The attack came suddenly, leaving Rogu no time to prepare. However, he was not taken aback. Silently, he pulled out his blade, raised it with the blade up, and placed it horizontally above his head.
"Damn it!" Lester exclaimed, his face turning green. If the kick had landed, even if the opponent had remained unharmed, his own leg would have been damaged.
Immediately, waving his arms, he shifted his center of gravity, avoiding a "leg disaster," after which he fell diagonally to the ground.
For a moment, everything in his head was mixed up, like a whirlpool. And... before he could even get up from the ground, the cold blade of the sword was already dangerously close to his face.
- Wait! - Lester quickly raised his hand, trying to stop his opponent. - This is a mistake! We are ours!
"Marines?" Rogu frowned. Anyone who watched One Piece would hardly have warm feelings for the Marines.
After all, this is a story about pirates, and the Marines are far from perfect. Particularly annoying is their so-called dual justice, which was ridiculed by countless fans. And their absolute justice? With each episode, it increasingly turned into an outright farce, which could only cause a bitter smile.
"Yes!" Lester, unaware of Rogu's thoughts, jumped to his feet. "Let's get acquainted. I, too, come from Moonlight Village, and now serve in the Marines as a Commodore at the base in Lowe."
"I see," Rog nodded. "Can I kill you now?"
"What?!" Lester couldn't believe his ears, wondering if a grain of sand had gotten into them while he was lying on the ground.
But Rogu's gaze, cold and serious, left no doubt. Which made Lester involuntarily ask: "Are you serious?"
"You attacked me," Rogu explained calmly. "So it seems logical to me that you had intentions of killing me. Therefore, it is also logical to kill you, right?"
- Why should I die? - Lester was close to madness from what he heard. - Yes, I attacked you, but... it was just a test!
- And what right do you have to check me? - Rogu was surprised. - Did you even ask me about this? It seems to me that checking without consent is more like attempted murder. You, as a representative of the Marines, are attacking an ordinary person. So why aren't you ready to accept your death from him?
Lester froze, shocked. He had never dreamed he would hear such words. And what was worse, when he thought about it, they made sense. Did he really deserve to die?
Realizing where his thoughts had led him, Lester quickly shook himself and replied with annoyance, "I almost fell for your trick. Anyway, I have no ill intentions towards you. I just wanted to test your abilities. Who knew you'd use such underhanded tactics? But I admit, you do have power. What do you say, want to join the Marines?"
- No.
- You are so straightforward! - Lester was taken aback, but quickly came to his senses. - Why? You have the strength, you have the ability. Why don't you want to join?
"Hmm, that's strange logic," Rogu looked at Lester as if he were looking at a child with special needs. "Can you explain to me why having power automatically obliges me to join the Marines? And anyway, power is probably equivalent to ability, right?"
When he finished, Rogu put away his blade and turned to leave.
"You're not going to kill me?" Lester asked, surprised.
"Even I can't bring myself to kill a man with such an obvious lack of intelligence," Rogu said without turning around.
- It's your intellect that's the problem! I'm a Marine Commodore, by the way! - Lester almost started to shout. He was ready to cry from all this confusion.
He went to find Roga, tried to check on him, but instead found himself on the verge of death. And now he was called a moron. What the hell day is this?
"Commodore of the Marines?" Rogu, who was about to leave, suddenly stopped. He turned to Lester, looking at him with interest.
"Have you changed your mind?" Lester beamed instantly, breaking into a wide smile. A smile that was more reminiscent of that same smile of a moron...
Seeing this expression, Rogu hesitated for a moment, but then sighed heavily: "Even though you are feeble-minded..."
"I AM NOT IDIOT!" Lester roared.
Rogu nodded as if agreeing, "Okay, okay, every idiot always denies it. Just like a person with mental disabilities will never admit that they have problems. But these are all details, let's not dwell on them. I have a question for you. If a pirate hunter catches a pirate, he can hand him over to the Marines in exchange for a reward, right?"
"Um... yeah, maybe," Lester replied, still annoyed.
"What if he's dead?" Rogu asked.
"A dead man would work, but it's a little more complicated. You'd have to prove you killed him," Lester explained.
"I see," Rogu nodded, thinking. Then he asked again: "Apart from the Marine base, are there any other places that accept such pirates?"
- Usually, these are any official institutions created by the decree of the World Government. But if the hunter does not want to deal with official structures, he can contact some bars, where the owners or employees can help with this issue. However, not all bars offer such services, - Lester answered, showing his knowledge.
Rogu nodded, digesting the information, and then asked, "What about the pirates in the square? Will you take them?"
- These? - Lester waved his hand. - We'll take them, of course, but the reward for them is meager. There's no one of real value among them.
"Ten thousand for each?" Rogu suggested, checking out the prices.
Lester's face darkened: "Are you robbing me?!"
"Eight thousand for each, and not a coin less," insisted Rogu.
"Five thousand! And not a buck more!" Lester barked back.
"Agreed!" Rogu immediately agreed and, without wasting any time, turned around to leave.
Lester, still seething with anger, slapped himself on the forehead after a moment. "Wait, are we slave traders? Why did I, instead of inviting this weirdo into the Marines, suddenly make some kind of deal with him?"
He began counting on his fingers, muttering under his breath: "We get an extra eight thousand belli for each regular pirate. I buy them for five thousand, sell them for eight... Three thousand for each one, profit... Not bad..."
Seeing that Rogu was almost out of sight, Lester hurried after him:
- Wait! Let's talk again about your joining the Marines! We have great conditions, you can even become an admiral if you're strong. And we also have a nice uniform, good benefits and lots of beautiful girls! Think about it, huh? Friend!