Longinus' Observation Haki easily captured every whisper and heartbeat around him.
The cause of this whole mess was almost laughably stupid—
The little girl hiding under the burly man's body had simply wanted to sell a few flowers.
Unfortunately, she chose the wrong customer.
The pampered young noble decided her presence "polluted his sight" and immediately ordered his lackeys to beat her as a lesson.
Then the burly man had burst through the crowd to shield the girl with his own body.
For some unknown reason, he didn't dare fight back—
He simply endured every kick and punch in silence, as if the beating were just raindrops falling on his back.
Cruel, but… very real.
In this pirate world, human lives were as cheap as weeds.
To avoid being blown around like dust—
one could only seize the right to speak with their own power.
Hearing the noble youth's arrogant barking, the onlookers frowned in disgust.
But since Marine patrols would surely arrive soon, they held back, waiting patiently for this brat to get what he deserved.
Still—
the whispers of mockery and disdain were unavoidable.
Anyone with a functioning conscience would dislike behavior like this.
"Lord Rex… I think we've picked the wrong target,"
the butler-like servant whispered nervously.
"This man's body is frighteningly strong. Our punches and kicks can't even shake him…"
Fear tinged his voice.
"And if he snaps and hurts someone—hurts you—our lives won't be enough to pay for it."
Plus, they had heard what happened to people who caused trouble on Marine-controlled land.
Their courage had already begun dissolving.
"What did you say?"
Rex grabbed the butler by the collar, eyes bulging.
"What are you cowards afraid of?
That trash doesn't dare fight back in the first place!
Beat him! Beat him to death for me!"
"Pfft! Are these clowns performing a comedy?"
"Hahaha! First time I've seen thugs too scared to keep hitting!"
"Must be some washed-up noble from a tiny kingdom. All bark, no bite."
Rex heard the murmurs around him—
and to him, it felt like blasphemy against his self-proclaimed "lower Celestial Dragon" identity.
Combined with the frustration of everything going wrong since he left home,
his anger finally snapped.
From rage comes madness.
"If you want to protect that filthy commoner so badly—
then you can die in her place!"
Rex drew a pistol.
The dark muzzle pressed toward the burly man's back.
"Aah! He's going to kill him!"
Chaos spread instantly through the onlookers.
Who expected this greasy noble brat to really attempt murder—
right inside a Marine base?!
Did he truly believe he was a Celestial Dragon?
The burly man realized the danger too.
If he were facing his enemy head-on, he was confident he could slice a bullet mid-flight with the blade behind his back.
But he was turned the wrong way—
and dodging meant the girl beneath him would certainly die.
Up in the inn, Longinus narrowed his eyes.
With his power, he could stop the idiot noble long before the trigger was pulled.
But—
since he planned to enter the Marines in the most impeccable manner possible…
Why waste such a perfect opportunity?
Rex didn't hesitate.
His finger didn't tremble.
Executing a "low-born" was nothing—
if anything, the cruelty made his blood boil with excitement.
But the moment he pulled the trigger—
his face froze.
A boy—young-faced yet sharp-eyed—
stood before the burly man, hand outstretched.
The bullet was trapped in his palm.
Blood dripped between his fingers, pattering onto the ground.
Rex's eyes nearly burst from their sockets.
He had heard of monsters who could dodge bullets—
but catching one with their bare hand?
And at point-blank range?
The buzzing street went dead silent.
Even in a stronghold full of trained fighters,
this sight was rarely witnessed.
More than the feat itself,
the act of bleeding to protect a "nobody"
struck a chord deep inside the crowd.
Longinus calmly opened his hand.
The distorted bullet casing clattered to the stone road.
Without sparing Rex a glance, he turned toward the burly man.
"Why didn't you resist?"
Longinus asked gently.
"With your strength, dealing with these thugs would've been trivial."
The burly man raised his head—
revealing a face so grotesque the crowd recoiled in shock.
He was long used to this reaction.
Yet his voice trembled with shy sincerity:
"Because… I want to become a Marine."
Longinus understood instantly.
The man was afraid that if he fought back,
he would be marked as a troublemaker and lose eligibility to enlist.
"Your resolve isn't wrong," Longinus said warmly.
"But blind submission only feeds violence.
Justice cannot be maintained through retreat and compromise."
He continued smiling kindly,
unfazed by the terrifying features before him.
"You… you aren't scared of me?"
the man asked, stunned.
"Scared? Why would I be?"
Longinus shook his head.
"You have a heart more beautiful and pure than anyone else here."
Ignored, humiliated, and terrified,
Rex snapped again.
"You bastard! Let's see how many bullets you can catch!"
He squeezed the trigger—
But Longinus' hand moved faster.
He drew the pistol from his belt,
Observation Haki locking onto the weapon in Rex's hand.
At this distance, aim was irrelevant.
The bullet fired from Longinus' gun shot straight into Rex's gun barrel—
before Rex's bullet even left the muzzle.
BOOM!!
The gun exploded.
Flames burst outward.
An arm, twisted grotesquely, flew into the air and fell to the ground.
Rex's scream tore through the streets.
Everyone stood frozen—
minds blank, mouths open.
They had witnessed something too sharp, too quick, too decisive to process.
The burly man's heart thumped loudly.
His fingers trembled around the sword hilt behind him.
When he finally found his voice, it was full of awe—
"…Is… is this really okay?"
Longinus shrugged calmly.
"I only blocked his gun barrel with a bullet.
He was the one who pulled the trigger.
If he blew off his own arm…
what does that have to do with me?"