Upon hearing this, the woman's heavily made-up face broke into a smile caked with powder.
She reached out, about to change into the uniform right there on the street.
The surrounding soldiers watched this scene showing no trace of anger.
Instead, they all clapped and roared loudly, like gorillas in mating season.
Howls, growls, jeers, the woman's laughter and shrieks—countless sounds converged at that moment, composing a vulgar symphony before Jake's eyes.
As he took in the scene, he felt a fire burning in his heart.
That uniform, the one representing justice—during Jake's most desperate hour, it had been worn by a skeletal-faced man who pulled him back from the brink of hell.
From that moment on, this outfit had transformed from merely a cool costume of an anime character into something that held genuine, special meaning for Jake.
The food given by villagers in Gourmet Town, the salutes from civilian ships encountered during voyages...
Each memory added fuel to the flames of Jake's current fury.
The woman shed her already vulgar clothing, leaving only her undergarments.
Under the crowd's gaze, she feigned shyness as she reached to pull the marine uniform over herself.
But just as her fingers were about to touch the fabric, a pale hand seized her wrist.
A pained gasp escaped her lips as hostile gazes turned towards the interruption.
"Ah! That hurts! Who the hell are you?!"
Before she could see the face of her interrupter, the clothes she'd just removed were flung over her head, accompanied by a voice cold as ice.
"Get dressed. This doesn't concern you."
The voice was so chilling it made the woman's entire body go numb.
Having spent years in these dark corners, she was more adept than anyone at reading people and recognizing true power.
In that instant, she knew this was someone entirely different from the useless trash surrounding her.
Without hesitation—not even bothering to properly dress—she slipped away into the shadows behind her while all attention focused on Jake, curling up to watch as he was surrounded.
Jake wasn't wearing his naval uniform now.
Dressed in a brown overcoat over a white shirt, he looked completely unrelated to the marine.
The marines turned their gazes towards him.
The one who'd removed his uniform for the woman glared irritably and demanded.
"Hey, who the hell are you? Who let you come here? Don't you know this is a Marine training base? If you trespass here, we won't face any consequences even if we blow your damn head off right now! And you know what's most disgusting about you?"
The man spoke while thrusting his bloated belly toward Jake, his alcohol-laden breath emitting a foul stench.
"Ugh! You bastard, daring to ruin my mood! Absolutely unforgivable!"
Between drunken hiccups, the man swung his fist directly at Jake's face.
Though the man rarely trained, his sheer size meant an ordinary person would likely be knocked unconscious instantly by his punch.
As the man attacked Jake, none of the surrounding Marines showed any intention to intervene.
Instead, they clapped and cheered, with some even egging him on.
"Hey! You damn fat fool, show a Marine's spirit! Otherwise, these lovely ladies around here will look down on us!"
"Hahaha, that's right, Priley! Smash that guy's skull! Kill him right here! The boss has our backs anyway! Especially since this bastard barged in himself. Even if you finish him off, no one will blame you!"
"Yeah! They might even give you a reward or something! Maybe a promotion! Hahaha! If you don't act soon, I'll step in myself!"
Each word erased the last shred of pity Jake had for these men.
Watching the incoming fist, he didn't even consider dodging.
A dazzling flash of blue lightning silenced all cheers instantly.
They suddenly froze like ducks.
The sight left every Marine present dumbstruck.
Even the most ignorant among them understood what it meant when half a man's head turned into lightning.
A Logia-type Devil Fruit user?!
The realization instantly sobered them.
Staring at the man before them, primal survival instincts kicked in.
They shoved aside the women beside them and bolted towards their leader's direction.
A Logia Devil Fruit user—such monstrous power was beyond anything they could oppose!
And clearly, their earlier actions had angered him.
Staying here now was no different from suicide!
But at that moment, an overwhelming, terrifying aura erupted from the man.
In an instant, their legs turned to jelly.
Forget running—they couldn't even stand upright.
When they looked up, what met their eyes was a pair of utterly frigid, merciless pupils.
Blue lightning filled the entire street like divine punishment.
Everyone present was like lambs to the slaughter, bound to the chopping block without any chance of resistance.
Jake walked up to the man who had collapsed to the ground from sheer terror.
His voice was calm as he observed the man's dampened trousers and spoke calmly.
"Do you think you're a Marine?"
The man hesitated, unsure how to respond to Jake's question, before forcing out an answer.
"I... I think I am. But... but everything depends on your judgment! If you deem me unworthy of being a Marine, then I'm not!"
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