MTLNOVEL Chapter 246: Tears won't buy you time, you know
Under Aramaki's overwhelming presence, the crewmen didn't dare disobey him.
They scrambled to steer the merchant ship towards the pirate vessels.
The young men and women on deck were surprised by the captain's sudden boldness.
Their morale soared as they watched the pirate figures grow clearer in their vision.
Meanwhile, the pirates aboard the three ships didnt expect such a cooperation from a merchant vessel.
Their eyes gleamed with savage hunger as they watched the approaching vessel, grinning bloodthirstily.
"Ahahaha, boys, today's another day of bountiful harvest!" laughed the middle-aged man in a pirate coat and hat standing on the lead ship's deck.
"Listen up—once that ship's close enough, swarm it! Leave no survivors!"
"Captain Ed, what if there are girls aboard? Kill them too?"
"Kill the men, take the women! Ahahaha!"
Amids a spine-chilling burst of laughter, the merchant ship slowly came to a halt on the sea surface less than twenty meters away from the three pirate vessels.
In the next moment, a figure flashed out from the captain's cabin and landed atop the ship's deck.
Before the pirates on the ships could react, Aramaki, who had swiftly reached the top of the vessel, didn't hesitate for even a moment.
With a flicker of movement, he leaped into the air, clearing the twenty-meter gap in a single bound before crashing down onto the deck of the lead pirate ship with a terrifying surge of energy.
"You—can all die now!"
Before the words had even faded, Aramaki's right arm suddenly elongated, his fingers transforming into sharp, rigid wooden tendrils in an instant.
With lightning speed, he pierced through the bodies of the five nearest pirates.
"!!!!!"
The sudden attack left all the pirates present wide-eyed in shock.
Ed, the pirate captain, was the first to react, his face pale with terror as he exclaimed.
"A Devil Fruit user!"
"At least you have some sense!"
Having swiftly eliminated the five pirates, Aramaki didn't pause for a second.
In a flash, he charged into the crowd of pirates.
"I am the user of the Logia-type Mori Mori no Mi! Consider it an honor to die by my hand!"
No sooner had he spoken than both his arms morphed into countless rigid wooden tendrils.
Amidst a series of sickening sounds, over a dozen pirates were skewered before they could even comprehend what was happening, their eyes wide with shock as they were strung up like kebabs.
"Hey, who the hell is that guy?"
"He's insane! He's gonna claim all Four Great Military Exploits by himself!"
"What are you talking about? We don't even know if he's a Marine!"
Aramaki's sudden appearance left the young men and women on the merchant ship utterly dumbfounded.
One of the men frantically shouted, "Why has the ship stopped? Get closer! I want in on the fight too!"
Amidst his yells, the battle on the opposing pirate ship had already come to an abrupt halt.
After wiping out all the pirates, including Captain Ed, Aramaki didn't hesitate.
He launched himself from the deck of the pirate ship, soaring through the air towards another vessel.
As he descended, a sunflower-like bloom sprouted from his back, cushioning his landing and allowing him to touch down gracefully on the next ship's deck.
The sight of Aramaki flying toward them on a flower sent the pirates into a panic.
They dropped their weapons en masse, falling to their knees and begging for mercy.
A few of the more cowardly ones even burst into tears at the sheer terror of his power.
"Crying?"
Now fully transformed into his forest monster form, Aramaki swept his cold gaze across the deck, a mocking glint in his eyes.
"Tears won't buy you time, you know~"
*****
By the time Aramaki returned to the merchant ship, not a single living soul remained on the three pirate vessels.
His methods had been brutal—each pirate skewered clean through by his wooden tendrils.
The group of young men and women who had earlier clamored to fight now stood frozen, staring at the demonic figure who had returned to their ship.
Many trembled under the oppressive aura radiating from him, barely staying upright only because their companions held them up.
"Don't be afraid!"
Noticing their reactions, Aramaki lit a cigarette, trying to appear more approachable.
"Like you, I'm heading to Marine Headquarters to enlist. Barring any surprises, I'll definitely become an officer. You all showed promise earlier—if you make it through recruitment, why not serve under me? Together, we can uphold the justice while risking our lives. What do you say?"
*****
Meanwhile.
The first half of the Grand Line, a port within a certain country.
A middle-aged man holding a cane followed the crowd at a leisurely pace as he boarded one of the large merchant ships.
Though blind, he could clearly perceive all movements around him, always managing to avoid bumping into others at the last moment.
Soon, the crowd took notice of this blind man.
After confirming he wasn't faking his blindness, a young woman enthusiastically guided him, helping him safely reach the ship's deck.
"Thank you, young lady."
Once on deck, the middle-aged man seemed to know exactly where the woman stood as he faced her direction and nodded slightly in polite gratitude.
"No need for thanks," the young woman waved her hand while subtly studying the man.
Curiously, she asked, "Uncle, how did you know I'm a young lady? Your eyes... Hey! You bad uncle, you were pretending to be blind!"
"No, no, I wasn't pretending!" the man quickly explained. "I knew you were a young lady from the sound of your voice."
"Is that so?" The young woman remained skeptical, waving her hand before the man's eyes.
Seeing no reaction, she finally believed him and asked another question, "I noticed you have a scar on your face Uncle. Did your injury cause your blindness?"
"It wasn't caused by injury."
The middle-aged man shook his head with a faint smile.
"I did it to myself."
"Nani?!" The young woman's eyes widened instantly. "Why? Are you crazy? Why would you blind yourself?"
"I'm not crazy—the world is!" The man tilted his head slightly upward, his tone as calm as ever.
"Not seeing isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are too many filthy, despicable people in this world—better not to see them at all!"
"Uncle, you're being too extreme!"
The young woman clearly disagreed, placing her hands on her hips.
"Sure, there are plenty of vile people in this world, and countless pirates on the seas. But I wouldn't blind myself to escape it—I'd do my best to change the world instead!"
"Change the world?!" The man turned towards her, speaking gently. "That's a lofty ideal. When I was young, I thought the same way. But now, the world hasn't improved—it's only gotten worse."
"That's not true!" the young woman immediately retorted.
"Uncle, you must not have heard! The Marine Headquarters now has an amazing Fleet Admiral. Right after taking office, he publicly executed Whitebeard Jr, abolished the Warlord system, and reassigned all former Warlords into the Marines for rehabilitation.
Then he sent Marine Admirals Akainu and Aokiji into the New World, where they defeated both the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates! I've heard the Fleet Admiral has already claimed Big Mom's territory and Kaido's occupied Wano Country for the Marines. With him leading, the world is bound to get better!"
"In fact, I'm setting sail now to join the World Military Draft at Marine Headquarters—to follow the Fleet Admiral's footsteps and help change the world!"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man's pupils rolled slightly white as he faced the young woman in surprise.
"Isn't the Fleet Admiral of Marines Sengoku? When did we get a new Fleet Admiral?"
"Uncle, regretting it now, aren't you?"
Seeing that the middle-aged man was unaware of recent major events, the young woman chuckled and continued.
"If you hadn't been so extreme as to blind yourself, you would definitely have been won over by the Fleet Admiral's charisma."
The middle-aged man tilted his head slightly and smiled, "Seems you admire this Marine Fleet Admiral quite a bit."
"Of course I do!" The young woman's eyes sparkled as she exclaimed excitedly, "The Fleet Admiral isn't just incredibly strong—he's also very young. Most importantly, he treats his soldiers extremely well.
My father was once a Marine in his youth, but after being injured in a battle against pirates, he could no longer stay at the Marine base and had to return to his hometown. In the decade-plus since he left the Marines, his former base commander never once checked in on him... until the Fleet Admiral appeared!"
"My father had been out of the Marines for over ten years. We thought the Marines had long forgotten about an old soldier like him. But who knew that as soon as the new Fleet Admiral took office, he ordered all branches to compile records of veterans who had fought for justice and sent generous compensation? Those who had earned military merits were even posthumously honored as Marine heroes!"
"That's wonderful." The middle-aged man seemed moved and tentatively asked, "Could you tell me more about this Fleet Admiral?"
The young woman thumped her chest proudly and declared boldly.
"As long as you're willing to listen, I could talk for three days and nights!"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she changed the subject.
"By the way, what's your name, Uncle? I'm Joanna—the Supergirl who's going to become Fleet Admiral someday, heehee~"
The middle-aged man nodded slightly.
"Call me Issho."
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