Kouta and the others were unaware of Zoro's fantastical adventures.
Whether by fate or some other means, he unexpectedly met Luffy, teamed up with him, and after setting sail again, encountered Nami.
Next, would he head to Usopp's island, then to Baratie, and before even leaving the East Blue, help Luffy recruit all his crew members?
Indeed...
As expected of the first mate.
...
After breakfast.
The Freedom, with the rising sun at its back, set sail once more.
Their destination this time was Dressrosa, with an estimated voyage of two days.
The first day.
Boom—!
Two ships met.
One pursuing, one fleeing.
Endless cannonballs flew towards the Freedom.
The tall man wearing a captain's hat, standing at the stern of the cannon-firing ship, stared at the Freedom behind him with fear in his eyes.
He turned and roared at his crew, "Fire, all of you, fire until the last cannonball is spent."
He never imagined his luck would be so good as to encounter the Silver-Haired Pirate Group, which had recently ascended to legendary status, capable of dominating the seas with just two individuals, without any territory.
"Damn it."
Turning his head to look at the Freedom, which was drawing nearer, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed.
It made his breathing instantly quicken.
Especially when he saw the silver-haired figure sitting atop the ship's figurehead, through the gaps in the splashing seawater.
He felt as if the world around him had fallen silent, his vision narrowed to only those deep, azure eyes, like a starry sky.
The mockery and boundless pressure emanating from those eyes made him feel as if he were not standing on a deck, but on a swirling vortex, a black vortex.
And in the depths of that vortex lay hell.
On the Freedom.
"Is this guy an idiot?"
Alo, raising his gun, saw the middle-aged man frozen at the ship's stern through his scope, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
Pfft—!
Boom—!
"An idiot, what idiot?"
A Tao leaped up, slicing a cannonball that was about to hit the Freedom with his sword, landing beside Alo and looking at him in confusion.
"Nothing."
Alo shook his head.
A Tao glanced deeply at Alo, muttering, "Weirdo."
Then he turned and rushed towards another cannonball.
Ignoring A Tao, Alo's eyes narrowed, and he unhesitatingly pulled the trigger, aiming at the middle-aged man standing at the stern.
This was the fourth pirate group they had encountered today.
One had to admit, pirates in the New World were indeed different from those in Paradise.
In Paradise, even if a pirate could block his first shot, they couldn't block his second.
Moreover, the pirates in Paradise, upon seeing them, would basically charge forward without hesitation, as if they feared nothing and were truly unafraid of death.
But the pirates in the New World, upon seeing them, immediately turned to flee.
Self-awareness was one aspect.
Another was that, after a month of fermentation, their incident at Sabaody Archipelago had completely spread to every corner of the New World.
With two Admiral-level powerhouses on their ship, it was natural for pirates to flee at the first sight of them.
After all, their reputation among pirates was not good.
"Hmm! Danger."
A piercing pain in his brow and a cold dread rising from his heart instantly brought the middle-aged man back to his senses.
Without time to think, his head was instantly enveloped in black Armament Haki, turning him into a black figure.
Bang—!
"Bullet."
Looking up at the bullet before him, the middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief.
But in the next instant, the bullet rapidly expanded and, as his hairs stood on end, exploded.
Boom—!
An inferno instantly engulfed him and the ship's stern.
"Heh heh!!"
Watching the inferno in the distance, a mocking glint appeared in Alo's eyes.
"You think that's all?"
His Observation Haki allowed him to sense the life force within the raging flames.
So, he unhesitatingly pulled the trigger and fired a second bullet.
Then, without hesitation, he pulled it again, the third bullet shot out.
The successive explosions turned the stern of the distant ship into utter ruins.
"Hmm! Still not dead."
Just then, a dark figure charged out of the flames from the ship's stern.
The figure was completely black, with burns on its body, but judging by the aura emanating from it, apart from superficial injuries, it was not severely harmed.
"Hahaha!!"
A Tao stood on the railing, tilting his head to look at Alo and mocking him, "Can you even do it? If you can't kill him, let me have a go."
"Scram."
Alo shot A Tao a glare before turning around. His body began to expand, instantly transforming him into an ant-man with antennae on his head and two extra arms on his back.
Many pirates in the New World knew Haki.
Although the Haki of most pirates they encountered was not very profound, the middle-aged man on the ship ahead was clearly not among them.
Judging by his aura, his mastery of Haki should be high, at least higher than Alo's before transformation.
There was no choice; Alo had to transform.
Transformation not only enhanced his physical capabilities but also increased his Haki reserves and refinement.
Although his Haki was the weakest among the three, his Haki after transformation could match A Hua and A Tao.
This was another benefit brought by his Devil Fruit.
Otherwise, during sparring, he would truly not be a match for A Hua and A Tao, even with his Observation Haki.
Observation Haki was not omnipotent. Although A Tao and A Hua had not awakened theirs, their combat experience was sufficient, allowing them to sense danger and react instinctively.
Therefore, in close combat, A Tao and A Hua would not lose to him, even with his Observation Haki.
Alo raised the "Nether Dog" again, this time his aura was clearly more potent than before.
Looking at Alo, A Tao pouted, then turned his gaze towards the ship ahead, his eyes filled with coldness.
"If you meet us, you should just wait for death. Why resist?"
"It's not like she's a beauty, are you getting more excited the more you resist?"
Bang—!
Bang—!
Two gunshots rang out.
Black Armament Haki, enveloping transparent bullets, left a distorted air channel in the sky as they shot directly towards the middle-aged man.
At this moment, the middle-aged man who had just emerged from the sea of fire looked up sharply. He felt the burning sensation on his body suddenly cease to pain him; instead, a chill from the soles of his feet surged through his entire body, as if he were about to be instantly frozen from the inside out.
"Danger, extreme danger."
It was like when he was still weak and faced pirates attacking their town.
That fear instantly filled his entire being, making him momentarily forget to dodge.
However, it was only a momentary pause in his thoughts. After all, he had been at sea for decades and had experienced dozens of life-or-death crises.
So, he instantly reacted and once again applied Armament Haki to his aching head.
Bang—!
The piercing pain shot through his forehead and spread throughout his entire body.
Feeling the force on his forehead and the Haki on the bullet, the middle-aged man's heart plunged into the abyss.
Clearly, this bullet was different from the previous three.
Before he could think further, the second bullet shot towards his heart.
He had no time to reapply Haki.
In the New World, although many people had Haki, not everyone could cover their entire body with Haki, nor could everyone train their Haki to be used at will.
Boom—!
Watching the middle-aged man engulfed by flames once again, Alo mercilessly pulled the trigger again, this time not at the man, but at the ship.
The middle-aged man, forcing him to fire five shots, was already an achievement to be proud of.
In a short while, the pirate ship, engulfed in flames, gradually sank into the sea.
And the Freedom, still, sailed forward towards its intended destination, breaking through the waves.