“What… what do you want?” The two delinquent boys swallowed hard. They were just street thugs who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Compared to this gun-wielding tough guy, they were practically law-abiding citizens.
“What do you think we want?” Yasopp glared at them menacingly.
“Oh, oh! Understood, understood.” The two delinquents, seeing Yasopp dressed similarly to themselves, nodded repeatedly. “Boss, you go first. We’ll be second… no, we’ll be fourth and fifth.”
“Oh! So you’re that kind of person!” The girl shouted, her eyes brimming with tears. She had recognized the person behind Yasopp.
Shanks was dumbfounded. Was he being blamed for something he didn’t do?
“Ahaha?” Yasopp awkwardly scratched his head. Did he look like a bad guy? While pirates were indeed bad guys in a way, being put on the same level as these delinquents was still somewhat insulting.
Shanks stepped forward, his presence intimidating, “I’m telling you scumbags to get out of my sight right now, or you’ll never leave here!”
“We… we’ll leave right away.”
Though Shanks hadn’t yet developed Conqueror’s Haki, his undeniable aura was more than the delinquents could handle. They were so scared they fell to the ground, stammering their apologies.
“Take that guy with you!”
Hearing Shanks’ commanding tone, the two delinquents instinctively returned, grabbed their fallen comrade by the legs, and fled.
“Ouch… ouch… be gentle, my balls!”
Ignoring the departing idiots, Shanks turned to the girl with a kind smile, “I…”
“Ah! Don’t come any closer!” The petite girl was still terrified by the delinquents’ earlier threats and, seeing Yasopp’s attire, remained wary of Shanks.
“No, I…” Shanks began but was interrupted by a scream filled with fear and despair.
“Ah!”
Shanks and his crew turned to see the delinquents lying in pools of blood, while at the end of the street stood a Marine in a justice cloak.
“Ah! It’s Major Longinus!” The petite girl let out a scream that seemed to echo forever, her lung capacity indicating her combat power was over 9000.
“It’s that Marine!” Yasopp said, somewhat frustrated that the girl had identified the newcomer faster than he had. Being a fangirl was a talent in itself.
Even Ben Beckman, who had been watching coldly, became severe. This Marine was the most noteworthy person on the island.
“To eradicate evil! Out of a hundred scumbags, perhaps one can be redeemed, but the disasters caused by the remaining ninety-nine are far beyond what that one redemption can compensate for.” Rougishuspoke in a gentle tone, yet his words were ironclad. His justice cloak, untouched by blood, seemed to signify that dealing with a few delinquents was trivial.
“As a Marine who upholds justice, don’t you think this is too hasty? They are living beings too; their deaths will bring sorrow to someone,” Shanks challenged, curious about how this hero would respond.
“I protect the justice of people, not scumbags. Such scum… cannot be considered human!” Rougishuwalked steadily, seemingly unaffected by any disturbances.
Ben Beckman noticed that Longinus’ pace never wavered, as if he were a machine devoid of life. “This guy has engraved the Marine creed into his very bones. Even in private, he remains self-disciplined. A truly terrifying individual!”
“Major Longinus, thank goodness you came to save me, or else…” Like running towards the sun, the petite girl dashed to Longinus’ side, speaking excitedly.
“Hey, I was the one who saved you, right? Do you have to be so biased?” Shanks thought to himself. Worse still, the girl looked at him and his crew suspiciously, whispering to Longinus, “Major Longinus, be careful of these guys. They don’t look like good people.”
Indeed, a red-haired guy, a scruffy guy, and a “mute” didn’t seem like good people to an ordinary person.
Although Shanks, Yasopp, and Beckman weren’t weak, being misunderstood like this still frustrated them.
To their surprise, Rougishuspoke up for them, “You misunderstood them. They came to save you.”
“Really?” the girl blushed, profusely apologizing, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I really apologize for mistaking you for bad people.”
“Just be more careful next time,” Shanks and Yasopp said, feeling helpless. They couldn’t argue with a little girl.
But it was frustrating that a single word from the Marine could gain instant trust while they were doubted despite their actions.
After the girl left, Rougishusaid said warmly, “Thank you for helping. Otherwise, delayed justice isn’t justice at all.”
Shanks hadn’t expected to chat so casually with a Marine. Though Rougishuwas strong, he was somewhat unlikable.
“Haha! You’re not as hypocritical as other Marines. I used to…”
“Ahem!” Yasopp coughed to remind Shanks not to reveal too much.
“…I used to want to join the Marines, but was rejected because of the scars on my face,” Shanks quickly covered, praising his quick thinking.
“That was indeed unfair. Marine selection isn’t a beauty contest. Even if you don’t look like a good person…”
“Cough, cough!”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing, just a bit of a sore throat from the wind.”
“Why don’t you come back to the base with me? With your desire for justice, I’m sure you’ll become an excellent Marine!”
“Cough, cough, cough!”
“What’s wrong with you all? Why are you suddenly coughing?”
“Nothing… nothing. Just a sore throat from the wind.”
Seeing Ben Beckman and Yasopp glaring daggers, Shanks quickly said, “Oh no, we have to hurry to the port. We’ll miss the ship…”
“No worries. If you miss it, I’ll have a warship escort you.”
“Warship escort?!!”
“Cough, cough, cough! Thank you, Major, but we have urgent business. Maybe next time!”
As Shanks and his crew fled, Longinus’ smile faded. “I didn’t expect to meet a future Yonko here. But he’s insignificant now. Even if I report to the World Government, they won’t consider a rookie from the Pirate King’s crew a threat.”
“Besides, even if I could mobilize a fleet from G2 to hunt them down, it wouldn’t benefit me. It’d be a lot of trouble for nothing, and people might think I’m making a big deal out of nothing.
“Moreover, light only exists because of darkness!”
“The threat of the Yonko keeps the Government tolerating the Marines’ growth. The stronger the Marines, the more meaningful my actions become.”
“Of course, raising a tiger can lead to destruction. It depends on who’s more skilled. Red-Haired Shanks, we won’t have to wait long to meet again!”
Become a Patron read up to 60 chapter ahead public release ^_^
Please join Discord Server so we can talk ^_^
