One Piece Shadow Army - Chapter 5
In the alley.
The first to arrive was a man in his thirties, wearing a Marine coat. His face was slightly handsome, with a few traces of righteousness in his eyes.
Seeing the Marine uniform on Curls, the Marine officer introduced himself.
“I am Major Kahn from the Loguetown Marine base, also the instructor for this new recruit training. Are you alright? Are you injured? And what exactly happened here?”
Curls immediately saluted.
This Marine named Kahn gave off a very upright impression, and his first concern being Curls’ injury made him feel a bit of warmth.
“Reporting to Major Kahn, I am a Marine recruit heading to the base, Charlotte Curls. I am not injured.”
Curls then began to recount the events involving the two pirates, only briefly mentioning his abilities.
“Just now, in this alley, two experienced pirates tried to kidnap me, but I managed to use my abilities to kill one of them and engage in a standoff with the other…”
So he was Charlotte Curls!
Kahn was not unfamiliar with the name. Curls was the most special recruit this time, possessing a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit ability.
To be able to counterkill a pirate with a bounty of seven million Berries showed his ability was indeed impressive.
Understanding the identity of the dead pirate.
Kahn also realized why there were so few Marine recruits at the base. He immediately sent a Marine soldier to report to Captain Smoker.
Next, Kahn praised:
“Charlotte Curls, as a Marine recruit, you’ve done very well.”
“Now, I need to rescue the other Marine recruits captured by the pirates. You can choose to come with us or return to the Marine base to wait.”
Without hesitation, Curls chose the first option.
“I want to go with you, Major.”
To become stronger and rise in the Marines, a recruit’s various performances were crucial because they determined whether they could gain their superior’s approval.
And now.
This was an excellent opportunity to prove himself.
Besides this factor, Curls had another reason for wanting to go.
He wanted to know which pirate crew had targeted him.
He needed this information.
Even though he wasn’t currently strong enough to take on that powerful pirate crew.
“Good, very good!” Kahn praised the young Marine recruit again.
Faced with such a situation, Curls still wanted to assist in rescuing the other recruits, showing great character.
“Let’s go!”
At Kahn’s command, a trained Marine hunting dog started sniffing the scent of the fleeing pirate, leading the way madly.
…
Loguetown Port.
A large pirate ship was quietly docked at the shore. The pirates had already dealt with the Marines stationed at the port.
This left the Marine base in Loguetown unaware of the William Pirates’ arrival.
The townsfolk of Loguetown weren’t showing panic or fear because the William Pirates were known in East Blue for not harming civilians.
On the dock.
There were some cargo crates, and dozens of composed pirates were waiting quietly.
Not far from these pirates were a group of tied-up Marine recruits.
These recruits, untrained and facing such a situation for the first time, were anxious, unsure of what the pirates would do to them.
At the center of the pirates was a young man with blond hair.
His eyes were deep-set, his face carrying a heroic air, wearing a black coat, exuding a powerful aura.
He was the captain of the William Pirates.
George William!
His first mate Jeff had been captured by the Marines in Loguetown for some reason.
Jeff, an old hand and a comrade who had endured hardships with him, was of great significance to the pirate crew. William couldn’t leave him unrescued.
However, Loguetown, being close to the entrance of the Grand Line, had Marine forces comparable to a Marine branch. Rescuing Jeff amidst so many Marines was extremely difficult.
Engaging directly with Loguetown’s Marines was also unwise.
Reluctantly, William adopted an alternative plan: kidnapping Marine recruits to coerce the Loguetown Marine base.
They didn’t capture civilians because trained Marines had a self-sacrificial mentality, potentially failing the plan.
But Marine recruits, untrained and uneducated by the Marines, were ideal for kidnapping and control.
This was a very feasible plan!
If the Loguetown Marine base didn’t care about the recruits’ safety, William would force them to agree.
Suddenly, a young pirate saw Ardren returning anxiously from afar.
“Captain William, Brother Ardren is back!”
“Hey, where’s Yadon, and why is Ardren injured?” a pirate officer noticed something unusual.
Seeing Ardren’s arm injury, William’s calm face showed a trace of concern, feeling a bad premonition.
“Ardren, where’s Yadon?”
Facing the captain’s question, Ardren’s expression darkened with guilt, “Captain, I’m sorry. I underestimated them. I didn’t expect the last Marine recruit to be a Devil Fruit user. Yadon was unfortunately killed by him…”
The scene fell silent!
Then, the pirates erupted in a cacophony of curses and noisy arguments!
“Yadon’s dead?! Damn Marines, should we kill these Marine recruits to avenge him?”
“We can’t kill them; we haven’t exchanged for the first mate yet!”
“Then let’s kill a few first; there are so many Marine recruits anyway!”
…
It was unimaginable for a pirate crew to react this way to a comrade’s death.
“Go get your wound treated,” William told the ship doctor to take Ardren for bandaging, then fell silent.
Not far away.
The tied-up Marine recruits, hearing the pirates’ words, were terrified, fearing they might be the unlucky ones.
They were also in disbelief that a Marine recruit could kill one of these pirates.
When they encountered these pirates, they were all knocked down almost instantly, unable to fight back at all.
Who was that Marine recruit who managed such a feat?
Amid the increasingly intense arguments, William, as the captain, finally spoke.
“Quiet!”
Instantly, the noisy scene became eerily silent.
William slowly turned around, his solemn gaze sweeping over all the crew members.
Some had shared hardships and built the pirate crew with him, while others had joined recently. But regardless, they all awaited his decision.
“From the moment we decided to become pirates, didn’t we already bet our lives?”
William’s words struck the pirates’ hearts, leaving them in silence.
Indeed, since becoming pirates, they were prepared to be killed by the Marines.
Yadon was no exception.
It was just unfortunate he died at the hands of a Marine recruit, making it all the more humiliating.
William said nothing more, turning to sit on a cargo crate, waiting quietly for the Loguetown Marines to arrive, while quickly rehearsing the possible scenarios in his mind.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Not long after.
Kahn arrived at the port with dozens of Marine soldiers, Curls among them.
Instantly.
The Marines and pirates faced off.
“George William!”
Seeing the William Pirates and the captured Marine recruits, Kahn immediately understood the situation.
William stood up to show his respect, greeting Kahn like an old acquaintance.
“Long time no see, Brother Kahn!”
…
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