This Marine Was Excessively Cautious

Leon looked rather awkward as he steered the little boat, zigzagging all over the water.

Kokoro looked worriedly at Tom beside her and said, "That boy's going to take on those pirates all by himself... Will he really be okay?"

Tom laughed heartily. "Once a man has made up his mind, he should see it through with a bang!"

According to the location Kokoro had provided, the pirates were not far from Water Seven. And after stealing so much iron and timber, their ship was bound to be moving a lot slower.

Leon wasn't chasing those pirates on a whim, all for the sake of some Marine justice.

He'd been training in his human form for quite a while, but still hadn't faced a truly evenly matched opponent. This pirate crew was just the right opportunity to test his current strength.

Besides, any pirates sailing around the first half of the Grand Line were bound to have bounties on their heads.

What?

You're asking where I got the iron and timber?

I picked them up while sailing around at sea...

"Captain Panther, this haul is really something!"

A pirate with a mouthful of yellow teeth said with a wide grin to Panther, who stood in the middle of the deck, built like a stout cylinder.

"Heh heh." Panther was gesturing as he directed his underlings to unload the spoils. At the pirate's words, he chuckled and said, "I'm not like those brainless fools."

"Robbing towns only attracts the Marines, and how much money do those poor wretches in town even have?"

"Captain Panther is truly wise and mighty! The title of Pirate King is as good as yours!"

The Yellow Tooth Pirate showered him with flattery, then said cautiously, "It's just that, Captain Panther... The merchant ship we robbed this time put up a fierce fight, and our pirate ship was badly damaged..."

"Looks like... it'll need some serious repairs..."

"Damn it!!!"

Panther flew into a rage.

"You couldn't even handle a few civilians! What use are you to me?!"

"Captain Panther..."

The Yellow Tooth Pirate gave Panther an awkward look, but inwardly cursed him. You eat meat and fish every day until you're fat as a pig, while the rest of us can barely get half a meal. We robbed all this stuff, and you haven't given us a single thing...

"Yellow Tooth! Are you badmouthing me again?"

"No, no! Even if I had the guts..."

"Forget it!"

Panther waved his hand.

"If the ship's broken, we'll fix it. Isn't Water Seven just ahead, the place where they specialize in ship repairs?"

"Captain Panther!" the Yellow Tooth Pirate exclaimed in surprise. "But we just robbed a merchant ship from Water Seven..."

"So what? We'll sell all this stuff to the shipyards there."

"Huh? We can do that?"

The Yellow Tooth Pirate hadn't expected Panther to be so audacious.

"Captain Panther really is something! That way, by supplying our own materials, we'll save a fortune on material costs..."

"Material costs?"

Panther rubbed his shiny bald head and cackled.

"I, Panther, don't know how to spell 'paying money.' If that damn shipyard dares to ask me for money, I'll just rob the place while I'm at it!"

"Captain Panther is invincible! The Grand Line will be conquered in no time!"

The Yellow Tooth Pirate immediately piled on more praise, inwardly cursing again. Damn illiterate Panther. Why did I ever think it was a good idea to join your crew? At this rate, the Marines could come knocking any day...

"C-C-C-Captain... P-P-Panther!"

A stuttering pirate came rolling onto the deck.

"T-T-T... There's trouble!"

"Hmm!?"

"What is it?"

Panther glared at the stuttering pirate. Seeing him tremble like that made Panther furious; his crew really was useless.

The Yellow Tooth, who could at least read a few words, already counted as a top talent.

"Get your tongue straight before you talk to me!"

The stuttering pirate took a moment to compose himself before hurriedly speaking.

"The Marines are attacking!"

"What!!!"

"Why didn't you say so sooner? You useless fool!!!"

"Set sail at once! Just dump any cargo we haven't finished loading!"

Seeing Panther acting like a startled rabbit, the Yellow Tooth Pirate gave him a look of disdain, then asked the stuttering pirate, "Are you sure they're Marines? How many warships?"

The stuttering pirate hesitated. "They're definitely Marines. I saw him wearing a Marine uniform... It's just... just a little boat, with only one Marine aboard."

"One?"

"He's alone, so what are you scared of?"

Panther slapped the stuttering pirate across the face, then issued a new order.

"Keep loading the cargo. I want to see who dares come after me, Double Hammer Panther!"

Found you.

Leon lowered his spyglass. A battered pirate ship was just ahead, with a smoking merchant ship moored beside it. It looked like the target he'd been searching for.

"You're pretty bold. I was worried you'd already run off, but I didn't expect you to sit there so brazenly."

"I hope you've got the strength to match that arrogance..."

Leon rowed harder.

On the pirate ship, Panther saw that only one Marine had come after them, and felt greatly relieved.

Panther waved his hand.

"Fire! Blast that Marine who doesn't know his place to pieces!"

A ragged volley of cannonballs burst forth, tracing crooked arcs through the air. After the barrage, not a single cannonball had come within five meters of Leon.