"What?! You… you actually dared to kill a Marine soldier?!"
Colonel Mouse(Nezumi) stared at the utterly unexpected scene before him, his face turning deathly pale from sheer terror. Trembling, he raised a shaky hand, pointing at Will as he let out a horrified shriek.
Will, however, paid him no mind. He continued walking toward Colonel Mouse at an unhurried pace, his words as cold as the voice of a death god rising from the depths of hell:
"You're a dead man today. Not even the Fleet Admiral can save you—I guarantee it."
"You dare—?!"
Colonel Mouse pointed at Will, his voice stern and thunderous in its panic, though it grew increasingly laced with fear. His feet instinctively shuffled back two steps.
Seeing Will still closing in, Colonel Mouse felt his entire body go numb, frozen in place like a statue.
At that moment, the adjutant standing beside him, a chief petty officer, snapped out of his daze first. He hurriedly stepped forward and shouted to the equally flustered Marine soldiers around them:
"Don't be afraid, everyone! We've got nearly a hundred men here!
"No matter how strong he is, there's no way he can kill us all!
"Once we wear down his stamina, he'll drop dead just the same!"
The Marine soldiers, long accustomed to following orders without question, found the reasoning convincing enough. With that, they steadied themselves, raising their guns and taking aim at Will.
"Wear down my stamina?"
Will nearly laughed at the absurdity of it in his head. He swept his gaze over the rabble surrounding him and said icily:
"All of you, come at me together. Otherwise, this fight's going to be dreadfully boring."
By now, Colonel Mouse had regained his wits. Hearing Will's words, he immediately retreated behind his men, forcing a veneer of calm as he roared:
"Everyone, get him! Whoever takes this guy down gets Arlong's bounty!
"And I'll personally see to it that they're promoted in the Marines afterward!"
Under the promise of hefty rewards, there's always someone bold enough to step up. Tempted by the dual allure of money and a higher rank, several of the Marine soldiers charged forward with fearless abandon.
Seizing the chance, Colonel Mouse signaled his adjutant to gather a few guards and cover him as he bolted for the small boat they'd arrived in. Without hesitation, he set off toward where the warship was anchored.
Once the boat had sailed a safe distance, Colonel Mouse finally let out a shaky breath. His face twisted into an ugly scowl as he growled under his breath:
"That damned bastard! How dare he lay a hand on me, a Marine colonel?!
"When I get back, I'll report this immediately. I'll pin a laundry list of crimes on that guy and get his bounty jacked up to twenty mill—
"No! Straight to thirty million Berries! Let's see if he survives that!"
"Kee hee hee hee hee!"
Imagining Will trapped in despair under the relentless pursuit of the Marines, Colonel Mouse couldn't help but cackle sinisterly.
But when he finally boarded the warship and turned from the deck to check the situation behind him, he was instantly struck dumb with terror, shrieking once more:
"Damn it! That guy's still chasing me! That son of a—!"
The nearby Marines spun around at his words, only to see a figure in the sky rapidly closing in on them. The distance between them was shrinking at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Seeing his men standing there dumbfounded, Colonel Mouse lost it, roaring hysterically:
"What are you all staring at?! Tell them to start the ship, now!"
"Y-Yes, sir!" The adjutant saluted hastily and dashed toward the cabin. But before he could get far—
The figure in the sky suddenly accelerated, plummeting straight toward the center of the warship's deck.
Boom!
A deafening crash echoed as Will landed, his expression blank amidst a cloud of dust. Then, he stepped forward.
"Don't come any closer!"
Colonel Mouse, seeing Will advancing toward him, screamed in abject terror as he stumbled backward.
Will ignored him entirely, striding forward with the casual air of someone strolling through a market.
"Open fire!"
The adjutant, no longer able to maintain his composure, bellowed the order to the surrounding Marines.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang—!
The dozens of remaining soldiers on the ship snapped out of their shock at the command, pulling their triggers without a second thought. In an instant, a hail of bullets flew toward Will.
But to Will, the speed of these ordinary bullets was like a snail's crawl. With a few nonchalant sways of his body, the bullets passed through him as if he were a mirage, missing entirely. Instead, they struck several Marines standing nearby.
"Aaahhh—!"
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen soldiers collapsed, clutching their wounds and writhing on the ground in agony.
The adjutant was about to bark another order when—
Swish—!
In the next second, Will appeared right in front of him. Grabbing the man by the collar, he hurled him skyward with a ferocious toss.
"You talk too much. Let's see you fly!"
"Aaahhh—!!"
Amid a scream of pure panic, the adjutant rocketed upward at breakneck speed, soaring higher and higher. In moments, he was over a hundred meters in the air and still climbing.
Ignoring the airborne Marine, Will turned his gaze to the side. He spotted Colonel Mouse trying to slink away into the crowd.
Boom—!
Without a word, Will threw a heavy punch, sending Colonel Mouse flying in an instant. The impact unleashed a shockwave that rippled outward.
Colonel Mouse streaked through the air like an afterimage, crashing into a wooden wall nearby with a resounding thud. He slumped into a pile of splintered debris, unable to move.
The surrounding Marines hadn't even processed what happened. Only when the wall collapsed did they whip around to look.
"Colonel!"
Spotting Colonel Mouse amidst the wreckage, they rushed over to help. But just as they reached out to pull him up—
"Don't move—!"
Colonel Mouse's dazed expression suddenly turned frantic. He raised a hand, shouting in panic:
"It's broken… broken…"
"Huh?!"
The soldiers froze, then realized with horror that his spine might have snapped from the impact.
Before they could figure out how to help, a series of heavy footsteps thudded nearby. They turned, faces paling with dread as they instinctively backed away, eyes locked nervously on the approaching figure. Even the splash of something—or someone—crashing into the sea from above didn't draw their attention.
Will ignored the small fry around him and walked straight to Colonel Mouse's side. Looking at the man's pitiful state, he frowned slightly:
"This is just too pathetic. I can't stand to see it."
Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Colonel Mouse by the shirt, yanked him out of the debris, and hoisted him high. Then, with a flick of his arm, he flung him overboard.
"Aaahhh—!"
With a bloodcurdling scream, Colonel Mouse sailed through the air before smashing into the sea. His spine shattered, he couldn't swim or save himself. He flailed helplessly on the surface for a moment before sinking beneath the waves, vanishing from sight.
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