A Bountiful Harvest

"Where... am I?"

Through his hazy consciousness, Morgan felt as though he had entered a strange, otherworldly space.

The sky churned with blood-red waves, while the ground was darkness that seemed capable of swallowing everything.

Everything was bizarre, suffocating.

In a blur, he suddenly found himself aboard a ship.

It was a Marine warship covered in hanging corpses, blood flowing everywhere.

Morgan saw...

A man dressed in a black pirate captain's outfit standing with one foot on a Marine soldier, his face wearing a contemptuous, disdainful smile.

The soldier's face, meanwhile, was filled with rage, his eyes burning with fury.

"Who... is that?"

Morgan's mind blurred. Two memories that had appeared at once yet interfered with each other began colliding in his head, causing him immense mental agony.

"Ah—!"

He clutched his head and involuntarily staggered backward, trying to flee from it all.

However...

Just as he was about to be unable to withstand the impact of those clashing memories and wanted to break free from this space...

A cold voice suddenly rang out from the blood-red sky.

"Answer me."

"What is 1,000 minus 7?!"

"It's... 993..."

Morgan shuddered and answered instinctively.

In an instant, his mind no longer hurt as badly, and his focus returned.

He recognized him...

The Marine lying on the ground was his former self.

"986."

And the pirate stepping on him was the one who had attacked the branch base...

No!

"979!"

That man was Kuro!

"972!"

He was...

The captain of the Black Cat Pirates—Captain Kuro!!!

"965!"

Wait!

Hadn't Kuro already been killed by him?

Then who was the Kuro trampling him beneath his feet?!

"958..."

At that moment, memories surged like a tidal wave, violently washing through Morgan's mental world.

The scene continued unfolding.

Soon, a man holding a ring, with a strange beard and heart-shaped glasses, came before Morgan.

He was Kuro's hypnotist, Jango!

Morgan watched with his own eyes as his battered former self was hypnotized by Jango, then killed "Kuro" and reported the whole matter to the Marines.

What followed were all things he had personally experienced and remembered.

For his merit in killing pirates, he had been granted the rank of colonel and made commander of the G-153 Branch.

Then...

The abruptly promoted version of himself seemed like a different person, becoming arrogant, conceited, and tyrannical...

Shells Town, once peaceful and beautiful, grew increasingly impoverished under his rule.

"So... this is the truth behind everything!?"

A massive hole tore open in the blood-red sky overhead.

A beam of light—not warm, even cold and desolate—suddenly shone into Morgan's sorrowful inner world.

The dim world began to collapse, taking the helpless Morgan with it as he fell into an endless abyss.

In the real world.

Morgan, who had been beaten unconscious by Kael and lay in a pool of blood, slowly opened his eyes.

The pain in his jaw made him frown.

But the trauma in his mind was even harder for him to accept.

Even after learning the full story, he still could not tell which Morgan was the real him.

The hot-blooded, righteous one was him, and the violent, tyrannical one was also him!

This question was too difficult! He couldn't answer it!

Just then, a voice that made his entire body tremble suddenly sounded beside Morgan's ear, pulling him back from his mental world into reality.

"Oh? You woke up pretty fast, huh?"

Seeing Morgan open his eyes after Tashigi's Healing Kido had preserved his life, Kael immediately looked at him with interest and chuckled.

"Looks like our treatment can continue!

That's right!

Treatment!

In Kael's eyes, Morgan was actually a patient with a mental illness!

And his condition was easy enough to treat.

In short, hadn't Morgan simply lost the memories of being tortured by Kuro!?

As for amnesia, Kael...

Having watched so many TV dramas, he knew exactly how this worked!

A classic plot!

As long as an amnesiac recreated the scene surrounding their lost memories, it could awaken the potential within their body and make them remember.

And that was exactly the method Kael had used!

"Next up is your arm!"

Before Morgan could fully wake up, Kael suddenly stepped on his arm.

Back then, Kuro had humiliated him in exactly this manner!

It had to be said, this method really worked incredibly well!

Feeling the sudden force on his arm, Morgan's DNA was instantly triggered.

As if he knew what was about to happen, he hurriedly shouted through his bloodied, mangled mouth:

"Wait! Wait!"

Though he still had not figured out which Morgan he currently was...

There was no doubt that he did not want to get beaten anymore!

Terrified, he shouted loudly:

"I remember! Sir! I remember everything!"

"Kuro wasn't killed by me! I was hypnotized by someone! It was all fake!"

"I remember everything!!!"

Morgan spat out the thoughts in his heart at a speed he had never achieved before.

"Oh?"

Kael raised his brows and looked at him in surprise.

"You remembered that quickly?"

"I'm only halfway through the treatment~"

Kael had not expected his treatment to be so effective.

He had clearly wanted to kick Morgan a few more times on behalf of the people of Shells Town.

But considering that Morgan, after recovering his memories, had once been a righteous Marine soldier, he still lifted his foot and released him.

"Tashigi, heal him a little more."

Kael waved his hand.

"Yes!"

Tashigi nodded at once.

During the time Morgan had been unconscious, she had already learned from Kael about Morgan's tragic experience.

Filled with pity, Tashigi flicked one hand and cast a green spiritual glow over Morgan's jaw.

Before long, his face, which had been drenched in blood, slowly began to recover.

Though it was slow, at least his injuries would no longer worsen.

This was another application of spiritual power, a special Kido with healing effects—Healing Kido!

Seeing that Morgan's expression had indeed changed subtly from before, Kael did not waste words. Sitting directly atop the railing, he said:

"Since you remember everything..."

"Then I'll keep this brief!"

Kael's expression changed as he suddenly became serious.

"I am a direct agent under Fleet Admiral Sengoku of Marine Headquarters."

"I came to the East Blue to investigate the Marine deployments here and happened to discover your situation."

"I'm sorry, Colonel Morgan, but your record is insufficient for you to continue serving as commander of the G-153 Branch. And because of the terrible impact you have had on Shells Town over the past two years, you may face imprisonment next!"

Kael once again invoked Fleet Admiral Sengoku's name.

It was old-fashioned, but extremely effective!

Morgan's pupils suddenly contracted upon hearing Kael's words!

Marine Headquarters!? A direct agent of the Fleet Admiral!?

So that was it! So that was it!

The pirate who attacked the Marine base had actually been an agent from Headquarters...

Then everything made sense.

At that moment, Morgan felt as though he understood everything!

But he could not accept the fate Kael had described for him.

Neither personality could.

His righteous side had once been a soldier who devoted his entire being to the Marines, so naturally he could not accept being punished.

As for his dark side, it was even less willing to accept any of this.

"Wait!"

Morgan suddenly jolted as he remembered the invitation Kael had given him earlier!

He blinked, seeming to understand something, then said weakly:

"Sir, that choice you mentioned before..."

"Is it still valid?"

"A choice?"

Kael grinned. Looking at the receptive Morgan, he nodded.

"Of course. You can still make your choice now!"

Morgan's eyes lit up, as if he had rediscovered the meaning of life.

"I choose to join your pirate crew, sir!"

There was no doubt about it.

Joining the pirate crew had to be the way out this man had left for him after discovering his past.

He would become an agent and redeem himself through meritorious service!

This was the only way out for a sinner like him!

At that moment, tears filled Morgan's eyes.

This man was truly too kind!

He was actually willing to take in a worthless loser who had been played like a fool by pirates...

Morgan held his aching jaw and sincerely praised his future captain.

"Welcome aboard!"

Kael solemnly pulled Morgan up from the ground, then smiled and patted the dust from his body.

Half an hour later.

Morgan, who had mostly recovered, directed a group of Marine soldiers as they continuously moved valuable items from the Marine base onto the Tiga.

Every Marine soldier wore an expression of fury.

Who could have imagined that their Colonel Morgan would choose to surrender to pirates!

To Marine soldiers like them, it was simply the greatest humiliation!

However...

Under the pressure of absolute force, they had no choice at all!

Before long, the Tiga was packed to the brim!

Beli, weapons, ammunition, and valuables from the base were all moved aboard the Tiga by Kael in the name of confiscation.

Although Morgan had his doubts, he had no intention whatsoever of questioning Kael's orders.

Because by then, he had already undergone Lord Kael's modification...

And gained a miraculous power!

That power was called...

Kagune!