The ugly strongman blinked blankly, nodding as if Longinus' words made perfect sense—
though something about them felt… subtly strange.
Around them, the crowd murmured with mixed relief and worry.
Yes, watching the arrogant noble brat roll on the ground screaming was satisfying—
but someone that brazen probably had backing.
Would this brave young man be able to withstand what came next?
And even though the noble had provoked everything,
it was him who ended up bleeding and screaming on the ground.
If the Marines chose to interpret the situation badly,
Longinus could be the one labeled as "disturbing the peace."
"AAAAAHH!! YOU BASTARD!
I'LL KILL YOU!
I'LL DEFINITELY KILL YOU!!!"
Rex's snot and tears smeared across his face as he shrieked,
pure hatred burning in his eyes.
Longinus narrowed his gaze.
He hated trouble.
If this idiot kept clinging like a leech,
Longinus might as well erase him before he left the island.
Though of course, for the sake of his bright, righteous image,
he would need to… use a different identity to do so.
"Kill who?"
A calm voice cut through the chaos like ice.
A formation of Marines stepped through the crowd—
and at their head stood an officer draped in a coat of justice.
"Marines! You're just in time!"
Rex howled hysterically, eyes bright with madness.
"EXECUTE these filthy peasants for attacking a noble!
Hang them! Shoot them! WHATEVER!"
His twisted grin spread wider,
even the pain of his missing arm forgotten under the rush of power.
One second.
Two.
Three.
The atmosphere slowly shifted…
from tense to awkward.
The Marines didn't move.
Rex's face grew purple with outrage.
"You idiots!
MOVE!
My cousin is a major stationed in this base!
Disobey me and he'll deal with you!"
The Marine commander didn't even blink.
"My name is Jonathan.
Rank: Rear Admiral.
Pleased to make your acquaintance."
The crowd collectively gasped.
Rex's jaw hung open.
Even a fool could tell the difference between major and rear admiral—
and the gap between the two was an unbridgeable canyon.
Longinus' eyes flickered.
A Marine Rear Admiral ranked second only to G2's vice admiral,
one of the top five figures across this entire sea region.
Most high-ranking officers rarely sat at their bases.
Meeting one like this was… winning the lottery.
"You—you…"
Rex tried to muster a threat.
"So what if you're a Rear Admiral?!
I'm an earl's heir of the Gono Kingdom!
The Marines cannot supersede royal authority!"
"Gono… Kingdom?"
Jonathan's expression didn't change.
He calmly drew his pistol and leveled the muzzle at Rex's forehead.
"A nation not affiliated with the World Government is an illegal state.
Even if your king stood before me—
should he violate justice,
I have full authority to execute him."
Longinus could only stare.
This fool strutted around like a Celestial Dragon—
but he wasn't even from a World Government member nation?
Where did he get such cosmic-level confidence?
Hearing this, the color drained from Rex's face.
His body collapsed, trembling,
a yellow trail spreading beneath him as he scrambled backward.
He opened his mouth to beg for mercy—
But—
BANG.
A silver bullet pierced his skull.
Blood pooled across the street.
Rex died with eyes wide open,
disbelieving that his life could end here.
His lackeys snapped out of their daze and tried to flee,
but Marine soldiers were already on them,
dragging them off toward the detention cells.
Finally, Jonathan turned his gaze toward Longinus,
the ugly strongman,
and the trembling little girl.
Under the crowd's anxious silence,
the Rear Admiral revealed a faint smile.
"You two—what are your names?"
"Longinus."
"T. Penn."
"You two… did very well."
Jonathan nodded approvingly.
"To be a Marine is to believe in justice—
and to have the courage to act upon that belief."
He then looked at Penn, voice gentle yet firm.
"And Longinus is correct—
Justice is never upheld by weakness or compromise.
Only by striking down evil with true strength
can peace and justice descend upon this world."
"Y-yes! Thank you for your guidance!"
Penn bowed heavily.
There was no envy in his gaze—
only a swelling, genuine admiration for Longinus,
the first person who hadn't recoiled from his monstrous appearance.
Jonathan's eyes returned to Longinus,
observing him with clear interest.
Longinus stood straight and calm, unflinching.
Penn felt a stab of shame—
He couldn't even hold the Rear Admiral's gaze earlier.
"I never expected," Jonathan said with a sigh,
"that the 'young hero' Captain Adkin mentioned
would appear before me so soon."
The crowd exploded with whispers.
Even the Marines behind Jonathan looked stunned—
their stern, unshakeable Rear Admiral
was praising a boy so openly?
"Adkin… young hero…"
Longinus frowned slightly.
He didn't remember meeting anyone by that name.
"No surprise. Captain Adkin arrived at Fallen Leaf Town after you left."
Jonathan chuckled.
"To think that wretched, slippery Giant Rhino Pirates
escaped Marine pursuit so many times—
only to be ended by you."
"Fortunately, you chose to join the Marines afterward.
That saved us quite a bit of face."
Jonathan's admiration deepened.
"And it was only because that pirate band fled to your island
that we learned a young hero had, for three years,
eliminated dozens of pirate crews on our behalf—
easing the pressure on our G2 forces."
"I only did what I should have done."
Longinus' gentle persona answered humbly.
And then—
the crowd erupted.
"No way! That kid—twelve, thirteen at most—took down that Giant Rhino Pirates?!"
"The Rear Admiral said it himself—how could it be false?"
"That was a 37,000,000-Beli pirate!
Back in my home in the West Blue,
you'd never find a pirate crew that strong!"
"He's so young and already like this…
Are we witnessing the birth of a future Marine Admiral?!"
Penn's eyes glimmered with awe.
He had killed pirates before—
but the highest bounty was only a bit over ten million.
Compared to Longinus' record…
it wasn't even in the same universe.
"No wonder he has such resolve and clarity,"
Penn thought, eyes burning.
"Is this the understanding of justice forged in constant battles against pirates?"
"If I could become a hero like Longinus…
maybe… maybe everyone wouldn't hate me anymore."