hapter 6: Becoming Garp's DiscipleClick...!The door to the ward was pushed open from the outside.An old man wearing a Marine Vice Admiral uniform walked in from outside. This person was Marine Hero Garp. Since throwing him into the hospital, Garp had not come to see him for over half a month.Today was the first time he had come to visit.Marcus was already tired of being left here by Garpfor so many days. Even if Garp hadn't come today, Marcus was prepared to go find him proactively.At this time, Garp wasn't as old as he appeared in the manga; he was around fifty, yet he looked even more energetic than when he was in his twenties or thirties.Garp walked in, didn't ask about Marcus's recovery, but instead went straight to the window and looked at the Marine Soldiers training outside, dripping with sweat.He opened his mouth and asked, "What do you think of these training soldiers?"Hearing Garp's question, Marcus immediately understood why Garp had left him here without visiting—he wanted Marcus to experience the atmosphere of Marineford.Marcus pretended to be disdainful and mocked, "This is truly worthy of being Marineford. The soldiers here are much stronger than those outside, but these elites are just staying here, doing nothing."Garp heard the sarcasm in Marcus's tone, but instead of getting angry, he burst out laughing.He flashed and appeared before Marcus. Having stayed at Marine Headquarters for over half a month, Marcus immediately recognized this as'Shave,' one of the Six Powers. Without any explanation, Garp threw a punch toward Marcus's head.Feeling the strong gust of wind from the punch, Marcus's expression changed drastically, and he quickly deployed three Shields above his head. Marcus hadn't been sleeping all day during his half-month stay in the hospital.After more than half a month of practice, Marcushad become much more proficient with his ability. Not only had the speed of deploying the Shields increased significantly, but their defensive power had also improved considerably.However, these improvements were useless when facing Garp. Marcus couldn't put up any resistance at all; Garp's fist struck him accurately and swiftly.With that punch, Garp sent Marcus flying off the bed, smashing a large crater into the wall. Fortunately, Marcus had managed to deploy Shields across his entire body in time, otherwise, hitting the wall would have left him sore for a while again.Rubbing the large bump on his head, Marcus roared at Garp, "Hey, Old Man, what are you doing?"Anyone who gets punched and gets a large bump for no reason wouldn't be in a good mood.Garp did not answer. Expressionless, he activated'Shave' again and threw a punch at Marcus.Marcus was not someone who would take a beating without fighting back. He flicked both hands repeatedly, sending dozens of Black Spheresshooting toward Garp. This was a new Move Marcushad developed recently by compressing space to form these spheres.Do not underestimate the power of these spheres; the destructive force generated by the explosion of just one sphere is no less than that of a cannonball. Most importantly, the power of these spheres increases as Marcus's strength grows. As long as Marcus is strong enough, he can compress larger spaces, resulting in a greater explosive force.These dozens of Black Spheres were Marcus's maximum capability. Facing the dozens of Black Spheres, Garp's speed did not decrease at all; he dodged all of them by shifting slightly here and there."That's Observation Haki," Marcus murmured.Even though Marcus used his full strength, the outcome did not change; Marcus was once again smashed into the wall by Garp.However, Marcus's attack was quite effective; at the very least, it destroyed the entire ward. This series of explosions echoing throughout Marinefordcaused the stationed Marines to think they were being invaded.The alarm instantly blared across all of Marineford, and the entire Marine force began operating like a giant machine. In just one minute, the entire hospital was surrounded by fully armed Marines. This showed the level of alertness at Marineford.Below, a Marine Rear Admiral,was directing the Marines to prepare to storm the hospital and rescue people.Suddenly, Vice Admiral Garp walked out of the destroyed ward, holding a young boy wearing a patient's gown.The Rear Admiral quickly saluted and asked, "Vice Admiral Garp, is this the criminal who invaded Marineford?"Faced with the Rear Admiral's question, even Garpfelt a hint of embarrassment and chuckled sheepishly."I was just teaching this brat a lesson, I didn't expect it to cause such a ruckus. It's fine now, you can all go back!"All the Marine Soldiers, "---"Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengokuquestioned the Marine Soldier who came in to report the situation: "What exactly happened? Was Marineford truly invaded?""Fleet Admiral, everything that just happened was caused by Vice Admiral Garp."Hearing that it wasn't an invasion, Sengokubreathed a sigh of relief, but then shouted angrily, "Garp? What is that bastard Garp messing around with now? Bring Garp over here!"... When Marcusslowly woke up, he found himself lying on a rock. Garp was sitting nearby, watching the busy port, lost in thought.Rubbing his still dizzy head, Marcus sat beside Garpand asked in confusion, "Old Man, why did you bring me here?""What do you think of this port?" Garp didn't answer Marcus's question but countered with one of his own.Marcus then carefully observed the port. It was already dusk, and the entire sea surface was golden. At the port, ships came and went, countless workers were unloading cargo on the shore, and returning fishing boats were selling their catch."Prosperous, peaceful, and safe. Ports like this are truly rare!"Garp laughed heartily, "Exactly. This port can be said to be the safest port in the world, bar none, because Marine Headquarters is not far from here. Precisely because Marine Headquarters is stationed here, no Pirate has dared to invade this place yet."Marcus said with a smile, "Hey, Old Man, you didn't bring me here just to tell me this, did you?"Marcus instantly saw through Garp's intentions. Garp told him all this and brought him here with the sole purpose of making him express hatred for Pirates so that he would join the Marine.Garp shook his head helplessly, "You little brat, let's be honest! I want you to join the Marine."Marcus already had the idea of joining the Marine, and Garp's recruitment perfectly matched Marcus's wishes."Hey, Old Man, if I don't agree, are you planning on not letting me go?" Marcus asked.Garp didn't say much in response to this question, he just nodded.Upon seeing Garp's answer, Marcus shrugged, "Since you put it that way, then I agree to join the Marine."Before finishing, Marcus suddenly changed his tone and said, "However, I have one condition: that Stinky Old Man, you must personally teach me."Garp had initially thought Marcus would make some extraordinary request, but he didn't expect it to be just this. Garp had already planned to teach Marcushimself; he couldn't trust such excellent Materials to anyone else, so he nodded in agreement without a second thought.Seeing Garp agree, Marcus smiled. He quickly stood up and performed an Apprenticeship Bow to Garp."I, Marcus, hereby take Garp as my master today."Just then, a Marine Soldier jogged over. "Vice Admiral Garp, the Fleet Admiral is looking for you.""Stinky Kid, being my disciple isn't easy. Get ready; the Devil Training starts tonight."UU Reading welcomes all readers to visit and read. The newest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all available at UU Reading! Mobile users please visit to read.
Chapter 7: Six PowersUnder the illumination of the bright white Moonlight, the earth seemed to be draped in a coat of silver.In such a world without industrial pollution, under the night sky, Luffy stood on a piece of wasteland.In the silent dark night, the faint sound of wind and the chirping of insects coming from all directions made Marcus feel as if he had returned to that primitive jungle.At this moment, Marcus, who was closing his eyes to feel the breath of all things, suddenly sensed a sound of wind approaching him.Marcus opened his eyes and directly flicked four Death Balls backward while rolling his body to the side.Death Ball was the name Marcus had just given to the black spheres he flicked.Such powerful black spheres, once exploded, would completely destroy everything within several meters, symbolizing death.Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!Four explosions came from behind, producing intense firelight and air waves.Just when Marcus thought he was safe, a fist appeared in his vision, changed direction, and struck the top of his head.Marcus looked up and saw Garp standing in front of him with a fist raised, looking at him.Rubbing his head, Marcus said irritably, 'You Stinky Old Man, always launching sneak attacks for no reason.''Stinky Kid, how did you discover me just now?' Garp asked curiously.Just now, Garp had used'Shave' to quickly rush toward Marcus, intending to catch him off guard.But he didn't expect to be discovered by Marcus, who fired four of those powerful little spheres at him, catching him off guard.'Actually, I didn't understand what was happening just now either. I seemed to hear many sounds, but suddenly I felt a different sound coming from behind. I didn't expect it to be you, old man!'Garp said nonchalantly, 'Forget it, I'm fine anyway.'Although Garp appeared nonchalant on the surface, he was already shocked by Marcus's talent in his heart.From Marcus's words, Garp understood that Marcushad touched the threshold of Observation Haki. As long as there was an opportunity, Marcus would be able to awaken Observation Haki.However, looking at Marcus's situation, Marcus had realized it unintentionally. Telling him now would only cause him psychological burden, so it was better to let things take their natural course.Garp had not forgotten his purpose, 'Stinky Kid, what do you want to learn?''That goes without saying, of course it's the Six Powers,' Marcus pouted.'Six Powers' consists of six Moves: Finger Pistol, Tempest Kick, Shave, Paper Art, and Iron Body. This is a type of physical technique, a martial art that surpasses the limits of human physical ability.Shave: By kicking the ground more than ten times in an instant to generate explosive speed for movement, the naked eye cannot see you moving, so the effect is like teleportation.Iron Body: By pumping strength into a well-trained body, it gains the hardness of iron. Even bullets and swords cannot break through it. The drawback is that you cannot Move freely while using Iron Body. The principle is to accelerate blood flow to speed up muscle movement.Paper Art: By relaxing the entire body, one can dodge attacks aimed at oneself at the last second by sensing the changes in airflow generated by the opponent's movements.Moonwalk: By kicking in the air while jumping, one can change their movement trajectory before falling. With this aerial movement technique, one can launch attacks from the air without leaving any blind spots.Tempest Kick: It is not about kicking the enemy to cause damage, but using the vacuum generated by high-speed kicks to perform slashes.Finger Pistol: Gathering all the strength of the body into the index finger, a blow is released in a flash with the hardened finger. The fingertip has the attack power of a bullet and can easily pierce through the human body.Simply put, the Six Powers allow a person's body to perform superhuman actions through continuous training and unique force-application techniques....It really wasn't easy for Garp to explain all these things in one breath.'And now, what I am going to teach you is the'Shave' from the Six Powers, which is frequently used for both attacking and dodging.'Marcus asked, 'Then do I have to keep running like those Marine Soldiers on the training ground?'Garp shook his head and took out two black cloth bags,'Since it's devil training, how can it be the same as those Marine Soldiers?''The bags in my hand are filled with a special type of metal, and each bag weighs fifty jin. That is to say, starting from today, you must tie these two bags to your feet and never take them off at any time.'Under Garp's coercion, Marcus finally began his first training since arriving in this world, which was also the beginning of Marcus's path to becoming a powerhouse.During the day, Marcus practiced the Six Powers, and at night, it was time for him to get abused.Every night, Marcus would fight Garp, and after every fight, Marcus would be thoroughly pummeled by Garp....Just like that, spring passed and autumn came, and Marcus had been in this world for a whole year.Under Garp's continuous training, Marcus practiced the Six Powers during the day to improve his physical fitness. At night, he fought Garp to continuously develop his abilities.After a year of training, Marcus's combat power improved rapidly. He had already learned'Shave' and 'Iron Body' from the Six Powers, and now he had also touched the threshold of Moonwalk.At the same time, Marcus's body became stronger step by step. Now, Marcus's physical fitness was much stronger than a year ago. The past Marcuswas extremely thin and small, but now his body was covered with muscles, and he had grown much taller.The biggest progress was in the development of his own abilities, with a top-tier powerhouse giving him pointers every day. Marcus's progress was rapid; not only did he develop many new Moves, but he also became more adept at using his abilities.'Bang!' Unable to dodge, Marcus clashed head-on with Garp's fist.However, with Marcus's current strength, how could he be Garp's opponent? Marcus couldn't even resist for a moment before being sent flying.Marcus created a soft space barrier behind him to stop his backward momentum.'Shave' instantly dodged Garp's heavy blow.While moving, Marcus formed dozens of Death Balls around Garp, sealing off all of Garp's retreat routes. That wasn't all; after stopping, Marcus had already formed three Space Blades the moment he landed, which shot toward Garp.After preparing these two lethal Moves, Marcusquickly formed a semi-circular space barrier around Garp to seal him in. To prevent Garp from breaking through the barrier, Marcus maintained it from not far away.First was the explosion of the Death Balls, but this powerful force was blocked by Marcus's space barrier. With such powerful force only able to vent within a semicircle, one could imagine how much lethality it would cause.Immediately following that were the three Space Blades, which instantly split this semicircular space into six pieces.This was the lethality of the Space Blade; the Space Blade cuts space. That is to say, the Space Bladecuts the space where the object is located, not the object itself. Once cut by the Space Blade, the object is no longer in the same space.Therefore, theoretically speaking, there is nothing in this world that the Space Blade cannot cut.However, if it is a dead object, there is no force to change the object's position, so when the space naturally recovers, the dead object will return to its original state. But living things are different; when the body merges back, they will bleed to death.However, the attack speed of the Space Blade is too slow. To break space, one can imagine how much resistance there is. With Marcus's current strength, the Space Blade he releases with full power is only the size of an ordinary dagger. Moreover, it requires a long time to charge, so in a real battle, the current Space Blade is not of much use.So when Marcus saw that the Space Blade did not cause any damage, he quickly released the barrier, used'Shave', and retreated rapidly.But it was already too late; Garp punched through the barrier. With even faster speed, he caught up to Marcus and delivered a roundhouse kick.'Iron Body'But 'Iron Body' alone could not block Garp's attack.Marcus was kicked flying by Garp, carving a trench dozens of meters long on the ground. Garp did not hold back with this kick, directly leaving Marcusunable to even stand up.'Stinky Kid, not bad progress, you've already managed to ruin my clothes,' Garp said, walking over slowly while wearing his tattered cloak.Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Marcus thought helplessly, 'This Stinky Old Man is too powerful. Even though I've improved so much in a year, I can only damage his clothes. Yet I can't even withstand one of his kicks.'UU Reading welcomes readers to visit and read; the latest, fastest, and most popular serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read.
Stinky Kid, this is the two hundred and thirty-eighth time you've lost to me, hahahahaha..."Seeing Marcus suffer another defeat at his hands, Garp couldn't help but laugh out loud.Marcus said unconvinced: "You Stinky Old Man, your combat power is stronger than an Admiral, how could I possibly win?""Bang!" Garp landed an Iron Fist of Love on Marcus's head."Stinky Kid, don't make so many excuses. If you want to beat me, go practice for a few more decades."Although Garp said Marcus wasn't good enough, he was secretly shocked by Marcus's talent. After a year of devilish training, the improvement in Marcus's strength was truly shocking.Now, Marcus had mastered'Soru' and 'Tekkai' from the Six Powers, and his development of his abilities had also progressed significantly.Marcus's current strength should have reached the level of a Marineford Colonel. The fight just now was not Marcus's true strength, because he still had one hundred pounds of sandbags tied to his legs.While shocked by Marcus's progress, worry also followed. Through this year of getting along, Garpunderstood that Marcus did not have a strong sense of belonging to the Marine.Marcus had his own view of good and evil; in his heart, he had his own perspective on judging a person's character.Garp was also very clear about the situation behind the scenes in the Marine. Therefore, Garp was afraid that one day Marcus would be disappointed in the Marine and betray them. Such a powerful Geniusstanding on the opposite side of the Marine would be a huge threat to them."Forget it, it's still early, thinking about this so much is useless," Garp shook his head, banishing these unnecessary thoughts from his mind.Looking at Marcus, who was clutching his head and cursing in a low voice nearby, a sincere smile appeared on Garp's face. After this year of getting along, Garp had long treated Marcus like his own grandson."Stinky Kid, your strength hasn't improved much in the past half month," Garp commented on Marcus's strength as usual.Marcus asked eagerly: "Yeah! Stinky Old Man, what's going on? I haven't reduced my training these past two weeks, why hasn't my strength improved?"Marcus was also very anxious and worried about the issue of his strength not improving over the last half month.Garp said with a serious face: "It must be because your strength improved too quickly a while ago. Your Foundation is unstable, and you've encountered a Bottleneck."After Garp's reminder, Marcus recalled that it was indeed so. His strength previously changed day by day, just like riding a rocket; it was normal for his Foundation to be unstable.Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Marcus's face rarely became serious, and he asked: "Then is there any good solution?"Yes!"You currently have an unstable Foundation, so the best way is to stop this kind of training and go experience real life-and-death battles to master what you have learned. Only true life-and-death battles can stimulate a person's potential."Marcus nodded thoughtfully. The method Garpmentioned was indeed the most suitable for him right now, and it was also the fastest to take effect, but it was also the most dangerous.Seeing that Marcus hadn't answered for a long time, Garp thought Marcus was afraid of danger and was backing down, so he taunted: "What, are you scared?""No, I'm just thinking about what I should bring."Garp was startled at first, then burst into laughter, "Hahahaha... I didn't misjudge you.""That's it, Stinky Kid. Come to the pier by yourself tomorrow morning. Prepare plenty of things, and don't die when the time comes."...Dragging his exhausted body, Marcus arrived at his assigned room. He had been at the Marine Headquarters for a year. Although Marcus's combat power could rival a Colonel, because he had no military achievements, his current rank was only a Captain.Although there were many people with this rank at the Marine Headquarters, and they did not possess as much power as in those remote places, he still had a single room.Click! Walking into his small room, Marcus was too lazy to even turn on the light and lay directly on the bed.Over the past year, he had slowly integrated into this world. In his previous life, he was just an orphan and had no relatives. Therefore, Marcus had no nostalgia for his previous life; the current Marcusalready considered himself a person of this world in his heart.He had been at the Marine Headquarters for a year, and previously he had always hoped that he could go to the Grand Line to venture out, but the Stinky Old Man wouldn't let him. Now that he was suddenly leaving, Marcus felt a hint of reluctance.After lying down for a while, Marcus began to get up and pack his things. He searched for a long time before finding a backpack, stuffed a few sets of clothes into it, and put in a Permanent Log Pose.After putting these few items in, looking at the empty-looking backpack, Marcus realized he had nothing else to put in it and laughed at himself.He took down the sword hanging on the wall. This sword was not like the swords in this world; in Marcus's view, the swords in this world were just sabers, and Marcus didn't want to use that kind of sword.The Marine Headquarters not only gathered many elite Marine Soldiers, but there were also many experts in forging here. After all, for such a huge army, who knew how many weapons were needed every day.Therefore, Marcus found a famous forging Great Master and, in Garp's name, said he wanted to forge a special weapon - that is, a sword from his previous life.It turned out that the master had been saved by Garp years ago. Upon hearing it was a weapon Garpwanted, he took out his family heirloom, spent more than a month, and forged an extremely sharp sword.But later, somehow Garp found out, and he was beaten half to death by an angry Garp, lying in bed for several days before he could get up.This sword was over a meter long and ten centimeters wide. The hilt was a dragon head, double-edged, incredibly sharp, and could be said to cut iron like mud.Slinging the long sword on his back, he took one last look at his room, Marcus gently closed the door and walked outside.Although the sky was just barely bright, some Marine Soldiers had already gotten up and were training on their own in the drill ground.Marcus, carrying a backpack, walked slowly along the road. Since the port was not far from where Marcus lived, it didn't take him long to reach the port.Garp had already arrived at the port. The coming and going Marine Soldiers were continuously loading essential daily supplies and a huge amount of ammunition onto the ship.This time Garp was prepared to be out for quite a long time, so of course, he had to bring more of the things that were not easy to resupply. In the Grand Line where pirates ran rampant, the Marine didn't have many safe and reliable resupply points."Hey! Stinky Old Man, did you purposely trick me? At this loading speed, I'm afraid it won't be finished until noon!" Marcus said very dissatisfied.This Stinky Old Man let him go back so late last night and made him get up so early this morning. It caused him to only sleep for two hours last night, and he still had no energy now.Garp chuckled and said meaningfully: "It's because loading like this is too slow that I need you to come."Marcus was carrying a large box in one hand, looking at Garp not far away with an indignant face."This Stinky Old Man, calling me up so early, just to make me a porter."UU Reading welcomes all book friends to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read.
Chapter 9: Vice Admiral KuzanWiping the sweat from his forehead and seeing that there was nothing left on the pier, Marcus finally breathed a sigh of relief.Having moved things from early morning until now, Marcus had been working for four hours, and the sun had been out for quite a while."Soru"Using "Soru" several times in succession, Marcusarrived next to Garp from the ship in an instant.Using "Soru" to travel; Marcus was the only one in the entire Marineford who would think of such a way to get around.At this moment, Garp was talking to a very tall Vice Admiral. Feeling Marcus's arrival, he introduced him to the Vice Admiral in front: "Come, Kuzan, this is the Disciple I have newly taken in over this past year, Marcus!"Upon hearing that the youth before him was actually Garp's Disciple, Kuzan immediately looked at Marcus with higher regard.Kuzan was very clear about Vice Admiral Garp's strength and his status within the Marines.Don't look at Garp as just a Vice Admiral; his strength was actually above that of an Admiral, and in the entire Marine organization, only Fleet Admiral Sengoku was his match.At the same time, Garp was also the marine hero, and his voice within the Marines was no less than that of an Admiral, or perhaps even higher.For someone like Garp who didn't like to do things, to actually take on a Disciple—and judging by his tone, he highly approved of this Disciple—this youth certainly wasn't simple.To be valued by Garp, he must possess extremely high talent.From Marcus's skillful use of "Soru" just now, Kuzanhad already become interested in this youth.Now hearing that Marcus was Garp's Disciple, he was even more interested in Marcus.After finishing the introduction to Kuzan, Garp also began to introduce him to Marcus."Stinky Kid, spare me your daily talk about how strong you are. The person in front of you right now is Vice Admiral Kuzan. Having returned from outside this time, it is very likely he will become an Admiral."Actually, without Garp's introduction, Marcus had already guessed that this was the future AdmiralAokiji.He was tall, nearly over three meters. He wore a white suit vest and a dark blue shirt. A green blindfold rested on his forehead.It could be said that among the future three Admirals, Marcus liked Kuzan the most.He was the kindest and most reasonable person among the three Admirals, typically cold on the outside but warm on the inside.Having a good impression of the Kuzan before him, Marcus reached out his hand and introduced himself: "Marcus, the Stinky Old Man's Disciple."Kuzan reached out and shook his hand, "Marine Vice Admiral Kuzan!"Normally, as a Marine Captain, Marcus should have saluted when facing Vice Admiral Kuzan.But since Marcus had apprenticed under a good teacher, with such a powerful background, even Kuzan couldn't underestimate him; this was the benefit of being a second-generation official.Seeing that the two of them got along well upon their first meeting, Garp nodded secretly at Marcus's performance.Facing Kuzan, who was about to be promoted to Admiral, he could still remain calm and composed while greeting him; this kind of Heart-Nature was not something that could be acquired through simple training.Seemingly thinking of something, Garp asked: "Are you going to see your teacher, Zephyr, now?"Kuzan nodded. Regarding the matter of his promotion to Admiral, he still needed to speak with his teacher and ask for his opinion."Then help me greet your teacher. Also, sometimes, sticking to your own heart is the most important thing," Garp said meaningfully."Thank you for the reminder, Vice Admiral Garp." How could Aokiji not understand? Garp was reminding him of some things regarding the position of Admiral.At the level the two of them were at, it was better not to spell some things out. With just a few key words, they could understand each other's meaning.After thanking him, Kuzan turned around and walked towards a Little Girl behind him, said a few words to the girl, and then left with her.It was only then that Marcus noticed that there was actually a blue-haired girl on the side. Unfortunately, he didn't see her face clearly before she walked away.Marcus asked curiously: "Stinky Old Man, does Kuzan have another teacher?""Nonsense, without a teacher's guidance, could Kuzan have grown so fast!" Garp said testily.Marcus recalled that in his previous life, there were many volumes he hadn't read, and as a result, he had missed it.Since Kuzan had a teacher, it seemed there were still some powerhouses within this Marine Headquarters."Stinky Kid, look, others are already Admirals, and you are still just a Marine Captain," Garpdeliberately emphasized his tone to discourage Marcus.Marcus didn't care and pursed his lips, retorting: "Stinky Old Man, how long has he been in the Marines, and how long have I been in? Is there even a comparison?""Bam!" Garp punched Marcus on the head. "What did I tell you earlier? What the teacher says is right, and even if it's wrong, it's still right."Compared to a year ago, under Garp's abuse, Marcus had long since trained his head to be incredibly hard. Now, when Garp punched him, there was no longer a bump.Regarding Garp's abuse, Marcus had no power to resist and could only mutter helplessly: "This Stinky Old Man, he uses force when he can't win an argument."Watching Garp walk towards the warship, Marcusmuttered a few words and hurriedly followed.Marcus turned and asked: "Hey, Stinky Old Man, are we going to the second half of the Grand Line this time, or the first half?"He had asked Garp yesterday, but Garp said he would only tell Marcus the destination today."With your level, you still want to go to the New World. Even in the first half of the Grand Line, you might not survive. This time we are going to the first half first; it just so happens that quite a few powerful Great Pirates have emerged this year, which is quite suitable for you."A Marine Soldier saluted: "Vice Admiral Garp, everything is ready now, awaiting your orders.""Set sail!"Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails!Under the faint sea breeze, the warship slowly sailed toward the open ocean. Marcus stood at the front, a refreshing sea breeze blowing against his face. Looking at the distant sea, he revealed a hint of anticipation.Since his Rebirth into this world, apart from sailing on that pirate ship, he had been staying at Marine Headquarters; this was his first real voyage at sea. Even in his previous life, Marcus had never seen the ocean.Everyone has a different state of mind when facing the sea. Looking at the blue sea meeting the sky, Marcus felt an urge to vent the emotions in his heart."Grand Line, here I come!!!"The Marine Soldier on the ship, upon hearing Marcus's declaration, smiled slightly. Wasn't he in the same mood when he faced the sea back then?Looking at Marcus standing at the bow, Garp was also full of expectations for Marcus's future. As Marcus's teacher, Marcus was his only student in so many years. Now that the student was about to graduate, Garp was also very concerned about the student's future.Over the past year, Garp had kept Marcussuppressed at Marine Headquarters, and now he had to let him out. Marcus at Marine Headquarterswas like a fish that had left the sea; now, after a year of preparation, the fish had finally returned to the sea.He wondered what kind of height Marcus would reach in this "Great Pirate Era."UU Reading welcomes all readers to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read.
Chapter 10: Grand LineIn his previous life, he had seen in the manga that the weather on the Grand Line was unpredictable, and this time, Marcus finally experienced it firsthand.Not long after setting sail, the weather, which had been bright and sunny just moments before, suddenly turned overcast with dark clouds, followed immediately by a torrential downpour.On the sea, the strong winds whipped up waves dozens of meters high.Marcus, standing at the bow of the ship, was instantly drenched like a drowned rat.By the time Marcus finished helping the many Marine Soldiers furl the sails, the sun had already emerged in the sky.As a result, everyone had to honestly hoist the sails back up again.On the first day of the voyage, Marcus experienced massive whirlpools, raging storms, and towering waves.Exhausted to the point of collapse, Marcus finally understood why the Grand Line was known as the Graveyard of Pirates in other seas.In this kind of weather, without an excellent Navigator, surviving truly depends on luck.Just like on this first day, the ship had nearly capsized several times, and Marcus had been scared half to death.Looking at the rest of the Marine Soldiers, they were truly the elite of the Headquarters; even when facing the prospect of the ship capsizing, their expressions didn't change at all.Following the orders of the Navigator and the helmsman, the entire warship moved like a huge machine, turning quickly and nimbly avoiding crisis after crisis.Earlier, Marcus had been worried about the sturdiness of this wooden ship, but now he realized it was even sturdier than he had imagined.To be able to sail through such massive winds and waves, the navigation technology of this world had truly reached its Peak.Having finally welcomed some bright and sunny weather, Marcus lay on the deck, taking this opportunity to rest for a while.A Marine Captain who looked to be in his thirties walked over and sat down beside Marcus. "Is this your first time out at sea?"Marcus nodded and asked, puzzled, "I see you guys aren't bothered at all. Is this kind of weather common on the Grand Line?"Marcus extended his hand and introduced himself, "Oh, right, my name is Marcus.""My name is Roberts, Buga Roberts."On this ship, other than Garp, Marcus didn't know anyone, so now that someone had finally come over to talk, Marcus naturally asked about things to watch out for on the Grand Line.This Marine Captain was also a talkative person who knew quite a lot, and he could basically answer a thing or two regarding Marcus's questions.Through Roberts, Marcus gained a rough understanding of matters regarding the Grand Line.Actually, although the weather on the Grand Line is unpredictable, it isn't always like today. Most of the time, the weather on the Grand Line is quite stable; it's just that it changes relatively quickly. It's rare to encounter conditions like today's."However, you're the first person I've ever seen who could become a Marine Captain at such a young age," Roberts remarked in surprise.Marcus scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "It's nothing, really. I just ate a Devil Fruit."Now it was Roberts's turn to feel curious. To have eaten a Devil Fruit at such a young age, such a person must either have a powerful background or be extremely lucky.Roberts was naturally a gossip, otherwise he wouldn't know so many things and rumors. "How did that happen? Tell me about it."Seeing that Roberts was so interested, Marcusdidn't want to spoil the fun. He immediately recounted the experience of how he obtained the Devil Fruit, though he glossed over some important details.Roberts exclaimed, "I didn't expect your experience to be so convoluted."Marcus leaned boredly against the railing, watching the Marine Soldiers gathered in groups of two or three before him, enjoying the refreshing sea breeze. After the initial interest had passed, Marcus felt that sailing was actually a very boring thing, especially for him.In Marcus's view, he could be considered the second idlest person on the ship; the first idlest person was, of course, that Stinky Old Man Garp. Every Marine Soldier on this ship had their own position, even Roberts, with whom he had been chatting happily earlier, had work to do.Now, he was left alone to blow in the sea breeze, bored. These Marine Soldiers were at least in their twenties. Some were already married; how could they hit it off with a kid like him who hadn't even grown up yet? Perhaps only someone like the cheerful Roberts could chat with him.Right now, Marcus most hoped to encounter pirates, so he wouldn't have to sit here so bored. But they had only set sail for one day, so it was unlikely to encounter pirates so quickly.Over the past year, after fighting with Garp every night, Marcus couldn't fall asleep this early. Marcuswasn't like Garp, who could fall asleep anytime, anywhere.Watching Garp sleeping on the side, Marcus shook his head speechlessly. For such thick nerves like Garp's, Marcus simply couldn't find the words to describe it!But sometimes, fate is a strange thing. Just like that, Marcus had just been thinking about wanting some pirates to keep him from being so bored, and pirates actually came knocking.A Marine Soldier ran out from the cabin holding a den den mushi. He scanned his surroundings and ran toward Garp's position.He shouted anxiously, "Vice Admiral Garp, we just heard a distress signal from the den den mushi."The Marine Soldier's voice was very loud, and everyone on the ship heard the news. They immediately stopped what they were doing, waiting for Vice Admiral Garp's orders."Snore, snore, snore, snore..." But Garp was still sleeping without the slightest reaction.The Marine Soldier, seeing that Garp was still asleep, felt a bit helpless and called out again, "Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Garp!"Watching the Marine Soldier continuously calling "Vice Admiral Garp," Marcus couldn't help but chuckle. Marcus, who was familiar with Garp, knew that just calling him like that wouldn't wake him up; it required something more intense."Calling him like that won't work. If you want to wake up Vice Admiral Garp, you need to use some special methods," Marcus smiled slightly from the side.The Marine Soldier looked to the side and saw that it was Vice Admiral Garp's Disciple speaking, thinking that a Disciple should know his teacher quite well. He immediately stepped back a few paces, giving up a spot for Marcus.Marcus extended his finger and tapped gently toward Garp. A small black sphere immediately appeared beside Garp; this was precisely Marcus's commonly used move, 'Death Ball'.He controlled the Death Ball, which was floating in the air, and moved it slowly toward Garp's forehead.The Marines present watched all this with puzzled expressions, seeing Marcus suddenly conjure up a small black sphere and move it slowly to Garp's head. Although they felt it was very strange, everyone didn't say anything. In the eyes of the Marine Soldiers, as Garp's Disciple, Marcus must have his reasons for doing so.Just as the Death Ball was about to reach Garp's forehead, Garp woke up instantly. He punched the Death Ball away, followed immediately by a'Soru', flashing in front of Marcus.'Tekkai'Garp's speed was too fast; before Marcus could dodge, he was struck by Garp. He slammed into the wall on the side, his entire head going straight through the wooden plank, leaving only his lower body outside."You Stinky Kid, are you trying to kill me! Placing this thing on my head," Garp scolded angrily.Because Garp had punched Marcus away, the Death Ball that had been knocked away exploded directly in mid-air. A burst of fire flashed in the air, but unfortunately, there wasn't even a puff of smoke.The powerful shockwave produced by the explosion acted upon everyone present from above. Suddenly, everyone felt a powerful force pressing down on them; some Marine Soldiers were caught off guard and almost pressed to the ground, but it disappeared the next instant.The Marine Soldiers looked up blankly at the sky, then looked at Marcus stuck in the wooden plank. Many Marine Soldiers suddenly realized their brains weren't functioning well enough."This is nowhere near waking someone up; this is completely intending to kill the other person. It seems that Vice Admiral Garp and his Disciple are not normal people. At the same time, they felt sympathy for Marcus; such a small child, being taught like this by Vice Admiral Garp."Sigh!!!UU Reading welcomes all readers to visit and read; the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read
Chapter 11: Distress Signal"Crack..." Marcus struggled to crawl out from the wall.He twisted his aching neck and looked at the large hole in the wall. "Stinky Old Man, I was just waking you up, and you actually used that much force."Garp ignored Marcus completely, turning to the stunned Marine Soldier and asking, "Is there something wrong?""Oh!" The Marine Soldier snapped back to his senses. Holding a den den mushi, he explained, "Just now, we received a distress signal from a merchant ship through the den den mushi.""Play the distress call once," Garp ordered.Having stayed in this world for a year, Marcus had also studied den den mushi, but he couldn't figure out a damn thing. Finally, Marcus understood: don't try to think about the principles behind things in this world. You would never understand them in your lifetime; after all, this was a manga world without much logic.The Marine Soldier immediately complied and pressed the head of the den den mushi. First, a series of raspy, static sounds came out of the den den mushi."Help!... Please come and save us... It's so terrifying, why is there a..."After listening, everyone fell silent, waiting for Garp's orders. However, seeing the eager expressions in the eyes of these Marines, it was clear they actually wanted to go. But as soldiers, their duty was to obey orders, so everything depended on Garp's decision.Garp didn't say anything but looked at Marcus, clearly wanting to hear Marcus's opinion first and see what he thought.Marcus didn't answer but instead asked the Marine Soldier to play it again.The Marine Soldier looked at Garp first. Seeing Garpnod in agreement, he pressed the den den mushiagain and played the distress signal once more."Help!... Please come and save us... It's so terrifying, why is there a..."After listening, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Marcus's mouth, and he nodded to Garp.Since Marcus agreed to go, Garp had no objections. Anyway, this trip was meant to find some pirates for Marcus to practice on."Now, wake everyone up and head toward the signal at full speed.""Wooo..."The battle alarm sounded over the warship. The lights across the entire warship flared up, and all the Marine Soldiers immediately rushed to their posts.Dozens of soldiers immediately pushed the massive capstans, pulling the multi-ton iron anchor up from the sea. At the same time, the previously stowed sails were quickly raised.Caught by the sea breeze, the sails immediately billowed out. The warship began to slowly accelerate, cutting through the waves and speeding toward the source of the signal.Garp came to Marcus's side and asked, "Stinky Kid, did you discover something strange?""Yeah," Marcus nodded and replied, "That's right. There's something wrong with this distress signal. It's likely bait deliberately set by pirates to lure others in."It was already the middle of the night. Even pirates would have gone to sleep long ago; who would come out in the middle of the night to rob things?Furthermore, that voice just now sounded full of fear on the surface, as if they had encountered something terrifying.But if you listened closely, you could find an obvious flaw. That is, when the person spoke, their breathing was very steady, without the slightest sense of urgency. I ask you, could someone whose life is in danger have steady breathing?Based on these two suspicious points, Marcusjudged that this distress signal was likely fake. However, the possibility of someone playing a prank couldn't be ruled out, though the probability of such a thing was zero... After sailing for a day and a night, by the second night, Marcus and the others finally reached the source of the signal.At this time, at Marcus's request, all the lights on the entire warship had been extinguished, except for a few that really couldn't be turned off. Now, under the cover of the dark night, if one looked from a distance, it would be impossible to discover this warship.The distress signal had been sent from a small island not far away. Since the ship was anchored a bit far from the island...The people on the ship could only see a black silhouette.From the faint lights on the island, it could be determined that this was not a deserted island; there were indeed people living on it.A Colonel asked in confusion, "Vice Admiral Garp, shouldn't we be rushing onto this island now? Why did we extinguish all the lights and stop so far away from the island?"Before Garp could speak, Marcus explained, "This was my idea. I suspect the distress signal just now was fake, a pirate's bait."The Colonel lowered his head in thought for a moment and said solemnly, "Is there a reason? You should know that if it's real, and we arrive late, several lives will vanish from this world."Marcus explained his deduction in detail.The Colonel raised his concern again: "But it's not good for us to just stay here like this!""So I plan to go and investigate the situation by myself first," Marcus stated his plan."That won't do. How can a child like you go?" The Colonel didn't know Marcus's strength, so he disagreed with Marcus's plan.Garp made the final decision: "Do as Marcus says. Prepare a small boat for him.""But..." The Colonel still disagreed with the plan because it was simply too risky. It was completely inappropriate to have such a child carry out such a mission."Execute the order!""Yes," the Colonel took the order and left to prepare the small boat for Marcus. Although he was unwilling, as a soldier, obeying orders was the first principle.Marcus sat in the small boat and was slowly lowered to the sea surface by the Marines.Placing the distress flare the Colonel had given him at his waist, Marcus picked up the oars and rowed toward the island.Drifting on the silent sea, Marcus controlled the direction of the small boat, advancing toward the island step by step.Following the waves, Marcus rowed the small boat onto the beach. Stepping onto land again, Marcusfinally regained a sense of familiarity. Having stood on a swaying ship for the past two days, Marcus felt like his feet were light and airy when he walked.After dragging the small boat into the bushes on the shore to hide it and clearing the drag marks on the beach, Marcus identified his direction and moved quickly through the forest with the help of the bright Moonlight.After walking a distance in the forest, Marcusstopped to prevent himself from going in the wrong direction. Having identified the correct way, he was about to continue.Suddenly, the bushes on the right shook violently, and a giant snake, ten meters long and half a meter thick, pounced out from the bushes. It opened its mouth to bite Marcus; before its mouth even reached him, the fishy stench from the snake's maw could be smelled.Looking at the pouncing giant snake, Marcus was neither surprised nor panicked. He raised his right hand and made a light grasping motion toward the giant snake. He firmly imprisoned the giant snake in mid-air, making it unable to move.As Marcus's fist clenched tighter and tighter, the space around the giant snake became more and more constricted. Under the powerful pressure of the space, the massive giant snake turned into a clump of meat paste, suspended in mid-air.After killing the giant snake, Marcus moved quickly toward the direction of the lights, casually dealing with several giant beasts that blocked his way.Before long, Marcus passed through the forest and could already see the seaside town not far away.Now that he had reached the edge of the town, Marcus didn't dare to advance at such a fast speed as before.At his previous speed, he would probably be discovered before even entering the town. To avoid being spotted, Marcus had no choice but to stealthily creep toward the town with caution.UU Reading. Welcome to read the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.
Chapter 12: The Strange TownOriginally Marcus thought there would be lookouts outside the town, but he didn't expect to see not even a single figure on the outskirts.At this moment, Marcus was crouching in the lush grass, and ten paces away was a two-story building. After hiding the long sword he carried in the grass, Marcus walked toward the building with a swagger.After finding no one around, Marcus nimbly climbed onto the roof and headed toward the center of the town.The most prosperous part of a town is the town center. Observing from the outskirts earlier, Marcusdiscovered that the town didn't look like it had been attacked at all; it was a completely peaceful and quiet town. However, Marcus just felt something was wrong.Along the way, Marcus moved across the rooftops. Because he was high up, Marcus's field of vision was much broader. At a glance, Marcus could clearly see the specific conditions of several streets.Marcus found that there were no problems with the town at all; it was very peaceful and serene. Basically, every household had its lights on. Earlier, just in case, Marcus had sneaked into a few houses to check, and there were people inside.Since the town was so peaceful and hadn't been attacked at all, why was that distress signal sent from here? Could it really be a prank? Marcusthought mischievously.But in an instant, Marcus dismissed that possibility. At sea, the consequences of sending out false distress signals are very serious. As long as a person is sane, they wouldn't do such a thing. If the Marinefound out, an individual simply couldn't bear the consequences.This town was just built on a small island and wasn't very large. If Marcus hadn't been trying to gather more information, he would have reached the center of town long ago.Rather than the center of town, it was more like a Plaza. In this world, most town centers would have a large Plaza built for holding events.When Marcus reached the Plaza, there was no one there either, only countless streetlights still glowing.Along the way, Marcus finally discovered what was wrong. He hadn't seen a single person outside; the people of the entire town were staying inside their rooms. Moreover, all the shops in town were closed.Although it was night and most people would be at home eating, it wasn't to the point where not a single person would go out. Even all the shops were closed; this was too abnormal.Logically, many shops are specifically open at night. And most people, after eating dinner, would come out for a walk or to go shopping. But now, let alone a person, there wasn't even the shadow of a dog.The word 'curfew' involuntarily popped into Marcus's mind. The current scene was extremely similar to a curfew. These townspeople seemed to be threatened by something, unable to go out at night and only able to stay in their own homes.Just as Marcus was about to go down and find a town resident to ask what was going on, a sudden flurry of footsteps came from behind. Marcus quickly pulled his extended body back.Marcus looked in the direction of the footsteps and saw a Little Girl running out from a street corner.The girl was wearing a dress, her expression panicked, and her small head kept looking back. It was as if something terrifying was chasing her.Seeing that it was a Little Girl who came out, Marcus didn't go out immediately. Because the footsteps Marcus heard weren't something a Little Girl could make; there were people behind her. Marcus planned to hide first and see the situation.Sure enough, he didn't have to wait long, just as Marcus expected. Before the Little Girl could run very far, two figures also ran out from the corner, chasing the girl with knives in their hands.Seeing the attire of these two, Marcus instantly recognized them as Pirates. Seeing these two Pirates, Marcus knew his deduction was correct; that distress signal was indeed bait sent out by Pirates.This town looked peaceful on the surface, but in reality, it was controlled by Pirates in the shadows.The behavior of the entire town's residents was under the control of the Pirates, forced to accept the Pirates' oppression.However, Marcus found that there were still many things he hadn't figured out. For instance, these Pirates controlled the town but hadn't damaged anything. Moreover, after searching for a long time, he had only found these two Pirates; the rest of the Pirates were nowhere to be found.However, heaven had dropped someone down to solve his problem. As long as he asked this Little Girl below, he would know everything.Seeing the Pirates closely following her, the Little Girl sped up. But she was just a child, after all; how could she outrun two cruel Pirates?Just as the Little Girl ran beneath the building where Marcus was hiding, the two Pirates behind were only a step away from her."You brat, stop right there! You made this great one have to run out in the middle of the night.""Kid, there's no way you can outrun us."Hearing the voices so close, the Little Girl panicked and didn't see the road under her feet. She was tripped by a stone and fell directly to the ground.As soon as she fell, the Pirates behind caught up. The Little Girl looked at the Pirates approaching step by step. She wanted to crawl up, but her foot was sprained, and she couldn't stand at all.Looking at the Little Girl fallen on the ground, the Pirates smiled cruelly."You brat, how dare you run out alone. We didn't want to kill you this time, but there's no choice. Orders came from above to kill you, to show those villagers the consequences of defying us."The other Pirate said impatiently, "Hurry up, why talk so much to this kid? Finish the job quickly. If we're late back, Lord Potter won't easily forgive us."At the other Pirate's reminder, the Pirate thought of Lord Potter's terror, and his whole body couldn't help but tremble. If Lord Potter became Life Qi, he would really be dead. He raised the knife in his hand and slashed at the Little Girl on the ground with a fierce face.Seeing the knife slashing toward her, the Little Girlfearfully covered her head with both hands, her whole body trembling.The Little Girl holding her head thought she was dead for sure, but after waiting for a long time, she was still perfectly fine. She slowly raised her head and saw a child not much older than herself looking at her with a smile.Meanwhile, the Pirates who were chasing her were standing there motionless for some reason. One of them even maintained the posture of slashing down with his knife.Shock was written all over the two Pirates' faces. If she hadn't seen their eyeballs still moving, the Little Girl would have thought the two Pirates were dead.Standing in front of the Little Girl was Marcus. When he saw the Little Girl was about to die under the Pirate's knife, Marcus immediately acted, immobilizing the two Pirates on the spot.Seeing the two Pirates motionless, the Little Girlbreathed a sigh of relief and asked curiously, "Big brother, did you subdue these two Pirates?"Marcus nodded and helped the Little Girl up. "Little sister, can you tell me what happened?"Seeing that Marcus had so easily dealt with the two Pirates, the Little Girl wept, "Big brother, can you save my father? They were all taken away by the Pirates."Seeing such a cute Little Girl begging him, Marcusquickly nodded in agreement.Wiping away the Little Girl's tears, he said softly, "Let's find a safe place first, then you can tell me slowly."While comforting the Little Girl, Marcus lightly clenched his right hand. A trace of blood flowed from the corners of the two Pirates' mouths; they were already as dead as could be.Until the moment they died, these two Pirates didn't understand. They were just catching a weak Little Girl, performing such a simple task, yet it brought them life-threatening danger, and they died at the hands of such a kid.In the final moment of the Pirates' deaths, they seemed to see the fate of the rest of the Pirates.UU Reading. Welcome to read, the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.
Chapter 13: The Whole StoryAfter hiding the corpses of the two pirates, Marcuscarried the Little Girl on his back to another street.The place where he had hidden earlier was no longer safe. Once the rest of the pirates in Townnoticed those two hadn't returned for a long time, they would definitely send out men to search for them.He had only hidden the bodies haphazardly; the pirates probably wouldn't take long to find them. At that point, they would realize someone had infiltrated the Town.These pirates would inevitably send out search parties, and during that time, some townspeople might be hurt by the enraged pirates. This was not something Marcus wanted to see.Marcus had come here to rescue these people, not to cause them harm. Therefore, time was running out, and he had to notify the Marines on the marine warships as soon as possible.Fortunately, having rescued a Little Girl now, he could learn the full story. This would allow him to come up with the best plan based on the situation.Arriving at a relatively secluded rooftop, Marcus set the Little Girl down from his back.As soon as the Little Girl got off Marcus's back, she pleaded urgently, "Big brother, can you please go save my father?"Marcus comforted her softly, "Of course I can, I am a Marine after all!""Really?" Upon hearing that Marcus was a Marine, the Little Girl asked joyfully.In the Little Girl's heart, the Marines were very powerful. As long as the Marines came, they would surely be able to rescue her father.Marcus nodded with great certainty. "That's right, but first you must tell me about the pirates so that I can notify the other Marines to come over."The Little Girl wiped away her tears and explained the course of events to Marcus.It turned out these pirates had arrived half a year ago. After they came, they didn't do anything particularly cruel. They simply destroyed all the tools in the Town used for communication with the outside world and were searching for something in the forest behind the Town.Several days later, these pirates emerged from the forest and seized all the men in Town aged ten and above. Leaving a small group behind to prevent the townspeople from contacting the outside, the rest of the pirates headed back into the forest.Over the past half year, aside from coming to Townto scavenge for food, no pirates had really come out.And today, the Little Girl had originally wanted to run out of Town to find her father. However, she was discovered by the pirates before she could even leave the Town, which led to the scene where Marcus encountered her.After listening to the Little Girl's account, Marcusrested his chin in his hand, lost in thought.In Marcus's view, what the Little Girl said was only on the surface; there were many things she couldn't explain clearly. For instance, if the pirates had been in this Town for half a year, how could the entire Town not find a single opportunity to go out to sea and notify the Marines for rescue?With so few pirates, it was impossible to keep an eye on everyone. Moreover, this Pirate Crew had been here for half a year—how could they not have been discovered by the Marines? One must know that this place wasn't far from Marine Headquarters. In an area where Marines appeared so frequently, to stay for half a year without being found, the Marines couldn't possibly be that incompetent.Most importantly, the distress signal sent by these pirates was a problem that had been puzzling Marcus. If these pirates were intentionally hiding here, why would they send out such a distress signal? Wouldn't that be exposing themselves?But on second thought, she was just a six or seven-year-old girl; it was already good enough that she knew this much. There must be some hidden secrets in between, but because the girl was still young, she didn't know many things."Oh, right, there's one more thing," the Little Girlrecalled. "A Marine warship came during this half-year period, but for some reason, it left afterwards."Marcus's eyes instantly constricted, and a look of shock appeared on his face.If what the Little Girl said was true—that a Marinewarship had come and ultimately done nothing before leaving—and these pirates had actually stayed here for half a year without any trouble...This only pointed to one problem: the situation of these pirates here was being covered up by the Marines who had come before.Furthermore, that group of Marines might even be in collusion with this group of pirates, notifying them if any other Marines passed by.Marcus shook his head helplessly. There was still too little intelligence; many things simply didn't make sense. It would be better if he had more information.Marcus's expression changed as he grabbed the Little Girl and hid, whispering, "Someone's coming!"As soon as the Little Girl heard someone was coming, she quickly covered her mouth and slowly poked her head out to look downstairs. But the street was empty, with not a soul in sight. The Little Girl gave Marcus a strange look.Seeing the Little Girl looking at him strangely, Marcus didn't answer. Although he hadn't yet achieved the Awakening of Observation Haki, after a year of training, Marcus's senses were far stronger than those of an ordinary person.*Tap, tap, tap, tap...*A small dark figure was surreptitiously using the pillars on both sides of the street to hide their body, seemingly looking for something.When he saw the dark figure clearly, Marcuslaughed in spite of himself. This figure was another girl, though by her appearance, she seemed to be around the same age as him.Having just left Marine Headquarters, the first and second people he met were both female. This made Marcus think narcissistically, "Could it be that since my Rebirth, I've developed a fate with girls?"The Little Girl beside him, after seeing the dark figure's face clearly, stood up and waved, saying, "Sister, I'm here!"The girl downstairs breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that her sister was fine. But seeing Marcusbeside her sister, she immediately became wary... Marcus sat on a chair, observing the room of these two girls.From the moment he entered the room, Marcusdiscovered that these two girls lived alone in this house. Although only two Little Girls lived there, the furniture in the room was arranged neatly, and the room was kept clean.Before Marcus had sat for long, the Little Girl's Older Sister walked out from a room and smiled slightly. "I'm sorry for the delay. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Cali."Cali sat with her legs crossed and extended her hand, looking at Marcus with a slightly stiff smile."Haha..." Seeing Cali's attempt to look serious, Marcus let out a chuckle. "A Little Girl trying to act like such an adult—and not doing a very good job of it."Although Marcus didn't particularly like Cali's act, he still admired her in his heart. Someone as young as Cali should have been acting spoiled in her parents' arms.But now she had to hide her true self for the sake of her sister and this home. Cali had to work hard to act like an adult in front of others, thinking about things she shouldn't have to at this age.Shaking Cali's hand, Marcus introduced himself, "Marcus!"With her mask stripped away by Marcus, Calicouldn't keep up the act. However, as a girl, Cali still felt a bit of resentment toward Marcus's behavior.She said defiantly, "You're not much older than me, so what right do you have to talk about me?"Seeing Cali throwing a small tantrum, Marcussmiled slightly and didn't say much. But thinking carefully, he really was just a child now; he had just been thinking with an adult's mindset and hadn't quite realized he was still a child himself."By the way, who are you and how did you get here?" Cali was very curious about Marcus coming to this small island alone.Marcus replied, "Marine Captain. As a Marine, I naturally came by Marine warship."In Marcus's view, revealing his identity as a Marinewould make it much more convenient when he asked Cali questions later, and it could also reduce Cali's hostility toward him.However, to his surprise, upon hearing he was a Marine, Cali slammed her hands on the table and pointed at the door, shouting angrily, "Get out! Marines are not welcome in our home!"Marcus was momentarily stunned by Cali's reaction. How did this not go according to the script?Cali's father had been taken by pirates for so long; shouldn't she be extremely excited to hear he was a Marine? Instead, it was the exact opposite.UU Reading. Welcome all book friends to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.
Why are you still standing there? Get out!" Calipointed at the door and said angrily again.Compared to the angry Cali, Marcus's Aura was much weaker; he raised his hand and asked weakly, "Can I offer an explanation first, and then you can tell me whether I should leave?"Watching Marcus's expression, which looked like a jilted lover, Cali couldn't help but laugh.Only then did she realize that her temper just now had indeed been too much, and Marcus had nothing to do with that matter. It was really not good of her to lose her temper at him like that.Cali's smile was truly charming, leaving Marcusstunned. Even in her youth, Cali was a budding beauty; just one smile made one's eyes light up, and she would surely be a great beauty when she grew up."What are you looking at?" Seeing Marcus staring at her without moving, Cali's pretty face flushed, and she said shyly.Since Cali had spoken, Marcus quickly wiped the lecherous look off his face and asked with a righteous expression."Cali, why did you react so strongly when you heard I was a Marine just now? Did something bad happen between you and the Marine?"Under Marcus's questioning, Cali told him the origin of the matter.Since half a year ago, pirates came to this island. They took away all the men over ten years old, leaving only a few pirates to guard the town. The old, weak, women, and children in the town thought of a way to contact the Navy Colonel who was in charge of this sea area.As a result, on the morning of the third day, a marine warships arrived at the small island. The townspeople were extremely excited when they saw the marine warships, thinking that since the Marine had arrived, these pirates would be driven away and their loved ones could be saved.But it was unknown what agreement these pirates reached with the arriving Marine; in the end, these Marines actually helped the pirates hide the existence of this small island and even killed the few people who had sent the message.Speaking of this, Cali looked at Marcus and smiled with disdain. Feeling the disdain in Cali's eyes, Marcus had no reason to refute, as what she said was the truth after all.Finally, the pirate ship Captain Fandi stood up and killed the husbands and children of these families on the spot. He also threatened the residents on the island."Every one of your families has loved ones in my hands. If the secret here is discovered by the Marine, I will kill all your loved ones. If you don't want your loved ones to die, hide our existence well."From then on, with the Marine's help, and because the townspeople were afraid that their loved ones would be killed, they had no choice but to help these pirates hide their tracks. So, in these six months, although many Marines and merchant ships passed through the surrounding area, no one had discovered this place.After Cali explained everything clearly, Marcusfinally pieced all the events together.No wonder these pirates were so confident in sending only a few people to guard the town. It turned out that the lifeline of everyone in the whole town was held in the hands of these pirates.Even if the Marine discovered something abnormal here and sent people to investigate, the first people to come out and hide the traces would be these residents of the town.At the same time, Marcus also felt ashamed that there were such scums in the Marine. It could be said that if it weren't for the previous Marines helping to hide it, allowing these pirates to be prepared, the residents on this island would have long been rescued.Marcus asked puzzledly, "But this shouldn't make you hate all Marines.""My sick mother could have survived. It was just because these pirates blockaded the small island, not letting her go to a better place for treatment, and in the end, she died of illness," Cali said sadly."I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring this up," Marcussaid apologetically.Only then did Marcus suddenly understand why such a big house was occupied by only the two of them; it turned out her mother had already died.Marcus had long known that there were some scums within the Marine, but he didn't expect it to be this serious. Just a Navy Colonel dared to deceive his superiors and subordinates to do such a thing.Marcus comforted her, "It's okay, Cali. We are different from those scums in the Marine."Cali scanned Marcus up and down and said with disbelief, "Can you do it? Although you are a Marine Captain, can you deal with that pirate?"Hearing Cali doubt that he couldn't do it, Marcuswas immediately unhappy; how could a man say he couldn't do it?"Don't look down on people. Although I'm not very old, I am a Devil Fruit User, and my strength is very powerful.""Is that so?" Cali still didn't believe it.Because Marcus looked too young; in fact, Marcuswas eleven years old this year. In the eyes of others, he was still quite small. If someone said Marcuscould defeat a Marineford Navy Colonel, probably no one would believe it.Seeing that Cali still didn't believe him, Marcusknew he had to bring out his final trump card, and that was the reputation of Garp, that Stinky Old Man."The Marine who came this time is a Marine Vice Admiral with very powerful combat strength. Surely with him here, you believe we can deal with these pirates, right?"Cali covered her mouth and exclaimed, "You mean, there is a Marine Vice Admiral among the people who came this time?"Seeing Cali's shocked expression, Marcus nodded with satisfaction and thought to himself, "It seems that reputation is quite useful. I should also get some high-class reputation so that what I say will be believed."However, Cali seemed to have thought of some concerns; the excitement that had just appeared on her face disappeared instantly, and she bit her lip with unwillingness."Even if they come, what's the use? As soon as the pirates in the forest discover it, they will kill our loved ones. By then, what's the use of you Marines killing all the pirates?""This..." Marcus was silent because he didn't know how to say it, nor did he know what to say. Even if the Marine's attack speed was fast, those pirates still had enough time to kill everyone.This was a dead end; the root of everything was that the pirates had taken so many hostages.Now Marcus suddenly understood a little why terrorists in his previous life were so terrible. Just like now, these pirates could be wiped out by Marcusand others with a flip of their hands. But they held your lifeline, making all your moves useless.Marcus reminded, "Cali, are you just going to stay like this forever? You have to know that those pirates cannot be trusted. They are looking for something now, which is why they are keeping you alive.""If they find what they are looking for, I'm afraid they will reveal their true colors. By then, even you people who are still in the town will be in danger.""Wuwu..." Cali hugged herself and cried helplessly, "How could I not know? But what other choice is there?"Looking at the crying Cali, Marcus suddenly thought of his own childhood. As an orphan, when Marcuswas bullied or encountered difficulties, wasn't he also like Cali, shrinking in a corner and crying alone?"Cali, leave this matter to me; I will save everyone."Whether it was because he was moved by Cali's encounter or because he thought of himself back then, Marcus decided to help this helpless girl with all his might."But, those..."Before Cali could finish, Marcus waved his hand to interrupt, "This is my promise, and I will do my best to fulfill it. Besides, I have a good plan in my mind."Seeing that Cali still looked concerned, Marcuspaused and said in a deep voice, "Besides, other than this, do you have any other options?"Cali shuddered; now, other than this, she had no room for any other choice.Unless she planned to live like this and wait for the pirates to achieve their goal and then kill everyone. If she wanted to save her loved ones, she had to seize this opportunity.Yeah!UU Reading welcomes all book friends to read; the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read.
Chapter 15: The Third PartySeeing Cali agree, Marcus breathed a sigh of relief.Because there was one more thing Marcus hadn't made clear to Cali: regardless of whether they agreed or not, the Marine would still send forces to this island to annihilate these pirates.From the moment his marine warships arrived at this island, it meant the island's secret was already known.After all, the person who discovered something was wrong with this island was Vice Admiral Garp; even that Navy Colonel didn't have the power to cover this up anymore.If Marine Headquarters knew that pirates had actually been entrenched on this island for half a year, they would definitely send the Marine here.After all, if the matter of the Navy Colonel colluding with pirates were exposed, it would be a huge blow to the Marine's prestige. Marine Headquarterswould certainly not let such a thing happen, so from today on, these pirates were as good as dead.When the time comes, the Marine sent by Marine Headquarters won't be as easy to talk to as he was, nor would they ask for your opinion or prioritize the civilians in the pirates' hands.At that time, the Marine would prioritize the elimination of the pirates. To destroy these pirates, Marine Headquarters certainly wouldn't care about the civilians in their hands; they would completely abandon those civilians.Now that Cali could agree, it was the best possible outcome in Marcus's view. Although he couldn't guarantee that everyone would survive, Marcus was still quite confident he could ensure most people lived."Do you need me to do anything?" Cali asked. Since she had decided to rescue everyone, Cali also wanted to contribute. She couldn't just sit here doing nothing.Marcus shook his head, "The things that follow are all related to fighting; you can't help with that. You'll only hold me back then. Just stay in the room."Seeing Marcus look down on her like that, Cali was naturally indignant. You, Marcus, might not even be older than me, so why can you go and fight while I'm a burden?In some ways, Cali still had the potential of a strong woman; otherwise, how could she have acted like an adult when first facing Marcus? Moreover, she had been taking care of her younger sister all by herself, supporting a home at such a young age."Without me, do you know where the pirates are hiding? Do you know how to find the hiding places of the rest of the pirates?" Cali chuckled.Hearing Cali say this, Marcus finally reacted. Without Cali to guide him, he might not even find them by tomorrow by himself."Uh, that! Cali, I didn't look down on you just now, it's just that you're not a combatant. Besides, I have a more important task for you to do, which is why I didn't want you to come with me."At first, Marcus really didn't have anything for Calito do, but on second thought, there really was an important matter. But if he went now, he wouldn't be able to make it back in time on this side.Now he could just have Cali take her sister; this way, the two sisters wouldn't be in danger, and the task would be done, killing two birds with one stone.Hearing Marcus's apology, Cali's mood improved a lot, and she muttered, "That's more like it. Tell me, what's the important matter?"Marcus gave a wry smile and took out the Signal Flare from his person, placing it on the table."This is a Signal Flare. I was originally going to use it to notify the Marine on the sea. But now, if I fire this Signal Flare, not only will the Marine discover it, but the pirates will as well. Once the pirates are prepared, your father and the others will be in danger.""So in a moment, I will write a letter. You take this letter, use my Small Boat, find the marine warships, and give this letter to Vice Admiral Garp of the Marine. At that time, the Marines on board will know what to do."Cali held the Signal Flare and played with it carefully. Although Cali wasn't very old, she was actually very smart. She understood Marcus's intentions immediately. Although she was a bit reluctant, Cali also knew that this matter was indeed very important.If Marcus didn't send a message to the Marine, the Marines on the warship would eventually think something had happened to him.They would definitely come to the island to investigate. There was a Vice Admiral on board, and things would get complicated then.Asking Cali for a pen and paper, Marcus wrote down the sequence of events and included his plan, as well as how the Marine should cooperate.After sealing the letter, Marcus handed it to Cali. After telling Cali the location of the Small Boat and some things to watch out for, Marcus had Cali wake her sister, preparing to escort the two of them out of town.Learning from Cali that these pirates would patrol the streets at irregular intervals, Marcus decided to escort them out just to be safe.In any case, he also needed to retrieve the sword he had hidden outside. Earlier, he was afraid that carrying a sword would be too conspicuous, so he hid it. Since it was time for combat, that sword should be retrieved.On the empty street, only two or three streetlights were still lit as Marcus's group of three walked toward the edge of town.The Little Girl held Cali's hand and asked curiously, "Big brother, where are we going?"Marcus smiled and rubbed the Little Girl's hair, "Right now, you and your sister are going to the Marine. You have to find the Marine to save your father."The Little Girl moved Marcus's hand away and muttered, "Don't touch my head, or I won't grow tall."Marcus laughed happily and asked Cali beside him, "Cali, do you know if these pirates send out fake distress signals to lure passing ships?""No! These pirates wish no ships would come here; why would they deliberately lure other ships?" Calisaid, puzzled.Hearing Cali's words, Marcus's expression tightened. His group had come here because of that distress signal. Since that signal wasn't sent by the pirates, then who sent it, and why did they do it?If neither the pirates nor the town residents had sent a distress signal, then it meant there was a Third-party force on this island. And this Third-party forcehad been staying behind the scenes."It seems there are some unknown big secrets on this island," Marcus thought to himself.Since he knew there was a Third-party force, his previous plan needed some changes. Although he didn't know who the third party was yet, it was certain they were calculating against both the pirates and the Marine from behind the scenes.They wanted to be the oriole behind the mantis stalking the cicada. But sometimes, the roles of hunter and prey can be swapped at any time. It's not certain yet who is the hunter and who is the prey.Marcus and the others were lucky and didn't run into a single pirate. Although Marcus didn't think the pirates in town could stop him, it was still good to avoid unnecessary trouble sometimes.Arriving at the place where he had just entered, Marcus gave the letter to Cali and then whispered a few words in her ear.Cali's face changed drastically, and she tucked the letter away carefully. "Don't worry, I will deliver the letter and the message."Looking at Marcus, Cali bit her lip and said with concern, "But... you must also be careful. If what you said is true, prioritize your own safety first. I will deliver the message as quickly as possible."Marcus said with a grin, "Don't worry, I'm very strong. Even if I can't win, I can still escape."Watching the two figures of Cali and her sister disappear from sight, Marcus then went into the bushes and retrieved his sword. Next, he would have to face a Pirate Crew and a Third-party forcehiding behind the scenes; having this sword would significantly increase his combat strength.Standing on a tall building, Marcus looked down at the entire town and murmured, "Let me, Marcus, try to see just how deep the waters are behind this peaceful island."UU Reading. Welcome to the vast number of book friends to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.