Having served in the Marines for a few years, Allen had accumulated some sailing experience, but this was his first time attempting to navigate the seas entirely alone.
Without even a single person to talk to, the prolonged sense of isolation infinitely magnified the various physical and psychological discomforts of the voyage.
It had only been two days, and he was already finding it unbearable.
Stepping onto land and feeling the soft sand beneath his feet, Allen felt an unparalleled sense of relief.
The first order of business upon coming ashore was, of course, to have a proper meal.
Allen first took out some dry rations from his backpack, gnawing on them to tide over his hunger. He then found a sturdy rock to secure his boat before grabbing his weapons and a few essential tools.
Naturally, his rundown little boat didn't have a refrigerator, making it difficult to store fresh ingredients. Although he had brought enough dry rations, if he wanted to eat something good, he would have to rely on hunting or fishing.
After finishing his preparations, Allen turned his gaze inland.
Not far from the beach was a lush, verdant forest. It looked like a deserted island.
*'In that case, there should be plenty of wild beasts on the island,'* Allen thought to himself. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he strode toward the forest.
Meanwhile.
Deep within the dark woods, a few pirates were working together to carry a wild boar nearly two meters long. As they walked, they bickered over who had contributed the most to the hunt.
Suddenly.
"Shh, look out there. Someone landed on the island."
The pirate leader, who was carrying a wild hare, made a hushing gesture and lowered his body to peer out of the forest.
Hearing this, the others hurriedly crouched down and hid in the dense bushes.
Following their captain's gaze, their eyes pierced through the heavy shadows of the trees and finally landed on a man wearing a Marine uniform.
On the empty beach, Allen's moving figure was exceptionally conspicuous.
"A Marine?"
"Could he be here to hunt us down?"
"No way. Has our plan to ransack Syrup Village been exposed?"
"This... what should we do?!"
Seeing Allen, the pirates immediately panicked and turned to their leader.
However, the pirate leader disdainfully slapped the back of his subordinate's head and cursed in a low voice, "Idiot, it's just one guy. When have you ever seen a single Marine take on an entire pirate crew? It's obvious he probably got separated from his unit."
"Oh, oh, sorry, haha. You're amazing, Captain."
The slapped pirate rubbed the back of his head with an awkward smile. He didn't look particularly bright.
"Captain, look over there."
At that moment, another subordinate suddenly spoke up, pointing toward a small boat behind the rocks with a hint of pleasant surprise in his voice.
Following his pointing finger, they could faintly make out a massive, fully stuffed backpack resting on the boat.
Seeing this, the pirates' eyes instantly lit up. They already had a plan for this 'Marine who got separated from his unit and drifted to a deserted island.'
A short while later.
Allen finally entered the forest, humming a little tune as he strolled leisurely, his hands in his pockets, looking completely defenseless.
"Tch, looks like a rookie Marine. He's full of openings."
Seeing this, the pirate leader in the bushes sneered coldly, his tone dripping with mockery.
His words made his subordinates' eyes grow even more fanatical, as if slaughtering the man and seizing his supplies was already a foregone conclusion.
The pirates held their breath, their eyes locked tightly onto the approaching Allen as they silently counted down the shrinking distance.
"Six... five... four..."
Finally, when Allen stepped within two meters of their ambush!
A ruthless glint flashed in the pirate leader's eyes. His crouched legs pushed hard against the ground, and he shot out of the bushes with a sharp swoosh!
"Gyahahaha! Consider yourself unlucky, you idiot Marine!"
The lunging pirate let out a twisted laugh, gripping his broadsword with both hands and thrusting it forward. The blade gleamed with a cold light as it aimed straight for Allen's chest!
However, in the very next second, a large hand abruptly appeared in his line of sight.
Smack!!
The expected scene of the blade piercing flesh and drawing blood never occurred.
Accompanied by the crisp sound of a slap, under the astonished gazes of the other pirates, their captain seemed to have taken a massive blow. Inexplicably, he was sent flying sideways at an extreme speed!
Bang!
The pirate's body slammed heavily against a tree trunk before sliding down like soft mud. A red handprint swelled on his face, and his eyes rolled back as he passed out on the spot.
Allen retracted his hand, slipping it back into his pocket, and turned to look at the remaining pirates who had just stood up from the bushes.
They were all holding their weapons, frozen in their ambush poses, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
*'What just happened...!'*
*'How was the captain defeated?! We didn't even see his movements!'*
*'It's exactly like Captain Kuro back in the day!'*
*'This guy is way too terrifying!'*
At this moment, the pirates were screaming frantically in their minds, looking at Allen as if he were a monster.
Allen stared at them for a few seconds before asking, "Who are you guys?"
One pirate answered tremblingly, "Pi... pirates..."
"No shit! I know that."
Thud!
Allen kicked one of the pirates over and snapped in annoyance, "Do you have a death wish?! I'm asking which crew you belong to."
"Wait a minute!"
"We're members of the Black Cat Pirates!"
"Please don't kick us!"
The remaining pirates hastily raised their hands and dropped to their knees, begging for mercy.
"Black Cat...?"
Hearing this, Allen frowned and asked, "The pirate crew formerly led by Captain Kuro?"
"Th... that's right. But... our current captain is Jango now."
One of the pirates nodded repeatedly as he replied, terrified that if he spoke too slowly, another kick would come his way.
Allen stroked his chin and fell into thought.
Captain Kuro, the former leader of the Black Cat Pirates, was powerful and ruthless. He was considered a notorious great pirate in the East Blue.
Later, Kuro grew tired of being constantly hounded by the Marines day and night. During a battle, he slaughtered everyone on a Marine warship, leaving only a single soldier alive.
He then had his subordinate, the hypnotist Jango, hypnotize that Marine into believing he had defeated Kuro. The Marine then captured a scapegoat and brought him back for execution.
Kuro himself faked his death and went into hiding, while the hypnotized Marine used this military merit to get promoted to Captain, eventually becoming a branch Base Commander.
That's right, that Marine was none other than our Axe-Hand—Lord Morgan, the very Base Commander Allen had just killed a couple of days ago.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Allen suddenly found the situation quite intriguing.
It must be a special kind of fate for them to cross paths and become enemies like this.
"Wait a minute. I recall you guys have been laying low for quite a while. Why are you here?"
Allen asked, his confusion resurfacing.
Hearing this, the pirates exchanged panicked glances.
Seeing their reaction, Allen seemed to remember something. He pulled out the detailed map of the Gecko Islands he had brought with him and took a look.