"Captain... Morgan...?!"
"What happened?!"
At the outer edge of the battlefield, several Marines discovered Morgan, who had crashed into the training grounds.
With faces full of shock and disbelief, they rushed toward him.
"Damn bastard...!"
After regaining his senses, Morgan hurriedly stood up. Showing such a disgraceful sight in front of so many subordinates made him burn with humiliation and anger. He gritted his teeth and glared at Alan.
"You bunch of idiots! What are you standing around for? Hurry up and kill him! Open fire!!"
"Y-yes!"
Hearing the order, the Marines hastily aimed their guns.
However, when they saw that the figure standing atop the pile of stones was Alan, they were stunned once again.
"Lieutenant Alan?!"
"Wait a moment, Captain Morgan, is there some kind of misunderstanding?"
"What misunderstanding?! You think these wounds on my body are fake?!"
Morgan roared while raising his arm and pointing at Alan furiously.
"This guy openly defied orders! He even attacked me, his superior officer! He's a traitor! A shameless disgrace to the Marines!!"
"This...!"
"How could it be...?!"
The Marines looked at each other, hesitation filling their eyes. Even with Morgan's strict command, they couldn't imagine the normally gentle and quiet Lieutenant Alan doing something like this.
Seeing they still didn't act, veins bulged on Morgan's forehead. He raised his battle-axe threateningly and shouted at the men beside him, "Hurry up and shoot! Do you all want to betray the Marines, too?!"
Witnessing this, Alan rubbed his chin with interest. Guns in the hands of ordinary marines couldn't exactly be called useless, but they could be said to be utterly useless.
Either way, they posed no threat to him.
However… Using a different approach might be more fun, perhaps even help him gather some initial subordinates for the pirate crew he planned to build.
Alan narrowed his eyes, a plan already taking shape in his heart…
"Brothers!!"
Before the Marines could be forced to lift their guns, they instead heard Alan's loud voice erupt with righteous fury: "How much longer will you endure this?! Wearing the Marines' uniform while doing the deeds of pirates! Carrying the symbol of justice while bullying innocent civilians!!"
"They are supposed to be the people we protect! Yet when they see us, they avoid us like we're pirates! Can't you see their fear?! Can't you see the disgust in their eyes?!"
"Tell me, brothers! Is this the reason you joined the Marines?! Is this the meaning of all your years of harsh training?!"
Alan's voice was filled with anger.
The powerful cries echoed through the sky above the training ground, like a volcano finally erupting after endless suppression, unable to hold back its flames that sought to ignite the barren land.
Even the marines fighting Luffy in the distance were drawn toward the source of the voice.
Every marine present was shaken by Alan's thunderous shout.
They questioned their hearts. Was this truly the life they once longed for?
Of course not!
They were human too; their families also lived in the town.
This life, full of resentment and despair, how could this be what they once dreamed of?!
"Some of you joined the Marines because your families were killed by pirates, hoping one day you could avenge them!"
"Some of you were inspired by acts of justice! Encouraged by stories of heroes, dreaming to become someone others admire!"
Alan's shouting continued, growing louder and more fervent.
"There are countless reasons why everyone joined the Marines! But none of those reasons included living under the shadow of fear! Being forced to commit acts of oppression against civilians!!"
"And now all of this, who caused it?! Who is oppressing us?! Forcing us?!"
As his final words fell, the air became as silent as death.
In the crowd, gaze after gaze slowly turned toward the same spot. Their answer was obvious, Axe Hand Morgan!!
Seeing the gathering stares around him, Morgan's face finally showed panic. He reflexively stepped back half a step, then angrily tried to cover it up.
"You idiots, what do you think you're doing! I'm the commanding officer here! Rebellion is a grave crime!"
Hearing that, the surrounding marines fearfully took a step back. They lowered their heads and clenched their fist, but they did not dare release the fury burning inside.
However, Alan's next words once again stunned them completely.
"You think it's Morgan? Wrong! Completely wrong! The reason we were driven to this point comes from the weakness in our own hearts!!"
"Do you think changing the commander will magically make things better?!"
With explosive force, Alan issued a final question to everyone: "Without Captain Morgan, there will be countless others to replace his place!"
"Tell me, brothers! What do we do then? Will we sink deeper and deeper into this abyss of darkness for the rest of our lives?!"
"Of course not!!"
Suddenly, a furious shout burst from the crowd. Alan and every marine turned toward the voice in surprise.
It was Lieutenant Commander Ripper, his thick black beard trembling as he panted heavily, his chest rising with agitation, showing his burning wrath.
At this point, he naturally understood Alan's intention to raise arms and rebel.
In this critical moment, suppressing his inner fear, he decided to add the final spark to the fire Alan had ignited!
Ripper raised his gun first, aiming straight at the panicking Morgan while shouting: "Brothers! This is absolutely not the future we want! We must resist!!"
"That's right!"
Seeing this, Alan strode forward, lifting his right fist high while shouting with fiery passion: "I, Francis Alan, will be the first to lead everyone in this revolt today!!"
"Lieutenant Alan... "
"Lieutenant Commander Ripper... "
The Marines were visibly shaken. Their long-buried resentment was finally ignited by the words and actions of the two men.
"I'm done holding back!"
"Me too! I can't stand that bastard Morgan anymore!"
"I'm following big brother Ripper!"
"Brothers! Let's follow Lieutenant Alan's lead!"
Hearing the voices rising from the crowd, Alan's lips curved upward.
The time had come!
"Brothers! Just like during our oath, now! Raise your guns against evil!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Clack! Clack! Clack!
The powerful, unified response shook the air as gun after gun rose in perfect formation, all aimed at Morgan!
"Y-you...! All of you...!!"
Morgan was truly terrified now. Surrounded by countless black gun barrels, he trembled from head to toe.