You Are the True Heroes!

The leading Marine was already dealt with.

Will paid no attention to the panicked Marines around him, instead turning to gauge the distance from here to the shore, muttering to himself:

"A bit too close. If I don't handle this, someone might slip away."

So he turned back, his gaze suddenly sharpening, a flash of red light flickering in his eyes!

Boom--!!

Then!

An immensely overwhelming aura burst forth from within Will, rapidly spreading outward!

The entire warship caught within this pressure felt as if it could be crushed at any moment under this terrifying force.

Next!

Crack--!

Planks across the warship suddenly split apart, as if unable to withstand some kind of pressure, emitting a series of spine-chilling sounds.

Every Marine soldier on board tensed up, their pupils trembling wildly, frozen in place, unable to move a muscle.

They all felt as if they had suddenly plunged into a terrifying storm!

Raging waves seemed ready to swallow them whole at any second!

The next moment.

Every Marine on the warship rolled their eyes back, foam spilling from their mouths, losing consciousness and collapsing to the deck.

"Mm, that should do it."

Will smiled in satisfaction, then stopped releasing his Haki.

Next, he used his Observation Haki to sense the surroundings.

After confirming there was no more movement, he bent his knees slightly, then pushed off with force, leaping high into the air.

Geppo: Rising Dragon!

The moment the deck shattered under his feet, Will shot upward, reaching a height of over a hundred meters in the blink of an eye.

He looked down at the ship below, gathered strength in his right leg, and swung it fiercely, carving a massive arc through the air.

Rankyaku: Sea Split!

A massive pale-blue slash shot downward at high speed, striking the warship's deck dead center.

Boom--!

Even the reinforced Naval warship couldn't withstand the power of this slash, instantly split in two with a thunderous explosion.

Will stepped on air, hovering in place.

Watching the wreckage of the warship slowly sink into the sea, the bubbles on the surface gradually fading, a glint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

This group of Marines that came along were clearly cut from the same cloth as that Rat Captain.

So there was no way he would let these dangerous Marines leave safely.

Seeing the warship fully submerged, Will didn't linger any longer. He turned and used the same method as before to move swiftly through the air, quickly returning to shore.

"Will! Are you okay!"

Nami and Carina rushed over, concerned.

"I'm fine. The troublesome ones are all dealt with."

Will slipped his hands back into his pockets, a faint smile on his face.

Hearing this, the villagers around them erupted into cheers, crowding around Will with praise.

"Incredible! Lord Will!"

"That's how it should be! Those Marines were clearly no good!"

"Yeah! Will is way too strong!"

"Great! That kind of life is finally over!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

"To see Lord Will sink a warship with his own hands! I could die happy!"

"Lord Will! You're the hero who saved us all!"

The villagers laughed and cheered, their emotions running high as they expressed their joy.

Truth be told, none of them were fools—they had just been silently enduring.

Arlong's gang had been entrenched here for so long, yet the Navy had turned a blind eye the entire time, doing nothing.

Even the dumbest person could tell something was wrong.

That was why no one had left when the Marines ordered them to evacuate earlier.

In fact, many had already secretly tightened their grip on their weapons.

Later, when they saw the warship sunk, quite a few people on the shore couldn't help cheering loudly.

Will naturally noticed all of this as well.

Earlier, when Rat Captain tried to flee and he was being surrounded by Marines soldiers, many brave villagers had taken the chance to sneak up behind the soldiers and knock them out with heavy blows, trying to help him out of trouble.

And when he went after Rat Captain, the villagers didn't forget to finish off the Marines soldiers lying on the ground.

So, facing the cheers and praise of these simple villagers, Will couldn't help shaking his head with a smile: "I'm hardly a hero."

He pointed at the crowd of villagers around him and praised loudly:

"You people—who dared to strike back at Fish-Men and Marines to defend your homes—you're the real heroes!"

The simple villagers, unaccustomed to such compliments, burst into even louder cheers.

More than half of them were shouting to hold a grand banquet to celebrate, thanking Will for helping them break free from the Fish-Men's rule.

Even Police Officer A Jian, usually so stern, couldn't help smiling as he raised his hand and called out:

"Alright! First, go notify all the surrounding villages and towns! Explain the situation here clearly!"

"Then everyone together will throw a grand banquet!"

"Ooh—!" The villagers cheered excitedly, raising their weapons high.

Carina, Nami, and Nojiko exchanged glances, bright smiles spreading across their faces.

Then they joined in, raising their hands and shouting along.

That night, Cocoyasi Village quickly held a grand buffet banquet.

All kinds of delicious food could be seen everywhere in the village, free for anyone to enjoy.

Everyone who thought they had decent cooking skills happily cooked up various dishes at home, then brought them out to share on tables set up outside.

Many men and women, cups in hand, danced joyfully at the central crossroads of the village.

Everyone was celebrating this hard-won day of freedom from the bottom of their hearts.

Will, Nami, Carina, and the others were also at the banquet.

"Mmm, this tastes good."

Biting into a special seasoned steak, Will's eyes lit up as he mumbled a compliment through his mouthful.

Then he saw Nami and Carina come out of a nearby house carrying two steaming dishes. He quickly swallowed his food and walked over.

Approaching Nami, Will looked at the plate of Orange Sauce Duck Breast in her hands, leaned in to sniff it carefully, and couldn't help sighing:

"Mmm~, smells great."

Nami grinned proudly: "Of course, that's my specialty."

Carina, holding a bowl of Golden Fried Rice, couldn't resist teasing with a smile:

"Captain Will, are you saying Nami smells good, or the food in her hands~?"

Will paused for a moment, then, under Nami's slightly flushed gaze, leaned in again to sniff.

After carefully distinguishing, he straightened up and gave his honest assessment:

"Mmm, both smell pretty good."

Nami and Carina looked at his serious expression and couldn't help exchanging a smile.