Chapter 168: Fire Fist Blocking The Way
Fran used the Den Den Mushi to contact the troops left on the ship. A group of burly, powerfully built doctors and nurses arrived at the scene in an elongated, widened special model lifeboat capable of navigating inland rivers. Farrug and Burgess received emergency treatment from the doctors one after another.
The so-called emergency treatment mainly involved resetting their fractured and dislocated bones, wrapping them in layers of bandages, applying thick casts, and force-feeding them a bunch of ready-made medicines for reducing swelling and pain, promoting blood circulation and dissipating bruises, stopping bleeding and promoting tissue regeneration. In the end, they also gave Farrug a bottle of calcium tablets to eat as snacks.
Then, Farrug was tossed into a corner of the lifeboat, left to munch on his calcium tablets by himself.
The strong and robust nurses all gathered around Burgess, holding down Burgess who actually had no will to resist for the time being to prevent him from suddenly lashing out and hurting someone. The equally fierce doctors, who seemed more like bandits than physicians, were carefully handling Burgess’s twisted and deformed bones.
The doctor firmly remembered His Highness Elus’s orders. It was just a dozen or so words, which he could recite verbatim: “Don’t let him die, and it’s best not to leave any aftereffects. This guy is still useful.” Although he didn’t know what use he had, since His Highness had said so, he just needed to follow orders.
As a military doctor with twenty years of experience, obeying orders was a habit etched into his bones.
Curiosity is human nature, but acquired rationality suppressed this curiosity. This nameless military doctor understood that knowing too much was not a good thing. The family man had no desire to get involved in those highly confidential secret research projects, whether as a researcher or as a research subject······
Before leaving, Elus left some money for the local villagers to compensate for the destroyed waterwheel and the damaged fields.
These damages were basically caused by the battle between Farrug and Burgess. Now that Burgess had become a captive and Farrug was his subordinate, all these losses could be attributed to him no matter how you calculated it, and he wasn’t about to make these villagers bear the losses.
It was just a small amount of money anyway, not something he cared about.
“Your Highness, there’s a situation.”
Just as the people on the lifeboat caught a distant glimpse of the port with few ships, Fran, who had connected the Den Den Mushi and spoken a few words, came over to Elus’s side holding the Den Den Mushi.
“What? Did Whitebeard arrive?”
Elus asked casually.
“No sign of Whitebeard, but the lookouts on the ship spotted the Whitebeard Pirates’ Second Division Commander ‘Fire Fist’ Ace and Third Division Commander ‘Diamond’ Jozu piloting an incredibly fast assault boat heading toward our fleet.”
“Fire Fist?”
Elus raised an eyebrow.
He grinned silently.
This was an ‘old acquaintance.’ The last time at the Sabaody Archipelago, ‘Pluto’ Roger’s interference had let this silly son of the Pirate King slip away······ If they met today, it would be their second encounter.
“Already here, huh! Nice development on Observation Haki.
Elus closed his eyes and released [Neuro-Scan], capturing the two familiar soul fluctuations far out on the sea. One was Ace, whom he had met once, and the other was Jozu, whom he had encountered a few times on the Moby Dick. Besides them······
There was also a very powerful soul mixed in with them.
“Didn’t expect another interesting guest.” Elus glanced at the deck at the stern of the lifeboat. This lifeboat was a specially customized model, a complementary product for Elus’s flagship. Compared to ordinary lifeboats, it was longer and wider, able to carry over ten people, and even had a simple operating table placed at the stern.
Burgess was lying on the operating table receiving treatment right now.
“Farrug, keep a close eye on that guy. If he dares to make a move and hurt someone, beat him without holding back—as long as you don’t kill him, do whatever.”
Elus was worried that with the approach of that interesting guest, Burgess might do something irrational, so he specifically warned Farrug. Although Farrug was still injured, compared to Burgess whose arms couldn’t even be lifted, he could still fight.
Fighters like Burgess could use both hands and feet in combat, but Burgess was the type who specialized in upper body power. His leg strength wasn’t weak, but it was still a cut below his hand techniques.
“Your Highness, I’ll keep an eye on him.”
Farrug agreed with a smile.
The pain in his body couldn’t dampen his pleasure. He had been beaten quite badly by Burgess earlier and had been holding back a breath of anger! Now that he had a chance to vent, he was naturally very happy.
“Don’t go overboard. This guy is useful!”
“Understood.”
Hearing the conversation between Elus and Farrug, the bit of courage that had just welled up in Burgess’s heart instantly cooled like being doused with a basin of cold water. If he suddenly lashed out taking advantage of the Whitebeard Pirates’ arrival, he might catch them off guard and have a chance to escape, but······ with Elus saying that, Farrug was staring at him like a loyal dog.
The doctors and nurses around him didn’t look like pushovers either, drastically reducing the chances of a successful escape.
It wasn’t suitable to take drastic action at this time; he could only continue to endure while secretly relieved that they hadn’t used anesthetics on him. Otherwise, even if the Whitebeard Pirates showed up, he probably wouldn’t have any chance to escape.
But—
This way, it really hurt a lot.
“Hiss!”
Lying on the simple operating table, Burgess occasionally hissed and gasped due to sudden spikes in pain.
The reason for not using anesthetics was due to Elus’s orders. Overusing anesthetics wasn’t good for the body. The nameless military doctor, in order to perfectly execute His Highness Elus’s commands, chose surgery without anesthesia.
Of course, the obvious drawback was that the patient would be in a lot of pain.
Elus stared at the gasping Burgess for seven or eight seconds before withdrawing his gaze and walking to the ship’s bow. From here, he could clearly see the sea inlet and the fleet anchored in the port. The national flag embroidered with the golden coffee tree was quite eye-catching.
At the same time,
He also saw the assault boat speeding across the sea, flames jetting from its tail.
The speed was indeed astonishing.
Just as the people on the lifeboat had noticed the assault boat, the group on the flame-tailed assault boat had also spotted Elus, who wasn’t on the large ship. Both Ace and Jozu could recognize Elus’s presence.
Thus, the assault boat changed direction,
Charging toward the lifeboat that hadn’t yet entered the sea.
“Your Highness, the lifeboat is probably going to be blocked in the inland river.” Fran quietly walked over. Just by eyeballing their movement speed, it wasn’t hard to reach this conclusion—not because her mental arithmetic was that impressive, but because the assault boat was just too fast!
Like an orange-red lightning bolt streaking across the sea.
The distant distance closed in an instant.
Watching the assault boat that had already rushed upstream from the sea inlet, Elus scratched his chin with a bent finger. Ace had developed the Flare-Flare Fruit to a considerable degree, but unfortunately, his luck was bad, encountering the even more cunning and powerful Blackbeard.
If Ace had more time to grow, or even if he lost but had a chance to turn the tables······ Ace might not have died young in the end.
In this regard, his younger brother had much better luck. After being knocked down by Beasts’ club, he wasn’t executed or sold to the Navy; instead, he was sent to the quarry to ‘learn’ with other imprisoned experts. In comparison, Ace, defeated by Blackbeard, was directly locked in the sixth layer of Impel Down, tightly confined in a cell with no freedom of movement except to talk to nearby prisoners.
Right,
That Blackbeard was on Ace’s assault boat right now.
The moniker Blackbeard hadn’t actually emerged yet; the Whitebeard Pirates’ crew members all called him ‘Teach.’
At the stern of the lifeboat, Burgess lying on the operating table sensed that familiar presence, and his body shuddered instinctively. But soon, the sharp aura emanating from Farrug reminded him of his current situation, and he forcibly suppressed the urge to call for help.
He and Teach were acquaintances.
And unlike the idiots on the Whitebeard Pirates, he knew Teach’s strength and firmly believed that once Whitebeard died, Teach would emerge from the shadows and make waves on the sea. For this reason, he hadn’t aligned with any faction. With his current skills, joining the Beasts Pirates would definitely get him top treatment.
But he still chose to act alone.
He was betting on Teach.
·······
“Prince Elus, long time no see!”
The tail-flame-jetting assault boat slowed down, and Ace stood at the ship’s bow waving in greeting, his brilliant smile as dazzling as the sun.
“Portgas D. Ace, you slipped away from me last time at the Sabaody Archipelago, costing me a lot of face in the eyes of the World Government’s big shots!” Elus responded with a smile, though his words carried a bit of······ ill intent!
“Ah! I also received your kind attention at the Sabaody Archipelago! I’ve always wanted to repay you!”
Ace extended his flaming index finger and lightly pushed up the cowboy hat on his head.
Fighting spirit,
Soared skyward like blazing fire.
“Ace······” The round-headed, round-bodied Jozu looked a bit honest and straightforward. Seeing Ace already itching for a fight after just a few words, he understood why he had been sent along—this was banking on Ace clashing with the Black Prince!
But,
The Black Prince was no pushover.
“Ace, didn’t you say Old Man had something to say? Let’s get that cleared up first.”
Jozu placed a hand on Ace’s shoulder.
His words slightly cleared Ace’s head, temporarily suppressing the surging fighting spirit as he shouted loudly: “Prince Elus, starting a big fight with someone on Old Man’s territory—what are you up to?” Water Wheel Island was Whitebeard’s territory.
Although no Whitebeard Pirates members were permanently stationed here.
The villagers here did have ways to contact the Whitebeard Pirates’ crew members, reporting Elus’s actions on Water Wheel Island in real time via Den Den Mushi. Otherwise, did you really think these villagers were just trouble-stirring onlookers?
The identity of the pursued Burgess had already been thoroughly investigated by the Whitebeard Pirates.
A Pirate Emperor’s authority in the New World was no joke.
Although Burgess wasn’t famous, he was on a bounty poster, so investigating him wasn’t difficult. Before Ace and the others appeared before Elus, they had already grasped the situation on Water Wheel Island.
“If you can’t give a reasonable explanation······” Ace paused slightly, flames blazing fiercely on his fist, “then I’ll have to ask for some pointers with my fists!”
This tough talk was put quite politely.
In the end, Elus and the Whitebeard Pirates had always had friendly relations. In recent years, Elus’s maritime transport network had gathered quite a few precious medicinal herbs for Whitebeard, and Whitebeard had previously lent his flag to provide protection for the Eckmond Kingdom······
If not for Elus sneaking into Whitebeard’s territory without a heads-up this time being too egregious, and if he had been more low-key without attracting reporters’ attention, the Whitebeard Pirates might not have bothered with him. But Elus’s actions on Water Wheel Island were just too conspicuous.
If the Whitebeard Pirates didn’t respond strongly, people might think they were too weak, that something was wrong with Whitebeard’s health······
To suppress those ambitious schemers and maintain peace and harmony in the territory.
The Whitebeard Pirates had to make some kind of response.
Also,
The Whitebeard Pirates were pirates after all. Whitebeard believed in and cherished his sons, but only his own sons. Outsiders like Elus······ always required a degree of vigilance. Whitebeard had seen too many cases of partners or allies stabbing him in the back.
Thus,
Ace and Jozu came as the vanguard to probe Elus’s true intentions.
“Explanation, huh!”
Elus dragged out the word with a long tone, his gaze on Ace, Jozu, and······ the others behind them who had already assumed combat stances. Teach, over three hundred centimeters tall and nearly twice Ace’s height, wasn’t too conspicuous with the five-hundred-centimeter Jozu there.
“My explanation is simple: I came to catch someone, and I’ve already got him. As far as I know, this guy has no relation to the Whitebeard Pirates. Is this explanation······ reasonable enough?”
“Fighting Champion Jess Burgess indeed has no relation to our Whitebeard Pirates.” Ace muttered the name, his gaze also landing on the operating table at the lifeboat’s stern. There was no ripple in his eyes. Burgess had no ties to the Whitebeard Pirates, which was one reason he was still speaking politely.
If it had been a Whitebeard Pirates member captured, there probably wouldn’t be this much chit-chat.
He didn’t notice the fleeting murderous glint in Teach’s eyes behind him.
“But······ I don’t care about your grudge with this guy. What I’m saying is, no one can cause destruction on Old Man’s territory and then leave calmly.” Ace declared boldly.
“······ Looks like we have to throw down after all?” Elus tilted his neck and loosened his joints.
“Your boat has doctors and nurses. Let’s change locations to fight.”
“······ That doesn’t sound like something a pirate would say.”
“Don’t lump our Whitebeard Pirates in with those small fry!”
Ace proudly straightened his back, his exposed back bearing the Whitebeard Pirates’ tattoo. This pattern was the pride of every Whitebeard Pirates member.
“In that case, as you wish.”
Elus accepted this inevitable fight.
