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Chapter 44 is out!!!! +40 advanced chapters monthly
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However, what appeared before his eyes
looked like a pristine haven; there wasn't the slightest indication that it had just been raided by pirates.
For a split second, T-Bone felt as though he had been played, and his brows instantly knitted together in frustration.
But before he could voice his anger, a medic beside him suddenly tugged at his pant leg, pointing toward a specific direction and signaling him to look.
T-Bone frowned and followed the medic's gesture. He was immediately startled once again, unable to stop himself from sucking in a sharp breath of cold air. His tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed into shock.
What did he see?
Atop a massive pile of corpses, three particularly conspicuous bodies were propped up on display.
Sitting leisurely in front of this mountain of the dead was a young man wearing nothing but an animal-skin loincloth, watching him with absolute composure.
Huddled behind the youth was a large group of terrified civilians. They were all squatting on the ground, clutching their heads and trembling violently.
It looked as though they were utterly terrified of the young man.
Their gazes met in the air.
Although the youth might have seemed like a nobody compared to a towering figure like T-Bone, the moment their eyes locked, T-Bone couldn't help but stumble back two steps, his face flashing with sheer horror.
In that brief instant, he felt as though he had been targeted by a monstrous Sea King. That terrifying, oppressive aura made his heart skip half a beat.
How terrifying... he's at least an expert on the level of a Headquarters Rear Admiral! T-Bone evaluated grimly in his mind.
This is trouble! T-Bone thought solemnly.
This youth did not look like a saint. Anyone who could sit amidst a pile of slaughtered corpses without showing the slightest hint of fear was likely either a vicious pirate or a ruthless bandit.
There is absolutely no way he is a good guy. T-Bone firmly believed this!
While T-Bone was warily guarding against Shirokami, Shirokami was also sizing up T-Bone.
That skeletal appearance and unique uniform were things no one else could imitate. Naturally, Shirokami recognized him at a single glance.
Is this guy the legendary 'Ship-Cutter', Captain T-Bone? He certainly looks pretty strong! Although Shirokami didn't know why T-Bone was stationed in the East Blue right now instead of near Enies Lobby, he didn't really need to care about those details, did he?
"Yo, Marines! Aren't you going to come over and comfort the island's residents? If you don't step up, I just might have to make a move myself!"
Just as T-Bone was steeling himself to risk his life to buy time for his subordinates to rescue the civilians, Shirokami preemptively raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and shouted out to them.
Such a sudden, bizarre twist left T-Bone completely dumbfounded.
He exchanged bewildered glances with the men to his left and right, all of them seeing the exact same confusion mirrored in each other's eyes.
Seeing this, Shirokami couldn't help but laugh. "What's the matter? Is a dignified Marine Branch Captain actually afraid of a young lad like me?"
"Relax, I mean no harm! I only came to this island because I was starving!"
"I just happened to stumble upon quite the show when I got here. So, purely for the sake of my own personal safety, I had no choice but to take action!"
"If you're really that worried about it, you can bring out a pair of Seastone handcuffs and restrain me first. I promise I won't resist!"
Shirokami had made himself perfectly clear. As for whether or not to believe him, that was entirely up to T-Bone.
But regardless of whether the Marines believed him or not, he genuinely harbored no ill intentions.
"Captain, this...!"
Hearing Shirokami's words, T-Bone's subordinates showed signs of being swayed and looked to their commanding officer for orders.
"Hmm!"
T-Bone pondered for a moment and decided it wouldn't hurt to test the waters.
If Shirokami truly meant no harm, T-Bone could simply apologize to him once the situation was fully secured.
But just to be safe, he stayed closely flanked by his men. If the youth suddenly launched an attack, T-Bone would be positioned to intercept and save them, preventing a total wipeout.
"Pardon the offense!"
Seeing Hakusui voluntarily offer his hands, the two Marines flanking T-Bone looked relieved and quickly clamped the Seastone handcuffs onto his wrists.
"Guh!"
The moment the Seastone cuffs clicked shut, Hakusui couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
He felt as though every ounce of strength in his body was being siphoned away by the Seastone. A terrifying, oppressive sensation washed over him, making it hard to even draw breath. His complexion instantly turned a sickly pale.
"You're a Devil Fruit user!" T-Bone exclaimed, visibly startled by the reaction.
"Of course I am. Why else would I offer to let you use Seastone on me?" Hakusui raised his head and flashed a weak grin. "I already told you, I mean no harm! Since you guys didn't believe me, I had to show a little sincerity. So, how about it? Is this sincere enough for you?"
"You speak too modestly, sir," T-Bone said, looking at Hakusui with profound respect. The skeletal Marine Captain gave him a heavy, formal salute. "Once I have ensured the safety of the townsfolk, I will definitely offer you a drink as my formal apology!"
"You two!" T-Bone commanded in a deep, booming voice, his gaunt face dead serious. "Guard this young man with your lives. If anything happens to him, I will hold you personally responsible. Do you understand?!"
"Yes, sir!" The two Marines stiffened, replying with unwavering discipline.
By the time T-Bone had successfully reassured the panicked residents of Kuro Island, over an hour had passed. Exhausted from his earlier ordeal, Hakusui had long since drifted off to sleep on the ground.
The two Marines, however, stood like a pair of stone statues, not moving an inch—even as the scorching sun drenched their uniforms in sweat. Hakusui had proven himself a man worthy of their respect. Because of this, despite their fatigue, they didn't utter a single word of complaint.
"Hakusui!"
"Hakusui!"
"Hakusui!"
Through the hazy veil of sleep, Hakusui thought he heard someone calling his name.
He slowly cracked his eyes open, groggily looking around, only to see the young girl, Aki, crouching in front of him. Her soft hands were gently but persistently shaking his arm.
"Oh, it's you, Aki. What's up?" Hakusui stretched lazily and sat up, letting out a large yawn.
"You lazy bum, that Marine officer is calling for you!" Seeing Hakusui finally awake, Aki breathed a sigh of relief and pointed over her shoulder.
"Oh, got it."
Following the direction of Aki's finger, he saw T-Bone flashing him a rare, toothy smile, raising a cup of sake and gesturing for him to come over.
"Let's go, Marine brothers! Come have a drink with us!" Hakusui stood up and casually addressed the two Marine officers beside him, who were already looking quite dehydrated from the blazing sun.
"Phew, we can finally move! Haha!" The two men couldn't help but rejoice. Smiling blissfully, they eagerly followed Hakusui over to their Captain.
"Consider this drink my formal apology for my earlier transgression. I shall drink first!"
As Hakusui walked over and took a seat beside him, T-Bone raised a large bowl of sake and downed it in a single, honorable gulp.
"Hahaha, as the saying goes, out of blows grows friendship! Though we didn't actually fight, we still got to know each other," Hakusui laughed, his carefree maritime spirit fully on display. "Haha, there's no need to sweat over 'offenses' between men of the sea! Come on, Marine bro, I'm toasting to you! From now on, we're friends!"
Hakusui raised his own cup toward T-Bone with a hearty grin.
"Hahaha! Excellent! Spoken like a true man of the sea! I gladly accept this drink!"
T-Bone roared with laughter, his usual grim demeanor melting away. He clinked his cup heavily against Hakusui's before throwing his head back and downing the sake.
All around them, the surrounding civilians were completely immersed in singing and dancing. Looking at the lively, joyous festival filling the square, one would never guess that a bloody battle had threatened to destroy this very island just hours ago.
Throughout the evening, young women constantly shot amorous glances at Hakusui, hoping to catch his eye.
To them, if a man as powerful as Hakusui took a fancy to one of them, the island would be under his protection. They would never have to worry about another pirate attack again.
Unfortunately for the girls, Hakusui acted as if he was completely blind to their batting eyelashes.
He simply continued his cheerful conversation with T-Bone, leaving a crowd of young women stomping their feet in bitter disappointment.
However, seeing Hakusui ignore the advances of the other girls made young Aki incredibly happy.
She wasn't entirely sure why she felt that way. All she knew was that Hakusui had already carved out a place in her heart.
After several rounds of drinks, T-Bone suddenly set down his bowl and asked, "Hakusui, have you ever considered joining the Marines? With your strength and natural talent, your future achievements would be nothing short of extraordinary!"
"Brother T-Bone, spare me!" Hakusui laughed, waving him off. "I'm used to living wild and free. I really don't want to be tied down by a bunch of rules and regulations."
"Of course, that's just how I feel right now. Who knows what the future holds?" he added breezily. "If I ever have a sudden change of heart, maybe I'll march right up and enlist myself!"
He didn't give a hard refusal, leaving the door slightly open for T-Bone. After all, who could truly predict the future?
"Fair enough. Since you have your own plans for your future, I won't force the issue!" T-Bone nodded understandingly. "But if you ever do decide to join the Marines, I will personally arrange it for you. With your heroic deeds today, you'd be guaranteed a commission as at least an Ensign! And given your strength, you'd probably catch up to my rank in just two or three years!"
Truthfully, T-Bone desperately wanted Hakusui to join the Marines.
If a man of Hakusui's caliber were to fall in with a pirate crew, the seas would undoubtedly give birth to another terrifying figure on the level of "Red-Haired" Shanks. T-Bone firmly believed Hakusui possessed that kind of monstrous potential.
"You don't mind if I report your heroic deeds to Headquarters, do you?" T-Bone asked suddenly.
"I don't mind at all, do whatever you want," Hakusui replied, shrugging indifferently. "It's just a minor battle record anyway. Let them look into me if they want—I don't exactly have a shady past to hide!"
Right now, Hakusui had absolutely zero interest in becoming a pirate!
Why go out of his way to suffer and wander the unforgiving seas when he could just enjoy a comfortable life? He couldn't care less about the legendary great treasure, the One Piece.
His life's motto was simple: eat, drink, and be merry.
That was it. If he didn't live like that, he felt like he would be swallowed up by a deep sense of isolation. He hated being lonely. That had been true in his past life, and it remained true now. Even though the heavens had granted him a second chance at life, the fear of loneliness was deeply rooted in his soul.
"Then I am relieved!" T-Bone let out a long breath. He had been genuinely worried that Hakusui would refuse the official recognition.
The celebratory banquet lasted through the entire night.
The next day, by the time Hakusui finally woke up, T-Bone and his Marine detachment had already set sail.
Beside him, Aki was sleeping soundly, a sweet, peaceful smile resting on her face.
Hakusui offered a small shrug and quietly tiptoed away so he wouldn't wake her.
On the path of training, if you aren't moving forward, you're falling behind!
Hakusui knew all too well how terrifying the power ceiling of the One Piece world truly was. If he grew complacent just because of the little bit of strength he possessed now, this world would chew him up and spit him out.
His current strength might be considered formidable in the first half of the Grand Line—perhaps few there could even match him in a fight.
But once he crossed over into the second half of the Grand Line—the New World—his current level of power wouldn't amount to much at all.