You're the Real Heroes!

The Marines leading the group had already been dealt with.

Will ignored the panicked Marines around him and glanced at the distance between where he stood and the shore, muttering to himself:

"It's a little too close. If I don't do something about it, someone might get away."

Then he turned around, his gaze suddenly sharpening as two red glints flashed in his eyes!

Bzzzt—!!

Then!

An immense aura burst from Will and rapidly spread out around him!

The entire warship was caught in its grip, as if it could be crushed at any moment by that terrifying aura.

Right after that!

Crack—!

The wooden planks all over the warship suddenly began to splinter, as though they couldn't withstand some kind of pressure. A series of bone-chilling creaks rang out.

The Marines' expressions instantly tightened. Their pupils trembled wildly, and they froze in place, completely unable to move.

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

It was as though the raging waves could swallow them whole at any moment!

The next second.

Every Marine aboard the warship rolled their eyes back, foam spilling from their mouths as they lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

"Mm, that should do it."

Will smiled with satisfaction at the sight, then stopped releasing his Haki.

Next, he used Observation Haki to sense the surrounding area.

Once he was sure there was no movement, he bent his knees slightly, then pushed off hard and leaped high into the air.

Geppo: Rising Dragon!

The instant his foot shattered the deck, Will shot upward. In the blink of an eye, he was more than a hundred meters in the air.

Looking down at the ship below, he gathered strength in his right leg and swung it out with force, tracing a great arc through the air.

Rankyaku: Sea Split!

A massive pale-blue slash hurtled downward at high speed, striking the center of the warship's deck with pinpoint accuracy.

Boom—!

Even a reinforced Marine warship couldn't withstand the power of that slash. It split in two in an instant, accompanied by a thunderous explosion.

Will stayed aloft, kicking against the air.

As he watched the wreckage gradually sink beneath the waves and the bubbles on the surface slowly disappear, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

The Marines who had come with the others were clearly cut from the same cloth as Rat Captain.

There was no way he would let a group of dangerous Marines leave in one piece.

Once the warship had sunk completely,

Will didn't linger. He turned and used the same method as before to move quickly through the air, soon returning to shore.

"Will! Are you all right?"

Nami, Carina, and the others hurried over to check on him.

"I'm fine. The annoying ones have all been taken care of."

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

Hearing this, the villagers around them broke into loud cheers and crowded around Will, showering him with praise.

"That was incredible, Lord Will!"

"That's how it should be! Those Marines never looked like good people!"

"Exactly! Will is unbelievably strong!"

"Wonderful! That life we used to live is finally over!"

"That's right, that's right!"

"To see Lord Will sink a warship with my own eyes! I could die happy!"

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

The villagers laughed and cheered, their faces alight with joy.

Truthfully, none of them were fools. They had simply endured in silence.

Arlong's gang had been entrenched here for so long, yet the Marines had turned a blind eye and done nothing.

Even the densest person could tell something was wrong.

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

Some had even secretly tightened their grips on their weapons.

Later, when they saw the warship being sunk, many on the shore couldn't help cheering aloud.

Will had noticed all of this, of course.

Earlier, when Rat Captain tried to run while Will was being surrounded by Marines,

quite a few brave villagers had taken the opportunity to sneak up behind the soldiers and clobber them, hoping to help him out.

And when he ran off to hunt down Rat Captain, the villagers had even made sure to finish off the Marines lying on the ground.

Faced with the cheers and praise of these simple villagers,

Will couldn't help smiling and shaking his head. "I'm hardly a hero."

As he spoke, he gestured toward the gathered villagers and praised them loudly:

"You people, who dared to stand up to the fish-men and the Marines to protect your homes, are the real heroes!"

The simple villagers couldn't handle such praise. They erupted into cheers once more.

More than half of them even shouted that they should throw a grand feast to celebrate.

It would be a way to thank Will for helping them escape the fish-men's rule.

Even Police Officer A Jian, who usually wore a stern expression, couldn't help smiling. He raised a hand and called out:

"Good! First, let's notify all the villages and towns nearby! We'll make sure they understand what happened here!"

"Then we'll all throw a grand feast together!"

"Yeah!" The villagers excitedly raised their weapons and shouted.

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

Then they joined the crowd, raising their hands and shouting along.

That evening.

Cocoyasi Village quickly held a grand potluck feast.

Delicious food could be found all over the village, and anyone could help themselves.

Everyone who thought they were a good cook happily prepared all kinds of dishes at home.

Then they brought the food out and set it on tables for everyone to share.

Men and women alike held wine glasses as they danced happily at the crossroads in the center of the village.

Everyone celebrated the hard-won day of freedom from the bottom of their hearts.

Will, Nami, Carina, and the others joined the feast in the village.

"Mm, this tastes good."

Will took a bite of the special meat cutlet. His eyes lit up, and he mumbled his praise around a mouthful of food.

Then he saw Nami and Carina emerge from a nearby house carrying two steaming dishes. He quickly swallowed the rest of his food and headed over.

He stopped in front of Nami.

Will looked at the plate of Orange Sauce Duck Breast in her hands, bent closer, and took a careful sniff. He couldn't help exclaiming:

"Mmm, that smells wonderful."

Nami smiled smugly. "Of course. This is my specialty."

Carina, who was holding a bowl of Golden Fried Rice, chuckled and teased him:

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

Will froze for a moment. Then, under Nami's faintly flushed gaze, he leaned in and took another sniff.

After carefully considering it, he straightened up and gave his serious verdict:

"Mm, both smell good."

Seeing how earnestly he said it, Nami and Carina couldn't help exchanging amused smiles.