The Star Train's Journey Through the Heavens

Chapter 189 We are the Sea Patrol Knights

Bellemere remained silent. In this era of rampant piracy, very few islands had not been plundered by pirates.

It's fortunate that Cocoyasi Village has maintained peace for so many years, but it's unlikely that such good fortune will last forever.

Bellemere wouldn't be surprised if a pirate crew came one day.

She definitely needs to fight the pirates and protect everyone's strength.

Having considered this, Bellemere could no longer refuse.

“...But we have nothing to repay you with,” Bellemere said in a complicated tone.

“Living well and protecting more people is the best way to repay us,” March 7th said.

"Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit should at least give you the strength of a pirate with a bounty of 30 to 40 million. With a little effort, 50 million or more shouldn't be a problem. That should be enough for you to protect your homeland," Meng Huaifeng said.

"I definitely will," Bellemere said firmly. She was a navy officer, and even though she had retired, it was still what she should do.

"Then we'll be going." Meng Huaifeng said goodbye and left.

Watching the three figures leave, Bellemere lowered her head and said to Nojiko, "You must remember them and repay them when you have the chance."

I'm afraid I won't have the chance to repay them; I can only entrust them to my two daughters.

"Mm." Noki nodded.

Looking at the Devil Fruit in her hand, Bellemere had a fleeting thought of giving it to her daughter to eat.

But it's unknown when the pirate crew Meng Huaifeng predicted will arrive, or how strong they will be.

If they arrive soon, they'll be very strong.

Even if my young daughter ate a Devil Fruit, she probably wouldn't be a match for me.

Instead, it betrayed the kindness of others.

Without further hesitation, Bellemere ate the Devil Fruit.

The sooner you take it, the more time you'll have to train and get stronger.

Generally, the weaker the user is, the more pronounced the enhancement from a Zoan-type Devil Fruit will be.

Bellemere, who was of average build, instantly gained dozens of times more strength!

As she adapted to the surge of power within her, a hint of worry flashed in Bellemere's eyes.

The greater the strength, the more one must consume. If things continue as before, it's unlikely that one will ever become stronger.

If I can't become stronger, I can't protect the village and my daughter...

The orange grove alone is no longer enough to support the mother and daughter; they need to find another way.

Having just gained immense power, Bellemere found herself in another predicament.

……

"Shouldn't we go teach that guy a lesson now?" March 7 said impatiently.

"Who are you going to teach a lesson to?" Xing asked.

“A disgrace to the navy,” Meng Huaifeng said.

“I’ll go too, I have experience with this!” Xing said enthusiastically, pulling out a few pairs of stockings.

March 7th's eyes lit up, and he praised, "That's right, if we cover our faces, we won't have to worry about being wanted, right? Ah Xing, you really have experience!"

"Let me ask you first, are these stockings new?" Meng Huaifeng asked.

“Of course it’s new!” Xing said decisively.

Meng Huaifeng looked at Xing with suspicion. She doesn't wear stockings, so why would she put new stockings in her space?
On March 7th, after carefully examining the item for a moment, he realized it wasn't his and breathed a sigh of relief.

“According to the villagers, the nearest naval base, the 16th Branch, is on an island about forty nautical miles to the north,” Meng Huaifeng said, stepping onto the sea.

The three sped up slightly and arrived at the naval branch base in a few minutes.

"Quickly! The town of Catalan has been attacked by pirates! Everyone, board the ship and get ready to depart!"

The atmosphere at the naval base dock was solemn as hundreds of marines hurriedly boarded the ship.

Meng Huaifeng used EtherEdit to conceal the three of them before entering the base.

"Who is that scumbag in the navy? Where is he?" March 7 asked, looking at the marines coming and going.

"Colonel Rat, hmm, he seems to be a lieutenant colonel now, and he's preparing to go support the person in charge of the warship in the invaded town." Meng Huaifeng sensed the situation and looked in the direction of the warship.

"It seems we've come at the wrong time," March 7 said somewhat awkwardly.

Even if he's a scoundrel, he's currently planning to catch pirates.

It seems inappropriate to reprimand him at this time.

The three boarded the warship, found the rats' office on board, and looked through the window.

"He looks so sleazy, and he seems really weak too," Xing commented.

The rat colonel in the office is on the phone.

"We're leaving right away. How's it going on your end?" the mouse asked.

"Everything is ready. This achievement should be enough for your promotion, right?"

"Squeak squeak squeak, of course, I have connections." The mouse chuckled smugly.

"At that time, we will still need to rely on the protection of the colonel."

"Sure, sure, squeak squeak squeak," the mouse laughed.

"Then I will wait for you at the usual place."

The mouse hung up the phone, sat on the recliner, squeaked and hummed a tune, looking smug.

"No wonder it's called a rat, how can anyone laugh like that?" Xing complained.

"And some people are even chuckling and laughing. The world is full of wonders, what's so strange about that?" Meng Huaifeng said.

"Is he in contact with the mayor of the disaster-stricken town?" March 7th whispered.

"Not necessarily, let's follow them and see." Meng Huaifeng frowned slightly, feeling that something was off about the conversation.

The warship set off quickly, and it took more than an hour to reach its destination.

From afar, flames could be seen shooting into the sky from the island ahead, billowing thick smoke.

A pirate ship saw the navy approaching from afar and immediately left the dock to run away into the distance, while simultaneously firing its cannons at the warships.

However, the distance was too far, and the shells fell into the sea before they reached the warship.

The navy, not to be outdone, opened fire in retaliation.

The pirate ship was already far out of the navy's firing range and was unharmed.

However, the other pirate ships docked at the pier were all sunk.

The navy ignored the fleeing pirate ship, docked at the pier, and began arresting the pirates who were still burning, killing, and looting in the town.

Meng Huaifeng casually left a mark on the fleeing pirate ship.

None of the remaining pirates were particularly strong; the Navy captured or killed them all simply with their guns.

The money looted by the pirates was collected by Rat's men and moved onto the warship.

When the townspeople saw the navy arrive and easily defeat the pirates, they cheered and rushed to greet them.

"Sir Navy, thank you for upholding justice and saving us. Many townspeople's property has been stolen by pirates, you see..." The mayor thanked the rat, then asked expectantly.

"Those are all stolen goods confiscated from pirates. What does it have to do with our navy if you ask pirates for your property?" Rat said disdainfully.

"Also, you need to pay for the navy's patrol expenses, rescue costs, ammunition costs, and casualty compensation. Five million Berries isn't much for such a big town, is it?" the rat continued.

"This... Sir, our town was just ransacked by pirates..." the mayor said, looking troubled. "I don't care. This is to save you. We can't let the Navy bleed and spend money, can we? You don't have to pay, but if pirates come again, the Navy won't help you," Rat threatened.

"This...this...sir, please give us some time," the mayor pleaded.

"Hurry up, we still need to chase after that fleeing pirate crew," the rat said impatiently.

The town mayor, with a pained expression, went to collect money from the townspeople.

"He really is a scoundrel." March 7 grinded his little tiger teeth. It was only because he had just led his men to deal with the pirates that March 7 couldn't help but go up and beat him up.

Soon, the town mayor had raised the money.

The rat ordered people to board the ship and put five million berries together with the so-called 'stolen goods'.

"Looks like I'll have to play the role of a chivalrous thief today," Meng Huaifeng said.

Meng Huaifeng used a quantum leap to enter the ship's cargo hold, transferring all the stolen goods and five million berries into a train ticket.

Then they brought in a bunch of stones and temporarily arranged them into the same kind of valuables as before.

It's not a permanent edit; it will revert to its original state in about a day.

The three returned to the disaster-stricken town and quietly returned all their belongings.

They caught up with the warship again, which had now arrived at a small deserted island. On the other side of the island, the pirate ship that had escaped earlier was moored!

On the deserted island, a rat and several marines are dividing the loot with the pirate captain!
"Having repelled the Raging Waves Pirates and annihilated over four hundred pirates, Lord Rat will surely become renowned throughout the East China Sea," Captain Raging Waves congratulated.

"Squeak squeak squeak, thanks to Captain Raging Waves for tricking so many cannon fodder, otherwise it would have taken several more years before we had a chance to be promoted. Captain Raging Waves can take an extra ten percent of the profits this time," the rat laughed.

"How can that be? We agreed to split it in half, so it has to be split in half. We'll still need to rely on Lord Rat in the future," Nu Tao wisely refused.

"Squeak, don't worry, I'll definitely protect you. I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

"Pleasant to work with."

The two of them burst into laughter.

Clearly, the rat didn't become a scoundrel after seizing power; it had always been a scoundrel.

On March 7th, her bright little face turned gloomy.

Without saying a word, Xing took out a pair of stockings, put them over her head, and then handed them to March 7 and Meng Huaifeng.

Although I wore this thing on March 7th, I never actually wore it.

But she didn't really want to be wanted, so after hesitating for a moment, she sighed and put it on her head as well.

Meng Huaifeng waved his hand in refusal, broke off a tree branch, and edited it with ether, creating a handsome dragon-shaped mask in his hand.

Then she put it on her face, covering most of it.

March 7th and Xing fell silent as they looked at Meng Huaifeng, whose style was so different from theirs, and their anger towards the rats subsided considerably.

"What are you looking at? It's up there."

Meng Huaifeng deactivated his invisibility and was about to rush out when he was pulled back by San Yueqi and Xing.

March 7th ripped off the stockings from her head, pinched Meng Huaifeng hard, and said angrily, "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to wear a mask? You made me put stockings on my head!"

“I thought you guys liked it.” Meng Huaifeng scratched his head.

"Who would like that!"

“Wearing masks, face coverings, cloaks or anything like that can conceal your identity, but you insist on using stockings. Of course I assumed you liked it that way,” Meng Huaifeng said innocently.

“I…I…” March 7th was speechless.

Yeah, why is it that when people talk about hiding one's identity, all they think of is wearing stockings?

"Damn it, it's all your fault for leading me astray!" March 7th punched Xing in embarrassment and anger. If Xing hadn't taken out the stockings in the first place, how could she have been led astray?

It's not my fault!

It's all Ah Xing's fault!
Ah Xing looked aggrieved. "If I hadn't taken out the stockings, you wouldn't have even thought of hiding your identity."

“Huaifeng, I want a mask too,” March 7th said.

Meng Huaifeng edited another phoenix-shaped mask, which he happily examined a few times before putting it on his face on March 7th.

"Ah Xing, what about you?" March 7th asked Xing, who was the only one still wearing stockings.

“I want one that’s even more handsome than yours.” Hoshino pulled off her stockings.

Meng Huaifeng stroked his chin and said, "If I could think of something more handsome, I wouldn't be wearing this mask."

That makes sense. Xing pondered for a moment.

"Here, take this." Meng Huaifeng edited a smiley face mask for Xing.

"Pfft!" March 7th burst out laughing, patting Meng Huaifeng and saying, "This is too abstract! Change it."

"No!" Xing immediately refused, accepting the smiling mask as if it were a precious treasure.

"I want this one! This mask is simply amazing!"

"Ah Xing, are you serious?" March 7th stared in disbelief.

"Snap." The Star General put on the mask, answering March 7th with his actions.

"How is it?" Xing asked.

"Pfft! Turn around, don't face me, I can't help but laugh when I see you." March 7th pursed her lips tightly, trying her best to hold back.

"Great!" Meng Huaifeng gave a thumbs up; he felt this mask was perfect for Xing.

Having concealed their identities, the three emerged from behind the hillside and headed towards Rat and Captain Raging Waves.

"You're a wolf in sheep's clothing, deceiving your superiors and subordinates, and insatiably greedy. You're a rat, aren't you? You've already met your doom."

Before the people arrive, the sound arrives first.

"Who goes there!" Rat and Raging Waves, who were dividing the spoils, were startled and looked in the direction from which the voice came.

"Squeak~"

"Hahahaha~"

The two men, who had been looking tense, and their confidants burst into laughter upon seeing Xing.

"I told you this mask wouldn't work!" March 7 said speechlessly, moving slightly away from Xing, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

Wait, I'm wearing a mask too, so it's okay now.

"We are sea patrol knights who punish evil and promote good, who act on behalf of Heaven, and who specialize in killing scum like you. I am Phantom Gunner." Meng Huaifeng brandished his Phantom Gun.

"Galaxy Batman." Star carries the Galaxy Bat.

This feels familiar, like I've been there before. What's my name, Xia?
"The Glass Swordsman!" March 7th finally remembered, and the Glass Sword twirled in a flourish.

"What sea patrol knights? Never heard of them. Now that you've seen them, you can't be allowed to live! Captain Raging Waves, kill them!" said the rat.

“Leave it to me,” Nutao replied.

Nu Tao grinned maliciously and took a few steps toward the three of them, saying, "Such mystery! Wait till I rip off your masks and see what you look like. Too bad you saw something you shouldn't have, otherwise, if you were good-looking, I could have sold you into slavery. But now... considering you made me laugh earlier, I'll let you die a quick death!"

"Whoosh!"

On March 7th, a single sword strike caught the arrogant Nu Tao completely off guard, killing him instantly.

"This is impossible! Raging Waves is a great pirate with a bounty of seventeen million Berries, how could he not react at all... Stop them and fire!" Rat exclaimed in alarm.

His henchman pointed a gun at the three men and pulled the trigger.

The rats quickly fled towards the warship.

(End of this chapter)