Damn it! That guy is still chasing me!

"What?! You... you actually dared to kill a Marine soldier!"

The Rat Captain stared at the utterly unexpected scene before him, his face turning deathly pale as he tremblingly raised his hand, pointing at Will and shrieking in alarm.

Will paid him no heed, continuing to walk unhurriedly toward the Rat Captain, his words as icy as the Grim Reaper from the depths of hell:

"Today you're dead, and even the Fleet Admiral can't save you. I said so."

"How dare you—!"

The Rat Captain pointed at Will, his voice sharp and terrified, growing more fearful with each word, his feet instinctively stepping back two paces.

Seeing the other man still closing in, the Rat Captain felt his entire body go numb, frozen stiff on the spot.

At that moment, the Adjutant Sergeant beside the Rat Captain snapped to his senses first, quickly stepping forward and shouting to the surrounding Marines, who were also flustered:

"Everyone, don't be afraid! There are nearly a hundred of us here!

"No matter how strong he is, there's no way he can kill us all!

"Once we wear down his stamina, he'll die too!"

The Marines, long accustomed to following orders, found this reasoning quite sound after hearing it.

So they steadied themselves again, raising their guns and aiming at Will.

"Wear down my stamina?"

Will found it so absurd he almost wanted to laugh, sweeping his gaze over the rabble around him and saying coldly:

"Come at me all at once, or this fight will be far too boring."

By now, the Rat Captain had also recovered his wits. Hearing this, he immediately retreated behind the crowd and forced a steady shout:

"All of you, attack! Whoever takes down this bastard gets Arlong's bounty!

"And I'll personally arrange a promotion in the Marines afterward!"

With a heavy reward, brave men step forward. Faced with the twin temptations of money and promotion, many of the Marines charged out fearlessly.

Meanwhile, the Rat Captain took the chance to have the Adjutant Sergeant lead a few guards, covering him as he quickly boarded the small boat he'd arrived on.

He immediately set sail toward where the warship was anchored.

After the small boat had traveled some distance, the Rat Captain finally breathed a slight sigh of relief, his face dark as he growled:

"That damned bastard! Daring to lay a hand on me, a Marine Captain!

"When I get back, I'll report this right away, pile a mountain of charges on him, and find a way to raise his bounty to two thousand..."

"No! Straight to thirty million Berries! Let's see if he survives that!"

"Kihihihihi!"

Imagining the other man falling into despair under the Marines' endless pursuit, the Rat Captain couldn't help but let out a loud, sinister laugh.

But as he smoothly boarded the warship and stood on the deck, turning his head to check behind him, he was instantly startled into another shriek:

"Damn it! That bastard's still chasing me! What the hell!"

The Marines beside him quickly turned to look, and sure enough, they spotted a figure in the sky rapidly approaching.

The distance between them was visibly shrinking by the second.

Seeing everyone frozen in place, the Rat Captain roared in fury:

"What are you staring at! Tell them to set sail, now!"

"Y-yes, sir!" The Adjutant Sergeant hastily saluted and responded, then turned and sprinted toward the helm.

But before he could get far, the figure in the sky suddenly accelerated, plummeting straight down toward the center of the warship's deck.

Boom—!

With a violent crashing sound, Will's expressionless face gradually emerged from a cloud of dust, and he stepped forward.

"Don't come any closer!"

The Rat Captain, seeing the man walking toward him, backed away in sheer terror, screaming.

Will ignored him completely, continuing to stride forward as casually as if he were out for a stroll.

"Fire!"

The Rat Captain's Adjutant Sergeant could no longer keep his composure either, roaring the order to the surrounding Marines.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!

The dozens of remaining Marines on the ship, hearing the command, set aside their shock and immediately drew their guns to shoot.

In an instant, countless bullets flew toward Will at high speed.

But to Will, the speed of these ordinary bullets was as slow as snails.

He casually swayed his body a few times, and the bullets passed straight through him as if hitting a phantom.

Without slowing down at all, they struck several nearby Marines.

"AAAAHHHH--!"

In the blink of an eye, over a dozen Marines soldiers collapsed to the ground, clutching their wounds and screaming in agony.

Seeing this, the Adjutant Sergeant was about to give another order.

But before he could speak.

Whoosh--!

The next second.

Will suddenly appeared in front of the Adjutant Sergeant, grabbed him by the collar, and hurled him violently into the sky.

"So much talking—I'll make you fly!"

"AHH--!!"

With a terrified scream, the Adjutant Sergeant shot upward like a rocket, climbing at breakneck speed.

In an instant, he reached a height of over a hundred meters, still ascending.

Ignoring the Marine in the sky.

Will turned his gaze aside and spotted the Rat Captain trying to slip quietly into the crowd.

Bam--!

Without a word, Will swung a heavy punch, sending the Rat Captain flying in an instant.

The point of impact kicked up a shockwave that rippled outward.

The blasted Rat Captain left a blur in his wake, crashing with a loud "bang" into a nearby wooden wall.

Then he tumbled into a pile of shattered wood, unable to move.

The surrounding Marines soldiers hadn't even reacted yet; only when the wall collapsed did they whip their heads around.

"Captain!"

Spotting the Rat Captain buried in the debris, they immediately rushed over to help.

But just as they reached out to pull him up.

The Rat Captain's dazed expression suddenly turned frantic. He raised a hand and shouted in panic to stop them:

"Don't move--!"

"Broken... it's broken..."

"Huh?!" The Marines soldiers froze for a moment, then realized the Rat Captain's spine had likely snapped.

Before they could figure out how to help, they heard a heavy set of footsteps approaching.

Turning to look, they recoiled in terror, staring at the newcomer with intense dread.

Even a figure suddenly falling from the sky and splashing into the sea couldn't divert their attention.

Will ignored the rabble of Marines around him and walked straight to the Rat Captain's side.

Seeing his pitiful state, Will frowned:

"This is too miserable. I can't stand seeing something like this."

Paying no heed to the Rat Captain's terrified expression, he grabbed him by the clothes and yanked him out.

Then he hoisted the Rat Captain high and hurled him out of the ship.

"AHH--!"

With a piercing scream, the Rat Captain flew a distance and slammed into the sea.

With his spine broken, he couldn't swim to save himself. He flailed helplessly on the surface for a moment.

Then slowly sank into the water and vanished.