Chapter 63: Marine Rat? The So-Called
10 Reviews = 6 Bonus Chapters One Time Offer
"Justice"!
Deep within the Tangerine Grove, the sound of shovels digging into the soil was particularly grating.
"Clang!"
With the crisp sound of metal striking metal, several Marine soldiers responsible for the excavation stopped their movements and shouted excitedly:
"Colonel! We found it!!"
Two heavy treasure chests were dragged out from the dirt.
The lids were crudely pried open, and under the sunlight, the Berries and jewelry piled inside reflected a dizzying golden light.
It was exactly one hundred million Berries.
This was the hard-earned money that Nami had risked her life for over the past eight years, stealing it bit by bit from piles of corpses at sea.
It was also the last hope for this Village.
"Ohohoho!!"
Looking at the chests of treasure, Colonel Nezumi's squinting little eyes instantly widened, revealing a greedy smile.
He rubbed his hands together, his two rat-like whiskers twitching with excitement:
"It really was hidden here! What a huge sum of money! As Marines who uphold justice, confiscating the illegal loot of pirates is only natural!"
"Stop it!!"
Nami arrived just in time to witness this scene.
She rushed forward frantically, trying to push away the Marines who were carrying the treasure chests.
"Don't touch it!! That's the money I'm using to buy the Village! That's everyone's hope!!"
"That's my money!! Give it back to me!!"
At this moment, she was no longer that shrewd little cat burglar, but just a helpless girl about to lose everything.
"Tch, how annoying."
Colonel Nezumi looked impatient. He pulled a pistol from his waist and pressed the dark muzzle directly against Nami's forehead.
"Shut up, pirate. This is official Marine business!"
Colonel Nezumi's finger curled around the trigger, a cruel glint flashing in his eyes:
"If you dare to resist again, I will shoot you on the spot for obstructing official business!
"Besides... Arlong didn't say anything about leaving you alive..."
Nami's pupils contracted sharply.
However, before she could even think about the meaning of those words, Colonel Nezumi pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Die!"
"No! Nami!!"
Nojiko cried out in alarm. Without a second thought, she lunged forward, wanting to use her body to shield her sister from the bullet.
"Bang!!"
The gunshot echoed through the Tangerine Grove, startling a flock of birds into flight.
Everyone closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight of blood splattering.
However... the expected scream did not occur.
Because at the very moment the gun fired, a dark figure appeared before Colonel Nezumi like a ghost out of thin air.
No one saw how he got there.
One could only hear the terrifying sonic boom as the air was instantly torn apart.
"Boom!!"
In the next second, a fist wrapped in Chakra smashed heavily into Colonel Nezumi's wretched face.
"Pwah!!"
Colonel Nezumi didn't even have time to react.
Under that terrifying, massive force, his entire face instantly caved in and deformed, teeth flying through the air mixed with blood and saliva.
His scrawny body was sent flying back over ten meters, as if hit by a cannonball.
Finally, he smashed through a stone wall beneath the tangerine trees and was buried under the rubble.
The entire area fell silent.
The sea breeze blew through the Tangerine Grove, making the leaves rustle.
Nami stared blankly at the back of the figure standing in front of her.
His messy black hair swayed in the wind. The young man held a sword in one hand, while the other hand gripped the deformed bullet he had caught barehanded.
"Clang."
The bullet was casually tossed onto the ground.
"Cough, cough... Aaaah! My face!!"
From the ruins, Colonel Nezumi crawled out, his face covered in blood.
He clutched his collapsed nose in horror, crawling backward on the ground like a maggot while screaming hysterically:
"You... who are you?! How dare you attack a Marine Colonel!!"
"I am a Marine! A Colonel of the 16th Branch of the Marines, representing the justice of the World Government!!"
The nearby Marines only reacted after hearing Nezumi's roar, raising their muzzles to aim at Tatsuya.
"Halt! Do not come any closer!"
"What do you think you're doing!"
Step, step, step.
Tatsuya didn't answer, simply stepping over the rubble and walking toward Nezumi one step at a time.
Hum—
Those originally black eyes had now transformed into the crimson Sharingan, cold and devoid of any warmth.
Clang.
He slowly drew the long sword from his waist, its sharp tip pointing directly at Nezumi's blood-dripping nose.
"Marine?"
Tatsuya tilted his head, his tone carrying unconcealed mockery:
"No... looking at you, I feel like I'm looking at something filthy from the sewers."
"You are nothing but a filthy rat... wearing the cloak of justice. What difference is there between you and a pirate?"
Hearing this, Colonel Nezumi seemed to have heard some ridiculous joke.
While coughing up blood, he used his trembling fingers to forcibly straighten the epaulets on his shoulders that represented his rank.
At that moment, the fear in his eyes actually receded slightly, replaced by a twisted arrogance.
"Difference? Cough, cough... there's a huge difference..."
Colonel Nezumi bared his blood-filled mouth and flashed a hideous smile:
"As long as I wear this skin... even if I'm a man-eating rat, even if I collude with pirates, even if I do every evil deed imaginable..."
"Those villagers still have to call me'Sir'! They still have to salute me!"
He pointed at the coat on his chest with the word "Justice" written on it, his eyes crazed:
"Because this is the Marines! This is the World Government!"
"Even if I rot in the mud, my tombstone will be engraved with 'Justice'! While you pirates who dare to touch me will forever be evil criminals!!" (This is the One Piece world, after all.)
Tatsuya looked at the man who had fallen into madness, the red light in his eyes intensifying.
That look was no longer one of looking at an enemy, but of looking at a nauseating pest.
"Is that so."
Tatsuya said plainly, "Then that's truly a shame."
Sensing that tangible killing intent, Colonel Nezumi finally panicked, his body trembling violently:
"St—Stop! You can't kill me! If you kill me, you'll be wanted by the Government! An Admiral will—"
"Puchi!!"
Tatsuya did not hesitate at all.
He stepped on Nezumi's chest, pinning him down, and then thrust the long sword in his hand down violently!
There was not a hint of hesitation or mercy.
The long sword accurately pierced through Nezumi's heart.
The immense force directly penetrated his body, pinning the Marine Colonel firmly to the ground of the Tangerine Grove.
Blood gushed out, staining the coat that said "Justice," and staining this land that he had defiled.
Colonel Nezumi's eyes widened, his body twitched a few times, and the light in his eyes quickly faded.
Until the moment he died, he couldn't believe that this pirate actually dared to kill him.
Swish.
Tatsuya pulled out his sword, flicked away the blood droplets on the blade, and looked coldly at the corpse at his feet:
"In your next life, remember to be a human being."
This scene happened too fast and too ruthlessly.
The dozen or so Marine soldiers only now recovered from their shock. Looking at their commander's corpse, they were scared out of their wits.
The... the Colonel is dead!!"
"This lunatic actually killed the Colonel!!"
"Kill him!! Fire!!"
The Marines fearfully raised their rifles, the dark muzzles aimed at Tatsuya.
However, before they could pull the triggers.
"Three Sword Style: Dragon Twister!!"
A violent whirlwind of sword energy rose out of thin air, instantly sweeping through the entire encirclement.
"Aaaaah!!"
A dozen Marines were instantly swept into the sky, their guns severed, their clothes torn apart, as they fell back down like dumplings, screaming as they were sent flying.
Zoro sheathed his sword, his gaze as cold as a demon's.
And on the other side.
"Since the Vice Captain has already made a move, then I'll clean up some trash too!"
Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth and one hand in his pocket, spun his body like a top.
"Mutton SHOOT!!"
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Accompanied by a series of dull thuds, the remaining few Marines were like kicked footballs, flying all over the place before finally hanging unconscious on the tangerine trees.
In an instant, the Marines were completely wiped out.
The crisis was resolved.
The Tangerine Grove returned to silence once more, with only the two chests of treasure lying quietly on the ground.
Tatsuya sheathed his sword, turned around, and looked at Nami, who was still in a daze, kneeling on the ground.
He walked up to Nami and pointed at Colonel Nezumi's corpse, whose eyes were still wide open in death, his voice low:
"Did you hear that, Nami?"
"He said it himself—'Arlong didn't say anything about leaving you alive'."
Tatsuya crouched down, looking directly into Nami's eyes:
"This is your partner. From the very beginning, there was no contract, and no agreement."
"For eight years, he has only treated you as a free ATM and a map-making machine."
"Even if this money was saved today, you wouldn't be able to buy back the Village's freedom. Because Arlong... will never let go."
Nami looked at the corpse on the ground, then at the two chests of treasure that had been recovered but now seemed meaningless.
Tears silently fell once again.
The illusion was shattered.
"Yeah... I should have known long ago..."
Loving Book So Far Check Out 80+ Chapters In Advanced At Pa Treon:
patreon.com/FicTonic1