MTLNOVEL Chapter 3: 2- The Fear of Shells Town
2- The Fear of Shells Town
Meanwhile, at the Marine base, in the execution area, a man was tied to some posts, patiently waiting for something. It was clear he had gone days without food or water, barely able to stand.
—Looks like I got here before my little brother —Kara said, sensing Zoro with her Observation Haki even before looking behind the base walls.
—Now that I think about it, that idiot always stole my rations to escape from Grandpa… So that damn old man caught me and forced me to join the Marines… I could get my revenge by stealing some of his future crewmates —she murmured with a dark smile as she walked.
Crash!
The sound of an explosion echoed as the base wall was destroyed. Kara walked calmly through the debris as if there had never been a wall in her way.
Zoro lifted his head at the noise and saw a woman wearing a Marine cape approaching him with a smile that didn't bode well.
—What do you want? —Zoro asked quickly as Kara stopped in front of him.
—Well, a cute little girl asked me to help you since I lost a bet… But I have a better idea. You… why don't you join the Marines? —Kara asked with an interested smile, standing proudly before Zoro.
—Ah… Why would I join the people who tied me up here? —Zoro responded irritably.
—Mmm, good point… Hmm… what if I take you to Hawkeye? —Kara asked again, looking at him with interest.
—You know where he is? —Zoro asked quickly.
—Well, technically, he works with the Marines from time to time —Kara replied casually as she thought—. Buuut… right now, you're pretty weak. How about I help you train so you don't die like a dog when you face him? —she said, looking at Zoro, who, at that moment, could be killed with just a finger.
—Well, take your time thinking about it while I go fetch your swords —Kara said, turning away, as she sensed that her main guest was approaching.
—Who the hell are you, and what are you doing at the great Morgan's base?! —Morgan shouted as he arrived with his soldiers, having heard the base wall being destroyed.
—Wow, your chin is really weird, hahaha —Kara said, laughing at Morgan's face while touching her own chin for comparison.
Morgan, seeing that she didn't respond and even had the audacity to mock him, didn't even notice the cape his "guest" was wearing and quickly gave his orders.
—Shoot to kill! —Morgan ordered without hesitation.
—But, Sir Morgan, she might be a— —One of the soldiers had noticed Kara's cape and wanted to warn him, but he wasn't sure and tried to defuse the situation. However, Morgan shot him a deadly glare and punched him.
—I said shoot! —Morgan repeated furiously, glaring at the other soldiers. Out of fear, they quickly began firing at Kara and Zoro.
—Hey, be careful! —Zoro shouted quickly, closing his eyes, preparing to take the bullets, regretting not being able to fulfill his promise.
However, when he opened his eyes, he saw that the bullets hitting Kara simply fell to the ground, leaving no mark on her. She even made a gesture of dusting off the areas where they had struck.
Zoro, stunned, couldn't understand what had just happened.
—Aah… I don't want to drag this out any longer. By order of this Vice Admiral… you're fired —Kara declared, walking toward Morgan as if taking a casual stroll.
—Vice Admiral?! —Morgan finally noticed Kara's cape, and for a moment, fear flashed across his face, but his expression quickly turned even more sinister.
—So what if you're a Vice Admiral? I just have to kill you —Morgan said with full confidence, as if killing a Vice Admiral from Headquarters was the easiest thing in the world… or as if he were strong enough to do it.
Hearing that, Kara was quickly taken aback, looking at Morgan.
—Wow, it's amazing what ignorance and arrogance can achieve —she said, exaggerating her expression of surprise.
Morgan wasted no time and tried to attack Kara with his axe-hand, aiming directly at her neck.
Kara, for her part, did nothing. She simply waited for the attack with total calm, even placing her hands behind her back.
Seeing this, Morgan grinned triumphantly. He thought this Vice Admiral must be one of the weakest, frozen in fear at the sight of his attack. However, his expression changed drastically when his axe struck Kara's neck and shattered completely, as if he had thrown an egg against a rock.
—What?! —Morgan was stunned to see his weapon crumble into pieces—. How did you do that?! —he asked, confused and furious at losing his "hand."
—Haa… I'm already bored. For attacking a superior officer, desertion, corruption, and… I don't know… being ugly? Just go to prison —Kara said indifferently, listing Morgan's crimes. Then she raised a hand and struck him directly on the jaw.
The impact was brutal. Morgan's metal jaw was dented, and his entire body collapsed to the ground, unconscious. A perfectly placed blow to the jaw had shaken his brain, knocking him out instantly.
—Well, that's done —Kara said as she wiped her hands with a satisfied gesture.
The surrounding marines were in shock for a few seconds before dropping their weapons and quickly saluting Kara with a formal gesture.
—Vice Admiral, welcome to Shells Town! —said the soldiers' captain hastily, while the others held back tears of joy at seeing Morgan defeated.
—Yeah, yeah. Bring this guy's swords. And forced labor for the little clown —Kara said, pointing at Helmeppo, who, upon seeing how easily his father had been defeated, trembled in fear behind the soldiers.
—Yes, ma'am! —Ripper quickly responded, sending his men to retrieve Zoro's swords and capture Helmeppo.
—That was easy… —Kara murmured before turning her attention to Zoro—. Have you decided yet? Or should I just beat you up and take you anyway? After all, that's how they hired me.
—Tsk… —Zoro sighed—. Whatever, I'd rather join on my own —he said resignedly, still unable to understand how Kara had destroyed Morgan's weapon with a simple movement.
—But I warn you, if joining the Marines doesn't help me fulfill my dream, I'll join the opposite side without hesitation —Zoro added, looking at her fearlessly.
—Sure, whatever. I'll go with you if you want… No, please take me with you if you leave —Kara replied nonchalantly, as if she didn't care about deserting alongside him—. Damn, I wish I were as carefree as Luffy. Maybe I would've become a pretty powerful pirate —she said with a sigh, reminiscing about her past.
When she was 15, her grandfather caught her trying to escape on a boat, and to prevent her from doing something reckless, he sent her to the Marines' training base. Unfortunately for her, Zephyr quickly discovered her talent and took it upon himself to train her personally.
Of course, "training" meant getting beaten from dawn until dusk for almost a year. Many times she tried using the excuse of being a woman, but Zephyr didn't discriminate by gender… not even a little.
Fortunately, thanks to her early graduation, she managed to escape that hell. As a prodigy, she quickly gained achievements, taking out all her frustration on the pirates she encountered, which led her to rise through the ranks at an incredible speed.
At 23, she became the youngest vice admiral in the Marines, even surpassing Aokiji, who had been 24 when he reached that rank.
Now, at 28, she had relaxed quite a bit. She had no interest in becoming an admiral, especially since all the positions were filled, and she didn't want to end up serving those "bubble-headed pigs."
She was relatively free compared to other vice admirals. Sengoku never tried to put her in charge of a naval base because he knew it would be a disaster, so her main tasks were support, search, and rescue. That meant she could take her time… and go fishing in Marineford.
After freeing Zoro, she took him to the restaurant run by Rika and her mother, Ririka, so he could eat something, since he hadn't had a proper meal in days. That way, she could also show the girl that she had kept her promise.
While Zoro devoured his food at an alarming speed, Kara watched him in disgust, observing all the crumbs falling from his mouth. Kara was quite obsessive about cleanliness, which was why she always wore gloves.
—Here you go, sister marine —said Rika, approaching with a big smile as she offered a plate full of rice balls.
—Thanks, little one. Here's a tip for being such a lovely waitress —Kara said, making a lollipop appear in her hand and giving it to Rika, who received it happily.
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