"He... he actually reflected the bullets..."
"And that guy, his weapon can change shape?!"
"It looks like paper—"
The ordinary Marine soldiers were terrified by this magical scene, but Captain Morgan, the base commander, was 'well-informed.'
"Don't panic, those two just ate 'Devil Fruits'!"
"Devil Fruits..."
"The treasures of the sea—"
"This..."
"Hmph,"
"The so-called Devil Fruits are nothing but street performers' tricks."
"If bullets don't work, use swords!"
The tall Captain Morgan glanced at the nearby close-combat Marine soldiers, pointing forward with his axe-hand!
"Go, kill them!"
---
"Charge!!"
"Kill—"
"Ahhh~~~"
Facing their officer's command, a group of Marine soldiers could only charge forward with various battle cries, and what they faced were:
Three swords Style!
One in each hand, and one held in his mouth, Zoro's three swords instantly met the Marines' blades, blocking all the attacking soldiers with a single 'clang!' At the same time:
"Anyone who moves, I'll cut them down!"
The chilling killing intent made the Marine soldiers tremble all over. Just one look from Zoro made their limbs stiffen, and it felt like ice shards were flowing through their veins.
"I owe you my life, so I agreed to become a pirate with you."
Even with dozens of blades pointed at him, the man named Zoro didn't flinch. However, some things needed to be made clear:
"But I have my own ambition—"
His words were directed at the captain of the pirate crew he had just agreed to join: Luffy.
"I want to become the world's greatest swordsman!"
"If you want me to give up my dream, then I'll have to commit seppuku."
Facing Zoro's resolute words, Luffy just grinned broadly.
"Of course, the world's greatest swordsman would be the perfect companion for the Pirate King."
---
"What are you all standing around for!"
The soldiers who had charged forward were too scared to move by Zoro alone. Enraged, Captain Morgan swung his axe, cutting down a soldier whose gun was pointed at the ground in fear.
"Fire! Kill those useless ones too!"
...
Despite the absurdity of the order, under Morgan's accumulated authority and the 'example' just set, the soldiers with guns had no choice but to aim their trembling weapons at:
Luffy, Zoro, and their fellow soldiers!
"Paper Dance - Crossbow."
Fire!
Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft,
"Ah~~"
"What—"
Clang,
The sound of arms being pierced mixed with the screams and cries of the soldiers, and the clatter of guns hitting the ground, as Roman slowly approached the Marine soldiers.
"Hey, there's a limit to underestimating people."
In his hands were two pure white crossbows. These were created by Roman's ability, and they fired arrows made of 'paper', but:
Their power was no less than the flintlock guns of the Marines!
"I don't mind if you want to kill your own people," the crossbows in his hands 'automatically' loaded, generating arrows, and then aimed!
"But if you attack my companions, it's the same as attacking me—"
Then it's time to fight back!
"Who is this guy..."
"The combat captain of the Silver Light Pirates, 'The Counterattacker' Roman?"
After all, with a bounty of ten million Berries on his head, Roman's face was quite intimidating in East Blue! — By the way, the original Silver Light Pirates were not a local force in East Blue, but pirates who had been driven here from the North Sea.
"Why are you here... Could it be that the 'Silver Light Pirates' are nearby!"
Facing Roman, even the self-proclaimed 'great' Captain Morgan couldn't help but panic. With a total bounty of over forty million, the Silver Light Pirates were not something an ordinary Marine base in East Blue could handle.
Morgan had only obtained his captain's position by 'capturing' the sixteen million bounty 'Hundred Plans' Kuro...
"Don't worry, the Silver Light Pirates no longer exist in this world."
Facing the Marines who were treating him like a major enemy, Roman pointed his thumb behind him:
"Now I'm with the 'Straw Hat Pirates'..."
Whoosh—
A red figure moving at high speed had already passed Roman, charging towards Captain Morgan.
"Well, it seems someone couldn't wait any longer."
Bang!
Luffy's fist slammed hard into the opponent's axe, forcefully pushing the tall Marine captain back a step.
"Hey, I'm your enemy."
"If you have the guts, come fight me!"
Killing your own companions, that's the most disgusting thing...
"Hmph, a nobody."
"I am Marine Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!"
Facing the furious Morgan, Luffy introduced himself with a naive expression.
"Oh, I'm Luffy, nice to meet you."
"Who told you to—"
The huge axe in his right hand swung horizontally, the ear-piercing 'tear' sound instantly splitting the nearby wall in half!
"Introduce yourself!?"
"Strong but slow—"
Under Roman's leisurely commentary, the Marine captain's axe indeed achieved nothing! Luffy simply jumped in place, easily dodging the attack, and then:
Bang!
He casually kicked the opponent in the face, causing the Marine captain to stagger back several steps.
"You're dead!!"
Morgan who was extremely angry, steadied himself and immediately lunged forward with a downward slash, creating a long crack in the stone Marine plaza! But:
"I'm not going to die~"
Agilely dodging the axe with a spin, then delivering a whip kick.
Smack!
Morgan, kicked in the temple, his over two-meter-tall body immediately wobbled and fell, then Luffy grabbed his collar, raising his other fist high.
"What Marine, you ruined Coby's dream—"
"Stop!"
Bang!
However, Luffy's fist continued to fall, and after landing a heavy punch, he stood up and turned to look in the direction of the voice.
"I told you to stop~~"
The one shouting was that second-generation heir, the son of Captain Morgan of this Marine base!
No one knew when he had sneaked onto the battlefield, but he was now pressing a short-barreled flintlock gun against Coby's head, the threat was obvious.
"If you move again, I'll shoot him!"
"Lu...Luffy..."
"Don't worry about me, even if I die, I don't want to be a burden..."
One must admit, true character is revealed in the face of life and death. The originally timid and cowardly Coby did not show a trace of trembling at this moment.
"Alright!"
"Hey, you who only rely on your dad."
Luffy first nodded to Coby, then pointed at the second-generation heir, "Give it up, Coby is serious. A real man won't drag his friends down because of threats..."
However, behind Luffy, a tall figure had silently stood up! The giant axe in his hand was raised high—
"Don't move, or I'll shoot..."
"Luffy, watch out behind you!"
Faced with one person who couldn't hide his joy and another who selflessly warned him, the boy named Luffy just pressed his straw hat.
"Roman,"
"Got it—"
Puff!
Clatter,
The short gun fell to the ground, and the second-generation heir looked at the 'paper arrow' that had pierced his hand. After a moment of stunned silence, he let out an earth-shattering scream:
"Ahhh~ My hand~~~"
On the other side, Captain Morgan, who had raised his axe high behind Luffy, was now standing still like a statue! A second later, he slowly fell backward, and Luffy, who hadn't looked back, gave a hearty smile.
"Well done,"
"Zoro."
Behind the fallen Morgan, Zoro, holding three swords, was revealed.
"A piece of cake—"
The man biting the samurai sword replied.
"Captain."