Chapter 80 Korode"Space Blade!"Three jet-black, semicircular blades flew rapidly through the air, leaving behind jet-black trajectories in the sky wherever they passed.Without a sound, the three Space Blades passed through the pirate ship in front. The pirate shipshowed no reaction at all, remaining motionless.It was as if these three Space Blades had caused no damage, just for show.Watching those three circular blades—composed of unknown material—disappear, the Captain wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.Just a moment ago, the Captain had sensed an extremely dangerous aura from above and hurriedly dodged. Seeing that the three circular blades had no lethality, the Captain breathed a sigh of relief.But before the Captain could rejoice, a weak wave slapped against the side of the ship.Creak, creak, creak...On the deck, three cracks gradually appeared, growing larger and wider.Before the Captain could react to what was happening, a crew member beside the Captain was suddenly split into two, with plenty of blood splattering onto the Captain."Ah...!"Faced with this bizarre situation, the Captain's legs went weak, and he collapsed directly onto the deck.The Captain's collapse seemed to trigger a chain reaction; many pirates were split in two one after another, and the entire deck was stained red with blood.Many surviving pirates were terrified by the strange situation and started screaming; some pirates jumped directly into the sea, as if they could escape this bizarre death.Another wave slapped against the ship's hull. Under the combined force of the waves and the people, the pirate ship could no longer hold on.The three cracks widened instantly, and the entire pirate ship was torn into four pieces, slowly sinking into the seawater.The Captain, who had also jumped into the sea, wanted to escape, but the sinking of the pirate shipcreated a significant whirlpool.The powerful force pulled the Captain toward the center of the whirlpool. Even though the Captainpaddled with all his might, he could not escape the fate of being pulled into the vortex.In the moment before death, the Captain saw the incredibly smooth cuts and understood everything.Those three circular blades were not lacking in lethality; they were simply too sharp—so sharp that they had sliced through the entire ship while still allowing it to float on the sea surface."Brigadier General Lin Tian! Brigadier General Lin Tian!"Watching Marcus destroy a pirate ship with a single blow, the Marines present couldn't help but cheer for Marcus.After unleashing this ultimate move, Marcus's stamina was significantly depleted, and his footsteps felt a bit unsteady."Finish off the pirates who were lucky enough to survive!" Andre ordered."Yes!"The Marines immediately returned to their respective posts, and the ship's cannons began to roar again. Brigadier General Lin Tian handled most of the pirates for us; we can't fall behind.Andre walked over, holding a canteen of water, and handed it over. "How is it? Such a powerful move must have taken a lot out of you."Marcus nodded, took Andre's canteen, and took a sip."It's fine, just a bit of stamina depletion; a little rest will do."Seeing Marcus unleash such a move and only lose a bit of stamina, Andre couldn't help but sigh, "I'm getting old. Compared to you young people, I'm lacking.""Hehe, Andre, you're only in your thirties. If you say you're no good now, I'm afraid your wife wouldn't agree," Marcus joked."Stinky Kid," Andre laughed and cursed, swinging his hand to hit Marcus, but it was easily dodged by Marcus.After joking with Marcus for a few moments, Andreshifted the conversation to business."This time, there are really a lot of pirates gathered at Korode. Including the previous ones, we've encountered five pirate crews today.""Hmm!" Marcus said seriously, "However, the ones we've encountered aren't very strong. The truly powerful pirates have probably already arrived there."Andre glanced at the destroyed pirate ship, shook his head, and couldn't understand, "These pirates are crazy. With such weak strength, they dare to come and muddy these waters."Marcus sneered, "This is all due to wishful thinking and the benefits that are enough to make people go crazy."Pirates who can enter the Grand Line are not fools; they all know that the road ahead is full of death, but the immense benefits blind their eyes.They think that in this struggle, they can fish in troubled waters; as long as they get a little bit, it will be enough to make them crazy.Suddenly, Marcus saw Roberts walking back and forth on the deck and called out in confusion."Hey! Roberts, aren't you supposed to be at the helm? How did you end up on the deck?"Hearing someone calling him, Roberts turned around and saw Marcus sitting at the bow of the ship, waving at him.Roberts smiled slightly and walked over. "Hey! Marcus! We're almost at Korode, so of course there's nothing for me to do."Sitting next to Marcus, he added, "After staying inside for so long, I finally had time, so of course I had to come to the deck to breathe some fresh air.""Oh, we've reached Korode?" Marcus's tone was full of surprise.He hadn't seen Korode just a moment ago, and he hadn't been chatting with Andre for very long, yet they had arrived so quickly—this speed was not typical.Turning back to look, sure enough, the dark silhouette of a small island appeared before his eyes. The dark clouds above shrouded the entire island in a layer of black mist.Looking from a distance, one could only see a blurry black shadow; the whole of Korode looked like a man-eating beast hidden in the black mist."There is a huge storm brewing on Korode right now, so the speed of the ocean currents around here has increased a lot; otherwise, we wouldn't have arrived so quickly."Marcus nodded, and his earlier questions were answered."Sigh!" Looking at the storm over Korode, Andresighed deeply. "On the entire Korode island, a storm is brewing both inside and out.""That's right!" Marcus agreed, "The whole of Korodeis now filled with enough trouble to drown someone."Listening to their riddle, Roberts felt like he was listening to a foreign language and looked confused."Storm? Drown? What are you two talking about? I don't understand a word."Marcus and Andre looked at each other and then burst into laughter.Under Roberts' confused gaze, Marcus put his arm around Roberts' neck and said with a grin."You should solve the current problem first: how to safely pass through this storm, our Navigator."Reminded by Marcus, Roberts realized he still had work to do. He pushed Marcus's hand away and ran toward the deck."You jerk Marcus, you didn't tell me earlier, only reminding me now!"Hearing Roberts' cursing, Marcus smiled slightly and turned to look at the Korode island hidden in the darkness.Just how big is this whirlpool? It really makes one look forward to it!Boom, crash, whoosh...As soon as they entered the range of Korode, Marcus and the others ran head-on into the huge storm.The massive waves capable of swallowing ships, the flashes of light appearing from time to time in the high sky, accompanied by loud roars, and the raging wind and rain.The power of nature was fully displayed in this instant.On the warship, thanks to prior preparations, things on the deck had already been secured. Except for some Marines who had to stay on deck, the rest of the Marines had already entered the cabin.For the highly skilled Marcus and Andre, staying on the deck at this time was not a problem.Faced with this powerful storm, the entire warship was tossed violently by the waves, but under the control of the Navigator, the ship still slowly moved toward Korode in the center of the storm.At the bow, Andre praised, "Roberts' navigation skills are really good. Being able to keep the warship moving in such a storm is really impressive.""That's right," Marcus agreed with Andre's praise."Don't look at Roberts as usually unserious; when it comes to critical moments, he's still quite reliable."Andre turned his head and chuckled, "Why do I feel like you're deliberately speaking well of him?""Yeah, that's right," Marcus admitted frankly.He and Roberts were good friends; everyone on the ship knew this, so it was perfectly normal to speak well of him."Don't worry, Roberts has accumulated quite a few military merits over this past year. These merits are enough for him to be promoted to Lieutenant Commander. His promotion speed is quite good throughout the entire Marine force."Hearing Andre's words, a sincere smile appeared on Marcus's face. Don't look at how cruel Marcus is to his enemies, but Marcus is a person who values loyalty extremely highly.Especially for friends, like how Roberts was able to be promoted so quickly, it was inseparable from Marcus's help.Looking at the incoming large waves, Andre sighed, "I wonder if the waves at Korode are this big."Marcus smiled lightly, slowly raised his right hand, and a huge Death Ball gradually formed on his palm.With a casual throw, the entire Death Ball, like a meteorite, trailed a jet-black trajectory and crashed into the waves."Why don't we just go in and take a look?"Boom!A huge sound rang out, and the entire wave appeared with a huge circular hole under this intense explosion.Looking through the hole, the shape of a small island clearly appeared before Marcus's eyes. Marcus knew.They had arrived at Korode!UU Reading welcomes all book lovers to visit and read; the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read.
Chapter 81: Grim SituationThe weather on the Grand Line changes every moment.It was stormy weather ahead, and it took Marcusand the others quite a bit of effort to finally enter the waters around Korode.This storm came and went quickly! As soon as Marcus and his group approached the range of the Korode Naval Base, the storm vanished instantly.The dark clouds in the sky slowly dispersed, and rays of sunlight shone through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating Korode again.By the time the entire warship entered the base, the sky had turned blue, and Korode had returned to clear weather.But the current calm was only accumulating even greater power for the next storm.Upon entering the Korode Naval Base, Marcus could feel that the base was shrouded in a tense and strict atmosphere.Every battery was guarded by Marines, Marine Soldiers were constantly observing from the watchtowers with binoculars, and patrol squads were visible everywhere inside the base.According to the Marine alert levels, this was already the highest level of alert.This meant that the entire naval base had entered combat readiness and could unleash powerful combat capabilities at any time.La la la...Finding an empty port, the huge iron anchor was slowly lowered into the water, pushed with all their might by several Marine Soldiers."Hey, Stinky Old Man, we're here," Marcus shouted at Garp, who was sleeping on a chair to the side.Woken up, Garp stood up slowly, stretched casually, and scanned the heavily guarded naval base."What, so fast? We're here already!"However, nothing but silence awaited Garp. Everyone was busy doing their own things, even Marcus, the second biggest loafer, was moving things.Looking left and right, Garp muttered embarrassedly, "It seems I'm the only one who's idle!"Under Garp's lead, Marcus, Andre, and a dozen others got off the ship.Since the people inside the naval base had come out specifically to welcome them, Marcus and the others couldn't just stay on board and keep them waiting."Greetings, Vice Admiral Garp, Korode Naval Basewelcomes your arrival," a Marine Rear Admiral said, saluting Marcus.Garp returned the salute and said, "Hello, Rear Admiral Jonathan, the alert level of the entire naval base has been increased significantly."Hearing Garp's inquiry, a bitter smile appeared on Jonathan's face; he had been feeling incredibly headache-ridden these past two days."In the past few days, because the incident regarding the tenryuubito tribute was leaked, I don't know how many pirates have come to the entire Korode. There's no choice, the alert level of the entire naval base had to be raised to the maximum."Facing so many pirates, the combat power of this naval base alone was not enough, so naturally, they had to be careful.After finishing with Garp, Jonathan turned his gaze to Marcus, extended his hand, and introduced himself with a smile."Hello, Korode Naval Base Rear Admiral Jonathan!"Marcus was startled by Jonathan's suddenly extended hand, although he didn't quite understand why this Rear Admiral Jonathan was greeting him.Out of basic etiquette, Marcus also extended his hand and introduced himself, "Hello, Navy Rear Admiral Marcus."Hearing Marcus's introduction, a smile appeared on Jonathan's face, "It seems I wasn't wrong. You must be the Navy Rear Admiral Marcus, the most promising Genius of the Navy!""I've often heard your name before, but I've never had the chance to see the true face of the strongest genius of the navy."Facing Jonathan's praise, Marcus smiled embarrassedly and didn't explain anything. There was no use talking too much about these things; anyway, the whole world thought so.Jonathan released Marcus's hand and said to Garp, "Vice Admiral Garp, you must be tired after drifting on the sea for this long. We have prepared rooms for you to rest, and all supplies are ready."Under Jonathan's lead, the group walked towards the interior of the naval base.On the way, Marcus suddenly asked, "General Jonathan, I took a look earlier and found no ships transporting the tenryuubito tribute."Jonathan gave Marcus a meaningful look; this Brigadier General Lin Tian was just like the rumors, not simple at all."The role of this base is only for consolidation. The tributes from each country will be escorted by the Marines and then uniformly collected at this base.""Then, in the base, there are special World Government personnel to consolidate them, load them onto ships uniformly, and then they are directly escorted by the Marines to the Holy Land Mary Geoise."No wonder all the pirates gathered at Korode; it turned out all the treasures would be in this naval base.And this base was also the only gathering place for the Marine escort fleet. Once they left this base, the entire 'tenryuubito tribute' fleet would disappear onto the open sea.They would head straight to the Holy Land Mary Geoise and would not stop at any other naval base. Moreover, the specific routes were always changing. Except for Fleet Admiral Sengoku, no one knew the specific route, not even the guarding Marines.At this moment, Garp also asked, "How many pirates are gathered on the entire Korode island now?"Jonathan shook his head, "We don't know either. There have been too many pirates coming in these past few days. In just these two days, we have captured ten Pirate Crews."After a pause, Jonathan continued, "According to intelligence estimates from various places, there should be nearly two hundred Pirate Crews. And that's the minimum; it has been increasing these past two days.""Hiss...", hearing Jonathan's words, everyone couldn't help but gasp.Even Garp, upon hearing this number, showed a heavy look on his face. Garp had been in the Marinefor so many years and rarely saw so many pirates gathered.At least two hundred, and still increasing. How many pirates were gathered on Korode in total? At the very least, most of the pirates from the first half of the Grand Line had come.With so many pirates, it's no wonder this naval base raised its alert to the highest level."However, it's much better now that Vice Admiral Garp is here. As long as the news of Vice Admiral Garp's arrival is spread, most pirates will retreat directly."Jonathan had indeed been incredibly headache-ridden these past few days because of so many pirates. However, now that Marine Hero Garp had arrived, the pressure on Korode would be much reduced.The reason these pirates dared to hijack the tenryuubito tribute was just because there was no Admiral present. Now that Vice Admiral Garp, who was comparable to an Admiral, had arrived, these pirates would naturally retreat.Unfortunately, it didn't go as Jonathan had thought; Garp shook his head and said."This time, I will not participate in this matter. After we finish resupplying, we will leave.""This..." Jonathan was instantly stunned by this news and couldn't speak, "Vice Admiral Garp, didn't you come here to resolve this matter?"Garp shook his head again and said in a deep voice, "Although I am not here to resolve this matter this time, Marine Headquarters already has a relevant plan, and reinforcements from headquarters will arrive by tomorrow at the latest."Hearing Garp's words, Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief, and his lifted heart fell back to the ground.Jonathan asked in a low voice, "Then, Vice Admiral Garp, how many Marines will headquarters send?""I'm not sure about that either. However, rest assured, the combat power sent this time will not be lower than an Admiral."Jonathan's heart finally calmed down completely. With so many pirates, only Admiral-level combat power could suppress them in the Marine.Moreover, based on his own understanding of headquarters, Jonathan also understood that headquarters would not give up this good opportunity.Now, the entire Korode was in a complex situation; pirates, Marines... all eyes were focused on this small island.And as the commander of the Korode Naval Base, his own situation was also very bad.Thinking of this, Jonathan had a headache. It was his first year here, and he had encountered such a thing; he was just too unlucky as a commander.Now he only hoped that the people from Marine Headquarters would come quickly. Once this heavy burden was handed over to them, he could easily watch from the sidelines.PS: Something came up today, so the update is late. Sorry, dear readers.UU Reading welcomes readers to visit and read; the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users please go to reading.
Chapter 82: Running OutIn front of a white building painted with the Marine emblem.Garp's group, led by Jonathan, arrived here."The Level Five of this building is where you'll be resting. How is it? Not bad, right?" Jonathanintroduced."Yeah," the Marines present couldn't help but nod. This environment was much better than sleeping in those pitch-black cabins.Seeing everyone's expressions, a hint of pride flashed across Jonathan's face. This was the result of his work over the past year; he hadn't just renovated the entire Marine Base, but also improved the living conditions for the Marine Soldiers.In Jonathan's view, only a good environment could boost the soldiers' passion and thus their combat power; it was the most basic yet most important thing.However, if Sengoku knew that Jonathan spent that massive military budget on this, he probably wouldn't let him off easily.Yet among everyone present, one person stood there quietly, neither expressing an opinion nor saying anything. This person was—Vice Admiral Garp.At this moment, everyone also noticed Garp's difference. Just as they thought Garp was Life Qi...Marcus suddenly walked over and, under everyone's stunned gazes, slapped Garp hard on the shoulder.He said something that made everyone present fall over."Stinky Old Man, we're here! Stop sleeping!"Bang!The sound of people hitting the floor. Could it be that Vice Admiral Garp had been walking in his sleep the whole way? To be able to sleep even like this, just how awesome was Vice Admiral Garp?Looking at everyone's reaction, Marcus said dismissively, "What a fuss.""Ah..." Garp slowly woke up. Seeing everyone on the ground, he asked in confusion, "What are you all doing?"Jonathan scrambled up from the ground and brushed the dust off his clothes. "It's nothing, we just accidentally tripped.""Sigh!" Garp let out a deep sigh and walked toward the building while shaking his head, muttering."You people, where is your dignity as Marine officers? You can't even walk without falling."The corners of everyone's mouths twitched. They were clearly startled by him, yet the old man had the nerve to lament here.Jonathan smiled slightly at the remaining Marine Soldiers. "You guys rest here tonight. When it's time for dinner, I'll send someone to notify you.""As for the cargo on the ship, don't worry. I'll send people to help you load it."Seeing how thoughtful he was, Andre and the others felt a bit embarrassed. Coming at this time, they hadn't helped at all and had even brought trouble.Andre said, "We really have to thank you.""It's nothing!" Jonathan waved his hand. "I still have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."Jonathan left, and everyone headed to their respective rooms. They had been fighting all day and were very exhausted.With such a good environment now, they naturally had to make time to rest and recover their strength.Roberts was about to enter when he suddenly felt someone pulling him from behind. Looking back, it was Marcus."Hey, Marcus, why are you pulling me? Is something wrong?" Roberts asked in confusion.Marcus draped his right arm over Roberts' neck, chuckling softly.Seeing Marcus's smile, Roberts had a bad feeling. He crossed his arms and looked at Marcus warily.Marcus asked in a low voice, "Roberts, would you say we're good brothers?""Yeah!" Roberts nodded, saying warily, "But does that have anything to do with now?""It does, of course it does. I usually treat you pretty well, don't I? You say..."Before Marcus could finish, Roberts interrupted him. "Just say it, what do you want me to do?"What kind of person Marcus was, how could Roberts not know? Saying all this...he must have a favor to ask. Otherwise, Marcuswouldn't be like this.Since Roberts had seen through him, Marcusstopped playing the emotional card and said solemnly."I want to go out. Help me cover it up in front of the Stinky Old Man when the time comes.""No way, no way!" Roberts quickly waved his hands in disagreement. "Vice Admiral Garp said earlier that until we leave tomorrow, no one is allowed to leave the Marine Base."Garp had anticipated that Marcus might sneak out and get involved in this mess.So before disembarking, he specifically issued an order that no one could leave the base. This order was actually made for Marcus.Marcus slapped away the waving hand and tightened his grip on Roberts' neck, threatening, "Of course I know that. Why else would I ask you to help me cover it up? Just one word: help, or no help?"If the emotional card didn't work, then switch to threats!"How is that one word? It's clearly two," Robertsstalled.Thinking that if Garp found out, he would surely get a beating, Roberts was extremely reluctant.The strength in Marcus's hand immediately increased a bit as he threatened again, "Help, or no help?"Feeling the pressure on his neck, Roberts quickly said, "Help! Of course I'll help! I'll definitely help."Seeing Roberts agree, a smile quickly rose on Marcus's face, and he released his right hand."You, wouldn't it have been fine if you'd just said so earlier? You made me say so much."Roberts rubbed his aching neck and said with dissatisfaction, "You, all you do all day is set me up. One of these days, you're going to be the death of me!"To Roberts' dissatisfaction, Marcus just chuckled. Such a small matter wouldn't affect the deep friendship between the two.Just then, a voice full of Qi came from inside the building."Stinky Kid, don't even think about going out. Stay in the base honestly today."Hearing Garp's voice, the excitement on Marcus's face vanished instantly.Marcus didn't expect that although the Stinky Old Man was inside the building, he was secretly eavesdropping on his conversation with Roberts."Hehe..." Roberts waved his hands and said gloatingly, "Now there's nothing I can do. Vice Admiral Garp has been keeping an eye on you."Seeing Roberts' gloating face, Marcus threw a punch, but Roberts easily dodged it and scurried into the building.Staring at the building, Marcus knew Garp was in some corner, watching his every move.However, looking at those constantly darting eyes, it was clear Marcus hadn't given up on his plan to sneak out.He couldn't run out now, but he could just find another opportunity later. Marcus didn't believe Garp could keep an eye on him forever.After thinking, a hint of a smile flashed in Marcus's eyes as he walked toward the building. He went straight to his room, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep.In the next room, Garp was using Observation Hakito observe Marcus's movements.Seeing Marcus asleep, he didn't immediately deactivate his Observation Haki but continued to watch. Garp didn't believe Marcus would honestly lie down and sleep."This Stinky Kid must be faking sleep, waiting for me to lower my guard before sneaking out," Garpthought to himself.However, this time Garp seemed to have guessed wrong. After waiting a long time, Marcus still didn't move at all, continuing to sleep.Garp was suddenly puzzled. Had the Stinky Kidactually changed his nature this time and really decided not to get involved in this mess?But in an instant, Garp banished this impossible thought from his mind. If Marcus were to give up, he wouldn't be Marcus."Oh no!"Suddenly realizing something, Garp slapped his thigh, quickly got up, left his room, and headed toward Marcus's room.Bang!Garp kicked open the door to Marcus's room and pulled back the covers. He immediately realized he had been tricked by that Stinky Kid.As Garp had anticipated earlier, it wasn't Marcuslying under the covers, but a Dummy. No wonder he had observed Marcus being motionless through Observation Haki.Observation Haki relies on sound to distinguish things; it can only observe whether an object is moving, not see the object itself.Marcus had exploited this loophole by finding a Dummy and using his ability to control it to walk into his room, making Garp think it was him."Stinky Kid, you just wait. I definitely won't let you off later."Garp's angry shout echoed throughout the building, giving everyone else a huge fright.Meanwhile, at the outskirts of the Marine Base, Marcus looked at the massive Marine Base before him and revealed a hint of a smile.UU Reading. Welcome, readers, to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.
Chapter 83: KidnappingIn mid-air, Marcus was flying at high speed.For Marcus, who could control space, flying was not a difficult task.It was just that his development of this ability was insufficient; flying in mid-air had shortcomings in both speed and agility, making it of little use in combat.Therefore, Marcus generally did not use it, but for short-distance travel right now, it was quite good—much faster than walking.After passing through a small forest, a huge coastal city appeared before Marcus's eyes.Upon arriving here, Marcus descended from mid-air; currently, there were many pirates hiding in this city, so it was better to keep a low profile. He could just walk the rest of the way.But whether it was because the spot Marcus chose was too good, trouble came knocking as soon as he landed.On a remote path, a large group of pirates was walking, with a gorgeously dressed woman being herded in the middle.At the front of the group, a pirate looked at the woman with a lecherous gaze and turned to say to the pirate Captain walking at the very front."Captain, are we really going to release this woman after we get the ransom? She's so beautiful, wouldn't it be a pity to just let her go?"Hearing his words, the Captain suddenly stopped, turned his head, and looked at this pirate with eyes full of ferocity.Seeing the ferocity in the Captain's eyes, the pirate couldn't help but tremble all over; he knew that the Captain clearly had murderous intent towards him.Withdrawing his fierce gaze, the Captain said in a deep voice, "Rich, I'm telling you, you'd better keep that thing of yours tucked away; don't make me help you!"Hearing the Captain's words, the pirate named Richnodded in response.But when he nodded, a trace of murderous intent flashed in his eyes—murderous intent towards the Captain.A Captain who could lead a Pirate Crew was no incompetent fool; he had noticed the moment Richharbored murderous intent towards him.But the Captain didn't say anything, merely viewing this pirate with even more disdain.If it weren't for the fact that this Rich had a little bit of cunning and was still useful to him, the Captainwould have killed him long ago.Kidnapping the woman behind them was Rich's idea; originally, the Captain didn't want to engage in kidnapping at such a critical juncture.Currently, on Korode, many powerful pirates had gathered for the 'tenryuubito tribute'.Standing out at such a time would easily get them caught by the Marines and used as an example to warn others.But thinking of the extremely high ransom, interest finally overcame reason, and the Captain agreed to carry out this kidnapping plan.However, although this Captain was greedy, he was still smart.He only sought wealth, not people; it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble, especially in such a situation.Just as the Captain was preparing to move forward again, Marcus descended from the sky.A brat actually appeared from the sky, startling all the pirates, but what followed was the sound of blades rubbing against their scabbards.Although they didn't know who this strange brat was, being able to land steadily from the sky meant he was definitely not an ordinary person, which meant he was an enemy.And Marcus, who had landed steadily, frowned involuntarily when he saw these pirates.Marcus wasn't afraid of these pirates; he just found them troublesome.The reason he had chosen a remote place to land was precisely because he didn't want to attract anyone's attention.But he hadn't expected to still run into people, and a large group of pirates at that.The Captain stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Young man, I don't know who you are, we are just passing by here."At this moment, the Captain was cursing inwardly; to avoid being discovered, he had deliberately chosen this extremely remote path, never expecting to run into someone.If it were an ordinary person, the Captain would have attacked long ago; why would he be speaking so humbly?But this brat was clearly not an ordinary person at a glance; the Captain felt an extremely dangerous aura from him.The Captain guessed that this brat must be a powerful pirate; seeing the surprise on his face, it meant that this pirate hadn't expected to run into them either.Being able to come to such a remote place definitely wasn't for sightseeing. Now that he had unluckily run into him, he didn't know what the other party would do.In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts flashed through the Captain's mind.If Marcus knew that this pirate had mistaken him for a fellow pirate, he wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry.Marcus didn't want to cause trouble, as it would be detrimental to his subsequent plans, so he said in a deep voice, "My identity is not something you can know; disappear from my sight quickly."Feeling the disdain in Marcus's tone, the Captainwas furious, but he had to bow his head when under the eaves.He cupped his hands and said, "Then we won't disturb you, Senior; I hope we have a chance to meet again in the future.""Hmph!" Regarding the Captain's words, Marcussnorted coldly. How could he not hear the implied meaning behind the Captain's words? If it weren't for his later plans, Marcus would not have let these pirates go."Go!"The Captain waved his hand backward, signaling everyone to follow.One by one, the pirates walked past Marcus, staring at him with hateful eyes. If it weren't for the Captain's orders, these pirates would have wanted to kill Marcus long ago."I don't know what the Captain is thinking; it's just a brat in his teens, yet he's so cautious."Marcus didn't take these pirates seriously; these ants weren't worth lowering himself to their level.Suddenly, Marcus noticed that in the middle of this group of pirates, there was a person with their head covered who was still struggling continuously.But they were tightly held by two pirates, struggling in vain.Although he couldn't see this person's face clearly, from her attire, he could still distinguish that it was a woman."Wait a moment!" Marcus suddenly shouted.All the pirates stopped immediately and stared at Marcus.Hearing Marcus's shout, the Captain hurried over from the front. Seeing that Marcus's eyes were fixed on the kidnapped woman, the Captain had a bad premonition in his heart."My friend, I don't know why you are blocking us; we don't seem to have offended you," the Captaininquired.Marcus smiled slightly, "Nothing, I've changed my mind."If this group of pirates hadn't kidnapped this woman, Marcus would have let them go, but now that he had discovered it, he wouldn't turn a blind eye.The Captain immediately felt that he had been toyed with by this brat; his anger exploded instantly, and he threatened fiercely."Friend, leave some leeway, so we can still meet in the future."Marcus sneered dismissively; with the combat power of this group of pirates, they didn't have the qualifications to make him back down."Of course, if you let this woman go, I can let you leave."Marcus pointed at the kidnapped woman.Perhaps having heard Marcus's words, the woman struggled even more, emitting muffled sounds from time to time.Seeing the woman struggle, the Captain signaled to the two subordinates beside her to hold on tight. How could an ordinary woman be a match for two strong men in terms of strength?Seeing the woman stop struggling, the Captainthreatened Marcus again, "Friend, this woman has nothing to do with you; it's not worth offending us for a woman you don't know."In order to avoid trouble at this critical juncture, the Captain still wanted to rely on threats to make Marcus back down on his own.Marcus slowly raised one finger and said, "First, we are not friends; I am just a passerby to you.""Second, don't think too highly of yourselves; with your strength, you don't have the qualifications to threaten me."As Marcus spoke point by point, the anger in the hearts of the pirates grew higher and higher, and their faces became increasingly ugly."The last point, the third point: I am a Marine. As a Marine, dealing with pirates is my responsibility.""Marine!"When Marcus said these two words, all the pirates had no other thoughts in their minds; they instinctively drew their weapons and pointed them at Marcus.The Captain had always thought this brat was a pirate, but he hadn't expected him to be a Marine.This couldn't be blamed on the Captain; after all, this Pirate Crew's strength was at the bottom of the Grand Line, and the Marines they had seen were always in groups.Where had they ever seen a Marine like Marcus, who never wore a Marine uniform and was always in casual clothes?Looking at what this group of pirates was doing now, it was clear that they weren't good pirates. For this kind of pirate, Marcus had only one word, and that was."Kill!""You pirates no longer have the qualification to live in this world."UU Reading welcomes many book lovers to visit and read; the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read.
Chapter 84: Slaughter"Hahaha..."All the pirates seemed to have heard some kind of massive joke and couldn't help but burst into laughter."You pirates no longer have the qualifications to live in this world," one pirate said, imitating Marcus's voice."Hahaha..." The rest of the pirates couldn't help but burst into laughter.In the pirates' view, if you were a large group of Marines, you might have the qualification to say such things, but you are just one Marine, yet you dare to speak so boastfully.The Captain laughed and said, "Kid, we were originally prepared to let you go, but since you are a Marine, don't blame us."Although the Captain knew this kid was powerful and that he was definitely no match for him, he wasn't alone. The Captain didn't believe this kid could withstand the attacks of his hundred or so men.Bang!A figure suddenly fell to the ground with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth; this was the pirate who had been imitating Marcus earlier.That pirate would never understand, even in death, how he had died.A pirate raised the gun in his hand and said with a trembling voice, "This kid is a Devil Fruit User."To be able to kill one of their companions silently, only a Devil Fruit User with strange abilities could do it.The Captain slapped the pirate who was disrupting morale to the ground with one palm and cursed angrily, "Bastard, what's a Devil Fruit User? It's not like we haven't encountered one before.""We have over a hundred people here; even if he is a Devil Fruit User, we don't need to be afraid."Under the Captain's encouragement, the fear in the hearts of the other pirates slowly dissipated.Although Devil Fruit Users are rare and powerful, there are quite a few in the Grand Line, and these pirates had all seen them before.They had just been scared because Marcus's method of killing was too strange; he hadn't done anything, yet a pirate had been killed.Bang! Bang! Bang!Just as these pirates had calmed their hearts, three more pirates fell. But it didn't end there; one after another, the pirates kept falling.In just this instant, more than a dozen pirate corpses appeared on the ground.Finally, facing this strange situation, the rest of the pirates couldn't hold back and frantically pulled the triggers of their guns.Ah...!! Bang...!!Screams and the sound of gunpowder exploding in the barrels mixed together, forming a strange symphony.After firing all the bullets in their hands in one breath, these pirates finally stopped and stared quietly at the area shrouded in smoke.Meanwhile, Rich, who was on the side, remained silent and was slowly moving toward the woman.Before the smoke had completely dissipated, sounds of steel clashing suddenly came from within.One sound after another, as if a heavy hammer was pounding on the hearts of the pirates."Gulp, gulp..."Many pirates swallowed their saliva tightly, and even though their foreheads were covered in cold sweat, no one used their hands to wipe it away. Everyone held their guns tightly, looking at that thin wisp of smoke.The smoke cleared, and Marcus's figure appeared in everyone's eyes, and the ground in front of Marcuswas scattered with bullets.Seeing this scene, how could the Captain not know that this kid had such powerful strength that they were simply no match for him?Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, the Captain braced himself and stepped forward, speaking respectfully."Senior, we offended you just now. I hope Senior can be magnanimous. We'll leave that woman to you, just spare our lives."Rich was about to grab the woman, but upon hearing the Captain's words, he quickly withdrew his steps and stood quietly to the side.Whew...!Seeing that Marcus still didn't speak, the Captaingritted his teeth and took a huge leather suitcase from the hands of a pirate behind him.He opened the lock and flipped open the suitcase, revealing stacks of brand-new Berries to everyone's eyes. Seeing these Berries, everyone's breathing became much heavier.Marcus's expression also changed. He hadn't expected these pirates to actually carry such a large sum of money with them; they were certainly bold.The Captain gritted his teeth and said, "There are thirty million Berries in here. All of this is for you, Senior; I only ask that you can show mercy."This was his entire fortune accumulated over many years, and now he was giving it all away; it would be a lie to say the Captain didn't feel the pain.But compared to money, the Captain still chose his life. If money is gone, it can be robbed again; if life is gone, then everything is gone.Marcus sneered and said sternly, "I already said before, you do not have the qualifications to continue living in this world.""It seems Senior does not intend to let us go," the Captain said through gritted teeth."Hmm!" Marcus nodded with a smile.As the saying goes, even a dog will jump over a wall when desperate, let alone a human. The Captainwaved his hand and shouted loudly."Attack, all of you attack! Only by killing this damned Marine will we have a way to live."Although all the pirates didn't want to fight such a powerful existence, it was clear he wouldn't let them go, so they had no choice but to fight for their lives; that was the only way they might have a chance to survive.Kill!Some pirates raised the swords in their hands and rushed toward Marcus with murderous intent, while other pirates who had reloaded their bullets continued to fire at Marcus.Although they knew that guns were useless against this Marine, when people are facing death, they will use any means, even if it could just cause a little distraction.But as these subordinates rushed up, the Captainslowly backed away, clearly intending to escape.The Captain understood that this kid was incomparably powerful; even if the entire Pirate Crew rushed up, they would all be slaughtered.Therefore, from the beginning, the Captain had been using these subordinates to buy time for his own escape.As long as he captured that woman, he could use her as a hostage to threaten this Marine, and that way he would have a chance to escape.Unfortunately, the Captain didn't expect that there was another person with the same idea, and that person had already taken action.Suddenly, countless small black dots appeared around Marcus. These black dots grew larger and larger, gradually turning into seven or eight-centimeter black circular blades.Dimensional Storm!Following Marcus's low shout, these black circular blades immediately burst out, gleaming with a dark, cold light, and shot toward the pirates at extreme speed.Seeing the suddenly appearing black circular blades, these pirates hadn't even figured out what was happening before the black circular blades appeared in front of them.Puchi, puchi...Under this torrent composed of circular blades, the rushing pirates kept letting out screams.One by one, the black circular blades embedded themselves into the pirates' bodies. Not long after, this black torrent disappeared.The pirates' bodies were already covered with countless wounds, and blood kept flowing out. The originally black ground was stained bright red.This was a naked slaughter, a one-sided slaughter without any suspense.These pirates never expected that when they raised their swords to slaughter unarmed civilians, one day this scene would happen to them.If someone were to plant something here next year, they would surely have a good harvest.The pirates in the back who were shooting had long been scared by this scene. In an instant, just an instant, more than eighty pirates were dead.Ah...!A pirate directly dropped his gun and ran backward. Where there was one, there was a second. In the blink of an eye, all the pirates dropped their weapons and ran backward.Before, they could rely on the ruthlessness in their hearts to attack Marcus, hoping to survive. Now, after seeing Marcus's strength, only fear remained in the hearts of these pirates.How could they still have the fighting spirit to pick up their weapons and fight?In the back, the Captain looked at the missing woman and Rich, and immediately understood what had happened."It must be that bastard Rich who took the woman and ran away. If I had known, I should have killed that bastard earlier," the Captain thought in hindsight.At this moment, the Captain heard the screams from behind, turned around to look, and just happened to see the scene of the slaughter.Seeing his subordinates fleeing, the Captain said nothing and ran forward.Now the Captain only wanted to leave this damn place. The Captain swore that if he could escape, he would never be a pirate again; he would return to the West Blue and live out the rest of his life safely.Unfortunately, the Captain's wish would not be realized.Marcus held out one hand toward the fleeing pirates and clenched it; all the pirates immediately froze, maintaining their posture from that instant."Twist!"Crack, crack...The continuous sound of bones breaking echoed in the air, which was very terrifying.Marcus lowered his hand, and all the pirates fell to the ground. Under Marcus's move just now, these pirates' necks had all been twisted, dead as can be."Whew... whew..." Marcus supported himself on his knees and panted a few times. Those two moves just now were a huge drain on him as well.Scanning around, he found no sign of the woman, and Marcus frowned. After observing carefully again, he suddenly found something wrong in one place.With a sneer, Marcus slowly walked over and stomped on the leg of a corpse.Ah!!
Chapter 85: AshleyUnder Marcus's foot, a corpse let out a miserable scream and sat straight up.If the surviving Captain had seen this figure clearly, he would surely have been shocked; this person was none other than Rich, whom the Captain thought had escaped.Seeing this fish that had slipped through the net, Marcus let out a cold sneer, kicked him flying, and he crashed heavily to the ground.Moving the corpse on the ground away, the figure of a woman was slowly revealed. Marcus slowly helped the woman up, untied the ropes on her body, and then removed the hood from her head.Perhaps because she had stayed in the darkness for too long, as soon as the hood was removed, the woman hurriedly covered her eyes to block out the stinging sunlight.Meanwhile, Rich climbed up from the ground, staring fixedly at Marcus, his eyes filled with anger.Logically speaking, since Marcus was not paying attention to him now, Rich should have taken the opportunity to escape quickly, rather than just watching quietly and doing nothing.All of this had to be credited to Marcus; earlier, just in case, Marcus had casually set up a layer of Space Shield around them.Rich, who had originally intended to kidnap the woman and escape, had been forced to hide under the corpse because he had bumped into this layer of Space Shield, hoping to evade Marcus's search.Since Marcus had set up the Space Shield, he was certain that no one could escape; how could Marcusnot have expected the woman to suddenly disappear?Rich actually had a chance to escape, but he was too lecherous, insisting on taking the woman with him at the last moment. If Rich hadn't taken the woman, he might have actually evaded Marcus's search.It truly lived up to the old saying, "Lust is a knife hanging over one's head.""Hey, how are you? Are you alright?" Since Marcusdidn't know her name, he could only use "Hey" as a substitute.Her eyes gradually adapted to the sunlight, and the woman opened her eyes.Looking at Marcus, who was about the same height as her, and the corpses all over the ground, the woman naturally understood that the young man before her had saved her.Although the woman had her head covered and couldn't see the situation outside clearly, she could still hear the sounds."Ah! Finally out, I almost suffocated!" the woman shouted loudly toward the sky.Looking at Marcus with a smile, she grabbed his hand while he stared in astonishment and said:"Thank you! I was almost scared to death just now. If you hadn't saved me, I wouldn't have known what to do. Still, the air outside is better."Marcus shook his head violently and rubbed his face, only then confirming that he was indeed awake.Seeing the cheerful woman, Marcus asked himself: "Is this what you call being scared to death? I think I'm the one who was scared to death."However, Marcus was truly impressed by this girl's thick-headedness.If it were an ordinary person kidnapped by pirates, they would have been panicked and terrified long ago; how could they be laughing from the heart like this woman?"Eh! Why is there another person here?" Only then did the woman notice Rich, who was bowing his head.Hearing the woman's words, the corner of Marcus's mouth twitched unnaturally. So, you only just realized there was another person here?Rich slowly raised his head, staring at the woman, his eyes filled with * * * * and cruelty, revealing a smile.Seeing the pirate's smile, Marcus felt very uncomfortable, as if a poisonous snake was watching him from the shadows.As for the woman, upon seeing Rich's smile, she let out a cry of surprise and ran over with great joy.She said happily: "Doctor Wu, so you're here! Were you also captured by the pirates? It's so good to see you."Seeing the woman actually running toward this pirate, a trace of astonishment appeared on Marcus's face. Your nerves are too thick; this is clearly a pirate, yet you're still running toward him."Besides, why does this woman call him Doctor Wu?" Marcus wondered suspiciously.Marcus would not stand by and watch this thick-headed woman obediently run over to become a hostage.Just as Marcus was preparing to intervene, the pirate suddenly erupted into action; a dagger appeared in his right hand and was instantly pressed against the woman's neck.This series of movements happened too quickly, leaving Marcus with no time to react before the woman was captured.Having captured the woman, Rich immediately breathed a sigh of relief. This move, which he had prepared for a long time, was intended for this brat, but he hadn't expected to use it on this woman.But this was also fine; the brat was powerful, and he wasn't confident. Now that the woman was in his hands, he could use her as a hostage to escape.With the knife held to her neck by Rich, the woman looked at him in confusion and asked:"Doctor Wu, what are you doing? Why are you holding a knife to my neck? Let me go quickly.""Sigh!" Marcus could only sigh helplessly, using helplessness to describe his true inner thoughts at this moment.Rich spoke up: "Stupid woman, I am not any Doctor Wu."The woman struggled intensely: "Impossible! How could I be mistaken? You are clearly Doctor Wu.""This..." Rich was speechless. No! He should say that he couldn't find the language to describe this woman.She still didn't understand even after he had said all that; Rich could now empathize with the helplessness in Marcus's heart."I am not any Doctor Wu; Doctor Wu was just a disguise. I am a pirate.""A pirate! You are actually a pirate?" the woman said in surprise.Seeing that the woman finally understood, Richnodded, tears in the corners of his eyes."Oh Heavens! Oh Earth! She understands, she finally understands!"Ah...!!The woman was silent for a long moment, then suddenly a huge scream rang out, which even felt ear-piercing to Marcus in the distance.It was imaginable how much pressure Rich, who was beside the woman, was under. The moment the woman's scream rang out, Rich felt his head buzzing, and he almost dropped the dagger in his hand.Rich hurriedly gripped the dagger tightly and pressed it hard against the woman's neck; the sharp blade touched her jade-white skin and instantly cut a bloodstain."Help! Help! Save me! You there in front? Save me!"Even with a bloodstain cut onto her neck, the woman seemed completely unaware and shouted for help to Marcus.Seeing that the woman's neck was cut but she still had no reaction, a trace of surprise flashed in Rich's eyes, and he said angrily: "Shut up! You woman, shut up!"Under Rich's angry shout, the woman finally closed her mouth tight, her eyes filled with tears, looking pitifully at Marcus.Marcus immediately had black lines on his forehead and thought to himself: "Don't look at me with those eyes, as if I did something unforgivable to you."But he only said that in his heart; he wasn't familiar enough with this woman to say it out loud.Rich grabbed the struggling woman tightly and threatened Marcus: "Marine, this woman is in my hands now; you'd better let me go, or I'll make this woman accompany me to the grave."Waving his hand, Marcus stepped back to the side, cleared a path, made a gesture of invitation, and said:"Fine, as long as you let go of the woman in your hands, I will let you leave.""Hmph!" Rich snorted coldly, "Don't think I don't know that you've set up an invisible layer outside that blocks everyone."A trace of surprise flashed in Marcus's eyes; he had thought this pirate didn't know about this, but he hadn't expected him to know.However, what was the use of knowing? This pirate was doomed to die; taking a hostage was completely useless against Marcus.Slowly raising his right hand, Marcus looked at Richwith a smile.Seeing Marcus's smile, Rich had a very bad premonition in his heart, and the dagger in his hand sank in a few more inches."What do you want to do? Put your hand down, or I'll do it!""Space Immobilization!" Marcus shouted inwardly!Rich immediately felt a powerful force coming from all over his body; his body suddenly couldn't move, and his entire body had slipped out of his control.Feeling the pirate behind her stop moving, the woman hurriedly ducked her head and slipped out from Rich's arms.The woman who had escaped kicked Rich in the leg and said angrily: "You stinking pirate, how dare you bully me, Ashley! Stinking pirate!""Ashley, not a bad name," Marcus muttered, cupping his chin.After kicking him a dozen times or so, Ashley's anger dissipated, and she returned to her innocent appearance from before.At this moment, the thick-headed Ashley finally realized that her neck had become sticky, and she reached out her small hand to touch it.Blood! Blood!UU Reading welcomes all book friends to visit and read; the latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all on UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read.
Chapter 86: White CardLooking at the bright red bloodstain in her palm!Ashley was completely shocked. She stood there motionless, staring intently at that dash of bright red in the center of her palm.On the other side, Marcus shook his head with a bitter smile when he saw that Ashley had only just realized her neck had been cut.Marcus could only describe Ashley's dense nature as speechless.But deep down, Marcus envied Ashley for having such a dense nature; not having to think about so many headache-inducing matters was, in Marcus's view, an extremely wonderful thing.Suddenly, Marcus noticed Ashley's body swaying, and immediately after, she began to fall toward the ground.Seeing the pirate sword discarded casually on the ground, Marcus secretly thought, "Not good.""Shave."With a flash of movement, Marcus appeared beside Ashley and hurriedly caught her in his arms.Kicking away the pirate sword that was only a few centimeters from Ashley, Marcus finally breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn't moved in time to catch Ashley's body...If she had fallen, given Ashley's frail body, it would have been certain death.Seeing the look of terror on the woman's face, he suddenly recalled the scene earlier where she had been incredibly frightened while looking at the blood in her palm.Marcus could roughly infer that this woman named Ashley must have hemophobia. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fainted without any other symptoms after seeing blood."However, I still have things to do and cannot keep holding this woman," Marcus thought to himself. "It seems I need to find a place to put her down."After scanning the surrounding environment and finding a decent spot, Marcus scooped Ashley up and walked toward the base of a large tree.He still had to interrogate that living pirate; he couldn't keep holding this woman, but he couldn't just leave her where she was either.That place was full of corpses and blood covered the ground; Marcus couldn't bring himself to leave a woman in such a place.Rich had not given up hope of escaping. While Marcus's attention was on Ashley, he had been struggling non-stop.Unfortunately, Marcus's restraint was not so easy to break free from. After struggling for a long time, Rich could only move his body slightly, and that was only because Marcus had walked further away.Seeing Marcus turn back, Rich hurriedly stopped struggling and stood motionless, maintaining his original posture.Marcus was well aware of Rich's little movements; he could sense exactly how the pirate was struggling.Marcus didn't start by interrogating the pirate; instead, he walked over to the dead Captain and began searching his body.The most important person among this group of pirates was naturally the Captain. The Captainsurely knew more than the average pirate, and it was highly likely he was hiding many valuable items on his person.Marcus was now eager to know intelligence about the pirates in Korode. Since this Captain had come out of Korode, he should have some information on him.After searching for a while, Marcus indeed found quite a few things on the Captain's corpse.Unfortunately, these were all just gold, silver, jewelry, weapons, and hundreds of thousands in cash. These things were of no use to Marcus.In truth, this Pirate Crew was just a very ordinary Pirate Crew in the Grand Line. They had come here just to join in the excitement; with their strength, they didn't even have the possibility of fishing in troubled waters.How could such a Pirate Crew have Advancedintelligence? Marcus had overthought it from the beginning.However, after some persistent searching, Marcusactually discovered a pure white card inside the Captain's hat, with some small black characters on it."Tomorrow night, Peak Hotel, conference room. Ten o'clock," Marcus read softly.The entire card only had these twelve characters. The content was extremely simple, with only the time and location; there was nothing else.Oh! Below it was also a signature, 'Arlong Pirate Crew'."It seems this group of pirates was the Arlong Pirate Crew. But now, this Arlong has become a dead dragon," Marcus said, glancing at the Captain who had turned into a corpse.The content on this card was very clear: someone had invited this Pirate Crew to the Peak Hotel conference room to discuss something.What Marcus found regrettable was that there was no information at all about the inviter on this card, but one thing was certain: this inviter was not simple.At such a critical juncture, inviting pirates to discuss matters—this inviter must be planning something.He continued searching for a while, but found nothing else of value, so Marcus stopped.He stood up and walked toward Rich on the side. Now, Marcus only hoped to obtain some useful intelligence from the mouth of this sole surviving pirate.Seeing Marcus walking toward him, a trace of fear appeared in Rich's eyes, but it vanished instantly.Rich knew that if he revealed any unnatural expression, he would surely be discovered by this Marine, and the initiative would be lost."If you talk, you might live. If you don't, then these pirates will be your fate," Marcus said straightforwardly.Rich hadn't expected Marcus to be so blunt, which disrupted all the excuses he had already prepared.Originally, Rich had thought that this Marine, in order to get more intelligence from him, would first try to coerce and bribe him.Unfortunately, Rich hadn't expected that Marcuswas in no mood to play any word games with him.Seeing that the pirate still wouldn't talk, Marcusbrought his two fingers together and lightly waved them at Rich's arm.A small black blade shot out from between his two fingers. As the black blade slashed past, a severed finger fell onto the ground."Ah!"As the saying goes, the ten fingers are connected to the heart; one can imagine how painful it is to have a finger chopped off. Rich screamed immediately.Rich understood immediately that this Marinewasn't just talking; if he didn't answer, this Marinewould kill him without hesitation.He tried hard to endure the pain from the severed finger, but the pain of a severed finger was not so easy to bear. Rich's facial features twisted under the stimulation of the pain.Seeing Rich's performance, a trace of surprise flashed in Marcus's eyes. Being able to endure what ordinary people cannot—this person was not simple. If given a chance, his achievements would not be simple.But because of this, the killing intent in Marcus's heart increased significantly. This kind of person could not be left alive. Otherwise, he would be like a venomous snake hidden in the darkness, catching people off guard.In that very instant, Marcus decided that he could not let this pirate go.Rich gritted his teeth and said, "If I tell you what you want to know, will you spare my life?"Marcus shook his head, flipping the card in his hand, and smiled slightly. "No, that depends on whether I am satisfied with your answer.""If you are not satisfied, will you kill me?" Rich asked with a smile."Yes!" Although he didn't understand why the pirate would ask him that since he already knew, Marcusstill nodded in agreement."Hahaha..." Rich laughed loudly. "Then in that case, why should I answer your questions? Either way, the final decision is in your hands."Hearing Rich's words, Marcus felt a trace of surprise once again. If an ordinary person were in this situation, they would certainly be thinking about how to answer to satisfy him.Yet this pirate, while facing death, could remain so calm and actually see the essence of the matter: no matter how he performed, the initiative was always in someone else's hands.Unfortunately, such a person still had to die."That's right, just as you said, the initiative is in my hands, and everything is up to me.""So, do you want to just wait for death like this, or try for that slim possibility?"Marcus looked at the pirate with anticipation. Marcus wanted to know which one this pirate would choose.Rich fell into deep thought. Just as Marcus said, he now held his life in his hands. He had no other choice but to do as he said.Unless he was determined to die and refuse to answer his questions. But even ants cling to life, let alone humans.With a self-deprecating laugh, Rich asked, "Speak, what do you want to know?"Clap, clap...Marcus clapped his hands and said with a smile, "It seems you are a smart person and didn't choose the former.""No!" Rich shook his head. "I'm just someone who wants to live!"Marcus held up the white card he had searched from the Captain and asked seriously."I want to know what this white card is about!"UU Reading welcomes all book friends to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please go to read.
Chapter 87: I Am So Naive"White card!" Rich recalled, resting his chin on his hand.Just a moment ago, Marcus had already removed the confinement around Rich.Marcus was still confident in his own strength; he didn't believe that a pirate with this level of ability could escape from right under his nose."To tell you the truth, I don't know what's going on with this white card either. It happened in a bar; a maid suddenly delivered it to our Captain, and I was right there next to him."A trace of suspicion flashed across Marcus's eyes. He didn't dare to believe everything Rich said. Who knew if he was deliberately saying false things to mislead his judgment?"Didn't you guys catch that maid who delivered the letter to ask her clearly?" Marcus voiced his question."Of course we did, but..." Rich suddenly stopped, not knowing how to continue.Seeing Rich suddenly stop, Marcus immediately became curious about what could have happened that made Rich afraid to speak.After thinking for a moment, Rich said embarrassedly, "But in the end, our entire Pirate Crew was beaten to the ground by a teenage girl."It was precisely because he felt ashamed that Richdidn't want to say it. In public, over a hundred grown men went to deal with a young girl, only to be beaten by her, and they were even saved by another girl.Marcus hadn't expected such a reason. He had falsely guessed that he was afraid of something, which was why he dared not speak.However, if he were in Rich's position, he would have done the same.Rich continued, "That's not the main point. Later, we learned that quite a few pirates, just like us, received this kind of white card."Marcus frowned deeply, falling into deep thought. What exactly was this person behind the scenes trying to do by gathering so many pirates?Was he trying to gather these pirates to rob the tenryuubito tribute together?In an instant, Marcus dismissed this idea.Pirates were all free groups, meaning they operated independently, and no one would submit to anyone else. Gathering so many pirates together to do something...Anyone with a bit of intelligence wouldn't do that. So, what was his purpose?Marcus thought and thought, but he couldn't figure out what this person behind the scenes was trying to do, and there was an even bigger mystery in Marcus's heart.Since he couldn't figure it out, Marcus stopped thinking about it; in any case, continuing to dwell on it would only add to his worries."Is that it?" Marcus asked doubtfully.Rich spread his hands and said very frankly, "That's it."Marcus asked unwillingly, "No way, don't you know any other gossip?"Rich smiled bitterly, "Big brother, you're overthinking it. Now, because of the tenryuubito tribute, who knows how many pirates have arrived at Korode.""With so many people competing, everyone is hiding themselves tightly. Who would want to stand out at a time like this? Isn't that just asking for trouble?""And don't forget, with our strength, even if there were some more Advanced information, it's not something we would be able to know."Marcus, of course, knew that what Rich said was correct. It seemed he had to go to the Peak Hotel to take a look and get to the bottom of it."Aren't you worried about how I will treat you?" Marcus looked at the calm-faced Rich and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.Rich smiled and said, "Is there any need to think about it? As someone who is decisive in killing, you certainly won't let me, this uncertain factor, go.""Yes, that's right," Marcus nodded and said, "Then why... did you still answer?""I am a person who wants to live. Even if I know it won't succeed, there is still that sliver of hope in my heart. However, it's a pity that my luck didn't hold up this time."Marcus also knew that there was no point in saying more; he had already made up his mind to kill him. After this conversation, Marcus actually quite admired this pirate, so he prepared to give him a painless death.Gently raising his right hand toward Rich's head, Marcus suddenly asked a question.This was a question Marcus had once asked someone else before."With such great talent, why would you stay in such a weak Pirate Crew?"Rich said meaningfully, "Actually, I have to thank you for all of this.""Huh?" Rich's answer left Marcus feeling very confused."If you hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't have faced the threat of death, and I wouldn't have been able to grow so much. It's a pity it's already too late now."'Yeah, it's too late!'Marcus gave a gentle twist, and Rich's neck snapped immediately. His whole body went limp instantly, and he fell to the ground.Rich! In the moment of facing death, he had a sudden realization. This was the reason why Rich's demeanor changed so much from before to after.However, by the time he realized it, it was already too late!...Crackle, crackle.Marcus looked expressionlessly at the pile of corpses being consumed by the fire; no one knew what Marcus was thinking at this moment.Cough, cough...The smell produced by burning corpses was extremely foul, and Ashley was awakened by this stench.Upon waking up, Ashley smelled the stench and quickly covered her nose. Scanning the area with her eyes, she discovered Marcus, who was burning the corpses.Because she had been lying down for too long, her blood circulation was poor, and a feeling of soreness and numbness spread throughout Ashley's body. Having just woken up, she didn't immediately get up.Once she got up, Ashley walked toward Marcus. However, the closer she got to Marcus, the stronger the stench became. Even covering her nose couldn't block it, so Ashley simply stopped covering it."Hey?" Ashley reached out and patted Marcus's back.But before Ashley could pat him, Marcus suddenly turned around, instantly grabbing the hand that appeared on his back. Without even seeing who it was, he instinctively twisted it."Ah...!" A scream rang out.Marcus focused his eyes and, realizing it was Ashley, quickly released her hands.Rubbing her painful hands, Ashley complained, "I was kind enough to call out to you, and you actually twisted my hands so hard.""I'm sorry!" Marcus scratched his head and said embarrassedly.Just now, Marcus had been thinking about things and hadn't noticed that Ashley had gotten up. Suddenly feeling a hand on his back, he had instinctively retaliated.Ashley patted her chest and waved her hand, saying, "This Young Miss is magnanimous, so I won't hold you responsible."Looking at the heaving chest, Marcus's eyes went straight, and he thought to himself, "I didn't expect that this young girl is not very old, but she is well-endowed."Seeing that Marcus didn't reply, Ashley asked in confusion, "Hey, what are you looking at?""Cough..." Marcus quickly coughed to cover up his awkward expression. "By the way, I still don't know your name."In fact, Marcus had already heard this young woman state her name as Ashley earlier. The reason he asked again was just to change the subject.Hearing Marcus ask for her name, the young woman happily introduced herself, "My name is Ashley. Oh! Right! What's your name?"Marcus smiled slightly, "My name is Marcus!""Marcus! What kind of name is that? But it sounds pretty good, only..."Ignoring Marcus's dark, lined forehead, Ashleycommented there as if no one else was around."By the way, you are also a Marine. You are very amazing. You are so young but so strong. You killed all these pirates in one go. You are even stronger than Uncle Teng." Ashley rested her chin in her hands, her eyes constantly sizing up Marcus."Stop, stop..." Marcus quickly raised his hand to stop her.Marcus felt that if he let Ashley continue talking, he would have a breakdown."Wuwu..." As soon as Marcus finished speaking, Ashley started sobbing, her eyes filled with crystal-clear tears."You... you! Don't cry. I didn't do anything to you. Please don't cry!"Seeing this scene, Marcus was suddenly at a loss for what to do. Whether in his past life or his current one, Marcus couldn't stand seeing women cry.Seeing Marcus at a loss, a smile flashed in Ashley's eyes, and she continued to sob, "Aren't you blaming me for talking too much, which is why you told me off?""No! No! Of course not," Marcus quickly waved his hands. "I just misspoke earlier; I don't blame you at all."Ashley still asked disbelievingly, "Really? You really don't blame me?""Yes, I don't blame you at all," Marcus quickly nodded in response."As expected, I am so likable that surely no one would blame me."When Marcus looked up, where were the crystal-clear tears, the pitiful face, or the sound of crying?There was only a young girl, smiling happily there.Stunned! Stunned! Looking at this huge change, Marcus was completely dumbfounded!After a few breaths, Marcus finally realized he had been tricked. At this moment, Marcus discovered that he was actually such a naive and pure person!PS: Thanks to?Forgotten? for the 100 Qidian Coins donation, Shuangchuilei for the 10 Qidian Coins donation, Cengjingdenimintamen for the 10 Qidian Coins donation, Xuanpenghao for the 10 Qidian Coins donation, and Yongrenzirao666 for the 100 Qidian Coins donation. Thank you for the support.UU Reading welcomes all readers to visit and read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! Mobile users, please visit the reading site.
Chapter 88: Traveling TogetherSigh!Marcus didn't expect that he would actually fall for a woman's trick, and such a simple one at that.At this moment, the woman asked, "Hey, Marcus, where are you going next?""Why are you asking that?" Marcus said in surprise. "You don't want to come with me, do you?""Yeah," Ashley nodded with a look of expectation."No way, no way! You should just go home. I have my own things to do," Marcus said, shaking his head repeatedly.What Marcus had to do next was very important and carried some danger. How could he take a woman with him? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?Besides, he wasn't familiar with this woman; they had only just met. How could he let her follow him? Marcus didn't feel at ease.Ashley looked disappointed and pouted, "Why?"She had finally managed to get out today and hadn't had enough fun yet; she didn't want to go back so soon. If she had to wait for the next chance to come out, she didn't know how long it would be."No," Marcus said in a very firm tone.Seeing Marcus's firm answer, Ashley knew it would be difficult to get him to take her along. But a good idea suddenly popped into her head, and a trace of a smile flashed across her face."Are you going into Korode City next?" Ashleyasked.Although he didn't understand why this woman was asking, Marcus still replied truthfully, "That's right."In Marcus's view, it didn't matter if he told Ashley. If he wanted to leave, Ashley wouldn't be able to keep up with him anyway.Hearing Marcus's answer, a trace of a smile appeared on Ashley's face.She continued to ask, "Is this your first time coming to Korode Island?""Yes, but does that matter?"Ashley said very happily, "It does! Since it's your first time here, you definitely have to take me with you.""Why?" Marcus asked, puzzled."Hehe..." Ashley chuckled and explained under Marcus's puzzled gaze."It's your first time here, so you're definitely not familiar with Korode City. But I grew up in Korode City and know it very well. I can be your guide.""With me leading the way, you can save a lot of time and won't have the trouble of asking for directions."That's right! He really wasn't familiar with Korode City. Having a guide would indeed be good and could make things much more convenient."But, can this Ashley do it?" Thinking of Ashley's scatterbrained nature, Marcus felt very doubtful.Ashley puffed out her chest and said indignantly, "Don't look down on me. I'm very familiar with the entire Korode City."Looking at Ashley's expression, Marcus felt that something was off, but he couldn't figure out what it was."Alright," Marcus agreed.Forget it, he could only trust her for now. Let her take him to Korode City first. If it really didn't work out, he could find the location of the Peak Grand Hotel himself later.Phew! Seeing Marcus agree, Ashley secretly breathed a sigh of relief.Ashley was really afraid that Marcus would find out she was lying to him."It seems this Marine hasn't noticed," Ashleycomforted herself. "Actually, I didn't lie to him. I really did grow up in Korode City."At this time, Marcus still didn't know he had been tricked by Ashley again."Alright, let's set off then," Ashley said happily as she walked toward the back.Marcus called out, "Hey, wait a minute. We still have things to deal with.""Things?" Ashley turned around and asked in confusion, "Isn't everything dealt with? What else is there to do?"Marcus pointed at the pile of almost-burnt corpses behind him. "We still need to hide these ashes."Just to be safe, Marcus felt he should handle these ashes properly.It would be bad if someone came here and discovered them.Under Marcus's control, several Space Blades instantly cut out a massive pit five or six meters deep in the ground.Looking at the huge pile of earth floating in mid-air, Ashley was shocked.She didn't expect that this Marine Marcus was actually a Devil Fruit User, just like Uncle Teng.With the use of his fruit ability, this work, which would have taken dozens of people a whole day to complete, was finished by Marcus alone in no time.Just as Marcus was about to complete the final step and bury the giant pit, Ashley suddenly said something that almost made Marcus drop the pile of earth floating in mid-air."Marcus, are you stupid? Since you were going to bury them, why did you burn those corpses just now?"Hearing this, Marcus almost tripped on the spot, feeling helpless. He was actually being looked down upon.But after thinking about it, Marcus found that he couldn't even refute her. Who told Ashley she was right? He had indeed done unnecessary work.Marcus sullenly handled all the traces and then walked toward the back.Ashley also realized she had made Marcus angry, so she followed obediently behind him, not daring to say a word.Seeing Ashley finally settle down, a trace of a smile appeared on Marcus's face. It seemed his stern expression hadn't been in vain.After walking a few steps, Marcus suddenly noticed the footsteps behind him had stopped. He quickly turned around to look.He saw Ashley staring at her palm, her face filled with fear.Marcus's heart skipped a beat, and he thought, "Oh no."He had forgotten to wipe the bloodstains off Ashley. In this scene, it was obvious Ashley had discovered the blood on her hands.Her Hemophobia was about to flare up again!Soru!With a flash of his body, Marcus appeared beside Ashley and quickly caught her body as it was about to fall.Looking at the fainted Ashley, Marcus couldn't help but smile bitterly.This woman said she would be his guide, but ended up fainting first. After all that, he still had to do it himself.Picking up the woman in his arms, Marcus walked toward Korode City... "You're awake!" Marcusglanced at the waking Ashley."Yeah," Ashley responded in a low voice, her face flushing red.Just now, as she woke up in a daze, Ashley felt that where she was lying was incredibly comfortable, almost thinking she was sleeping in her warm bed at home.But in the blink of an eye, Ashley realized something was wrong. Opening her eyes, she discovered she was actually being carried by Marcus in a princess carry.Her flawless white cheeks were instantly flooded with a shy red blush, adding a different kind of beauty.Until now, besides her father and Uncle Teng, no man had ever held her, let alone a stranger giving her a princess carry.She was already so shy that she didn't even dare to look at Marcus."Hey, how much longer are you going to lie there?" Marcus said with a smile. "I've been carrying you all this way, and now my arms are numb.""Ah!"Ashley gave a startled cry, realizing she had been lying in his arms all along, and quickly jumped down from Marcus's embrace.Standing aside with a shy look, she didn't know where to put her hands and could only lower her head without saying a word.Marcus shook his numb arms to speed up blood circulation, and the numbness eased quite a bit.Not knowing what to do, Ashley kept rubbing her hands together and suddenly noticed that the sticky feeling on her palms was gone.Looking down, she saw that the bloodstains on her palms had disappeared.She touched her neck and found the bloodstains there were gone too, replaced by some white substance. Smelling it, she noticed a faint scent of herbs.Ashley asked softly, "Hey, Marcus! Did you clean the blood off my neck and hands? And is that medicine applied to my neck?""Yeah, that's right. I applied the medicine on there for you," Marcus replied.In Ashley's mind, she couldn't help but imagine the scene of Marcus carefully applying medicine for her, and her face turned even redder.Looking at the expression on Ashley's face, Marcusdidn't seem to understand what she was thinking and thought to himself."It seems Ashley is not only scatterbrained but also very naive. Just a simple application of medicine can make her this shy."Marcus smiled and shook his head, walked a few steps forward, and said to Ashley, who was still lost in thought behind him."Hey, Ashley, what are you still standing there for?"Ashley quickly snapped out of it, followed him, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't even lead you to Korode City.""No need, we've already arrived," Marcus said, stopping his pace.The outline of a massive city had already appeared before Marcus's eyes.They had reached Korode City!UU Reading. Welcome to read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all at UU Reading! 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Chapter 89: Korode CityIn Korode City, Marcus and Ashley were strolling down the street!It was afternoon, the most leisurely time of the day.The golden sunlight had lost its midday heat, leaving only the warmth of the afternoon and an unparalleled comfort.Especially after the storm, the air felt much clearer after the rain's baptism. A cool sea breeze blew in from the ocean, bringing a touch of coolness that refreshed people and swept away all weariness.Scattered by the rain, a magnificent rainbow spanned the sky above Korode, adding infinite beauty to the city.Logically, in such a comfortable environment, strolling along the bustling streets, observing the myriad of life...Anyone would relax and experience the perfect Fusion of timing, geography, and human harmony.But Marcus couldn't be happy. Ever since entering this city, the bad feeling in his heart had grown stronger and stronger.It was all because of the figure in front of him, constantly darting between various small stalls.Ever since entering Korode, Marcus felt as if Ashleyhad been possessed by a Saiyan, interested and curious about everything.She kept stopping at various stalls, spending lavishly, buying anything that piqued her interest even slightly.What annoyed Marcus most was that he was carrying all these things. In the eyes of everyone on the entire street, he had become a dedicated bag-carrier.Without Ashley even needing to speak, the vendors would very proactively place neatly packaged goods into his hands.Although Marcus didn't want to take them, they offered them with smiles, and he couldn't very well refuse loudly.However, seeing this beautiful figure constantly flitting through the crowd, overall, the feeling wasn't bad."Bah, bah... what am I thinking? I have important things to do, no time to be a bag carrier here," Marcus cursed inwardly.Marcus quickly walked towards Ashley. He couldn't let her shop any longer; if she did, the day would be over."Beautiful lady, this is a very precious herb that can cure all diseases," a vendor said, holding a golden plant with a red fruit on it, whose identity was unknown.Ashley looked at the strange plant with surprise, "Is this real? Can it really cure all diseases?"The vendor patted his chest, his tone full of certainty."Of course, I found this on an extremely dangerous small island, after enduring countless hardships..."If Marcus were there, he would definitely admire this merchant's skill at lying. It could rival those celebrities in his previous life. If it were his previous life, any'S' or 'C' awards would be his."Mm! Mm!"Ashley listened very seriously. After the vendor finished, she waved her hand grandly, looking like a rich person.Buy!Seeing Ashley nod and agree to buy, the vendor was overjoyed, thinking, "It wasn't a waste of my time talking for so long."He rubbed his hands together, "Beautiful lady, seeing how discerning you are, I'll only charge you 100,000 Berries."Hearing the vendor's words, Ashley didn't immediately reply but cupped her chin, lost in thought.The merchant's heart skipped a beat when he saw this. "Did I quote too high a price? This girl is so rich, it shouldn't be."I only increased it tenfold compared to the usual price, seeing how much this girl has bought."I didn't expect it to be so cheap! Do you have any more? I'll buy a few more," Ashley suddenly slapped the table and said happily.As soon as the vendor heard this, his eyes narrowed with laughter, "Yes, yes! How many do you want? I still have some."At this moment, a hand reached out from the side, snatched the herb from Ashley's hand, and placed it on the table."Don't buy it. We have other things to do."Ashley quickly turned around to look.It was Marcus, who had come to her side without her noticing."Wait a moment, let me buy these few herbs," Ashley said. She still wanted to buy these herbs to cure her father's illness."Don't buy them," Marcus said. "If you want these things, later, give me 100 Berries, and I'll make you hundreds of them."Marcus's words displeased the vendor. He had finally encountered such a gullible customer; how could he let him ruin it?He immediately threatened, "Friend, some things shouldn't be said carelessly, or the consequences are not something you can bear."Seeing this situation, Ashley immediately understood that the vendor was a swindler. After all, Ashley was only a bit naive and simple-minded, but her intellect was still sharp.Ashley quickly covered her purse, glaring angrily at the vendor, who had actually tried to deceive her.The vendor, however, didn't want such a large sum of money to slip away from him. He said ferociously, "You've already agreed to buy them, so pay up quickly."But the vendor, whose eyes were blinded by greed, didn't consider whether someone who could openly carry so much money was someone he could afford to provoke."You're deceiving us! We won't buy your things!" Ashley said angrily."Haha..." The vendor sneered, "If you don't pay, you won't leave."As soon as his words fell, several burly men nearby immediately stood up and pressed in on Marcus and Ashley.Seeing these burly men approaching, Ashley's face showed a trace of worry, and she leaned closer to Marcus.Then she suddenly remembered that Marcus had even dealt with so many pirates, so he wouldn't be afraid of these few people. She immediately calmed down and glared angrily at the vendor."Hmph!" Marcus snorted coldly. "I haven't even settled the score with you for deceiving us, and you want to force us into a coercive sale."Marcus waved his single hand, and the vendor immediately flew backward, crashing into the stall behind him.Seeing this, the burly men immediately stopped in their tracks. To be able to send someone flying with a single wave of a hand, such strength was not something ordinary people like them could resist.The vendor, who had fallen to the ground, also looked at Marcus with fear. He had originally thought these two were outsiders, and extorting them wouldn't provoke any backlash.But he hadn't expected this young man to be so powerful.Everyone on the entire street saw what happened, but no one dared to say anything. They were also ordinary people and dared not speak too much.Among them, some vendors looked at Marcus with a hint of fear. These people had also tried to trick Ashley with fake goods, just like this vendor, and they were all afraid that Marcus would come looking for trouble.This was also Marcus's deliberate act; only this way could he deter these vendors whose eyes were blinded by greed.Grabbing Ashley's wrist, Marcus pulled her forward.But after only a few steps, Marcus suddenly turned back to look, his eyes flashing with a sharp glint as he scanned the crowd behind him."What's wrong?" Ashley asked, puzzled, seeing Marcus suddenly turn around."Nothing!"Marcus's lips curled into a smile, but it vanished instantly. He turned back and continued to pull Ashley away.Just now, Marcus suddenly noticed a gaze that had been fixed on him, making him feel a sense of urgency. However, from that gaze, Marcus didn't detect any malice.When he turned around, that gaze instantly disappeared, and he scanned several times but found nothing."This person is very strong" was Marcus's strongest thought at that moment.To be able to hide so well that he couldn't even find a trace, this person's strength must be far above his own.He hadn't expected to encounter such a powerful person just after arriving in Korode.Marcus became increasingly curious about how many experts this maddening tenryuubito tributehad attracted to Korode.Not long after Marcus left, two figures stood in the shadow of a wall."Young Master, why are we hiding? That kid must have just been lucky!""No," one of the men shook his hand. "He did indeed discover our presence. If we hadn't hidden quickly, he would have found us.""But, with that kid's strength..."The other man still didn't believe it. After all, they were hundreds of meters away from the kid.How could that kid, from hundreds of meters away, discover that he was watching him? Even with his own strength, he couldn't do that."It has nothing to do with strength. I saw a familiar feeling in his eyes!""Then, are we still going to abduct that girl?" the man asked."No, that woman is already being secretly protected. Anyone who makes a move now will surely die. Let's retreat."UU Reading welcomes all book lovers to read. The latest, fastest, and hottest serialized works are all on UU Reading! Mobile users please go to read.