The sight of "Axe-Hand" Morgan being punched to the ground by Luffy indeed shocked all the Marines present.
Seeing their superior defeated, they were even a little happy inside.
They wished Luffy's punch would land faster.
"Stop! Don't move!"
An unexpected event occurred: Helmeppo had woken up at some point.
Seeing his father knocked to the ground, he immediately pulled out a gun, aimed it at Coby, and told Luffy to stop.
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to him.
This included Luffy, who had turned around, Zoro, who was biting his sword hilt, and Bai Yun, who was leaning against a wooden post, his bracelet transformed into a fan, fanning himself as he watched the show.
"I told you to stop, or I'll kill him!"
Helmeppo shouted again, his mouth agape; he still loved his father.
Coby, however, took a deep breath. "Luffy! I don't want to be a burden to you, even if it costs me my life!"
At this moment, Coby was just as Luffy had described him before—cowardly but capable of change. To be able to say such words with a gun pointed at him, he had indeed changed and matured.
Luffy showed a bright smile, delighted by his friend's growth, and replied with his hands on his hips.
"Hehe, I understand, Coby."
"Don't talk nonsense! I told you not to move! Otherwise, I'll really shoot!"
Helmeppo panicked, but then a smile appeared on his face, while Coby became alarmed.
"Luffy! Watch out behind you!"
Behind Luffy, the defeated Morgan had gotten back up, intending to launch a sneak attack without honor.
"I am a Marine Colonel!"
But Luffy didn't care at all. "Don't be silly, you stupid son, Coby is serious!"
"Dad! Kill them quickly!"
Helmeppo yelled.
The next second, in the blink of an eye, Bai Yun appeared behind him.
"Headshot!"
He struck Helmeppo's head with a silver long staff, causing Helmeppo's head to retract.
As for Luffy, he remained standing with his hands on his hips, while Morgan fell backward.
Zoro, at the very back, quietly took the long sword from his mouth, looking like he had hidden his achievements and fame.
"Well done, Zoro."
"You're welcome, Captain."
..."He... fell!"
"He fell!"
"Morgan's tyranny is over!"
"Hahaha, Long live the Marines!"
With the fall of Morgan and his son, it was his subordinates who cheered first. Such leadership was truly extraordinary.
Amidst the cheers, Zoro also collapsed. Bai Yun, quick-witted, instantly moved to grab the collar of his shirt from behind.
"Ugh!"
"Are you trying to strangle me?!"
Zoro instantly sobered up again.
"It's better for you to walk on your own than for me to carry you."
Bai Yun replied.
Zoro indicated that he now had one more person he wanted to slash... At the little girl's house, Zoro, who had been hungry for nine days, devoured five bowls of rice and immediately felt alive again, while Luffy ate even more, consuming ten bowls in one go.
"Thank you for your hospitality."
Bai Yun thanked the little girl and her mother.
The little girl shook her head. "Big brothers are the great heroes who saved the mayor, and you kept your word and rescued the green-haired big brother. We should be the ones thanking you."
What a polite and well-mannered child, Bai Yun couldn't help but sigh.
However, even heroes must now be driven out.
"Excuse me!"
"Reportedly, you are pirates?"
Morgan was imprisoned, and his deputy temporarily took his place.
Marines driving out pirates, their duty.
Arrest them? They didn't have the ability.
Moreover, they respected Luffy and the others in their hearts, but their uniforms prevented them from acting on it.
"Although you are rebels and saved the town, we express our sincere gratitude for that."
"But since you are pirates, we cannot stand idly by. Please... leave the town immediately. Not reporting this to headquarters is already a sign of our respect."
Bai Yun exchanged glances with Luffy, holding a teacup, and Luffy smiled.
"Then let's go. Thank you for your hospitality, Auntie."
"Luffy..."
Coby was very conflicted. Luffy and the others were heroes who saved the town, yet they were being treated this way; it wasn't right.
But Luffy, Bai Yun, and Zoro simply stood up, ignoring him completely.
"You're not with them?"
The deputy asked Coby.
Coby recalled Luffy's words: no matter what he wanted to do, they would always be friends.
"I... I'm not their companion!"
With tears in his eyes, Coby shouted, and Luffy, Bai Yun, and Zoro secretly smiled.
"Please allow me to join the Marines! Whether it's doing odd jobs or anything else! Please give me a chance! I'm going to become a Marine Admiral!"
For the first time, Coby declared his dream with such conviction, and the deputy, moved by his words, allowed him to join.
Coby the "Admiral" also took his first step... "Hmm, today is a good day to set sail."
Feeling the sea breeze on his face and the sunlight, Bai Yun expressed his feelings.
Luffy was untying the ship's ropes.
Zoro pointed incredulously at the small sailboat on the sea.
"We're going to sea on this?"
"Otherwise?" Bai Yun replied.
"Hahaha, indeed, you two really are lunatics!"
"I'm already starting to regret this."
Shocked to the core, Zoro instead held his forehead and laughed heartily.
...
A/N: The journey continues! If you're eager to read far ahead and support this story, consider joining the Eternal Phoenix community. You can find me on Patreon by searching for "Eternal_Phoenix".
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