Chapter 55: What the Hell Is That Thing
Five large warships were docked before the port, where over a hundred navy soldiers stood on the dock. These soldiers were unusual—they were all women, with no men in the ranks.
Behind this hundred-woman force stood over a thousand male navy soldiers, standing at attention, their postures resembling a flock of 'horny' roosters.
This hundred-woman force was Vice Admiral Tsuru's direct subordinates. Don't underestimate them just because they were women; they were an elite unit.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru has arrived."
A female navy soldier whispered, trying her best to keep her lips still.
"Don't talk, or the Vice Admiral might discipline you."
"Tch, no way, Vice Admiral Tsuru is the kindest."
"Look at that old man, yes, that's Garp-san. They say he had a crush on the Vice Admiral when he was young."
"Really?"
"Of course, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was supposedly his love rival."
"After we're dismissed, you must tell me all about this."
The female navy soldiers looked valiant on the surface, but they too had a penchant for gossip.
"I heard that this time, the Vice Admiral is responsible for escorting a dangerous criminal."
"No big deal. What kind of criminal haven't we escorted before?"
"What... the hell is that thing?!"
One female navy soldier's expression twisted in shock. Moments later, the surrounding female soldiers were equally stunned.
Puff, puff...
The sound of steam venting came.
Thump, thump, thump...
Something heavy seemed to be approaching from inside the warship. The first thing to catch the female soldiers' eyes was a group of male navy soldiers holding rifles, all muzzles aimed in one direction.
Soon, Su Xiao, clad in a specially made outer armor, came into view. The navy soldiers on the island were all stunned, their thoughts almost unanimous: What did this guy do to warrant such an escort? And who is he?
"Little Tsuru, isn't this a bit over the top?"
Garp glanced at Su Xiao. Even when he escorted Kaido, he hadn't used these steaming metal contraptions.
"Don't lump him in with pirates. Pirates can't make bombs powerful enough to sink an island."
Vice Admiral Tsuru kept her eyes fixed on Su Xiao, focusing on his expression. Ever since Su Xiao was captured, she had felt something was off.
Su Xiao walked down the wooden gangplank from the warship and stepped onto the island. He looked up at the endless red stone cliffs and immediately thought of the Red Line.
The first half of the Grand Line and the New World were separated by the Red Line. To get from the New World to the first half of the Grand Line, there were two routes: one was to climb over the Red Line, the safest and fastest route, with the World Government having carved convenient paths up it.
The second route was through Fish-Man Island beneath the Red Line. Only pirates would choose to pass through this deep-sea area, as it was far too dangerous.
Around Su Xiao were dozens of navy soldiers holding guns, with over a dozen tightly gripping metal rods connected to the outer armor.
"You expect me to climb the Red Line wearing this thing?"
Su Xiao stopped walking.
"Move it!"
"Don't stop!"
"Freeze!"
Su Xiao's gaze shifted to the soldier who shouted "Freeze." That guy was clearly a unique specimen among the navy.
The soldier's face twisted as he tried to suppress a laugh. With big shots around, he couldn't laugh—absolutely couldn't.
"You lot, stop making a scene here."
Garp bellowed, slapping the back of the "Freeze" soldier's head, then burst out laughing.
The soldier rubbed his head, relieved inside. His superior, Garp, didn't seem to mind his mistake.
"Don't just stand there. Take over the prisoner."
As Vice Admiral Tsuru finished speaking, the hundred female soldiers stepped forward, replacing the previous group to escort Su Xiao.
Compared to the male soldiers who had been at sea for days, reeking of sweat, these female soldiers were far more pleasant to look at, and the air around Su Xiao was much fresher.
Su Xiao's experience improved, but the hundred female soldiers were extremely tense. Even under the blazing sun, some had cold sweat on their faces.
Puff, puff...
Steam vented. Under the escort of a hundred tight-faced female soldiers, Su Xiao headed toward the Red Line.
Vice Admiral Tsuru glanced at Su Xiao, who looked perfectly at ease, then at the highly strung female soldiers. She sighed in resignation.
Over ten minutes later, Su Xiao arrived at the base of the Red Line. Hundreds of steel rope ladders were lowered from above. Not every spot on the red rock face was suitable for climbing.
"Hurry up and climb."
Vice Admiral Tsuru stomped the ground, leaped to a certain height, then with a dull *bang* from her foot, she rose higher.
Kizaru approached Su Xiao, grabbed his arm, partially elementalized his body, and with a *whoosh*, turned into a beam of light, shooting straight into the sky.
In at most a few minutes, Su Xiao reached the top of the Red Line. Before he could take in the scene up there, his vision blurred.
About ten minutes later, Su Xiao arrived at the other end of the Red Line. Kizaru's travel speed was definitely top-tier among the navy.
In less than half an hour, Su Xiao was on an island at the other side of the Red Line, another navy branch.
Not long after, Garp and Vice Admiral Tsuru arrived. The three surrounded Su Xiao. After waiting about an hour, the female soldiers finally arrived.
The navy was quite efficient, but Bubu Wang wasn't slow either. He mingled among the female soldiers and successfully passed the inspection at the top of the Red Line.
Under the escort of over a hundred female soldiers, Su Xiao boarded a warship and was locked back in a cell. This cell wasn't much different from the previous one, just a bit heavier with the smell of blood.
The warship sailed across the sea. Once they reached the first half of the Grand Line, the navy soldiers visibly relaxed. The New World was pirate territory, but here, it was navy territory.
Su Xiao, now freed from the outer armor, sat in his cell. A few minutes ago, Bubu Wang sent good news: Kizaru had left. Only Vice Admiral Tsuru and Garp remained to escort him.
It turned out these three hadn't come to the New World specifically to capture Su Xiao. They were on another mission, and when that failed, they targeted Dressrosa.
Since the warship was still too close to the Red Line, Su Xiao wasn't ready to execute his escape plan yet.
After the warship sailed for over ten minutes, Su Xiao took a deep breath in his cell. His blood flow resumed, his heartbeat returned to normal, and a strong hunger hit him.
Su Xiao's slight movement in the cell immediately caught Vice Admiral Tsuru's attention.
"Save your strength. I don't want to drag you off the ship."
Vice Admiral Tsuru stood up, staring at Su Xiao. Over the past few days, Su Xiao could sit still in his cell for an entire day.
Su Xiao ignored Vice Admiral Tsuru entirely. He focused his attention and soon sensed ten alchemy bombs. These bombs had been attached to the bottom of the warship, their surfaces gradually turning red-hot.
Boom, boom, boom...
The entire warship shook violently. At the same time, a pale blue energy shield wall appeared in front of Su Xiao. Dragon-Slaying Flash appeared in his hand, and he tossed it toward his mouth.
Su Xiao bit down on the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash, his jaw muscles bulging. He pressed the blade against the chain connecting the sea stone handcuffs and pulled his arms downward.
With a crisp *clink*, all seven sea stone chains were severed. A legendary-grade Dragon-Slaying Flash was just that sharp.
His arms free, Su Xiao gripped Dragon-Slaying Flash with one hand. A flash of blade light, and the shackles on his feet and the chains on his body were all cut.
A large wave of soap bubbles surged into the cell. Vice Admiral Tsuru's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Su Xiao paid her no mind. He slashed at the metal wall behind him several times.
The long blade cut through the metal wall, and several blade auras shot out, slicing straight into the wooden inner hull of the ship.
The hull couldn't withstand the blade auras. Several oddly shaped wooden planks flew off, and with a *splash*, seawater flooded into the cabin.
Vice Admiral Tsuru clenched her fists. The sea stone metal bars hadn't imprisoned Su Xiao; instead, they trapped her. As a Devil Fruit user, she couldn't touch sea stone. As for opening the cell door, from the moment Su Xiao pulled out Dragon-Slaying Flash to cutting through the hull, it took less than two seconds. This wasn't a random escape attempt—it was long planned.
Vice Admiral Tsuru finally understood why Su Xiao often knocked his handcuffs against the ground. He was using sound wave conduction to determine the ship's internal structure.
The seawater flooding the cabin reached Su Xiao's knees. He dispelled the energy shield wall, and a massive amount of water surged toward Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"Thanks for the escort."
Su Xiao smiled at Vice Admiral Tsuru, then braced against the surging seawater and crawled out of the hull.
Underwater, Su Xiao swung Dragon-Slashing Flash along his arm, cutting off the sea stone shackles, which sank to the seabed.
After pulling out diving gear, he flipped over and dove deeper. He had reached the first half of the Grand Line. Based on his calculations, this wasn't far from the Sabaody Archipelago.