Though this was merely a rookie pirate crew that had just entered the Grand Line without any notable reputation, the marine training ship Orion was on carried nothing but fresh recruits—greenhorns who'd just completed basic training—aside from the captain.
Within moments, twenty to thirty young marines lay bleeding on the decks.
"Kekekeke! Marines aren't so tough after all!" The pirate captain, leading his crew in storming the warship, glanced around.
Seeing they had gained the upper hand and two of his men had already entangled the marine captain, he couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"Men, push forward and finish off these marines!"
"AHHH—"
The moment the pirate captain finished speaking, a series of screams erupted.
Following the sound, amidst the chaotic battle, three marine recruits stood shoulder to shoulder, charging through the pirate crew's encirclement like three wolves among sheep, they're unstoppable.
"Hmm?"
Surprised to encounter such formidable recruits on this warship, the pirate captain's eyes flashed as he drew his sword from his waist.
In the next moment, his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already swinging his sword down at Orion, who was charging ahead.
"Orion, watch out!"
At the critical moment, Brian reacted swiftly, raising his blade to block in front of Orion.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing instantly drew the attention of Orion and Rogers, followed by a shockwave of sword energy that forced both of them back several steps uncontrollably.
Then, Brian, who had intervened just in time to block the pirate captain's attack, was sent flying backward by the powerful slash.
"BRIAN!"
Almost simultaneously, Rogers and Orion snapped out of their daze, leaping forward in unison to stand side by side in front of Brian.
However, they were still a step too slow.
The moment they positioned themselves before Brian, the pirate captain closed in like a shadow, his sword gleaming like a crescent moon as it swept Orion and Rogers into its arc, sending both flying backward.
"Hold steady!"
Seizing the brief respite provided by Orion and Rogers' intervention, Brian flipped up like a carp, thrusting both hands forward to catch the two as they were flung back.
Feeling the strong hands supporting them from behind, Orion and Rogers turned their heads simultaneously to see Brian, now standing firm with his blade raised, joining them shoulder to shoulder.
"Let's go!"
No sooner had Brian stepped forward to stand with Orion and Rogers than he crouched low, raising his sword high above his head.
"Charge!"
With a roar, the three brothers charged forward once more, their sights set on the pirate captain ahead.
"Hmph!"
Unimpressed that these three marine rookies dared to attack him, the pirate captain sneered coldly.
"You think the three of you can take me down? Dream on! I'm a pirate with a bounty of 55 million Belly!"
Before his words faded, the pirate captain suddenly bent low, his legs coiling like compressed springs, ripples forming around them.
"Huh?"
Noticing this subtle movement, Orion's pupils constricted sharply.
"A Devil Fruit user?"
"Whoosh—"
Before Orion could recover from his shock, the crouching pirate captain launched himself like a cannonball, crashing straight into the trio.
BOOM—
A deafening explosion rang out as the three charging brothers were struck by an overwhelming force, sending them flying uncontrollably towards the ship's cabin.
Bouncing off the cabin wall and landing back on the deck, Orion ignored the churning blood in his veins and sprang to his feet first.
At the same time...
With a single strike that sent three men flying, the pirate captain launched himself again, changing positions at astonishing speed like a spring.
"How is this possible?!"
Watching the blurry figure of the Spring Man darting left and right across the deck, effortlessly taking down several Marine soldiers, Orion's eyes widened in disbelief.
"The Paramecia-type Spring Fruit!"
As a transmigrator, Orion was naturally familiar with this Devil Fruit—it belonged to Bellamy from Mock Town in the original story.
Given the current timeline, Bellamy wouldn't appear for another twelve years.
This meant that Bellamy hadn't yet obtained the Spring Fruit, nor had he become one of Doflamingo's subordinates.
"Kekekeke! Didn't expect a mere Marine soldier to have such knowledge!"
"That's right! I'm the Spring Man who ate the Spring Spring Fruit!"
"Feel the terror of death!"
The pirate captain's voice fluctuated in volume as his figure flickered unpredictably.
By the time his last word left his lips, he was already in front of Orion, his sword instantly filling Orion's vision.
Thud—
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out abruptly.
Then, a figure crashed into Orion.
Before Orion could react, the sword that had run through the figure's body sank into his left shoulder.
"!!!!"
The moment the blade pierced his shoulder, Orion's pupils constricted violently.
Not because of the pain—but because the one who had taken the blow for him was Rogers.
Glancing down at the sword tip embedded in his shoulder after passing through Rogers' body, Orion jolted awake and shouted.
"ROGERS!"
Cough—
"Devil Fruit users aren't so tough after all!"
With the sword still impaling him, Rogers gripped the hilt with both hands, his blazing eyes fixed on the pirate captain struggling to pull the weapon free.
He growled, "If you want to kill the runt, you'll have to get through me first."
At the same time—
Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Brian lunged forward, his blade flashing like lightning toward the pirate captain.
"Damn it!"
The captain hadn't expected Rogers to react so swiftly despite being run through.
Unable to wrench his sword free from Rogers' iron grip, he had no choice but to abandon it and dodge Brian's slash.
"Rogers!"
Brian hadn't expected to land a hit with that strike.
After successfully forcing the captain back, he immediately rushed to Rogers' side.
"I'm fine,"
Rogers kept his eyes locked on the retreating pirate captain as he yanked the sword from his body without hesitation.
Then, turning to Orion, he grinned as if nothing had happened.
"Runt, you—"
His words cut off abruptly as blood suddenly gushed from his mouth.
The next moment, Rogers staggered and dropped to one knee.
"Rogers—!"
Brian reacted instantly, stepping forward to catch him.
But the moment he steadied Rogers, the latter grabbed his arm tightly.
"The… cough… runt… is in your hands now."
"You're all dead today!"
Before Brian could respond, the pirate captain activated his Spring Fruit ability once more.
With a cold, arrogant shout, his figure vanished in a flash.
At the same moment, as Rogers shielded him from the attack—just like the fallen comrades who had once protected him—Orion's mind went momentarily blank.
Then, a flash of red light suddenly streaked across his vision.
"This is—"
"Observation Haki...?"
The thought had barely formed in Orion's mind when the pirate captain's attack trajectory flashed before his eyes.
Almost instinctively, Orion raised his sword high and under the astonished gazes of Brian and Rogers, slashed upward against the oncoming afterimage.
"Thud—"
With a soft sound, the afterimage suddenly vanished, replaced by the utterly incredulous face of the pirate captain.
"You... actually predicted my attack!"
Never expecting Orion to strike his arm before he could even launch his attack, the pirate captain's eyes flashed with shock before he erupted in fury, viciously kicking towards Orion.
Rather than meeting force with force, Orion decisively withdrew his sword and retreated, positioning himself in front of Brian and Rogers.
"Brian!"
"I need your support!"
The moment he reached them, Orion immediately crouched, clearing his mind of all distractions as he focused intently on the pirate captain before declaring firmly.
"Follow my lead!"
"We can win!"
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