The Quick-Witted Captain Locke

"Those guys... dared to interrupt my vacation. Unforgivable!" A massive golden eagle with sharp eyes soared through the sky, its gaze sweeping the land like a radar as it muttered nonstop. "Still, I probably won't get the chance to teach those bastards a lesson. Boss Longinus will show them what true fear is!"

"Target located... over there..." Gregory beat his wings and spiraled down in a dive.

After returning to human form on the ground, Gregory looked at the miserable state of the isolated island and shook his head. "As expected, Boss Longinus didn't hold back at all when dealing with enemies!"

"What was that saying Boss used to mention? Be as warm as spring toward the people, and as cold and ruthless as winter toward enemies. Perhaps it was precisely that unwavering conviction that made Boss into such a legend!"

Gregory did not linger and continued toward the depths of the island.

There were no bloodstains or mutilated corpses along the way, displaying the killer's exceptionally high combat skill. Nearly all of them had been killed in a single blow before they could react.

All the pirates had gone peacefully, their faces still bearing the gleeful smiles from their revelry before death. Yet on this deathly silent island, the sight was instead strangely terrifying.

"Good thing I've seen this kind of thing enough times. Otherwise, I'd get scared into having a heart attack sooner or later!" Gregory said, letting out a long breath.

"My apologies, but when dealing with enemies of this level, I simply don't have a habit of making a bloody mess everywhere." Longinus emerged from the woods in his Coat of Justice. Under the silver-white moonlight, not even a speck of dust stained him.

"Haha! I accidentally let you hear that, Boss!" Gregory showed no embarrassment as he turned his head and looked around. "Have all the Giant Axe Pirates been cleaned up?"

"Mm. They were minor characters. They didn't take much time." Longinus slowly walked out of the forest, with Gregory following closely behind.

"That's true. Those idiots actually dared to set their sights on you, Boss. They really didn't know how the word 'death' was written."

Upon reaching an open space outside the forest, Gregory deftly transformed into a huge golden eagle. Longinus leaped onto the eagle's back, and in the next instant, the dark isolated island was already receding into the distance like a black speck.

"By the way, Boss, how did you get out of those Seastone cuffs? I thought those things usually only came with one key?" Gregory swept through the mist of the night, his voice sounding strange in his beast form.

"Unearth the body's potential, instill your brain's will into it, and make every part of your body move as naturally as an arm or finger. Then you can accomplish things ordinary people would consider impossible—for instance, controlling your hair and turning it into a key to unlock Seastone cuffs..." Longinus said casually, as though he were discussing something utterly ordinary.

Gregory fell silent for a moment before speaking gloomily. "All right, it seems I'm one of the ordinary people you were talking about, Boss. I want to be alone. Don't ask me who Alone is."

Longinus laughed despite himself and said no more.

The method he had used to open the Seastone cuffs was Life Return, known by the common saying, "There is a seventh Rokushiki technique." Although he roughly knew the training methods for Rokushiki, without complete theoretical guidance, Longinus had only mastered the most basic Shave and the Life Return that came easiest to him over the past two years.

After all, Life Return was ultimately nothing more than extreme control over one's body. For an anomaly like him, born with Observation Haki and even possessing a soul far stronger than ordinary people, mastering Life Return was truly not difficult once he knew the direction.

With Gregory pushing his speed to the limit, they quickly crossed the sea between several islands. Before long, they arrived at the temporary base where he had been stationed.

The moment the two landed, a large number of Marine soldiers gathered around them excitedly.

"That's wonderful, Major Longinus! I knew you would be fine!"

"How could those petty pirates possibly be a match for Major Longinus?"

Gregory, now in human form, pushed through the crowd and said, "You can cancel the bounty on the Giant Axe Pirates. Boss Longinus has already taken care of every last one of them."

"Waaah! Major Longinus is incredible!"

Inside the prison, Giant Axe Locke, who had been transferred to an ordinary cell due to his good behavior, heard the constant cheers from outside and curiously asked the guarding Marine, "Brother, did something happen outside?"

Since Locke's previous good behavior had dealt a considerable blow to the ugly trend of rampant piracy, the Marines guarding the prison did not harbor much ill will toward him. Moreover, since the matter was somewhat related to him, one of them explained, "Your Giant Axe Pirates have been wiped out. Those idiots thought that since Major Longinus had bound his own hands and feet with Seastone cuffs, he would be helpless against them. Unfortunately, by the time they understood how strong the major was, it was already too late."

"Y-you-you-you... how can you slander me out of thin air? I have nothing to do with the Giant Axe Pirates now!" Giant Axe Locke argued with a red face, then patted his chest in lingering fear. "I knew that idiot Bart was courting death. Trash like him actually dared to oppose Major Longinus!"

The Giant Axe Pirates officers captured alongside Giant Axe Locke had initially resented their captain's cowardice. But after hearing the Giant Axe Pirates' fate, they shouted as well, "Captain is wise! Captain is mighty!"

"Idiots, what captain is there here? We are all cellmates atoning for our sins to change our own destinies and futures!" Locke hurriedly declared his position.

The pirate officers nodded repeatedly like pecking chicks. "We will certainly turn over a new leaf, become new people, study hard, and improve every day."

"Dawn Piercing Through the Gloom: Longinus, the Light of the Marines!"

"Risking His Life: A Marine's Duty and Responsibility!"

"Unwavering Justice: A Marine Major Reforms Brutal Pirates!"

Longinus lightly flicked his fingers, pushing the newspaper before him aside. Adkin, who had already been promoted to commodore, smiled and said, "Don't mind it. In this increasingly turbulent age, the Marines need to establish role models as much as possible. They naturally won't let a perfect image like yours slip away."

"I'm used to this already. After all, appearing in the newspapers hasn't happened only once or twice over the past two years. It's just that some of the content here... is truly exaggerated to a ridiculous extent."

Longinus smiled helplessly, his gaze shifting to several other newspapers on the table. Their headlines were printed in bright red letters:

"End the Pirate Era: The Light of the Marines' Oath!"

"The Inheritance of a Hero: Vice Admiral Garp's Praise!"

"Admiral or Fleet Admiral: Where Will the Marine Rising Star's Journey End?"