Gin

An hour and a half later, the moment Lice came out of Ener's room, she saw her son, Johnson, waiting there.

Lice froze at first, then tears began streaming down her face. Only now did she realize that her son had been in this Marine base all along.

If she had truly betrayed Ener just now, then the only thing she would have seen would have been Johnson's corpse.

The thought filled her with lingering fear.

Yet Johnson was brimming with excitement. "Mom, I've become a Marine."

Lice: "..."

She froze once again.

She knew this had to be Ener's doing. From now on, Johnson would be the leverage he used against her... She wanted to refuse.

But could she refuse?

In Loguetown, especially after Smoker arrived,

becoming a Marine would absolutely raise an ordinary family's standing in town by a great deal. At the very least, those street thugs would no longer dare provoke them.

More importantly, a future might be won in the Marines.

Especially with Ener, whose father was a Vice Admiral, supporting him, perhaps not a Major or anything in the future. But becoming a commissioned officer was practically guaranteed...

She could not help turning to look at Ener's room.

All of a sudden, she wondered if she had been too reserved just now.

Had she failed to serve Ener well enough?

After all, in her heart, Johnson's future was more important than anything else.

Then another flush crept across her face. She thought of Ener's strength—he was so much stronger than that useless thing who had died, she did not even know how many times stronger.

Her legs had gone weak!

Thinking about it, it seemed... it seemed... following him was not so bad either.

Johnson had a future, and she was... happy too.

Half an hour later, the group boarded the Warship.

Smoker glanced at Ener, who stood among the Marines with a thirty-man squad under his command. The corners of his mouth rose slightly. This time, he would definitely drive this fellow out of the East Blue.

And he would leave the higher-ups unable to find even the slightest reason to protect him.

Tashigi stood beside Smoker. At that moment, her gaze too fell on Ener, her eyes carrying a hint of hostility.

With her powerful sense of justice, she would never allow someone like him to remain in the Marines.

The other Marines, including the squad Ener led, all cast disdainful looks at him.

Ener said nothing in response.

After all, they had all seen how cowardly the original owner of this body had been during his first naval battle.

It was perfectly normal for them to despise him.

So his attention rested on the sea. Looking out at the boundless ocean, something called ambition took root and sprouted in his heart.

Having been given another life, he would definitely live a wonderful one.

Smoker's Warship was undoubtedly the largest and finest in the East Blue... Anyone who was not blind would steer far clear of it.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, half a day had gone by, and the sun had reached the southwestern sky.

In another hour or so, it would set.

Using her telescope to observe the island that had appeared in the distance, Tashigi reported, "Colonel Smoker, we'll be able to land on the island in ten minutes."

Smoker drew a deep breath, then slowly exhaled a mouthful of smoke.

At the same time, he waved his hand. "Increase speed. Everyone, prepare for battle!"

The Marines replied, "Yes, Colonel Smoker!"

As the Warship accelerated, they soon began to make out some of the island's conditions. The island was ablaze, and under the setting sun, the flames became even more conspicuous. The firelight echoed the sunset in the sky, creating a strangely picturesque scene at first glance.

But everyone present wore incomparably grave expressions, because that beautiful sight represented endless slaughter.

As they drew closer to the island, they could even hear the screams of its people, the cries of children, the curses of the elderly, and the wails of those who had lost loved ones.

Ener did not consider himself a good man, but even he clenched his fists at the sight.

"These bastards..."

Smoker flew into a rage. After cursing, his lower body turned to smoke, and he soared into the air, rapidly flying toward the island. At the same time, he ordered, "Tashigi, you command them. I'll go save people first."

Tashigi replied, "Yes, Colonel Smoker."

Filled with justice, Tashigi's face was also full of anger, and her hand had unconsciously tightened around her sword hilt.

Ener made up his mind that he had to learn Geppo afterward.

Otherwise, he would be too passive.

At this very moment, he truly wanted to follow Smoker and charge ahead first. His hand also moved to the hilt of his sword.

Killing intent surged within him.

Soon, the Warship reached the harbor. Shigure in Tashigi's hand instantly left its sheath. "Enter the village and rescue the civilians. Any pirates who resist are to be killed without mercy."

At that moment, Tashigi shed her usual clumsy, adorable demeanor and revealed a decisive, ruthless side.

"Kill..."

The Marines charged off the Warship and rushed ashore...

But just then, a man at the harbor led a group of pirates to block their path.

The leader wore a sleeveless coat decorated with a red snake pattern, with matching trousers.

He wore green clothing underneath and a patterned headscarf on his head.

The weapon in his hand was also quite peculiar: a tonfa with a round iron ball attached to it.

He looked thin and weak, yet gave off the feeling that he was extremely dangerous.

"This guy..."

Tashigi's pupils suddenly contracted because she recognized him at a glance. This man was the vice-captain of the Krieg Pirates, Gin the Man-Demon, with a bounty of twelve million.

A bounty like that made him an absolute overlord in the East Blue.

"This is bad!"

Tashigi was inwardly alarmed, but she reacted quickly. Raising her hand, she shouted, "Riflemen, ready... fire!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

Following Tashigi's order, the fifty-man rifle squad personally led by her immediately aimed at Gin and his group, rapidly pulling their triggers.

"Argh... Argh..."

One after another, the people beside Gin fell.

Gin's expression changed drastically. If this continued, everyone around him would die to the gunfire. He bent his knees slightly, then burst forward like a cannonball with a powerful push.

He dodged every bullet fired at him.

It had to be said that this fellow truly deserved to be one of the strongest in the East Blue. In the blink of an eye, he had rushed before Tashigi.

"This is bad..."

Tashigi's face changed dramatically, and even her pupils shook violently.

Gin was too fast. Her eyes could follow him, but her body and reactions could not keep up at all.

She could only watch helplessly as Gin's tonfa hammer smashed toward her abdomen.

Whoosh...

Just as Tashigi fell into despair, a flash of cold light streaked past and struck Gin's tonfa hammer at a bizarre angle.

Clang...

With the sound of metal clashing, Gin was forced back seven or eight meters before he managed to steady himself.

Once he had stopped, he looked at the person who had blocked his attack. His pupils narrowed slightly... because his instincts told him that the person before him was extremely dangerous.

"You?"

Tashigi finally came back to her senses. Looking at the person who had saved her, she could not help crying out.