Chapter 4: Chapter 4 The Swordsman’s Resolve and the Fall of Morgan
The clash finally erupted.
The chaotic stomping of boots echoed through the naval base, surrounding Zoro and me. Rows of flintlock rifles were aimed directly at us, fingers trembling on triggers.
Morgan, now missing a hand, staggered out with a face twisted in rage and confusion. "You dare defy the great Captain Morgan? I sentence you to death!"
Zoro's resolve lasted this long? Does this world even care about logic? Then again, we have a rubber man stretching around like a human slingshot...
I let out a deep sigh, rubbing my temples while mentally spiraling into complaint mode.
Meanwhile, Zoro's face grew serious, his jaw clenched as he prepared for battle.
"Fire!"
"Gomu Gomu no Rocket!"
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!"
Most of the bullets hit Luffy, stretching his body out in ridiculous lines, while the remaining ones were split clean in half by my sword.
"Completely ineffective!" Luffy yelled excitedly, bullets bouncing off him and knocking out the marines who fired them. Within seconds, most of them were either unconscious or writhing in pain.
Seeing it in anime was one thing, but experiencing it up close is insane. What kind of monster is this guy?
My eye twitched, and my resolve to stick with this absurd crew only grew stronger.
"Who are you guys?!" Zoro shouted, eyes wide with shock.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who will become the King of the Pirates!"
"And I'm Lock, the man who just wants to live the freest life possible."
God, introducing yourself like this is so cringe.
Luffy beamed with excitement, while I covered my face in secondhand embarrassment.
"If you join me and fight the navy now, you'll be branded a criminal," Luffy said, grinning. "Or you can choose to die here."
Zoro smirked, gripping his swords tightly. "Are you the devil's spawn or something? ...Whatever. If I die here, my dream dies too. Might as well throw in with you lunatics. I'm Roronoa Zoro, the man who will become the world's greatest swordsman!"
My face flushed.
God, they're so dramatic... If this was my past life, they'd get roasted for being massive edgelords.
"Awesome! I got another crewmate!" Luffy cheered, completely unfazed by the chaos around us.
Zoro sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Now untie me."
Luffy struggled with the ropes, tugging and twisting them uselessly.
"If guns don't work, use swords! Attack!" Morgan barked, and a wave of marines charged at us with raised blades.
I shook my head, twirling my sword before finally cutting Zoro free.
Zoro stretched, cracked his neck, then drew his swords. He placed one in his mouth, taking up his iconic three-sword stance.
I readied my blade, settling into a stance as well.
Luffy clenched his fists. "Alright, friends! Let's go!"
The three of us charged from different angles, tearing through the navy ranks like they were made of paper. It wasn't even a fight — it was a massacre. In minutes, only Morgan remained standing.
Morgan's face darkened, veins bulging in his forehead. "Anyone who loses should shoot themselves! I, Captain Morgan, don't need useless subordinates!"
The remaining marines trembled, raising their guns to their own heads.
Luffy's face twisted in fury, and he launched himself at Morgan.
Morgan's strikes were wild and powerful, but he didn't care about collateral damage — he even hit his own men. Meanwhile, I was busy trying to stop the marines from shooting themselves.
Why am I the only sane one here?!
"I am Captain Morgan! Anyone who disobeys me must die!" Morgan roared.
Luffy adjusted his straw hat, smiling. "Zoro, good job."
Zoro, standing behind Morgan with his swords dripping blood, smirked. "Piece of cake, Captain."
Three deep gashes appeared on Morgan's chest. His furious expression faded to white-eyed unconsciousness, and he collapsed like a toppled statue.
I exhaled, sheathing my sword.
"Luffy, we won," I muttered, exhausted.
Luffy grinned and threw an arm around me. "We did it, Lock!"
"If anyone wants to arrest us, bring it on," Zoro said coldly, wiping his blades.
But instead of hostility, the marines burst into cheers.
"Captain Morgan has been defeated!"
"We're free from his tyranny!"
"Long live the navy!"
Luffy and Zoro exchanged confused looks, then turned to me. I just shrugged.
Yeah, I'm not explaining this one.
Morgan's Room
I'd been hoping to live out an Assassin's Creed fantasy while raiding the base, but to my disappointment, the place was deserted.
"Let's see…" I muttered, rummaging through drawers and cabinets until I dragged out a massive locked chest. With a quick sword strike, the lock snapped off.
Inside, neatly stacked piles of Berries gleamed back at me. I estimated around 20 million Berries in total.
"Holy crap…" My eyes sparkled, but then I spotted a piece of paper. Curious, I picked it up and squinted at the writing.
[Receipt]
Human Statue — 40,000,000 Berries
"...WHAT?!"
I nearly dropped the receipt.
Luffy smashed that ugly statue, and it cost 40 million?! I've been busting my ass catching criminals for years, barely scraping together 20 million, and this bastard blew double that on a statue?!
My hands shook. For a moment, I seriously considered sneaking into the prison to stab Morgan a few more times.
I sighed, stuffing the money into my bag. "Whatever. At least we got something out of this mess."
---
Later, on the dock, Zoro rubbed his stomach. "I hadn't eaten in nine days. How do you still eat more than me?"
Luffy, patting his swollen belly, just laughed.
Nearby, Rika bowed deeply to Zoro. "Big brother, thank you for saving me and freeing the town!"
Zoro scratched his head, looking awkward. "I didn't do anything heroic…"
Rika just smiled brightly.
"Luffy, let's go. Lock's waiting for us on the ship," Zoro said, changing the subject.
As they walked to the shore, a voice called out.
"Luffy!!"
They turned to see Coby, now wearing a navy uniform, saluting them with tears in his eyes.
"Salute!" a sergeant shouted, and the entire naval base saluted as Luffy and Zoro walked away.
Luffy and Zoro looked back, smiling and waving, before continuing towards their next adventure.
I watched from the ship, leaning on the railing with a smirk.
Looks like the crew is finally coming together.
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