On the distant sea, a Marine warship had appeared at some unknown time.
At the bow of the warship, a burly man wearing a Marine cloak stood against the wind.
A steel jaw and a giant axe for a prosthetic right hand marked the newcomer's identity.
Marine Branch 153, Captain Morgan!
Morgan looked at the familiar pirate flag and noticed that one of the masts on the Black Cat Pirates' ship was broken.
If nothing unexpected happened, it must have been caused by the battle between the Black Cat Pirates and the Beheader Swordsman Hiroto.
From the looks of it, the Beheader Swordsman must have been killed by Jango.
However, judging from the marks on the hull, the Black Cat Pirates suffered heavy casualties just as the report stated.
To think that a pirate with a 7 million bounty could inflict such damage on the remnants of the Black Cat Pirates. As expected, after he had killed Kuro, the remaining scum had no strength left.
"That is exactly why I must execute all of you."
Morgan sneered and ordered, "Fire! Give these shameless bastards a wake-up call!"
"Yes, Captain Morgan."
The turrets on the Marine warship roared, and the sounds of continuous cannon fire rang out. Then, sharp whistles pierced the sky as the shells fell rapidly towards the Black Cat Pirates' ship.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Out of more than twenty shells, twelve hit the stationary target, and the continuous explosions of fire engulfed half of the hull.
The flag of the Black Cat Pirates vanished in the gunfire, and more than half of the ship was engulfed in flames.
"Move in closer. I'll finish them off myself."
Morgan looked coldly at the ravaged Black Cat pirate ship and ordered the Marines to stop firing.
He would personally deal with these scum to let the world know how great he is.
For this reason, he had personally captured some bounty hunters to serve as witnesses, letting them witness the moment he would erase this stain.
In passing, he would spread his prestige, making more people bow down at his feet.
Thinking of this, Morgan waved his hand and said, "Bring those bounty hunters up here and let them get a good look at my greatness."
"Understood." A Marine saluted and relayed the order.
Then, over a dozen bounty hunters were pushed onto the warship's deck by the Marines.
Among them, Johnny and Yosaku looked indignant, glancing at Zoro from time to time.
However, they weren't hoping for Zoro to stand up for them. Rather, they wanted to hold him back to avoid a conflict with these Marines, whose conduct was far worse than others.
Zoro remained expressionless, not wanting to bother with these Marines.
Once a direct conflict with the Marines occurred, he would be wanted and reduced to a pirate, a path of evil. It would be very troublesome to travel elsewhere after that.
"Hey, listen up, all of you."
Morgan turned and looked down at the bounty hunters on the deck. "You hounds chasing after money, your only task now, is to witness the complete annihilation of the Black Cat Pirates. Remember, this will be the most glorious thing you do in your life."
"Because you have witnessed my achievements, you will go to various places and spread my greatness."
"If you fail to do so, that is treason, that is rebellion."
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding Marines expressionlessly raised their Flintlock Muskets, their dark muzzles pointed at the bounty hunters present.
"In that case, you will have to accept punishment."
With a sinister expression, Morgan pressed his hand down, and those dark muzzles were immediately lowered.
"Is there something wrong with this Marine's head?" Among the bounty hunters, Johnny couldn't help but whisper.
Yosaku followed suit, whispering his complaint, "This is really infuriating."
"Who knows? I just find it boring."
Zoro sighed and looked up at the sky. "It would be nice to meet a powerful pirate."
"Approaching the enemy ship!"
"Prepare for battle!"
The shouts and movements of the Marines became active as the warship drew close to the burning pirate ship.
The Marine in charge of observation was suddenly stunned. Through his telescope, he saw a figure standing amidst the burning sea of fire.
It was the top of the Black Cat pirate ship's mast.
Above the raging fire, a figure stood against the wind, one hand resting on the hilt of his blade.
"Captain Morgan, an enemy has appeared!" The Marine's report echoed over the deck.
Morgan frowned and looked over, but he could only see a blurry silhouette.
"He didn't run away and actually dares to try and fight back?"
He instantly guessed the figure's intention and sneered, raising his right-hand axe.
"Since you like performing so much, I'll let you perform a body-splitting trick!"
The distance continued to close. Amidst the Marines' tense waiting, the Black Cat Pirates' counterattack was slow to arrive.
The warship kept nearing the pirate ship until they were almost face-to-face.
At this moment, the Marine's dutiful warning rang out again. "Enemy attack!"
"Noisy fellow. With me here, his only fate is death."
Morgan grinned and raised his axe, shouting at the top of his lungs, "I am the greatest!"
"Yes, you are the greatest, Captain Morgan."
"We are willing to follow you even to the underworld."
The Marines, whether forced or willing, echoed Morgan's shouts with fanatical cries.
At the same time, a wailing gale blew in from ahead and a black shadow fell.
Hiroto kept one hand on his hilt, his sharp gaze locked onto Morgan on the warship.
'It's not Jango, but the Beheader Swordsman Hiroto?' Morgan recognized the newcomer at a glance.
Had he surrendered and been recruited after failing to beat Jango?
Perhaps that was why he was sent out to lead the charge.
Forget it, it makes no difference. I'll execute them all.
"For justice!"
Morgan stomped his foot heavily and soared into the sky.
Swinging his right-hand axe, he intended to strike from below and split the enemy in two with one blow.
As he jumped, the Marines on the warship shouted along.
"Long live Captain Morgan!"
"Slay this pirate and show your greatness to the world!"
Whether they were willing or not, the Marines showed great enthusiasm.
Those who wouldn't show such enthusiasm were now lying in the Marine cemetery, perhaps with 'Read the room!' engraved on their tombstones.
Hiroto, descending from the sky, ignored them. His attention wasn't even on Morgan.
Before leaping over the warship, he hypnotized himself, entering a berserk state in exchange for a terrifying increase in strength.
[Strength: D- → D+]
[Agility: E+ → E++ → D-]
Hiroto descended through the air, his veins bulging as his fingers gripped the hilt.
"Let's try this. The strike that truly cleaves a ship."
The moment he drew his blade, the blade seemed to grow against the wind, as a surging gale wrapped around the edge, transforming with the slash into a long arc.
—Steel-Severing Slash!
A roaring slash, comparable to a true flying slash, whistled out.
Morgan, who was the first to bear the brunt, had just leaped up when the brilliant slash was reflected in his eyes.
An unprecedented fear filled his mind. He couldn't understand why a pirate with a 7 million bounty could unleash such a slash.
But everything was irreversible as the slash filled his vision.
Swoosh—
Morgan was split in two in mid-air, followed by the warship beneath him being sliced open.
This warship, over thirty meters long and nearly twenty meters wide, equipped with multiple turrets, was also split in two.
The cheers of the Marines that had followed Morgan's leap came to an abrupt halt at this moment.