"Buggy"'s Secret!

Watching the system notifications float before him, Rayson did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately murmured in his heart, Equip Demon Physique (Deep Purple) and Ashura Aura (Special)~

As for the Three-Sword Style and the oddly named Biting Blade Fang Force... he still planned to leave them untouched for Zoro himself~

Watching the progress bar for Zoro's "Demon Physique (Deep Purple)" slowly advance in the window, then looking at Luffy's "Transcendent Physique (Deep Purple)," which was already nearly one-third loaded, Rayson smiled~

Soon~ This pass to becoming a true monster would soon all be his~

"Wow! That's so cool!" Luffy stared at Zoro's distinctive Three-Sword Style stance and shouted excitedly~ He had always been helpless against novel and interesting things like this~

"Attacking Marines... Looks like I really have become a villain now~ But..." Zoro slowly raised his head, revealing a wild grin like that of a ferocious beast as he stared down Luffy~

"My goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman~ If you dare stand in the way of my ambition, then prepare to commit seppuku and apologize to me~"

"Shishishi! If the companion of the future Pirate King didn't even have this much ambition, that's when I'd have a headache!" Luffy bared his teeth in a grin, completely unfazed~

"Zoro, duck!"

"Gum-Gum... Whip!"

Luffy's leg suddenly stretched out like a long whip and swept across, accurately knocking every Marine charging up behind Zoro flying~

"Rebels!" Seeing that Rayson, the "Heavenly King" he feared most, had no intention of making a move from the beginning, Morgan's courage surged. With a furious roar, he pounced forward, his massive axe-arm cutting through the air with a piercing gust~

"Three-Sword Style... Oni Giri!"

Swish!

Blood sprayed through the air. In the instant their figures crossed, Zoro directly unleashed one of his strongest techniques at this stage, Oni Giri~

Thud!

After taking Oni Giri head-on, Morgan's eyes rolled back, and his huge body crashed heavily to the ground~

"We won! Shishishi!" Luffy danced about with joy~

"Your captain has been taken down! Anyone else want to fight?!" Luffy rolled up his sleeves and shouted loudly~

"Captain... Captain Morgan was defeated?" The remaining Marines looked at one another, their faces full of hesitation~

Right after that,

Clang! Clang!

They decisively threw their weapons all over the ground~

"Great! Morgan has been defeated! We're free!" The Marines on the parade ground immediately erupted into overwhelming cheers and even began celebrating~

"Huh? Their boss got beaten up, and they're actually this happy?" Luffy scratched the back of his head, utterly baffled~

"After all, in this era, most people who join the Marines do so with the simple wish of protecting civilians~ Scum like Morgan are ultimately just exceptions. They can't represent the entire Marine force~" Rayson explained. Even though he had now set his sights on becoming a pirate, he would not indiscriminately condemn the entire Marine system~

For ordinary civilians, in these chaotic times, the Marines were still an indispensable refuge~

And people like Luffy, who bore the title of pirate yet actually went around upholding justice like an adventurer, were exceedingly rare on the seas~ What was more, pirates had no fixed residence and simply could not provide long-term stability~

That was also why, in the future, many countries would rather place themselves under the banners of the Four Emperors. Only with a fixed territory could they bring their people genuine peace of mind~

"Yeah, that makes sense~ Shishishi! These Marines seem pretty decent~" Luffy laughed in agreement~

"You two really aren't quite like the utterly evil bastards from the rumors~" Zoro commented with some surprise, one brow lifting slightly~

He was someone who valued his word immensely. Since he had agreed to join them, he naturally would not go back on it~ Still, being able to join a crew that was not steeped in evil left him somewhat relieved~

Moreover, aside from being forced by circumstances and pursuing his dream, the more important reason Zoro had decided to board their ship was that his instincts told him these two were fundamentally different from the brutal pirates who only knew murder, arson, and plunder~

Especially Rayson~ Someone who could say that "a child's sincerity is more precious than gold" could not possibly be bad at heart~

Besides, this man possessed such astonishing and terrifying power~ That was Conqueror's Haki~

And Luffy, the captain acknowledged by someone like Rayson, surely had extraordinary qualities of his own~

Now, it seemed his instincts had undoubtedly been right~

>[Bond with Zoro deepened. Trait loading progress increased~]

A system panel flashed before Rayson's eyes, and a smile appeared on his face~

Sure enough, this affection-increase mechanism worked remarkably well~

"Ah... I'm starving..."

Just then, Zoro's body suddenly swayed, and he collapsed limply as though all strength had left him~

After all, he had gone twenty whole days without food or water. The only reason he had been able to unleash that stunning Oni Giri just now was because Rika's few rice balls had barely kept him going. His body had long since reached its breaking point~

"Big brother! Come eat at my Household!" Seeing this, Rika immediately bounced up with an eager invitation~

"Meat! Can we come too?!" The moment Luffy heard about food, his eyes lit up~

"Of course! You big brothers are the heroes who saved our whole town!" Rika beamed~

"Rayson, let's go! Time to eat meat!" Luffy turned and urged him~

"You go on ahead~ I heard there's a map of the Grand Line in this branch base. I'll go get it first~" Rayson said, looking at the Marine building in the distance~

"Alright! Then we'll get going first!" Luffy answered carelessly. Then he bent down and grabbed Zoro by the ankle~

"Hey! You idiot... Don't tell me you're planning to..." Zoro lay sprawled on the ground, unable to move even a finger. His mouth twitched violently as a dreadful premonition rose within him~

"Time to eat!"

With a loud shout, Luffy lifted Zoro in his right hand, scooped little Rika up in his left arm, and dashed off in the direction Rika pointed~

Dragged along the ground behind him, Zoro's back had a very intimate encounter with the earth, leaving a long trail in the mud~

"You bastard! Let go of me! At least carry me on your back!" Zoro's furious roar was quickly drowned out by Luffy's excited howl~

"Meat...!!!"

"Once I get my strength back, I'm definitely going to kill you, you idiot!"

Watching this amusing scene that perfectly recreated a famous moment from the original story, Rayson could not help but chuckle~

Afterward, relying on the system's senses, he easily found Morgan's office~