Chapter Ninety-Nine: It Was Him

Sabo rarely used firearms, but he understood them.

The barrel protruding over Mord’s shoulder was covered in the marks of countless battles.

It was a rare antique gun.

And in Mad Hatter Town, Sabo had seen only one such weapon.

It was the old gun carried by the undertaker he had encountered in the tavern some time ago.

Could it be the same person...?

No wonder he had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when they had passed each other the night before last, as though they had met somewhere before.

The flood of information eventually converged in Sabo’s mind, forming an answer.

But what followed was confusion.

He first glanced rapidly at the black blade protruding from Scott’s chest, then turned toward Mord, who was dressed in the Armed Forces’ uniform.

“Who are you, exactly?”

The two questions seemed utterly contradictory, but that was because Sabo knew nothing about Mord’s background.

Mord did not answer. Instead, he stabbed Scott once more, eliminating any possibility of an accident.

Struck twice in vital areas, Scott had not even seen Mord’s face before breathing his last.

After killing Scott, Mord had no time to experience the changes taking place within his body.

He shoved Scott’s corpse aside, then swiftly retreated toward where Sunny was waiting.

Having obtained a substantial amount of experience, and with the Revolutionary Army no longer at a disadvantage, there was no need for him to remain here.

“Wait! What’s your name?”

Watching Mord retreat at full speed, Sabo called out. Without thinking, he reached forward as though trying to hold him back.

The question made Mord pause.

Doing good deeds and leaving his name behind had always been one of his finest virtues.

“Usopp.”

After tossing out a name, Mord quickened his pace.

“Thanks!”

Seeing Mord vanish into the distance in an instant, Sabo could only manage a word of thanks.

Within his field of vision, Mord’s back grew farther and farther away.

“Usopp...”

Sabo murmured the name under his breath.

He really is strong...

Silently engraving the name Usopp into his memory, Sabo turned to support his companions.

The situation was now overwhelmingly favorable. All that remained was to withdraw safely from Mad Hatter Island and complete the rescue mission.

Mord soon returned to Sunny’s side.

This place was no longer safe to linger in.

The Armed Forces were already on the verge of collapse.

Given enough time, even in uniform, they would become targets of the Revolutionary Army’s attacks.

“Let’s go.”

Mord tugged at Sunny’s clothes.

“Mm.”

Sunny answered and followed closely behind him.

The two of them headed one after the other toward the exit beneath the wall-like mountain.

Not far away, the masked man who had joined the battle and altered its course glanced at the departing figures of Mord and Sunny.

After Scott fell, the Revolutionary Army quickly gained an overwhelming advantage.

Even so, they did not continue fighting recklessly. After destroying the Armed Forces’ long-range weapons, they withdrew.

When the surviving members of the Armed Forces saw the Revolutionary Army retreating, they did not dare pursue them. They could only watch as the revolutionaries disappeared from sight.

Sabo and the others followed the tunnel left behind by Molly and arrived at the foot of the island’s cliffs.

Two sailing ships were anchored on the sea nearby. The slaves they had rescued earlier had already been safely transferred onto one of them.

“Sabo, Koala...!”

On the deck, Molly waved both hands toward Sabo and the others below the cliff.

His gigantic body was impossible to miss. Even without calling out, Sabo and the others could immediately see him standing at the bow.

Sabo waved back, then boarded a small boat with his companions and rowed toward the two sailing ships.

Before long, the surviving members of the Revolutionary Army boarded the sailing ships one after another.

The ship’s doctors, who had been waiting for orders, quickly sprang into action and began treating the revolutionaries’ injuries.

The masked man boarded as well.

He had already removed his headscarf, revealing a dull, expressionless face.

“Tatamu, you arrived at exactly the right time.”

Koala patted Tatamu on the back.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Tatamu’s mouth. He then threw the headscarf, stained with soot and blood, into the sea.

Sabo approached and also patted Tatamu on the shoulder.

“Tatamu, are you going to stay behind, or will you leave with us?”

“I’m staying. Just give me a small boat later.”

Tatamu answered without hesitation. He then removed his outer clothes and trousers, revealing a brand-new bartender’s uniform beneath.

“All right.”

Sabo nodded.

Koala looked at Sabo and suddenly asked, “By the way, who was that person who helped you just now? He wasn’t one of ours, was he?”

“His name is Usopp. He’s the same undertaker I mentioned when we first came to Mad Hatter Island.”

“Him?”

Koala was startled.

It was the man who had shot down the street and saved the fish-man slave.

Sabo smiled. “And we only saw him in an alley the night before last.”

“What?”

Koala had not expected that at all. Recalling the appearance of the young man and woman, her astonishment was plain on her face.

“But who is he, exactly?”

“I don’t know either.”

Sabo shook his head.

Nearby, Tatamu’s expression shifted slightly, but he said nothing.

The two sailing ships carrying the Revolutionary Army and the slaves slowly headed toward the open sea.

By then, dawn had broken, and the morning light filled the entire sky.

After the ships had traveled some distance, Tatamu went to the side of the vessel and prepared to lower the small boat into the sea.

Sabo and Koala came over to help.

Just as the small boat was about to touch the water, the tense voice of the lookout rang down from above the mast.

“Two warships spotted at five o’clock!”

Hearing the lookout’s report, everyone on deck raised their heads to look at him.

“One of them... is the warship of the Marine hero, Garp!”

“Hm?”

At the mention of Garp, Sabo and the others’ expressions changed slightly.

“Why would a Marine hero come to a place like this?”

“Could he be coming for us?”

“Who knows? Either way, we have to avoid him!”

The revolutionaries began discussing the matter among themselves.

With their current forces, being targeted by a legendary Marine would surely mean disaster.

Tatamu looked toward the distant sea, his expression grave.

“I think I know what’s going on.”

Everyone turned toward Tatamu.

...

On the deck of the warship, the Marines busied themselves with preparations for battle.

They pushed carts loaded with cannonballs out of the ammunition hold.

Then, as quickly as possible, they moved the carts to the stairs leading to the forward deck.

Since the carts could not be pushed up the stairs, the Marines had no choice but to lift the cannonballs from them and carefully carry them up one by one.

They transported the cannonballs to the bow and placed them on the cart beside Garp.

By the time the warship was less than five hundred meters from the inner harbor of Mad Hatter Island, cannonballs had already been piled high beside Garp.

Garp rolled his shoulders and looked from afar at the many ships anchored within the inner harbor. Then he grinned.

“Let’s warm up first.”

The warship reached the entrance to the inner harbor, lowered its sails, and dropped anchor, stopping at the mouth of the bay.

The people on the docks soon noticed the warship’s brazen advance.

The next moment, without any sound of cannon fire, cannonballs came hurtling from the bow of the warship with sharp, tearing whistles, striking a pirate ship with pinpoint accuracy.

“Boom!”

The pirate ship’s mainmast was smashed apart by the cannonballs. The explosion that followed engulfed the vessel in flames in an instant.

On the warship’s deck, Garp casually picked up a cannonball from the cart with one hand.

Those cannonballs had been thrown by him.

Before setting foot on the island, he intended to warm up in this manner—and, in the process, destroy every pirate ship in the inner harbor.