"Fight them to the death!"
"Charge!"
Emboldened by the alcohol, the villagers completely lost their minds, snatching up whatever they could lay their hands on and swarming toward the marines.
Even Arlong and his crew were people they dared to risk their lives against, let alone facing a bunch of mere marines.
Colonel Nezumi stood in the rear with a sneer plastered across his face.
"Just a bunch of rebellious rabble colluding with pirates! Open fire!"
As the order fell, the marine soldiers raised their flintlocks simultaneously.
Bang, bang, bang—
A dense barrage of gunfire erupted, bullets flying toward the completely unarmed villagers. But just as the villagers were about to be struck, a massive figure blocked their path.
"Gomu Gomu no... Balloon!"
Luffy's entire body puffed up violently, turning him into a giant meat shield that sheltered all the villagers behind him.
Bullet after bullet slammed into his body, raising densely packed bumps across his skin, yet failing to truly pierce through.
"Useless!"
Luffy grinned widely, his body abruptly contracting.
The next second, those bullets that had embedded themselves bounced right back along their original paths, hurtling toward the marine squad head-on with even greater speed than when they came.
Colonel Nezumi's expression changed instantly.
The marine soldiers had no time to dodge at all, crying out in agony as they were struck by their own bullets, and the formation instantly descended into total chaos.
"Three-Sword Style: Tatsumaki!"
Zoro lowered his posture, all three swords slashing out simultaneously. A fierce, biting slash whipped up a whirlwind, directly flipping several marines onto the ground.
Sanji wasn't idle either. Planting his hands on the ground, his legs spun like a windmill, kicking repeatedly into the marines.
"Party Menu! Shot!"
Screams rang out one after another.
These marines, who usually only dared