Capturing Morgan

The Morgan clone saw that the Marines were all fired up and quietly dispelled himself. Now only the real one remained at the execution grounds.

As the real Captain Morgan watched the bullets and cannonballs hurtling toward him, he unleashed his hidden potential, shielding his vital areas with his axe as he charged at the Marines.

The Wood Clones watched Morgan charge fiercely toward them, then turned to the real Marines and said, "Brothers, we'll hold Morgan off for you. Just keep attacking. Don't hesitate, even if you kill us. You have to bring Morgan down."

With that, all the Wood Clones formed wooden swords as weapons and attacked Morgan. These wooden swords were not to be underestimated; they were much harder than ordinary military sabers.

Clone A said, "You damned Captain Morgan! I'll punish you on behalf of the civilians." As he spoke, he swung lightly at Morgan.

Morgan said, "A mere grunt dares court death? Die!" Morgan brought his axe down on the clone, who fell straight to the ground and did not get up. Although he lay motionless, no blood flowed out.

But none of them cared whether there was blood anymore. Seeing the fallen clone, the Marines firing their guns grew even angrier.

"Motherfucker! Brothers, give it everything you've got and kill him! He's gone too far!" the Marines shouted in unison.

The other Wood Clones said, "Holy shit, we're going that easy on him? Let me have a turn."

Then the clones started holding back in all sorts of creative ways. Some clung to Morgan's legs and refused to let go, some hugged his waist, some tugged at his clothes, and some even pulled down his pants. One even used Wood Release to form a saw and started sawing through his axe. In short, not a single clone attacked Morgan. They simply held him back in every way possible, giving him no chance to attack the Marines.

The sight brought tears streaming down the Marines' faces.

Finally, after a battle lasting over ten minutes, Captain Morgan's axe had been sawed off, and his clothes and pants had been stripped away. He had even lost his shoes, leaving him in nothing but his underpants. His hands and feet had been shot into bloody messes, and excessive blood loss left him unconscious from exhaustion. This really was the world of the Marines-even that many shots had failed to kill Morgan. Although none had hit a vital spot, it was still terrifying.

As Morgan fell, all the Marines cheered. "We won! We defeated the evil Morgan! Hurry and bind him with iron chains! Someone notify Marine Headquarters and report what happened here. Be sure to emphasize Morgan's crimes." A commander immediately began issuing orders.

Luffy, Zoro, and Liu Qing, who had written the script, could not help clapping wildly, saying as they applauded, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

After watching the show, Zoro looked at Liu Qing and asked, "Your ability is pretty interesting. You can make so many clones, and they can even turn into other people."

Liu Qing laughed heartily. "Of course! I told you, I'm really strong."

Just then, the commander finished giving his orders and walked over. He saluted, then looked at Liu Qing. "Thank you for your help. Those people who looked exactly like us were created with your Devil Fruit ability, weren't they? You were right. We shouldn't willingly accept an evil ruler. We should have resisted sooner. Thank you for everything today. Still, we have to drive you away. We'll give you one day to rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll mobilize every Marine to arrest you."

Luffy laughed. "Getting chased by Marines is what being a pirate is all about! Hahaha!" His laughter echoed through the air, seemingly without the slightest worry or fear.

Zoro seemed calmer. He glanced at Luffy, then said, "Let's go, let's go. We'll head to the tavern first and tell them they're safe." With that, he turned and walked toward the tavern. Seeing this, Luffy hurried after him.

Liu Qing turned to the commander. "When we came to Shells Town, we also brought a group of pirates. Send some men over to arrest them later. I've trapped them all aboard Alvida's pirate ship. You should recognize that ship, right? I won't go with you. When you get there, just touch this little piece of wood to the wood enclosing the pirate ship. It'll automatically open a passage wide enough for two people." As he spoke, Liu Qing took out a palm-sized wooden token and handed it to the commander.

Upon hearing this, the commander immediately stood at attention and saluted. "Yes! Thank you for your contribution. You're this town's benefactors. Please eat and drink to your hearts' content today. We'll pretend we don't see you for the rest of the day." With that, the commander called over a squad and ran toward the harbor, apparently to take the pirates to jail.

Before long, an announcement spread like the wind throughout Shells Town. It read: Captain Morgan, who committed every imaginable crime, had been captured through the combined efforts of the Marines and public-spirited citizens. The townspeople could now live in peace. The news felt like a spring breeze against their faces, making all the townspeople leap and cheer with joy.

For the entire day, Shells Town was immersed in a joyful atmosphere. Cheerful laughter filled the streets, the squares, and the taverns. People hugged one another and celebrated, thanking the Marines and the public-spirited citizens who had helped them capture Morgan, while also rejoicing that they would be safe from now on.

Night fell, but Shells Town did not quiet down after the day's festivities. Instead, everyone in town gathered for a grand banquet. Bonfires blazed, lighting up the entire square as people sat together, sharing fine food and wine, singing and dancing.

At the lively banquet, people laughed and chatted as cups passed back and forth. The Marine commander stood in the middle of the crowd with a smile on his face, his gaze settling on Ririka, the proprietress of "foodfoo."

The commander walked straight up to Ririka and politely invited her to become the Marine Base's dedicated cook. Ririka was somewhat surprised, but she soon broke into a delighted smile and gladly accepted his invitation.

To show how highly he valued Ririka, the commander also specially gave her daughter Rika a position as an apprentice Marine cook, which left Ririka feeling deeply honored.

While chatting with Luffy and the others, the Marine commander happened to learn that Koby, the short boy accompanying Luffy, dreamed of becoming a Marine. Moved by Koby's determination, the commander agreed to his request without hesitation and granted him the rank of seaman recruit on the spot.

Koby's eyes filled with tears of excitement. He had finally fulfilled his long-held dream.

After the banquet, everyone was full and satisfied. Zoro suddenly turned to Luffy and asked, "How many crewmates have you found so far? I heard you say you wanted to become the Pirate King, right? Then you must have recruited plenty of people by now."

Luffy said, "No, there are only three so far. Just me, you, Zoro, and Liu Qing."

Zoro said, "Just the three of us, and we're calling ourselves a pirate crew? What about a ship? How big is our ship?"

Luffy said, "What ship? We don't have one. I did have a little boat, but I ran into a whirlpool at sea, and it swept the boat away. To get here, we defeated a pirate crew and made them bring us over. Hahahaha!"

Liu Qing walked over just then and said, "Don't worry about the ship. I can build one for short voyages. But if we want to become the Pirate King, we'll still need to get a ship of our own."

Just then, Nami walked over, looked at the three of them, and said, "You're not planning to go to the Grand Line without a ship, are you? And there are only three of you. How could you possibly cross the Red Line and reach the Grand Line?"

Luffy looked at Nami and said, "Oh, it's you! I remember you. Come join my crew."

Nami said, "No. I'm not becoming a pirate with you. You don't even have a ship to sail in. What would I be joining you for, to get myself killed?"

With that, Nami walked away alone.

The next morning, Luffy, Zoro, and Liu Qing had just woken up and finished breakfast at the foodfoo tavern. While they were taking a short rest, a squad of Marines rushed in.

The Marine commander said, "I heard you're pirates. Is that true?"

Luffy said, "Ah, yeah. I just found another crewmate, and we just formed our pirate crew."

The commander said, "We're very grateful for your help in freeing all of Shells Town, so that the people here no longer have to suffer under Morgan's brutal rule. But now that we know you're pirates, we must take action to arrest you for the sake of the Marines' honor. Please leave this island immediately, or we'll begin making arrests."

Luffy looked at the commander seriously. "Then let's go. Thanks for the meal, ma'am."

Liu Qing stood up as well. "Let's go, Zoro. We're getting ready to head to the next island."