Chapter 351

"What? Name the ship? At a time like this?" Facing Facing Nami asked, surprised.

"Yes, a ship without a name has no spirit when it sets sail," Franky said very seriously. "How about 'Lion Something-or-Other'?"

"I have a super cool name! Black Bear White Bear Lion!" Luffy raised both hands high.

"No one names a ship something that weird!" Usopp retorted.

"Then Tiger Gray Wolf Lion!"

"Stop listing animal names! What is this! A spell?" Usopp retorted again.

Immediately, everyone started a naming contest.

Names like Squid Octopus Chimpanzee, Meatball Gorilla Lion, Mama Lion, Big Brother Lionel, Old Man Sleeping Lion, Darkness Maru, Gentleman Lion, Mr. Sunflower, Lion Violence Champion, Cherry Blossom Pirate, and so on.

When asked, Lord Lord Sima Di blurted out "Seven-Colored Mary Sue" and "Funeral Love Family," only to be fiercely despised by everyone.

In the end, the new ship was given its proper name.

Thousand Sunny.

Nickname: Sunny.

Merry suddenly appeared on the deck, smiling very happily.

"He said he really likes this name!"

Subsequently, under Franky’s command, Merry beautifully maneuvered the Sunny to perform its first escape.

Coup de Burst!

Under the astonished gazes of everyone, the Sunny flew into the air.

Lord Lord Sima Di smiled as she looked at the rapidly receding Water 7.

Goodbye, Water 7.

Please rest in peace, Master Bruce.

One day, I will burn the newspaper recording the destruction of the Spade organization and send it to the underworld where you are.

Meanwhile, on Banaro Island.

Ace and his group had found Blackbeard three days ago, and a great battle erupted. Nearly half of the island was destroyed, and Ace was captured by Blackbeard.

Zero, who was traveling with Blackbeard, fulfilled his promise to Lord Lord Sima Di and secretly let Cheng Yu and Xue Xue Lihong go.

But Xue Xue Lihong was not satisfied. After Zero let her go, she didn't flee; instead, she and Cheng Yu lurked on the island, waiting for an opportunity to rescue Ace.

Three days after that battle, today, a large number of Marines arrived after receiving news from Blackbeard, including one of the three Admirals, Akainu.

This showed the importance the Marines placed on this matter; it was no surprise that Blackbeard was directly promoted to one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

"Oh my, I didn't expect Admiral Akainu to grace us with his presence. I apologize for not welcoming you sooner." Although Blackbeard’s words were respectful, his tone and eyes showed no sign of subservience.

"Cut the crap. Where is Fire Fist Ace?" Akainu said with a cold snort.

"Right here." Blackbeard stepped aside, and his two subordinates brought Ace forward, his hands in Sea-Prism Stone shackles.

Ace looked a bit disheveled, but his wounds had been treated, and the bandaging was quite professional.

When Blackbeard handed Ace over to Akainu, Zero keenly sensed a killing intent. He leaned to the side, blocking the intent behind him, so neither Blackbeard nor Akainu noticed.

Zero pretended to glance to the side and discovered it was Xue Xue Lihong, who was glaring daggers at him.

This girl with a death wish again? He had caught her dozens of times in the last three days; why was she still here? If he hadn't deliberately hidden her, Xue Xue Lihong would have been minced meat long ago.

Afterward, Blackbeard’s crew and Akainu boarded the warship together, heading directly for Impel Down (they had originally planned to go to Enies Lobby for a preliminary trial, but Enies Lobby had disappeared from the map due to the Straw Hats).

After the ship set sail, Zero sighed helplessly and, while no one was paying attention, went to a more secluded part of the ship.

Here, besides Zero, there was another person.

"You guys again? Aren't you tired?"

Even in the words of Zero, who rarely expressed emotion, one could hear helplessness.

Xue Xue Lihong was currently wearing a Marine logistics uniform, holding a mop and a bucket.

"What do you mean 'me again'? If I don't rescue Ace, I won't give up." Xue Xue Lihong’s gaze was fierce, as if she would launch an attack at any moment.

"Where is that former police officer?" Zero chose to ignore Xue Xue Lihong’s words and looked around for Cheng Yu.

"He... that coward didn't come." Xue Xue Lihong’s eyes were full of disdain. "I used to respect him, but he shrank back when he encountered danger. What a loser."

"I think he just doesn't want to play along with your nonsense anymore. Accompanying you so many times was just because he was afraid you'd get into danger," Zero said coldly. "Xue Xue Lihong, I remember warning you last time that if you appeared in front of me again, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you."

"Kill me? Fine, then do it." Xue Xue Lihong stood with a fearless posture.

For the first time in his life, Zero felt a headache coming on.

"You... you really are a rascal. You know I can't bring myself to do it. Xue Lihong, you really should change your temper. After that incident, everyone has grown, but you are the only one who hasn't."

"Don't put on an adult's face to lecture me! I'm much older than you!" Xue Xue Lihong said through gritted teeth. When did she fall to the point of being lectured by a teenager?

"Age never represents experience... Look at you now; who looks like a child, you or me?" Zero sighed, somewhat helplessly. "I'll point you in the right direction. When Ace is executed, Whitebeard will definitely not let his own commander be killed; he will definitely come to storm the execution grounds. If you really want to save Ace, then go with Whitebeard."

"Storm... the execution grounds?"

Xue Xue Lihong remembered that Cheng Yu had suggested the same thing, but she had been in a fit of rage at the time, only caring about arguing with him, and hadn't heard a word of what Cheng Yu said.

"That’s right, storm the execution grounds... Actually, from my recent contact with Ace, I’ve found that he’s a good person too. If he dies, I won't be able to bear it either," Zero said.

"Contact with Ace... then, were Ace’s wounds treated by you?" Xue Xue Lihong asked.

After the battle between Ace and Blackbeard, Ace had suffered many injuries. But when Ace was handed over to the Marines, the wounds had been well-treated. Xue Xue Lihong couldn't imagine anyone in Blackbeard’s group treating Ace. If it was Zero, it was possible.

"It was just a casual thing... If I had let my ship’s doctor treat him, it would have been a gamble on whether he lived or died," Zero replied.

"Then... thank you," Xue Xue Lihong said, feeling a bit embarrassed. She had treated Zero so badly before...

"No need to thank me, just don't cause me any more trouble," Zero said. "It will take three hours to reach the next island for resupply; hide yourself during this time. I’ll let you leave then."

The Marines had originally planned to rest on Banaro Island, but because the entire island was destroyed quite thoroughly, they would have to detour to the other side of the island if they needed supplies. So it was better to just sail directly to the next island.

"Mm, I know. Usually, when I wear a Marine uniform, no one can discover me!" Xue Xue Lihong said confidently.

"Oh, then good luck." Zero turned and left.

On Cheng Yu’s side.

After a big argument with Xue Xue Lihong, Cheng Yu also felt he had been too childish. He was almost forty, why was he getting angry with a young girl? Although the rescue of Ace had to be put on hold for now, Cheng Yu’s primary task was to ensure Xue Xue Lihong didn't do anything reckless and to bring her back safely.

"That girl... where on earth did she go? I clearly saw her get on this ship..."

Cheng Yu was wearing a Marine grunt uniform, carrying a rifle, wandering around the Marine ship.

"You... what are you looking for?"

A deep male voice suddenly sounded behind Cheng Yu, startling him.

Cheng Yu hurriedly turned around and found a tall, bald man wearing a Marine Vice Admiral’s uniform.

Cheng Yu hurriedly searched his memory and matched this person with the name Vice Admiral Pierre.

"Yes! Vice Admiral Pierre! I am currently on patrol duty! The area is Zone C and Zone D!"

"What is your name?" Pierre’s gaze was unfriendly.

"Reporting to the Vice Admiral! My name is Ermondo," Cheng Yu replied without a moment’s hesitation.

"Ermondo... come with me; I have a task to assign to you."

"But Vice Admiral, I am on patrol..."

"Someone else will take care of the patrol. Just come with me."

"Yes!"

Cheng Yu followed Pierre all the way to his office, his heart filled with anxiety.

It was said that this Vice Admiral Pierre was famous for his ruthless methods; 80% of the pirates he captured never made it to Impel Down, but were executed on the spot.

Why did this guy have to pick him?

What on earth... did he want to do?

"Close the door." Pierre said, sitting down at his desk, his elbows straight, looking at him with a sinister gaze.

"Ah... yes, yes, yes!" Cheng Yu hurriedly closed the door behind him, suddenly having a bad premonition.

Zero obediently stepped forward and sat in Blackbeard’s previous position, sitting in a standard posture, staring at Ace without moving. Akainu didn't speak either, and the three of them just sat there awkwardly.

After a while, Ace opened his eyes and saw that the guard had been replaced by the little girl who had treated his wounds earlier. ===== CHAPTER 428 =====