Monster!

"Hah! Hah! Ah!"

In Marine Square, the tall swordsman swung his blade, sweat pouring down like rain.

The young officer lounging nearby in a chair and basking in the sun stretched lazily. "I say, T Bone, we're on vacation. Aren't you planning to take a break?"

"Phew, phew!" T Bone, far sturdier than he had been two years ago, panted heavily. "No. If I want to catch up to Brother Longinus, I have to work even harder."

"You still haven't given up on that unrealistic fantasy? Boss Longinus is a monster among monsters. Ordinary people like us could never catch up to him in our lifetimes. We just need to wave the flag and cheer behind the boss."

Seeing that T Bone had not taken his words to heart, the young officer said helplessly, "T Bone, reality is just that cruel. You need to learn to accept it. In this world, it's not frightening when someone else is more talented than you. What's frightening is when someone more talented than you also works harder than you."

"Take Boss Longinus. Is that kind of training something a human can even accomplish? Tempering his body in the deep sea, training his endurance in magma, honing his will on glaciers, comprehending nature amid lightning, standing firm in gale-force winds, controlling his strength in mud swamps."

"Tell me, are those things a person can do?"

"You said it yourself. A genius like Brother Longinus works that hard, so an ordinary person like me has even less reason to stop moving forward." T Bone swung his sword again and again, his gaze still incomparably resolute.

"Heh, you're not exactly an ordinary person either, you know!" the young officer retorted weakly.

"Bad news... bad news!" A Marine soldier ran over, panting as he reported, "Captain Gregory, Lieutenant T Bone, Major Longinus has been captured!"

"Pfft!" Gregory, who had been leisurely drinking tea, sprayed out a mouthful. He asked in disbelief, "What kind of joke is that? A monster like Boss Longinus got captured? Could it be some Great Pirates who returned from the New World?"

"No, no." The Marine soldier shook his head like a rattle. "It was the vice captain of the Giant Axe Pirates."

Gregory's eyes widened. Even T Bone stopped his sword mid-swing and said in his muffled voice, "The vice captain of the Giant Axe Pirates? That small fry with a bounty of 27 million Beli? Even if there were a hundred more like him, they still couldn't be a match for Brother Longinus."

"Honestly, I really don't think there are any pirates in the first half of the Grand Line who could trouble Boss Longinus!" Gregory said, spreading his hands in exasperation.

"Of course those pirates were no match for Major Longinus, but they were too despicable. They threatened the lives of innocent civilians. To exchange himself for the civilians, Major Longinus bound his hands and feet with Seastone cuffs and became the pirates' hostage. He has already been taken off Sunset Island by those pirates."

"Bound his hands and feet with Seastone cuffs? This is bad. Even Brother Longinus can't break free under those circumstances!" T Bone's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly gathered his weapons and prepared to leave. "Send a squad of soldiers after those pirates immediately!"

"T Bone, calm down. I don't know why Boss Longinus made that decision, but you have to trust him. The boss has never fought a battle he wasn't sure of winning. The only ones who will end up unlucky are those pirates," Gregory analyzed steadily.

"Besides, you know how strong the boss's body is. Those little pirates with bounties of ten or twenty million can use every trick they have and still won't be able to do anything to him."

Hearing Gregory's explanation, T Bone's expression eased somewhat, though he did not stop walking. "That may be true, but I still can't just stand by and watch."

"Heh heh, who told you to stand by and watch? You just need to prepare a welcome feast. Leave the rest to me!" As Gregory spoke, his body rapidly expanded. His eyes turned sharp, his beak hooked like a talon, and his wings became blades. He let out a clear, piercing cry.

"It's here—Captain Gregory's power! The Bird-Bird Fruit, regular type, Golden Eagle Form! One of the world's only five flying abilities!" the reporting soldier said enviously.

With a beat of his wings, Gregory shot straight into the sky like an arrow.

T Bone could not help stopping as well. He muttered, "That's right. With Gregory's ability, Brother Longinus will definitely be rescued safely!"

"Hahahaha! I got my hands on Great Pirate Hobbit's treasure map! I'll soon become one of the greatest pirates in these waters!" Scarface Bart clutched the treasure map, his flushed face twisted in sickly laughter.

"Great, wise, and mighty Captain Bart will surely lead us through the Great Voyage, stand atop all pirates, and become the Pirate King praised by the world!" A pirate shamelessly flattered him before cautiously asking, "But, Captain, how should we deal with that Marine? He's an important figure in the Marines. Killing him would bring us unimaginable fame, but we'd definitely be placed on the Marines' kill-on-sight list!"

Bart's expression darkened and shifted before he finally let out a savage laugh. "You make it sound like there's any chance of reconciliation between us and the Marines! A pirate crew like ours, one that openly attacked a town and even kidnapped a Marine major, will absolutely become a priority target for the Marines!"

As he spoke, Bart cursed his bad luck inwardly. If that idiot Locke had not been too afraid to flee, they could have simply thrown him out to appease the Marines' wrath. Why would they need to completely tear off all pretense like this?

"C-Captain, then what should we do?" The pirate beside him was terrified. No pirate dared completely enrage that colossal force. Otherwise, what awaited them would certainly not be a manhunt on the same level as before.

"Heh. We'll use that guy as a stepping stone. As long as we make a name for ourselves, heroes from all corners will come to join us. By then, we might even be able to stand against the Marines as equals!" Bart sneered as he led his crew toward the prison where the captives were temporarily held on the island. He intended to use that legendary major's blood to firmly establish his absolute authority within the crew.

However, the vicious grin on his face froze completely the instant he opened the prison door.

On the ground lay two familiar Seastone cuffs. Longinus stood there, moving his body, while the pirates who had guarded him were already lying in pools of blood.

"Y-you-you-you..." It was as though he had witnessed the most terrifying supernatural horror film. A chill rose from Bart's feet to his heart, freezing even his blood and soul. He stammered, unable to speak.

"Oh! Are you asking how I broke free from the Seastone cuffs?" Longinus asked with a gentle smile.

Bart nodded woodenly, no longer knowing how he was supposed to react.

"It's very simple. Like this!" As Longinus spoke, the long hair draped over his shoulders began to writhe wildly like venomous snakes.

"Aaaah! A monster!"

Thanks to Omniscient Magician for the 200 donation, Demon Emperor Tiger Marshal for the 1,000 donation, and Qin's Ying Zheng for the 5,000 donation. Thank you all for your tremendous support. And shamelessly, I'd like to ask for recommendation votes as well. After all, recommendation votes are an important measure of whether a new book is worth recommending! ()