting point."

"Wait, you mean we have to climb the mountain?"

"No. You've been up Reverse Mountain, right? It's the same principle. Every few years, a reverse current and a strong wind form a sea current just like Reverse Mountain."

"Interesting, isn't it?"

"The racers are all waiting in the different rivers right now."

"Hey, wait a minute. Why are there seven or eight ships over there? The river won't be able to hold them all when the current hits."

"That's the black dragon flag. It's that arrogant kid. Looks like someone wants to take him out during the ascent."

....

In the town.

The boss, a cigar in his mouth and a beautiful woman on his arm, looked out at the scene.

"That fool has no idea what he's gotten himself into," he said with a smug smile. "TAKE HIM OUT AT THE VERY BEGINNING."

<><><><><><><><>

"The wind is picking up!"

On the once-calm sea, a light breeze began to blow, rapidly intensifying into a fierce gale.

A powerful current surged in from all directions. In the blink of an eye, the sea level rose by two or three meters.

The sails of the ships billowed out.

All the racers sprang into action.

"Hey, keep an eye on the current!"

"Hoist the yards!"

"It's coming! We have to get a good position!"

The roar of the wind and the crashing of the waves drowned out their voices—

WHOOSH!

The wind howled, and the waves lifted the heavy hull of the Empress, pushing it forward.

"Hey! What are those guys doing?"

"They're blocking the river!"

"What a bunch of dirty bastards!"

Up ahead, three sloops were lined up side-by-side, blocking the path. The pirates on board grinned, laughing maniacally.

"You're not getting past us, assholes!"

"We'll finish you right here!"

"You arrogant little shit! Time to die!"

"Wait a minute... that's strange. I don't see a single crewman on that ship. Did they get scared and run away?"

Inside the conning tower, Jin observed the situation. The demonic carrier was completely under his and Ai's control; it didn't need a crew. Wilson and the others were on standby in the ship's internal space, ready for deployment.

"Master, a ship is approaching, fifty meters astern," Ai reported.

"Ignore them. Take out the ones in front first."

BOOOOOOOOOM!

WHOOSH!

The ship behind them opened fire.

Cannonballs screamed through the air. The sound was deafening, the air thick with smoke.

On the shore, the pirates who had gathered to watch all gasped.

"This is insane!"

"He's caught between them! He's done for!"

"Even if he can withstand the attacks, the current will just smash his ship against the cliffs!"

No one was betting on the ship with the black dragon flag. Not only was it unknown, but its captain was a complete rookie...

Who would be foolish enough to back them?

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

Cannonballs crashed into the water, sending up massive plumes of spray. Two of them landed on the deck and were simply swallowed.

The first wave of attacks had been neutralized.

No one noticed that the bow of the Empress was narrowing, transforming into a razor-sharp blade as it was propelled forward by the wind and the current.

"HE'S SPEEDING UP!"

"WAIT, HE'S GOING TO RAM US!"

"HEY! IS HE CRAZY??"

"OPEN FIRE! STOP HIM!"

The pirates on the three ships opened fire with their rifles.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A hail of bullets rained down.

But it was useless.

The wind was too strong. The already slow-moving flintlock rounds were blown right back at them, and several pirates were hit.

At the same time, Jin commanded, "—Fire spore interference shells!"

The demonic carrier sprayed out a massive, multi-colored cloud of gas. It was composed of mushroom spores.

The cloud completely obscured the view.

CRASH!

The demonic carrier slammed into the three sloops. The one in the middle was violently sliced in two, its hull splintering into a thousand pieces.

The pirates who fell into the water were sucked into the carrier's hull. The other two ships were swallowed by the massive "mouths" that had opened on the carrier's sides as it passed.

Thanks to the spore cloud, no one saw a thing.

When the cloud dissipated, the three ships were gone. All that remained were a few splintered pieces of wood, carried up the mountain by the current.

And the Empress, completely unscathed.

"He... HE TOOK THEM OUT!"

"What happened?"

"What just happened?"

"In an instant, all three ships were gone! Did he just smash them to pieces?"

"Damn... that was brutal!"

"So that's the confidence of a man who bets a hundred million on himself."

"Who the hell is that guy?"

On the shore, the pirates were in a state of shock.

The ship that had been chasing the Empress was also stunned, no longer daring to get any closer and maintaining a safe distance.

—————————

Inside the carrier's hull, a battle was raging.

Wilson was leading his men, cutting down the pirates who had been swallowed.

It wasn't that the carrier couldn't have dealt with them. But real combat was the best way to train the crew.

This was one of the reasons Jin had entered the race.

With the obstacles out of the way, the Empress smoothly ascended the current, climbing toward the summit. On the buildings lining the riverbanks, pirates and residents alike cheered.

Soon, the ships from the other rivers came into view.

There was the Fish-Man Willy's Flying Shark, with a massive, rounded ram at its bow, designed for smashing other ships.

There were the giants—Bobby and Pogo—on their two-man vessel, the Fisherman, one manning the sail and the other at the helm.

But the most eye-catching of all was Gasparde's Salamander.

Its massive hull was a full size larger than the other pirate ships. A straight, tall smokestack belched thick, black smoke. The billowing sail still bore the mark of the Marines, but a large, red "X" had been painted over it, giving it a sinister air.

"He's still in the race?" Gasparde stood at the prow, his gaze fixed on the black dragon flag. Needless' disappearance had him worried.

No one knew that he was the secret organizer of the "Race to the End of Death." It was just a little game he played to alleviate his boredom. And, as a bonus, it was a good way to recruit subordinates from among the "weaker" pirates.

Needless had been one of the winners of a previous race.

"Let's see what you've got," Gasparde said, his expression calm and confident.

"Look out! All the rivers are about to merge! Don't get hit!"

The rapidly ascending currents finally converged. The ships from the various rivers were now all in close proximity to one another.

According to the rules, they couldn't attack yet.

Not until...

The sea current crested the summit and became a hundred-meter-tall waterfall on the other side of the mountain, feeding into a wide river below.

The ships hung in the air for a moment, then plummeted down, crashing into the water with massive splashes.

The unlucky ones were smashed against the cliffs and rocks, their hulls splintering.

Those who made it through safely immediately sprang into action, either attacking the other ships with cannons or using various methods to speed down the river and out into the open sea.

The race had officially begun.

And it had become brutally intense.

The air was filled with smoke and cannon fire.

The Empress was now the clear target of everyone's aggression, a thorn in their side. A barrage of long-range attacks came hurtling toward it.

"Full speed ahead! Let's get out of here first! Once we're in the open sea, we can play with them."

Jin already had a plan. He wasn't afraid.

—————————

"WOOOOOOOOOOM..."

The demonic carrier let out a deep, soul-shaking roar, like the song of a whale from the depths of the ocean.

"What's that sound?"

"That's terrifying."

"Is it a Sea King?"

"It's giving me goosebumps."

The pirates were all stunned.

The demonic carrier's engine roared to life, steam surging as it unleashed a massive burst of power. The propeller spun, and the ship shot forward.

In the blink of an eye, it had overtaken a dozen other ships and was now in the lead, pulling farther and farther away until it was just a silhouette on the horizon.

"So fast!"

"Strange... what kind of ship is that?"

Gasparde's eyes turned cold. He hadn't even had time to react. The ship had just blown past him.

"So, someone worthy of my attention has finally arrived."

"Tell the engine room: full speed ahead. Don't let him get away—"

"YES, SIR!"