"Gasp...!"
The brother and sister Lancelot just saved both sucked in a breath.
Sure, they were saved, but Lancelot's "rescue" was just as scary as the pirate's attack.
But, after a second, they were like, '...You know what? Fair.'
That pirate did kill their dad.
He deserved it, no matter how gross his death was.
The brother scrambled to help his sister up, and they both bowed.
"Uh... thank you for saving us."
Lancelot just nodded. "Go hide. I still have pirates to kill."
He paused, then added, "Protect your sister. For real."
The guy nodded like his life depended on it.
Then, Lancelot was gone, charging forward.
He had two goals:
Save more people.
Steal all of Smoker's kills before he got there.
So, Lancelot just sliced his way through town.
None of these small-fry pirates could even touch him.
Soon, he found Smoker. But Smoker was just... standing there, looking stuck.
Lancelot quickly saw why.
Krieg (in his flashy gold armor) and Pearl (the "Iron Wall" guy covered in shields) had ordered their pirates to grab a bunch of civilians.
A classic hostage situation.
Lancelot frowned.
'Ugh. Troubleme.'
Krieg was totally using the hostages to keep Smoker from doing anything.
Otherwise, with Smoker's powers, this fight would already be over.
Smoker noticed someone running up and glanced over.
When he saw it was Lancelot, he looked annoyed. "Why are you—"
But before he could finish, he saw the mountain of dead pirates Lancelot had left behind him.
Smoker's eyes went wide.
"How...?"
Whoosh—
Krieg's crew all spotted Lancelot, too.
Pearl, the "Iron Wall," sneered.
"Another Marine? So what? Take one step, and I kill a hostage."
Meanwhile, a pirate with a weird oil lamp on his head gave another pirate "the look."
"Tsk tsk..."
The other pirate got the signal.
Time to make an example.
He raised his sword, ready to chop down the poor civilian in front of him.
Lancelot's gaze turned cold.
He knew the "good guy" rulebook wouldn't work here.
'You want to kill the hostage?' Lancelot thought. 'Let me help you with that...'
With a BOOM, he pushed off his legs and shot forward like a cannonball.
In less than a blink, Frost Demon was out of its sheath.
Before anyone could react, Lancelot drove his sword... right through the hostage's chest.
The blade went clean through the civilian and stuck right out his back.
But Lancelot didn't stop.
He kept pushing, with the hostage still on his sword.
His speed barely slowed as the blade then plunged deep into the pirate who was standing right behind the hostage.
Thud—
The sword buried itself all the way into the pirate.
One strike.
Two bodies.
Talk about efficiency.
Then, Lancelot slammed his open palm onto the dead hostage's head.
The force sent both bodies flying three meters before they crashed to the ground.
His sword slid free, splattering blood everywhere.
"Gulp..."
Every single civilian watching swallowed hard.
They stared at Lancelot in pure horror.
'This is a Marine?!'
'Aren't they supposed to SAVE us?!'
'Why is he killing us, too?!'
They just couldn't understand.
All they felt was despair.
If the Marines were also killing them, what chance did they have?
"Hiss…"
Krieg and his pirates all sucked in a breath.
They were just as shocked.
The pirate who had given the signal looked horrified.
"Th-this... this guy killed the hostage, too!"
This guy was Krieg's "strategist."
He was trying to scare Lancelot, just like they'd scared Smoker.
Who knew they'd run into someone who just... didn't play by the rules.
He had no idea what to do now!
"LANCELOT, HAVE YOU GONE MAD?! THOSE ARE CIVILIANS!"
Smoker finally found his voice and roared at him.
Lancelot just grinned, and it was not a nice grin.
"So what? They were hostages. Under Absolute Justice, that means they can be sacrificed. The Marines does not negotiate with pirates, ever."
Just then, Lancelot noticed a speck of blood on his lips.
He licked it.
The metallic taste filled his mouth.
And... oh.
That seemed to awaken something... fun.
His eyes went a little crazy.
He looked monstrous.
He wasn't a Marine right now.
He was worse than the pirates.
Smoker's face froze.
He knew this style, It was the same "Absolute Justice" crap that Admiral Akainu was always screaming about.
'To kill pirates, any sacrifice is fine.'
Then, Lancelot turned his psycho-gaze toward Krieg.
"Who do you want me to kill next? Him?"
He casually pointed his sword at another civilian.
Swish—
Lancelot lunged forward again.
He appeared right in front of the terrified hostage and under the civilian's horrified gaze, Lancelot did it again.
Thud—
The blade went right through the civilian... and brutally impaled the pirate holding him.
"Ah—!"
The pirate screamed as he got skewered.
Then, Lancelot gave the hostage another palm-strike to the head.
Both bodies went flying.
Blood sprayed everywhere, but this time Lancelot didn't dodge.
It splattered all over his face and his uniform.
His already-psycho face now looked even more terrifying.
Lancelot looked like he had just climbed straight out of hell.
Everyone—pirates and civilians—felt their skin crawl.
This Marine... he didn't care who you were.
He'd kill anybody.
"He killed... another civilian."
Krieg's eyes shrank.
He finally got it.
Hostages meant nothing to this madman.
"A devil... this guy is a devil."
By now, the other hostages were shaking in pure terror.
In their eyes, Lancelot was way, way scarier than any pirate.
And Lancelot didn't stop.
He pointed his sword at the next target—the civilian being held by the pirate with the lamp on his head.
The corners of his lips curled up into a hungry smile.
Then, his tongue snaked out again, licking the fresh blood from his lips.
An expression of pure bliss spread across his face, like he was tasting the best food in the world.
Even Smoker, a guy who'd seen some serious crap, was just... stunned.
This was just too depraved.
'What the hell?'