"What are you guys still looking at? My dad is Monka! If you dare to get this close to watch the show again, I'll throw all of you into prison!"
He first threatened the nearby pedestrians, seemingly enjoying their frightened expressions.
Then, he approached the corpse of his pet. Looking at his pet wolf, which was undeniably dead, he was so angry his mouth was twisting.
"You... you dare..."
He pointed at the man who, after chopping his pet, stood there calmly wiping his sword as if nothing had happened.
How dare he be so arrogant? After killing his pet, not only did he not run, but he stood there provoking him!
This guy, I must kill... Suddenly, Helmeppo noticed a charming, exquisitely beautiful figure hidden behind the man.
The morning light gilded the figure, ice-blue hair drifted dreamily in the wind, and a delicate, perfect face had no flaws, not to mention her unique and particularly alluring attire.
When did such a beautiful woman appear on this island?
Instantly, lust surged into his brain.
Helmeppo, who had never left Shells Town since birth, had never seen such beauty. His breathing quickened, and his eyes revealed blatant greed:
"Arrest both this man and woman! Imprison the man, and I'll take the woman. I want to interrogate her personally!"
The Marines behind him hesitated slightly at his words. Even a fool knew what Helmeppo wanted to do.
"What, you won't listen to me? Aren't you afraid I'll tell my dad, Monka?" Helmeppo saw their hesitation, put his hands on his hips, and threatened arrogantly.
The Marines trembled upon hearing the name, seemingly terrified of it. The struggle in their eyes gradually turned into submission, and they stepped forward with grim faces.
"Give up, both of you."
"If you surrender, we won't shoot."
With a series of metallic clinks, seven or eight flintlock pistols were simultaneously cocked. The dark muzzles gleamed coldly in the sunlight, completely surrounding the two.
Seeing this scene, the pedestrians showed expressions of fear and pity.
These two young outsiders were truly unfortunate. To provoke Helmeppo on this island meant their fate would be no better than a pirate falling into the hands of the Marines.
However.
To everyone's surprise, facing the encirclement of so many gun muzzles, neither of the individuals showed the slightest trace of tension or fear.
It was as if the guns in the Marines' hands were mere toys to them.
"Is there some rule on this island that prohibits harming animals?" After the atmosphere solidified for a few seconds, Zoro finally finished wiping his sword. He glanced at the surrounding Marines, his brows tightly furrowed as he asked.
During this time, he subtly moved his body completely in front of Silas.
He knew that Silas's strength meant she didn't need his protection, but for some reason, the woman had started spacing out again, and for much longer than usual.
Was she scared by that wolf?
"There is no such rule, but you harmed Young Master Helmeppo's pet. His father is Captain Monka, the highest-ranking officer of the local Marine base, so..." A Marine replied with a grim face, unable to finish his sentence.
As Marines, they felt ashamed to abet evil, but Captain Monka was too fierce and brutal. They couldn't bear the consequences of defying his son.
"Heh, so he's just a foolish son who relies on his dad." Zoro scoffed dismissively. He understood now; he had provoked a local scion.
"That's right, my dad is Monka!" Despite the mocking tone, Helmeppo looked as if he was honored. He raised his head and exhaled through his nose, saying:
"You audacious fellow dared to kill my pet. Originally, you were going to die with it, but..."
At this point, he couldn't help but glance behind Zoro again, his eyes openly filled with admiration:
"If you can give your woman to me, I might just have them imprison you for a few days before letting you go."
"Using a woman as a threat, you really are shameless."
Zoro expressionlessly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist. He drew out all three blades, and the flashing, cold light instantly scared Helmeppo back several steps.
"Hurry up! Can't you see he's drawn his swords?!"
Seeing that the Marines beside him hadn't moved, he angrily kicked them a few times.
"You all remember, my dad is Mon..."
Before he could utter the word "ka," a ghostly figure flashed past at extreme speed, accompanied by a lightning-fast sword light that pierced through the entire street in the blink of an eye.
"Three Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
Everyone present felt a chill run through their hearts and quickly dissipate. When they recovered, they saw the scion who had been so imperious a second ago, now lying on the ground, covered in blood.
Crack!
This was the sound of guns shattering. The unreactive Marines, their faces filled with horror, stared in disbelief at the guns in their hands that had exploded out of nowhere.
No, the guns weren't the key. Their Young Master Helmeppo seemed to have... "Young Master Helmeppo!"
The Marines cried out in panic, as if the sky had fallen.
Hadn't the sky fallen? Helmeppo, whom they were supposed to protect, had been cut down by someone right before their eyes. If Monka found out, wouldn't he take their lives?
"Wait... three swords, green hair, this seems to be the rumored Pirate Hunter..."
"Roronoa Zoro!"
A few sharp-eyed Marines recognized Zoro, and the horror on their faces became even more pronounced.
The rumors said this Pirate Hunter was a ruthless character who killed without batting an eye. Pirates in the East Blue feared him like a tiger, and even the Marines held a degree of awe for him.
However, in the past, Marines and Pirate Hunters were considered half-colleagues and had no conflicts.
But now, their idiotic young master, whom they were supposed to protect, actually tried to steal someone else's woman. Wasn't that an act of seeking death?
Uh... it seems he really is dead now.
But the problem was they couldn't explain it to Monka. Thinking of Monka's terrifying appearance when angry, a few Marines' legs trembled, and they actually suppressed their fear of the "Pirate Hunter."
"Roronoa, you killed Young Master Helmeppo! Captain Monka will not let you go!"
"Yes, that's right! You... you'd best surrender!"
A very comical scene unfolded.
Each Marine told Zoro to surrender, but none dared to approach him.
"If you don't dare to attack me, then scram! Call that guy named Monka, and tell him I'll be waiting for him right here!"
Zoro saw what these Marines were thinking. He had no interest in bothering these weaklings. He waved his sword-holding hand in the air, scolding them impatiently.
"This..."
Upon hearing this, those Marines, instead of feeling angry at being slighted, collectively let out a sigh of relief.
They certainly didn't want to fight the famous "Pirate Hunter" for a Helmeppo. Zoro's words were equivalent to giving them a way out.