"He's still alive! Blue Eagle!!"
Four Marine cadets shouted in alarm as they noticed movement, Rosinante turned sharply and saw it too.
"Don't move, Marine! Cough—cough... Move again, and I'll kill her!"
Boss Dars barked the words with venom, though each breath sent more blood gushing from his mouth. Rosinante's earlier strike had seriously injured his internal organs, he was alive only thanks to sheer tenacity and a monstrous life force.
"Let her go." Rosinante ordered coldly.
Boss Dars chuckled, coughing again.
"I'm happy to. But first... get me a ship. Once I'm safely away, I'll release the lady."
"Not happening. After what you've done, do you really think I—a Marine—would let you go free?"
"Hahaha... won't let me go? Then what are you going to do about it?"
Still laughing, Dars tightened his grip on the woman and sneered.
"If you won't let me go, then I'll kill this girl right now. Isn't justice your sacred creed, Marines? Will you really stand by and watch an innocent civilian die at the hands of a pirate?"
He looked certain of his leverage, daring Rosinante to act. It was a tough spot, even Rosinante had to admit it. If it had been Sakazuki in his place, the outcome would be simple: one punch, and both pirate and hostage would be reduced to ash. Absolute Justice did not hesitate.
But Rosinante wasn't Sakazuki. He wasn't that cold.
He faltered, just for a moment.
That's when the woman—his hostage—let out a muffled cry from her mangled, tongueless mouth.
"Mmm... mm..."
Her voice caught Rosinante's attention.
He looked at her. Her eyes were red and lifeless, gray with despair. She had no will left to live. She wanted to die.
"Mmm! Mmm!"
She cried out again and then... smiled.
A strange, tragic smile. A single tear of blood trailed down her cheek.
Then she threw herself forward.
SLASH!
The blade at her throat sliced clean through her windpipe.
And just like that—her life, so full of torment and stolen dignity, was over.
Even in death, her gaze remained locked on Rosinante—eyes wide, burning with absolute, shattering despair.
Rosinante stood frozen.
All this time, he had treated the people of this world like NPCs in a game. Even though he'd always ranted about overthrowing the World Government, about becoming king and reshaping the world—deep down, it was all just escapist fantasy from someone who had reincarnated into this world.
But watching this nameless woman die right in front of him—helpless, brutalized, and discarded, something inside him broke.
Pirates like Dars deserved to die.
But so did the World Government.
This world was too far gone—corrupt, cruel, twisted beyond recognition.
And it had to change.
Even if he never became the so-called king, even if he did nothing else in this life—Rosinante swore to himself: he would never again allow someone to die so helplessly before his eyes.
In that moment, Rosinante felt himself evolve.
This was no longer just some fictional world.
This was real.
And his mission, to overthrow the World Government and end the pirate era had never felt more urgent or more real.
This broken world had to be reset.
Not for power, not for glory, just to stop the pain from repeating.
"You bastard, what did you do?!"
Boss Dars looked down at the lifeless body in his arms, stunned. His hostage, his leverage, was gone. What was left to bargain with?
He slowly raised his head and met Rosinante's gaze.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
Rosinante's expression was blank, unreadable.
But his eyes...
Those eyes were burning with a murderous fury that pierced the soul.
"Boss Dars. In the name of justice... I sentence you to death."
"One-Sword Style—Rending Judgment!"
SHAVE!
Rosinante flashed forward in an instant.
His blade gleamed as it was drawn from its scabbard.
"No—please—!"
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
SWISH—SWISH—SWISH!
Tap. Tap.
With a final step, Rosinante landed softly, resheathing his sword in one fluid motion.
Click.
As the blade locked into place, the body of Boss Dars, still standing behind him—shuddered.
Then, without warning, it shattered into five or six pieces, collapsing to the ground in a heap.
Dead. Without question.
His eyes were still wide open, frozen in disbelief.
Because even as he died, he couldn't comprehend how Rosinante had done it.
No Devil Fruit.
No tricks.
Just raw, refined swordsmanship—powerful enough to cut through steel.
In that furious instant, Rosinante had awakened the blade mastery of a true swordmaster, the realm of cutting steel.
"Uhh... Blue Eagle is kinda terrifying..." one cadet murmured, shivering at the sight of the mutilated corpse.
"What are you talking about, idiot?" another snapped.
"Blue Eagle just executed a vile pirate. That's justice in action!"
"Yeah! Justice triumphs over evil!"
…
Rosinante didn't respond to their chatter.
Instead, he turned toward Wild Boar who had just finished his own battle.
Wild Boar was drenched in blood, his massive frame covered in gashes, but he was still standing.
He had finally taken down Ronni.
In the end, it was Wild Boar's Six Powers technique—Tempest Kick: Boar Hoof Imprint—that broke Ronni's chest, crushed his heart, and ended the fight.
Rosinante sheathed his sword and looked down at the girl's lifeless body.
Quietly, he removed his coat and draped it over her, covering the skin that had been exposed by the pirates' abuse.
She had already suffered so much in life, he wouldn't let her be humiliated in death.
"Thank you, Marine sir! Thank you for saving all of Mushroom Village!"
A voice called out from the shoreline.
Hundreds of villagers, former captives of the pirates knelt in the sand, bowing to Rosinante as the village elder led them in reverent thanks.
Rosinante looked at them, then lowered his head and offered a deep bow in return.
"Please, everyone... rise. It's we who should be apologizing."
"If we'd come just a little sooner... maybe she wouldn't have had to die."
"No, Marine sir—you mustn't blame yourself for this." the elder said gently.
"To be born in such chaotic times is our misfortune. We cannot lay that burden on your shoulders. In the end, it was you who defeated the pirates and saved us. Without your intervention, many more would have died. On behalf of the whole village, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
"Yes! Thank you, sir!"
As Rosinante looked at the villagers kneeling in the sand, his heart twisted with emotion.
The Marines truly were the only force in this pirate-infested world that stood for ordinary people.
Yes, the Marines had their flaws. They were complicit in the World Government's corruption. They had made terrible mistakes.
But without them... this sea would collapse into chaos.
With them, there was at least some order.
And with that order, the people had a fragile thread of hope.
"This damned world really is rotten to the core..."
Rosinante muttered under his breath, smiling bitterly as he shook his head.
He looked to the sky and let out a long sigh.
Then he turned back to the villagers and raised his hand.
"Everyone, please... get up. Protecting civilians and bringing pirates to justice, that's what the Marines are supposed to do. You don't need to bow to us for that."
(End of Chapter)
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