Cultivating Enemies for Self-Importance

"You... what are you trying to do?" The two delinquents swallowed hard. They were just street punks who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Compared to ruthless men who pulled guns at the slightest disagreement, they practically counted as law-abiding citizens, didn't they?

"What we're trying to do? Can't you see for yourself?" Yasopp glared fiercely at them.

"Oh, oh! We understand, we understand." The two delinquents glanced at Yasopp, who was dressed much like them, and nodded repeatedly. "Boss, you can go first. We'll go second... no, no, we'll take fourth and fifth place."

"Ah! So you're that kind of person!" Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as she screamed. She had clearly recognized someone posing coolly behind Yasopp.

Shanks looked utterly baffled. Was he getting dragged into this for no reason?

"Huh?" Yasopp scratched his head awkwardly. Did he really look that much like a bad guy? Though in a sense, One Piece were indeed bad guys, being lumped in with those delinquents still left him rather displeased!

Shanks strode forward with an arrogant swagger, closing in step by step. His sharp gaze made them afraid to meet his eyes. "I told you pieces of trash to get out of my sight right now. Otherwise, you'll stay here forever!"

"We... we're leaving right away."

Although Shanks did not yet possess any Conqueror's Haki, the unquestionable force in his words was more than a few delinquents could bear. They were so intimidated that they fell onto the ground, stammering as they prepared to flee.

"Take that guy with you!"

Hearing Shanks's commanding tone, the two delinquents instinctively turned back. Each grabbed one of the man's legs, and they fled for their lives.

Shanks no longer paid attention to those idiots. He gave the girl huddled in the corner a friendly smile. "I..."

"Ah! Don't come any closer!" The petite girl had clearly been frightened by what those delinquents said. On top of that, Yasopp's outfit did not exactly make him look like a good person, so she remained wary of Shanks, who was with Yasopp.

"No, I..." Shanks was awkwardly about to explain when a scream filled with terror and despair suddenly interrupted him.

"Ah!"

Shanks and the other two could not help looking toward the sound. The three delinquents were already lying in pools of blood, while a Marine wearing a Coat of Justice stood at the end of the street.

"Ahhh! It's Major Longinus!" The petite girl let out a long, resounding shriek. If lung capacity were converted into combat power, her strength was at least over ten thousand.

"It's that Marine!" Yasopp felt a little annoyed. As the ship's sniper, he had recognized the newcomer slower than that girl had. Could being lovestruck actually count as a talent?

Beckman, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, finally turned grave. That Marine was undoubtedly the person on the island most worthy of their attention.

"Evil must be eradicated completely. Out of a hundred pieces of trash, perhaps one may find redemption. But the disasters caused by the remaining ninety-nine cannot possibly be made up for by a single redemption." Longinus spoke those iron-blooded words in a gentle tone, creating an extreme contrast. Under the sunlight, his Coat of Justice was not stained with a trace of blood. It seemed that casually disposing of a few petty punks was nothing worth mentioning to him.

"As a Marine who protects Justice, don't you think that was too rash? They were living people too. Someone would be sad, someone would grieve if they died." Shanks did not particularly care whether those punks lived or died. He was simply curious how Longinus, who was called a hero, would answer that question.

"What I protect is the Justice of people, not the Justice of scum. That kind of scum... cannot be considered human!" Longinus did not walk quickly, but his steps were steady, as though nothing could disrupt his pace.

Beckman even noticed that the Marine's rhythm had not changed in the slightest from beginning to end. He was practically like one of those lifeless robots from science fiction stories. Had this guy carved the Marines' creed into his very bones, leaving no trace of self-indulgence in him? He was so disciplined even in private. What a terrifying man!

"Major Longinus, thank goodness you came to save me. Otherwise..." The petite girl ran toward Longinus as though running toward the sun and spoke excitedly.

Hey, hey, hey, I was obviously the one who saved you! Do you have to treat us so differently? Shanks grumbled inwardly. What depressed him even more was that the girl looked at them vigilantly and "whispered," "Major Longinus, you must be careful of these people. They don't look like good people at all."

Indeed, a redhead, a punk, and a "mute"—to ordinary people, no matter how one looked at that group, they had nothing to do with being good people.

However, Shanks and the other two were not weak. Even though the girl lowered her voice, every word reached their ears clearly.

Beckman did not mind much, but Yasopp and Shanks were depressed to the point of internal injury. Being suspected after doing a good deed was not a pleasant feeling.

What Shanks and the other two had not expected was that the Marine would actually clear things up for them. "You misunderstood them. They really did come to save you."

"Ah? Is that so?" The girl did not doubt Longinus's words at all. Her face reddened as she apologized, "Sorry, sorry, I'm really very sorry. I mistook you for bad people!"

"Be more careful when you come out next time." Shanks and Yasopp were helpless. What else could they do? It was not as though they could seriously argue with a little girl.

Still, one baseless sentence from that Marine was enough to make the girl trust him without reservation, while they had done a good deed and still been suspected. The vast difference in treatment made them question life itself.

After the girl left, Longinus said with a gentle smile, "This time, it really was thanks to the three of you. Otherwise, could delayed Justice truly still be called Justice?"

Shanks had not expected that, as a One Piece, he would one day chat and laugh with a Marine. And although this Marine was forceful, he really was not all that irritating.

"Haha! What you said is less hypocritical than other Marines. I once had dealings with your..."

"Cough, cough!" Seeing his captain start spouting nonsense again, Yasopp hurriedly coughed twice as a reminder.

"...I once planned to join the Marines, but the person in charge at the time rejected me because of the scar over my eye." After saying that, Shanks secretly sighed in relief and gave himself a mental pat on the back for his quick thinking.

"That was indeed somewhat excessive. Selecting Marines is not a beauty contest. Even if you don't look like a good person..."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. The wind's too strong. My throat is a little itchy."

"How about this? Come back to the Marine base with me. With your yearning for Justice, I'm sure you'll soon grow into an outstanding Marine!"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"What's wrong with you all? Why did the three of you suddenly start coughing?"

"N-No, nothing. The wind's too strong. Our throats are a little itchy."

Seeing Beckman and Yasopp shoot him murderous looks, Shanks quickly came up with an excuse. "Oh no, the agreed time is almost here. We need to hurry to the harbor, or we'll miss this passenger ship..."

"Don't worry. If you miss it, I can have a warship escort you."

"A warship escort us?!"

"Cough, cough, cough! Thank you for your kind offer, Major, but we have urgent business. Let's talk again when we meet next time!"

Watching Shanks and the other two flee the alley as though escaping disaster, Longinus's smile gradually faded. He murmured to himself, "I never expected to encounter one of the future Four Emperors here! Unfortunately, he is utterly insignificant right now. Even if I reported him to the World Government, no one would consider an apprentice on the Pirate King's ship much of a threat."

"Although, if I strongly insisted, I might be able to mobilize a large fleet from the G2 Branch to surround and eliminate them, that would bring me no benefit at all. It would only be thankless effort, and perhaps many people would think I was making a mountain out of a molehill."

"Besides, light has meaning precisely because darkness exists!"

"Only because of the threat of the Four Emperors can the government tolerate the Marines' expansion. Only when the Marines become stronger will everything I do have meaning."

"Of course, Cultivating Enemies for Self-Importance may very well end in self-destruction. That will depend on whose methods are more skillful! Red-Haired Shanks, I believe the day we meet again will not be too far away!"