Nero of CP9

Morgan, who had always presented a cold and ruthless image, was all smiles at this moment.

He even sounded somewhat fawning. "You must be the Chief Inspector, sir! I'm Colonel Morgan of Shells Town. These are just a small token of my respect. I hope you'll accept them."

Ener raised an eyebrow at the sight.

It had to be said, Morgan did understand a little about how the world worked.

Look at that—five large chests right off the bat. No need to guess; they were surely filled with treasure and the like.

But... what Ener wanted was all of Shells Town.

A few chests were nowhere near enough to satisfy him, so he gave Gin a look. Gin immediately understood and turned to drag Kuro before Morgan.

"This..."

Morgan recognized Kuro at a glance. After all, he had risen through the ranks precisely because he had supposedly killed Kuro, becoming the base commander of the 153rd Branch in Shells Town before eventually making colonel.

His jaw had also been crushed beneath the foot of the man standing before him.

So even if he forgot everyone else, he could never forget Kuro.

"Y-you... weren't you already... taken... taken away by Lieutenant Colonel Kiki from headquarters? How could you possibly be here?"

His expression froze, then shock filled his face. He pointed at Kuro, stammering as he spoke.

He knew that any pirate who fell into headquarters' hands would be sent to Impel Down.

That was a place where people entered but never left.

No one ever came out of there alive.

Seeing this, Ener could not help feeling a little sympathy.

This man had once been a passionate new recruit, filled with justice. But during his encounter with Kuro, every Marine aboard the warship had been killed by Kuro of a Hundred Plans, and Morgan's jaw had been crushed beneath his foot.

Kuro had played a part in turning him into what he was now.

It was Kuro who had ordered his subordinate Jango to hypnotize Morgan, making him believe that he had captured Kuro. He handed the disguised Kuro over to the Marines and became the lieutenant base commander of the 153rd Branch because of it.

Jango's hypnosis had also changed his personality, gradually turning him treacherous and shameless.

But no matter what, none of that could erase the things he had done in Shells Town and the 153rd Branch over the years.

Ener's face turned stern. "In the name of the East Blue Chief Inspector, I am placing you under arrest for deceiving headquarters and releasing the pirate Kuro, as well as for your years of brutal rule over Shells Town and the 153rd Branch. Do you have any objections?"

"What?"

The moment Ener said that, not only were the Marine soldiers of the 153rd Branch standing behind Morgan dumbfounded.

The onlookers lining both sides of the street also widened their eyes.

Their faces were filled with shock, as if they had heard the most unbelievable thing in the world.

"What did you say?"

Morgan's face darkened, and his eyes narrowed. Over the years, he had been no different from a king in the 153rd Branch and Shells Town.

When he said one, who dared say two?

Lowering himself to welcome Ener and offering him wealth was already the limit of his patience.

If not for his fear of Ener's status as Governor of East Blue, he would have split him in two with an axe long ago.

"If you need more wealth, just say so. I can have a few more chests carried over." Morgan clenched his fists as he spoke.

This was his final line, as well as the last chance he was giving Ener.

If Ener continued being so greedily insatiable, Morgan would not mind getting ruthless. The 153rd Branch and Shells Town were both under his control. Even if someone came to investigate afterward, he could destroy the evidence and leave no witnesses. What could they possibly uncover?

"Heh. Once I take you down, not only these few chests, but the entire 153rd Branch and Shells Town will be mine."

How could Ener fail to see the change in Morgan? He sneered inwardly. What level was Morgan at?

He was only about as strong as Alvida before she ate the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, relying on brute strength alone.

But among Ener, Gin, and Zoro, which one was someone Morgan could compare to?

He actually intended to kill Ener. He truly did not know his own limits.

"Courting death!"

Morgan flew into a rage.

Without hesitation, he swung the giant axe attached to his severed arm at Ener.

Ener neither dodged nor moved. He merely said coldly, "Take him down."

Someone like this was not even worthy of making him act personally.

Gin, standing nearby, directly met the attack with his tonfa hammer. The giant axe and tonfa hammer smashed fiercely into each other in midair.

Gin merely swayed slightly, while Morgan looked as though he had suffered a heavy blow. He staggered back several steps before stabilizing himself.

"How is this possible?" he cried out involuntarily.

It was not that he was overly arrogant. Among all the Marines in East Blue, he was considered one of the strongest. Otherwise, he could never have been given such a prosperous posting as the 153rd Branch and Shells Town.

Many branches were built on barren islands.

Yet he had not expected to be unable to withstand even one of the other man's subordinates. Only then did he truly study Gin...

Ordinarily, a lieutenant would not have been worth his attention at all.

But the moment he looked carefully, his face became incomparably grave. He had recognized who this lieutenant wearing a Marine uniform was.

Gin the Man-Demon, formerly of the Krieg Pirates.

Shave!

Gin vanished from where he stood. When he appeared again, he was already at Morgan's left side. With a swing of his tonfa hammer, he struck directly at Morgan's left ribs.

"Pfft..."

Under Gin's immense strength, Morgan's ribs shattered instantly. The searing pain made him clutch his left side and drop to one knee.

Then he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"How is this possible?"

The Marine soldiers of the 153rd Branch and the townspeople of Shells Town who saw this all stood with their mouths agape.

Morgan had been the symbol of invincibility in the 153rd Branch and Shells Town.

Yet now, he was kneeling before someone else, so utterly vulnerable.

"Heh..."

Gin gave a disdainful sneer. With strength like that, even before he had learned Shave, he could have dealt with Morgan easily.

That was right.

By now, Gin had already begun to master Shave. However, because his grasp of it was still imperfect, he could only use it three or four times in a single battle.

Otherwise, his legs would be the first to give out.

Even so, his talent for the Six Powers deeply shocked Ener.

"Shashasha..."

At that moment, a very peculiar laugh sounded from nearby.

"Hm?"

Ener, Gin, and Zoro all turned to look.

A rather lean man stood not far away, staring at Gin with a look of astonishment.

Ener raised an eyebrow, because this man gave him a familiar feeling. He could not help studying him closely. In this world, anyone who felt familiar to him...

Had to be someone who had appeared in the original story.

The man was dressed very distinctively. He wore two necklaces around his neck. One was a simple green-bead necklace.

The other was larger and more exquisite, strung together from many rubies.

It was obviously extremely valuable.

He wore a glove on his left hand and a bracelet around his wrist.

He wore a dark brown T-shirt, orange pants, and a hat decorated with red feathers.

"Nero, the new member of CP9?"

That was right, Ener recognized him. The newcomer was Nero, the new member of CP9. But why was this man here?