The Marines of the G-17 Branch had no idea why Rear Admiral Aiden, the Reaper, was acting so strange today. But they trusted his authority, so they did not hesitate.
They immediately started pulling Weevil out of the sea.
...
"One, two, three! Heave!"
"Heave!!"
With the loud sound of the winch and the shouts of dozens of Marines, a large fishing net finally broke the surface of the sea and was slowly pulled onto the deck.
"Thud!"
A heavy thud echoed, and the deck shook.
Edward Weevil, who had seemed unstoppable earlier, now lay limp on the wet deck, stripped of all dignity.
His stomach was swollen from swallowing seawater. He lay spread out with his eyes rolled back, constantly foaming at the mouth.
On his broad chest, the charred X-shaped scar was so deep that bone was visible. Even after soaking in seawater, the wound still looked burned.
"Pant... pant..."
Bakkin was thrown to the side. She was lucky to be alive. Although she had swallowed a lot of water, she did not seem to have any fatal injuries. She just lay on the ground, coughing hard and shaking.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
Aiden pushed past the watching Marines and was the first to rush over to Weevil.
He squatted down, extended two fingers, and carefully checked Weevil's breathing.
One second.
Two seconds.
It was weak, but breath still touched his fingertips.
"Phew..."
Aiden let out a long sigh of relief. He relaxed at once, patted his chest, and said while still shaken,
"That scared me to death... He's still breathing."
"I thought this time's reward... oh no, I thought justice wouldn't be served."
Smoker, standing nearby, froze for a moment. Did he just hear the word "reward"?
But he looked at Aiden's shaken face and shook his head. He figured he must have misheard, or Aiden was talking nonsense again.
After all, Aiden was always a bit weird and often blurted out strange words. Smoker was used to it by now.
Smoker rolled his eyes, too lazy to look into it.
"Cough, cough... cough, cough, cough..."
Right then, Bakkin finally caught her breath and struggled to sit up.
When she saw the unfriendly glares of the surrounding Marines, she looked afraid. She instinctively shrank back toward Weevil.
Zephyr, wearing a dry towel over his shoulders, walked over with a hard look.
"Aiden."
Zephyr looked at the two prisoners on the ground. He noticed the look in Aiden's eyes and asked,
"How do you plan to handle them?"
"Handle them?"
Aiden stood up, looked at the two on the ground with disgust, and said casually,
"Isn't it simple? Just chop them up and feed them to the fish."
"This supply ship isn't that big to begin with, and it's loaded with supplies. Where do we have the space to lock up these two dangerous people? What if this big idiot wakes up and goes crazy? It's easier and cleaner to just kill them."
"No!"
Zephyr frowned and refused at once.
"They have lost their ability to resist, so they are prisoners. The Marines do not have the right to execute prisoners."
"Lock them in the confinement room in the bottom hold. When we get back to the G-17 Branch, we will follow the proper legal process and send them to Impel Down."
Hearing "Impel Down," Bakkin, who had been trembling, suddenly lit up.
As long as she wasn't executed on the spot, and as long as they followed legal procedure, she had plenty of ways to survive.
"That's right! You can't kill us!"
Bakkin suddenly straightened her back, regaining her arrogant attitude. She pointed at Zephyr and Aiden, screaming,
"If you dare to kill us without a trial, I will report you to the World Government!"
"Besides..."
Bakkin rolled her eyes, pointed to the half-dead Weevil beside her, and brought out that terrifying name.
"You better figure out who this child is!"
"He is Whitebeard's biological son!"
"He is the son of Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!!"
The deck fell silent.
The recruits, who had been standing around with hateful glares, looked at each other. Shock and fear showed on their faces.
Whitebeard.
That name meant too much on the sea. He was a legend on par with Pirate King Roger, a king who currently ruled the New World.
Everyone knew Whitebeard valued his family the most. He was famous for fiercely protecting his own, let alone his biological son.
If this big idiot really was Whitebeard's son...
Then by capturing him, wouldn't that mean they would have to face the wrath of the Whitebeard Pirates?
"Scared now? You know to be scared now!"
Seeing the shocked expressions around her, Bakkin grew even more smug. She put her hands on her hips and started threatening them.
"If you know what's good for you, hurry up and get us your best room and doctor! You also need to compensate us for our mental distress!"
"Otherwise, as soon as I let the news out, Whitebeard's fleet will come right away and flatten this broken ship and your G-17 base to the ground!"
Zephyr's frown deepened. Even though he didn't believe these two had anything to do with Whitebeard, such a troublesome identity claim would become very difficult to deal with once reported.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense.
"Heh."
Aiden chuckled softly. He raised two fingers and looked at Bakkin.
"Don't get excited. I was joking earlier. How could I kill prisoners in front of Instructor Zephyr?"
Bakkin froze for a moment.
Even Zephyr, standing nearby, felt a bit relieved. As long as Aiden did not act recklessly and followed proper procedure, they could deal with the rest later.
"At least you look a bit like a Marine."
Bakkin dusted herself off. Pushing her luck, she pointed at Aiden's nose with an arrogant look on her face.
"Since that's the case, I won't hold it against you for injuring my son earlier. But you must compensate us! I want one hundred million... no, five hundred million Berries! And..."
Aiden stopped smiling.
"Did you misunderstand something?"
Bakkin's voice stopped.
Before anyone could react, a small crackle sparked in the air.
Aiden disappeared from where he stood.
In the next instant, he was already in front of them.
Oto pierced through Bakkin's chest.
Kogarashi sank deep into Weevil's chest, right through the charred X-shaped wound.
The deck fell silent.
Bakkin's eyes slowly widened. Blood spilled from the corner of her mouth as she looked down at the blade in her chest.
"You..."
Aiden's face did not change.
"You tried to kill Marine recruits."
He pulled Oto free from Bakkin's chest.
"And you used Whitebeard's name as a shield."
Bakkin's mouth opened, but no more words came out.
Aiden moved past her and swung Oto.
A thin red line opened across Bakkin's neck.
Her head fell onto the deck.
At the same time, Aiden twisted Kogarashi inside Weevil's chest and drove Haki and lightning through the wound.
Weevil's huge body jerked once.
His heart was destroyed before he could wake up.
Aiden pulled Kogarashi free.
Bakkin's body collapsed first.
A moment later, Weevil's body fell heavily beside her.
Blood spread through the puddles at Aiden's feet.
No one spoke.
Aiden flicked the blood from his blades and sheathed both swords.
Then he kicked Bakkin's body off the broken deck.
Weevil's huge body followed, crashing into the sea with a heavy splash.
The waves swallowed them quickly.
At the same time.
The system notification finally rang in Aiden's mind.
[Judgment Successful!]
Aiden quickly glanced at the drop list refreshing on his system panel.
Among a bunch of random skills, the item glowing with golden light was clearly listed, [SSS-Grade Physique].
"It really is an SSS-grade physique."
Aiden couldn't stop himself from smiling.
Perfect.
"Aiden!!!!"
Right then, a shout full of shock and anger rang across the deck.
Zephyr rushed over. He pointed at the two corpses on the ground, his fingers trembling.
"You... what did you do?!"
"They had already lost the ability to resist! Why didn't you hand them over to the judicial system?! You abused your power to kill prisoners without trial!"
Zephyr was shaking with anger.
He wasn't just angry about the killing itself. He was furious that Aiden had used lies to execute prisoners right in front of him.
This wasn't just trampling on military discipline. It was an insult to the justice Zephyr believed in.
"Instructor, please calm down."
Facing Zephyr's fury, Aiden didn't panic at all.
He adjusted his cuffs and met Zephyr's gaze calmly. He said sincerely,
"I am helping you, and I am helping the Marines solve a dangerous problem."
"What?" Zephyr froze.
Aiden looked around.
He pointed to the injured recruits supporting each other, then to the pale faces of Ain and Hina, and finally to Zephyr's own arm that had almost been cut off.
"For monsters like this, who have no humanity and almost killed all your students..."
Aiden's voice grew cold.
"An enemy is only harmless when he's dead."
"Only by ending their lives can we make sure your students won't be hurt again. Send them to Impel Down? What if they break out? What if Whitebeard rescues them? I don't want to see your students living in fear of revenge in the future."
"Of course, I know I violated your principles and military discipline."
Aiden looked at Zephyr and said,
"If you think I was wrong, and that I shouldn't have killed the two murderers who almost wiped out the entire elite training camp..."
"Then please arrest me right now."
"Send me to Impel Down. I won't fight back at all."
Zephyr was stunned.
He looked at Aiden's extended hands. Even though they had just ended two lives, there was not a single drop of blood on them.
He turned his head to look around again.
Smoker, Hina, Binz, and all the surviving recruits.
Not a single person spoke.
But their expressions said enough.
They looked at the two corpses, feeling only relief and satisfaction. They looked at Aiden, their eyes full of admiration and gratitude.
In their hearts, Aiden had dropped from the sky to save them. Aiden had avenged them and ended the threat for good.
No one thought Aiden had done anything wrong.
Except for him, this stubborn old man.
"..."
Zephyr's hand trembled. He reached for the handcuffs at his waist, but he couldn't pull them out.
In that moment, the tough "Black Arm" Zephyr seemed to age.
His gaze rested on Aiden's face for a long time. A thought he himself found frightening came to him.
If back then...
If he had been as decisive as Aiden back then, killing those begging pirates...
Would his family... still be alive?
"Phew..."
The sea breeze blew by, carrying away the smell of blood in the air.
Zephyr's hand finally dropped.
He didn't cuff Aiden. He just looked at him for a long moment, then turned and walked toward the cabin. His back looked lonely.
"Don't let it happen again."
Aiden pulled his hands back. He watched the old man's back, which seemed to have aged all at once. He didn't feel the joy of winning an argument against his instructor. Instead, he sighed softly.
Deep down, he really liked this old man who had dedicated himself and his entire family to the Marines.
Because of this, he didn't want Zephyr to follow his original fate. He didn't want Zephyr to wait until he lost his students, his arm, and all his trust in the Marines, until he had nothing left, before he was forced to realize that mercy was an expensive luxury on this sea.
"Luckily... I made it in time this time."
Aiden glanced at the recruits around him and felt relieved.
As long as the tragedy didn't happen, he didn't mind being the "bad guy."
"Cough, cough! Alright! What are you all looking at!"
Just as the atmosphere got heavy, Smoker stepped in at the right time and shouted loudly,
"Didn't you hear Chief Instructor Zephyr? Don't let it happen again! Hurry up, clean the blood off the deck and check the wounded!"
"The rest of you, don't just stand there like idiots!"
Smoker pointed at the pile of supply boxes on the deck and the piles of special goods in the cabin below, waving his hand.
"Bring out all the meat and alcohol from the cabin! The G-17 Branch's supplies have arrived! Tonight we're throwing a party on this deck! Unlimited meat! Unlimited booze!"
"Ohhh!!!"
"Long live Rear Admiral Aiden!!"
"Long live the G-17 Branch!!"
Cheers broke out across the deck. The fear and exhaustion they had held back for so long were released in that moment.
Amidst the cheering, Aiden leaned against the railing and opened a bottle of alcohol for himself.
He looked at the lively scene in front of him, then glanced back at the [SSS-Grade Physique] he had been dreaming of on the system panel. He smiled.
This time, he had won big.
To Be Continued
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