"He actually bounced the bullets back..."
"And that guy, his weapon can transform?!"
"It looks like paper—"
The ordinary Marines were terrified by the fantastical sight, but Captain Morgan, the base commander, was rather "well-informed."
"Don't panic. Those two just ate Devil Fruits!"
"Devil Fruits..."
"The treasures of the sea—"
"This..."
"Hmph."
"So-called Devil Fruits are nothing more than street-performer tricks."
"Since bullets won't work, use swords!"
The tall Morgan glanced at the Marines armed for close combat beside him and pointed his axe forward with his right hand!
"Go! Kill them!"
"Charge!!"
"Kill—"
"Ahhh~~~"
Faced with their superior's order to "get them," the Marines shouting various slogans could only charge forward with gritted teeth. And then they faced:
Three swords!
One in each hand, with another clenched horizontally in his mouth, Zoro's three katanas instantly met the Marines' blades. With a sharp clang, he blocked every attacking soldier! At the same time:
"Whoever moves, I'll cut them down!"
The bone-chilling killing intent made the Marines tremble all over. A single glance from Zoro froze their limbs, as though shards of ice were flowing through their blood.
"I owe you my life, so I agreed to become a pirate with you."
Even with over a dozen blades pressed against him, the man named Zoro did not so much as furrow his brow. But some things still needed to be made clear:
"However, I have my own ambition—"
Naturally, he was speaking to the captain who had just agreed to let him join his "pirate crew": Luffy.
"I'm going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
"If you ever force me to abandon my dream, I'll make you commit seppuku before me as an apology!"
You want to recruit me?
Then bear the weight of my dream. Otherwise—
Roman raised an eyebrow at Zoro's killing intent, while Luffy merely flashed a carefree, toothy grin.
"Of course. The World's Greatest Swordsman would make the perfect companion for the King of the Pirates."
"What are you idiots standing around for?!"
The soldiers who had charged forward were too intimidated by Zoro to move. The enraged Morgan swung his axe and struck down a soldier whose gun was tremblingly pointed at the ground.
"Fire! Kill those useless fools along with them!"
Yet faced with such an "absurd" order, and with Morgan's accumulated authority and the freshly fallen "example" before them, the gun-wielding Marines had no choice but to aim their trembling weapons at:
Luffy, Zoro—and their own comrades!
"Paper Dance—Crossbow."
Fire!
Puff puff puff puff!
"Ahh~~"
"What—"
Clatter.
Amid the sounds of arms being pierced, the cries and shouts of numerous Marines, and guns falling to the ground, Roman slowly advanced toward them.
"Hey, there's a limit to how much you can underestimate people."
In his hands were two pure-white crossbows. They had both been created by Roman's ability, and the arrows they fired were made of "paper," but:
Their power was no less than the Marines' flintlock rifles!
"I don't object if you want to kill your own people." The crossbows in his hands "automatically" cocked themselves and formed arrows before taking aim!
"But attacking my companions is the same as attacking me—"
Which meant he could fight back!
"That guy is..."
"The combat captain of the Silver Light Pirates, the Counterattacker Roman?"
After all, Roman had a ten-million-Beli bounty on his head. His face was quite intimidating in the East Blue! Incidentally, the original Silver Light Pirates had not been a local force in the East Blue. They were wandering pirates driven here from the North Blue.
"Why are you here... Could it be that the Silver Light Pirates are nearby?!"
Even Morgan, who considered himself quite "great," could not help panicking when faced with Roman. The Silver Light Pirates had a total bounty exceeding forty million; their strength was not something an ordinary Marine base in the East Blue could handle.
Morgan had only earned his position as captain after "capturing" Kuro of Hundred Plans, who had a bounty of sixteen million...
"Don't worry. The Silver Light Pirates no longer exist in this world."
Facing the Marines as if they were confronting a great enemy, Roman pointed his thumb behind him.
"Now I'm with the Straw Hat Pirates—"
Whoosh—
A red figure moving at high speed had already passed Roman and charged toward Captain Morgan.
"Well, looks like someone couldn't wait any longer."
Boom!
Luffy's fist slammed hard into Morgan's axe, forcibly driving the towering Marine captain back a step.
"Hey, I'm your enemy."
"If you've got what it takes, fight me!"
Killing your own companions was the most disgusting thing...
"Hmph, a nobody."
"I am Captain Morgan, Ax Hand Morgan!"
Faced with Morgan's fury, Luffy introduced himself with an adorably blank expression.
"Oh, I'm Luffy. Nice to meet you."
"Who told you to—"
The huge axe in his right hand swept sideways, splitting the nearby wall in two at the waist amid a piercing rippp!
"Introduce yourself!?"
"Powerful, but far too slow—"
As Roman calmly commented, the Marine captain's axe indeed achieved nothing! Luffy merely sprang nimbly upward from where he stood, easily evading the attack. Then:
Boom!
He casually kicked Morgan in the face, sending the Marine captain staggering back several steps.
"You're dead!!"
Having reached the peak of his fury, Morgan steadied himself and immediately lunged forward with a savage downward chop, carving a long crack through the stone Marine plaza! But:
"I'm not going to die~"
He deftly spun aside to evade the axe, then unleashed a roundhouse kick.
Smack!
Kicked in the temple, Morgan's towering body immediately swayed and collapsed. Luffy grabbed him by the collar and raised his other fist high.
"What kind of Marine are you? You destroyed Koby's dream—"
"Stop!"
Boom!
Yet Luffy's fist still came down. Only after delivering a heavy punch did he stand and turn toward the source of the voice.
"I said stop~~"
The one shouting was that spoiled brat—the son of Captain Morgan, the commander of this Marine base!
No one knew when he had slipped onto the battlefield, but he was now pressing a short-barreled flintlock pistol against Koby's head. His threat needed no explanation.
"Move again, and I'll shoot him!"
"Lu... Luffy..."
"Don't mind me. Even if I die, I don't want to be dead weight..."
It had to be said that one's true character showed at the brink of life and death. The once timid and cowardly Koby did not tremble in the slightest at that moment.
"Good!"
"Hey, you guy who can only rely on his dad."
Luffy first nodded at Koby, then pointed at the spoiled brat. "Give it up. Koby is serious. A real man wouldn't drag his friends down because of threats..."
But behind Luffy, a tall figure had already silently risen to his feet! The massive axe in his hand was raised high—
"Don't move, or I'll shoot..."
"Luffy, watch out behind you!"
Faced with one person unable to conceal his wild delight and another risking everything to warn him, the boy named Luffy merely pressed down his straw hat.
"Roman."
"Got it—"
Puff!
Clatter.
The short gun fell to the ground. The spoiled brat looked at the "paper arrow" that had pierced through his palm. After freezing for a moment, he finally let out a heaven-shaking scream:
"Ahhh~ My hand~~~"
Meanwhile, Captain Morgan, who had raised his axe high behind Luffy, stood completely still like a statue! A second later, he slowly fell backward. Luffy, who had not looked back once as he held down his straw hat, flashed a bright, toothy grin.
"Nice work."
"Zoro."
Behind the fallen Morgan stood Zoro, holding three swords.
"Piece of cake—"
The man with a katana clenched in his mouth replied.
"Captain."
Before you continue