Punk Hazard, the once peaceful Naval Base had now been reduced to ruins, with smoke mixed with dust filling the air.
The town streets below were in even greater chaos; the screams and cries of civilians intertwined with the roar of cannons, composing a dirge of despair.
Somewhere, a man shielded his wife and daughter beneath him, looking at the pirates in terror:
"Why! Why! Why are there pirates invading here! We aren't even on any of the main routes in the New World! Where is Rear Admiral Sloc! Where is he!"
The pirate ships' cannons roared, mixed with the crazed laughter of pirates, as shells fell upon the Naval Base.
The pirate lackeys laughed wildly, brandishing swords and kicking open the doors of residential houses, dragging terrified residents into the streets.
"Hand over everything valuable! Or I'll cut off your hand!"
A vicious pirate held a cold blade against the slender neck of a young boy, snarling threats at his tearful parents who were kneeling and pleading.
Not far away, several merchants who hadn't managed to escape were dragged from their hiding spots by pirates and dejectedly escorted to the harbor. Their cargo ships had already been seized.
"Be smart and point out where your treasures are hidden! If you make us search for them ourselves, you'll suffer for it!"
"I'll give it, I'll give it all! Just please spare my life!" a cowardly merchant immediately begged for mercy.
"No! I can't give it to you! This cargo is my entire net worth, and I still owe a huge loan!" another merchant tried to struggle.
He was answered by a cold flash of a blade.
"Splurt—"
Blood splattered across the wooden planks of the pier, and the merchant's protest came to an abrupt halt as his body slumped to the ground. Under the bloodthirsty sneers and urging of the pirates, the remaining merchants pointed toward their treasure-laden cabins with faces as pale as death.
In a dark alley, a blood-soaked Bearded Lieutenant in a Marine uniform stared intently at everything happening at the harbor, eyes Burning with the flames of rage.
He had been knocked unconscious by the pirates during the earlier defense of the base and had narrowly escaped death. Upon waking, he witnessed this hellish scene.
"The civilians are still suffering... how can I escape alone!" He gripped the notched saber in his hand, his knuckles white from the strain.
"If Rear Admiral Sloc hadn't been ambushed by that damn invisible ability user... Dammit! Why would pirates target such a remote island!"
He punched the wall beside him hard, leaving a bloody mark. Then, he took a deep breath and looked toward the harbor with a determined gaze—
He had to find a way to open an escape route for the civilians, even if it cost him his life!
He stood up, took his blade and gun, and moved forward quickly, already prepared to die in the line of duty.
Not long after, a blurry pirate figure seemed to notice something.
"Yo, there really are Marine survivors out here. This direction... is he actually trying to take the harbor?"
Soon, he reached the harbor. After ambushing and knocking down a few pirates, just as he was about to take further action, a blurry figure quietly appeared behind him.
"Splurt—"
The dull sound of a sharp weapon entering flesh echoed.
The Bearded Lieutenant's body stiffened suddenly as sharp pain radiated from his abdomen. He looked down and saw a blood-stained blade tip protruding from his belly.
He swung a punch behind him with all his might, but the figure had already nimbly retreated, pulling out the long sword.
The Lieutenant clutched the wound that was gushing blood and collapsed powerlessly to the ground, looking despairingly at the elegant-looking man before him.
"Invisible Man Kachi! You scum who relied on your ability to ambush and kill Rear Admiral Sloc!"
"I'm flattered," Kachi said, performing an elegant bow and casually flicking the blood droplets off his blade.
"You want to open a path for those civilians? Stop dreaming. You can't save them, and you can't save yourself either."
"You attack this place... aren't you afraid of Marineford's retaliation?!" The Lieutenant tried to use his last bit of strength to intimidate him.
"Afraid? Of course I am." Kachi let out a low laugh.
"So, the first thing I did after landing wasn't to trouble your Rear Admiral, but rather... to 'deal' with all the specialized transponder snails on the island that could directly contact Marineford.
Now, you are like turtles in a jar; there will be no reinforcements. Die in peace, Mr. Marine. Hahahaha!"
As Marines, it was impossible to make their contact information public; only special transponder snails could reach Marineford directly. Otherwise, Nami wouldn't have needed to steal money; she could have just called Garp directly.
"Bastard!" the Lieutenant roared, but the strain of his injury caused him to cough up a mouthful of blood.
"Tch, quite the tough nut." Kachi tilted his head, his gaze scanning the surroundings before finally landing on an inconspicuous wooden box, a playful, cat-and-mouse expression appearing on his face.
"Didn't you want to protect the civilians? Let me see your resolve."
"You... what are you going to do!" An ominous premonition rose in the Lieutenant's heart. He struggled to crawl up but aggravated his wound again, stumbling a step.
Kachi walked slowly to the wooden box and lightly tapped the planks with the tip of his sword.
"What a naughty little mouse, hiding here isn't a good habit~"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly swung his blade down!
"No—!" The Lieutenant's eyes nearly burst from their sockets.
Amidst flying wood chips, Kachi's hand reached accurately into the box, grabbed the collar of the little girl hiding inside, and lifted her out like a kitten.
She was a girl of about three or four years old, her face filled with terror, yet she stubbornly bit her lip.
"Bastard!" The Lieutenant roared as he stood up and rushed toward Kachi.
"Eh~ don't move." Kachi leisurely held his long sword across the little girl's fragile neck, the cold blade pressed tight against her skin.
"Move one more inch, and I can't guarantee what will happen next, okay?"
The Lieutenant's body froze instantly, not daring to take another step forward.
"Come, you guys," Kachi gestured to the surrounding pirate lackeys who were watching the show, "Go, break this tough Marine gentleman's legs."
Then he looked at the Lieutenant and said provocatively:
"Don't move, or else..."
Shring!
The light hum of a weapon.
He applied a slight bit of pressure with the blade in his hand, drawing a thin line of blood on the little girl's neck.
"I really don't know what might happen..."
"You bastard!" The Lieutenant roared, but he truly didn't dare to move a muscle.
The surrounding pirates let out excited howls, found clubs and bats, and closed in with sinister grins.
Kachi looked down at the little girl in his hand, whose face was flushed from suffocation and fear, yet she still glared at him intensely. He was somewhat surprised:
"Little brat, you've got some guts, not crying?"
"Pah!" The little girl spat at Kachi with all her might.
"You bad people... you'll die a horrible death!"
Her voice trembled, but it carried a bone-deep hatred. If her parents hadn't locked her in this box in their desperation and she couldn't get out, she would have rushed out long ago to avenge her dead relatives.
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