The name of West Blue's most notorious criminal, Red Hawk Andy, was well known to every Marine in the region. A year ago, the commander of the 41st Marine Branch, Commander Bacchus, was killed by the Red Hawk.
More recently, Marine Rear Admiral Viktor also met his end at the hands of the same pirate. These two incidents made the Marines of West Blue shudder at the very mention of the name "Hawk," fearing they would become the next victim.
On the scene, the Marines were absolutely terrified. Colonel Tolson, their commanding officer, was far weaker than even Bacchus.
"Hurry!" Tolson shrieked, his voice choked with fear. "Kill... kill the Red Hawk! Take him down!"
Hearing Tolson's desperate screams, the other Marines finally snapped back to reality. They steeled themselves, aimed their guns, and began firing wildly at the approaching Red Hawk. But what happened next only made their terror worse.
A team of nearly a hundred Marines rained down bullets, yet not a single one grazed the Red Hawk's clothes. Andy moved slowly, as if he were simply taking a leisurely stroll through his own backyard.
Andy looked up through the gaps in the dense forest canopy at the full moon hanging high in the sky. For some reason, the brilliant, clear moon seemed to be slowly stained with a layer of blood-red in his eyes.
"This is a new move I've been developing these past few days," he murmured. "But... it can only be used on a full moon night. And tonight just happens to be a full moon."
His icy, bone-chilling gaze landed on Tolson. "You... you're really 'lucky.'"
The blade of his Demon Blade Zhu Chi was quietly turning crimson, as if it were impatiently waiting to drink the enemy's blood. The moment Tolson met Andy's gaze, he felt an endless, chilling killing intent invade his mind.
"Ah!" he screamed in a panic. "Kill him! Take him down! Right now!"
Tolson's commands were hoarse as he retreated in a flustered manner. In his mind, he could already see his own tragic death, being sliced to pieces by the Zhu Chi in Andy's hand.
"Blood Moon Drinking Star: Three Thousand Demon Slashes!" Andy's voice was cold as he whispered the name of his technique.
The next instant, his figure vanished, and countless crimson, sharp slashes exploded among the Marine crowd. The moonlight that filtered through the leaves turned blood-red, and where the crimson blade light flashed, it was eerie and terrifying.
In just a blink of an eye, more than a dozen Marine soldiers' bodies flew into the air like broken kites, mercilessly cut into several pieces by the slashes. Blood splattered, severed limbs flew, and the scene was too gruesome to bear.
"He's a ghost... a demon!" a Marine shrieked. "Red Hawk is a devil!"
"Run!"
"Wuwuwu... Help!"
"Ah!!!"
"I'm sorry, please don't kill me..."
"Save me!"
The Marines' terrified screams pierced the silence, echoing throughout the forest. They had completely lost their will to fight. Their fear was like a dam that had burst, completely out of control. In their eyes, Andy was the most vicious demon crawling out of hell to harvest their lives.
Tolson received special attention from Andy; his last wish was to be cut into a pile of minced meat by the sharp crimson blade. His death was gruesome, and Marine Ensign Roux received the same treatment. For Andy, in this forest, the Ensign was just as important as Colonel Tolson.
Just two or three minutes later, Andy stopped. He held the Demon Blade Zhu Chi in his hand, a few drops of blood still flowing down the blade. He stood quietly before the dozen or so civilians who had been killed by the Marines. Looking at the scene, he exuded an icy killing intent, like a frozen iceberg.
Of the nearly one hundred Marines, only a few on the edges managed to escape. The rest were left in the forest by Andy, their bodies scattered haphazardly, not a single one intact. The entire forest had become a living hell.
Andy's gaze fell on the small, frail girl, and her image from a few days ago, eating fruit desserts, flashed through his mind. "Sigh..." he sighed softly. "Maybe for you, this is a kind of liberation."
He shook his head, flicked the drops of blood off Zhu Chi's blade, and sheathed it, storing it in his spatial storage. He silently carried the bodies of the civilians into a nearby cave, where he still had some meat left from his last hunt. After bringing all the bodies inside, he covered his fist in Armament Haki and delivered a full-power punch to the outside of the cave. After a thunderous roar, the cave collapsed, turning the mountain into a natural tomb for the civilians.
"This is an excellent burial ground," Andy said softly. "You've gotten a good deal." He looked up at the moon. "I hope you have a better life in your next one. Go to that little broken planet where people can eat their fill and dress warmly."
On the outskirts of the forest, the Revolutionary Army personnel dared not approach. They had just found out that Red Hawk Andy's home was empty. They believed the sounds of battle were likely caused by the Red Hawk fighting someone.
At that moment, Andy turned and looked at the Marine corpses scattered across the ground with a completely indifferent gaze. Everything that happened tonight had made him lose his last shred of humanity towards the Marines. From now on, he would kill them without any hesitation. He then walked toward the city. The past ten minutes felt more exhausting than several days of training in his younger years. He needed a bath and some sleep.
It wasn't until Andy was long gone that the Revolutionary Army dared to enter the forest to investigate. When they saw the ground covered with broken bodies and bloody, tattered Marine uniforms, they were completely shocked.
They were all Marines! And judging by the numbers, there were at least several dozen of them, all cut to pieces by Red Hawk Andy. Blood stained the earth, and the strong smell of blood permeated the forest, making even those accustomed to battle feel sick.
What on earth had happened?
"He's... he's too terrifying," a trembling voice suddenly said. "The Red Hawk... is truly too terrifying..."
"Who's there?!"
Several Revolutionary Army members spun around to see a Marine Captain, terrified and still in his uniform, walking toward them.
"Gar? Is that you?" Bartholomew Kuma recognized the Marine Captain. He was an intelligence operative the Revolutionary Army had planted within the Marines.
Several members of the Revolutionary Army immediately ran toward him.
"Gar, are you alright?" one asked.
"If you're here, then the ones who died must be Colonel Tolson's Marine unit?" another added.
"Gar, what happened tonight? Why did the Red Hawk attack them?"
The Revolutionary Army members asked eagerly, wanting to know what had just transpired.
"The civilians... the Marines... the Marines killed a dozen or so civilians, and then the Red Hawk showed up..." Gar's eyes were wide and unfocused.
"So that's what happened?"
Several Revolutionary Army members exchanged glances, a mixture of shock and confusion on their faces. The Red Hawk went on a rampage because the Marines killed some civilians? But the Marines kill civilians all the time. Did the Red Hawk know the people who were killed?
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