Death of a Marine

[Reward: Giant Power (Rare) +54 +540→945 (Level 2 Giant Child)]

[Reward: Giant Power (Rare) +70 +700→1645 (Level 3 Giant Youth)]

[Reward: Hagoku +17 +170→187 (Level 2 Giant Warrior)]

Figo gradually received the remaining rewards from the other six giants aboard the warship.

Giant Power had leaped from Level 1 straight to Level 3. Figo could feel a significant improvement in his physique, but more importantly, his lifespan had changed!

The more than one thousand points of Giant Power he'd gained at once had brought about a striking difference. Figo felt as though some kind of restraint inside him had been lifted. Every cell brimmed with vitality, as if he'd returned to his youth.

This haul had extended his life by at least ten years!

But... his youth? At twenty-eight, was he still going to keep growing? Along with his joy, Figo felt a faint worry about that.

Growing in other ways was fine.

The problem was his height.

He was already 2.5 meters tall. That was enough.

It was true that non-Giants in the world of pirates could grow to an absurd seven or eight meters, but Figo didn't want to end up like that. For one thing, being too big would make it hard to find a wife.

He'd have to keep an eye on it. If he really was still growing, he'd need to think of something. His ideal maximum height was three meters.

That could wait.

Besides the giants who'd made up the remaining rewards, the other two CP9 members had also been recorded in the Prison Archives.

They hadn't reached SR. Both were R9, though their Crime Index scores were a little higher than Peslo's: one had 14 and the other 16. Maybe it was because they'd handled more odd jobs. Like this time, when they'd publicly rescued the giants, they were the ones who'd stepped in.

"I told you we didn't have enough cells." Figo surveyed the seven cells and murmured to himself.

The Nun and the three CP9 members occupied one cell, leaving only six for the seven giants. The two smallest giants huddled together in one.

The warship had limited space, so the cells were only eight meters high. Even a giant over twelve meters tall was cramped in a cell alone. With two in one, they were practically embracing.

Both of them were already in tears.

"Wahhh... Benefactors, we've dragged you into this!"

As they spoke, they glanced curiously at the Nun, puzzled that their three benefactors had somehow become four... but that didn't matter.

"Tell us your names, benefactors! Even if we're executed, even if we never meet again, the Giant race will remember your friendship forever!"

Peslo remained wooden-faced the whole time.

What good would that do? They'd been captured, so no friendship could make it back to Elbaf. And once Yamauba's identity was exposed, there'd be even more trouble. The mission had failed completely. They'd wait until they returned to the Holy Land and could report to the Five Elders.

His silence only moved the giants more.

What spirit! How had they never known there were such good people among the little folk?

"Wahhh..."

"Damn you, evil Warden!"

"Even if you beat and humiliate us, the warriors of the Giant race will never yield!"

Figo felt all misty-eyed from their crying. It reminded him of the prison guards who'd cried as they saw him off. Why did everyone in the world of pirates have this habit? Anyway, he'd already received the rewards. After a moment's thought, he ordered, "Clear out the cabin at the stern and move the four of them in there."

"Yes, Sir Figo!"

The Marines immediately got to work.

Peslo stayed silent and went along as they escorted him to the cabin at the stern. Only after the door had been locked did he nudge his two companions with his toe, rousing them.

Little Tiger CP9 had been struck by a giant, and he felt as though every bone in his body was broken. Fortunately, he was a Zoan Devil Fruit user with strong defenses. He let out a long groan and came to, then tried to sit up, only to get tangled in his chains.

"W-what happened?"

Female CP9 had been less badly injured than he was, and woke up sooner. She looked around in alarm. "Big Brother Peslo? Is that... Yamauba? What's going on? Was it that Warden? What does he want?"

"Warden..." Little Tiger recovered his memory. "That guy's a monster. We underestimated him. Big Brother Peslo, you got captured too, and they brought the giants back, right?

"So... next we need to work with him to find an opportunity to rescue ourselves, then save the giants a second time and deepen our friendship? That's way too complicated, Big Brother Peslo!"

Female CP9: "..."

Peslo: "..."

Are you still acting like this is all a performance?

Outside.

"Those reckless bastards!"

"Good thing you were aboard the warship this time, Sir Figo. Otherwise, they really would've gotten away with it!"

"Sir Figo, a few of us need to go to the town on the island. We don't know what happened to Lieutenant Colonel and the others..."

"I'll go," Figo said. "Stay here, guard the ship and keep an eye on the prisoners. Wait for me to return."

After all that running around capturing people, Figo still hadn't fulfilled one of the goals of his trip: seeing what the towns of the world of pirates were like.

Everyone who needed to be locked up aboard the warship was already secured. Unless the CP9 members went crazy and exposed their identities, breaking the unspoken agreement between the two sides not to reveal the truth behind the execution, nothing else could go wrong. Figo could pick up the others and take a look around town, while Xiao and the rest bought supplies. Then they could head back.

So Figo disembarked and set off toward the town. But not long after he'd left, he ran into Xiao returning.

For some reason, Xiao was sneaking around as he walked, moving from one tree to another. He looked extremely cautious, as if there were a man-eating monster by the warship.

"Old Xiao, why are you back by yourself?" Figo asked as he went to meet him.

Xiao hadn't noticed Figo. The sudden voice startled him so badly that he plopped down onto the ground. His face was deathly pale, and he was even trembling a little. But once he recognized Figo, excitement appeared on his face, and he jumped right up.

"S-Sir Figo! You... you came from the warship?"

His behavior was truly strange. Figo asked, puzzled, "Yeah. What's wrong? Something happened aboard the warship. I captured three CP9 members and seven giants..."

"Good! That's good!" Xiao shouted.

Figo: ?

Xiao trembled as he spoke. "S-Sir Figo, those damn CP9... those bastards killed all the Marines who took part in the execution except me!"

"...What?"

A few minutes earlier.

In the center of town, at the execution platform.

Almost half an hour had passed since CP9 had intercepted the giants on their way to execution and fled. At last, some brave townspeople tried climbing onto the platform to check on the Marines.

"W-Were they all killed?"

"How could this happen?"

"Is no one still alive?"

Xiao lay on the ground, almost asleep.

No one alive? They were all alive.

By his reckoning, CP9 should've finished their work by now. He could get up, right?

As it happened, a townspeople came over to check on him. He seized the chance to groan, clutch his head, and sit up, pretending to be a little dazed.

"Someone's alive!"

"Lieutenant Colonel's still alive!"

The townspeople were delighted. "Lieutenant Colonel, are you all right?!"

"Ah, I'm fine..." Xiao mumbled. He was a little puzzled. Had the CP9 members hit that hard? None of the Marines under his command had woken up.

"What happened to everyone else and the enemy?" he asked.

"The two bastards who stormed the execution platform have already escaped with the Giant race!" someone answered. "The others... your men... s-seem to be gone. You're the only one still alive."

What the hell? Xiao was stunned. He shook off the townspeople supporting him and hurried to the nearest Marine lying on the ground. He crouched down to check.

No breath.

His face went deathly pale.

Impossible!

He hurried to check the other Marines.

But...

They were dead! Dead!

They'd all been killed!