Chapter 6: A "Surprise" from the Sky
Top floor of the Marine Base, Colonel's Office.
Heavy curtains blocked the sunlight from outside, making the room appear gloomy.
"Soldier, tell me."
Captain Morgan sat behind a massive mahogany desk, half of his face hidden in the shadows, with only the metal jaw embedded in his chin glinting coldly.
"I am the greatest in this world, right?"
The Marine soldier standing opposite him nodded frantically.
"Y-Yes! Captain Morgan! Your greatness is beyond doubt!"
"Then why..." Morgan's voice was low, "has the treasure offered by the townsfolk decreased lately?"
"Uh... well..." The soldier broke into a cold sweat and explained stutteringly.
"Because the townspeople's economic situation is also limited, plus the recent pirate harassment..."
"Hmm?"
Morgan suddenly raised his head, his fierce eyes staring intently at the soldier.
"That is no excuse," Morgan said coldly.
"The problem is that their level of awe towards me is not enough."
"As long as they fear me enough, they will scrape the money together even if they have to sell their children."
"Captain Morgan!"
Just then, the office door was violently burst open.
The two Marine soldiers who had just been driven over by Tatsuya stumbled in, their faces as pale as paper.
"B-Big trouble!"
"What's the panic!"
"Pirates! Pirates have broken in! They even want to challenge you!"
One of the soldiers panted heavily and shouted in terror.
"If you don't go down, they're going to kill Master Helmeppo..."
The room instantly fell into a deathly silence.
Morgan slowly stood up, his already tall frame now appearing even more oppressive.
He widened his eyes as if he had heard some unbelievable joke.
"Pirates? Challenge me?"
*Crack—Boom!*
Morgan swung his arm violently, and the perfectly intact mahogany desk was instantly split in two by a cold flash, the cut as smooth as a mirror.
Wood chips flew, scaring several Marines so much they almost collapsed to the floor.
Attached to his arm was a giant double-edged axe, with wood debris still clinging to the blade.
"Someone actually dares to provoke me, 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!"
Morgan roared, his voice making the windows vibrate.
"Listen up, all of you! Since I am your Colonel and hold the highest rank!"
"That means—I am the strongest and most correct person here!"
He strode out from the wreckage of the desk, his eyes terrifyingly sinister.
"Pass down the order! Everyone go to the roof immediately and erect my giant stone statue!"
"To celebrate my upcoming execution of these rats who don't know the height of the heavens, I want the entire Shells Town to admire my heroic posture!"
"As for those pirates..." Morgan sneered, gripping his giant axe, "I will personally cut off their heads before that!"
"Yes! Captain Morgan!!"
...
Meanwhile, in the corridor inside the base building.
"Hmm? Where exactly is it?"
Luffy looked around, still carrying Helmeppo, who had been beaten out of human shape.
Seeing that the guy hadn't spoken for a while, Luffy simply stopped and gave that swollen face a few more "pah-pah-pah" slaps.
"Hey, Butt-head, wake up! Tell me where Zoro's swords are?"
Helmeppo felt like dying at this moment.
First, his wrist was crushed by that red-eyed devil, and now he was being used as a punching bag by this Straw Hat lunatic.
His face was now swollen like a leavened pig's head, his eyes squeezed into mere slits.
"Wuuu... stop hitting me... It's, it's in my room..." Helmeppo wailed indistinctly.
"Oh? Where is your room?"
"Just upstairs... please, don't hit me anymore..."
Having gotten the answer, Luffy immediately carried Helmeppo and dashed upstairs, soon kicking open the door to a luxuriously decorated bedroom.
Various expensive decorations hung on the walls of the room, but in the corner, three swords rested quietly against the wall.
One white scabbard and two black scabbards.
"Found them!"
Luffy's eyes lit up, and he rushed over to scoop up the three swords.
"Hmm? There are three? Which one is it?"
He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then smiled: "Whatever, three people, exactly one for each! So cool!"
Luffy skillfully slung the three swords onto his back and casually tossed Helmeppo onto the floor like trash.
Just then, a series of hurried and dense footsteps came from outside the corridor.
A large group of Marines was running towards the roof, chanting cadences.
"Quick! Move faster! Captain Morgan has ordered that the statue must be erected immediately!"
"More hands are needed over there! Go pull the ropes!"
Luffy's curiosity was instantly piqued, and he ran to the edge of the corridor to peer out.
"Wow, what are all these people doing in such a hurry?"
Lying on the ground, Helmeppo heard this, and a malicious glint flashed in his eyes.
This was a golden opportunity!
Father might be on the roof right now.
If he could trick this idiot into going to the roof, Father would surely tear him to pieces there!
"Ahem... this... Mr. Pirate..."
Helmeppo endured the intense pain and squeezed out a smile uglier than crying, "The place they're going, the very top... hides our fortress's most precious treasure..."
"Treasure?!"
These two words were like a switch; Luffy's eyes instantly turned into golden Berries symbols, and his tongue even lolled out.
"Really?! Is there delicious meat and treasure?"
"Of course..." Helmeppo sneered inwardly and continued to mislead him, "That is a place only the strong can go."
"Alright! Thanks, Butt-head!"
Luffy didn't doubt him at all, turning around and following the flow of Marines towards the stairs leading to the rooftop.
Looking at Luffy's receding back, Helmeppo revealed a sinister smile.
"Go to hell, you idiot! My father will definitely chop you into mincemeat! Hahahaha—Ouch!"
Because he laughed too hard, it aggravated the wounds on his face, and his sinister laughter instantly turned into a scream of pain.
...
The rooftop of the base building.
The wind howled.
Dozens of Marines were chanting cadences, using pulleys and thick hemp ropes to laboriously pull a massive object covered by a canvas.
"One, two! Pull!"
Just as everyone was sweating profusely, a figure wearing a Straw Hat "whooshed" up.
"Treasure! Where's the treasure!"
Luffy looked around with glowing eyes, but found nothing except a group of exhausted Marines and a large rock covered by canvas.
"What the..."
Luffy curled his lip in disappointment, looking at the statue that had just been pulled halfway up.
"What an ugly piece of rock, is this treasure too?"
He walked boredly to the edge of the roof and peered down.
Looking down, he saw the tension on the training ground below was already at a breaking point.
Tatsuya and Zoro were facing a group of fully armed Marines alone.
And opposite them, a tall man with an iron axe embedded in his hand was walking over with a murderous look.
"Ah! Oh no, oh no!"
Luffy slapped his forehead, "I was so busy looking for treasure that I forgot Tatsuya was waiting below! Zoro's swords haven't been delivered yet either!"
Jumping from this height wouldn't kill him, but it was too slow.
Luffy's eyes darted around and landed on the giant stone statue behind him that had just been pulled halfway up.
"Heehee, got it!"
Luffy took a few steps back and suddenly thrust out his arms.
"Gomu Gomu no—"
His hands instantly elongated like two elastic ropes, wrapping tightly around the neck of the giant stone statue.
The Marines pulling the ropes were stunned, watching this bizarre scene.
"What... what the hell is that? His arms stretched?"
Luffy ignored everyone's shock; using the recoil of the rubber, he backed all the way to the edge of the roof, his body tensed like a drawn bow.
"—Rocket!!!"
*Boing!*
The massive elasticity was instantly released!
Luffy shot out like an arrow from a bow, hurtling towards the training ground below at extreme speed.
However, everyone underestimated the power of Luffy's strike, as well as... the instability of that statue.
Under the immense pulling force, Captain Morgan's statue, which hadn't been secured yet, let out a tooth-grinding grinding sound.
*Crack!*
The ropes snapped.
"Aaaaaah! The statue! The Colonel's statue is falling!!" The Marines screamed in terror.
The giant stone statue was forcibly pulled down by Luffy's force.
And following the trajectory of Luffy's flight, it tumbled and rolled, then left the edge of the roof—
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh—*
Luffy was flying in front, with a massive stone statue weighing several tons following closely behind with world-destroying momentum...
Crashing down right towards Captain Morgan, who was about to act tough below!
"Tatsuya—! Zoro—! Here I come!!"
From mid-air came Luffy's excited shouting.
Below, having just reached the center of the training ground and preparing to deliver a domineering speech, Captain Morgan suddenly felt the sky go dark above him.
He looked up in confusion.
"Hmm?"