2 chapters will be uploaded on daily basis i.e. 14 Chapters will be uploaded every week apart from the bonus chapters.
1 Bonus Chapter will be uploaded for every 50 Power Stones or 1000 Collections.
All interested readers can read advanced chapters on:
[email protected]/Heroicverse
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Swoosh!
However, without Auguro needing to give the order, Rukia Kuchiki and Rangiku Matsumoto simultaneously used Flash Step and charged toward the squad of soldiers.
Clang!
Two flashes of sword light.
More than a dozen firearms were instantly sliced in two, falling to the ground with a cascade of metallic clinks.
All the soldiers were instantly terrified and stumbled backward.
"H-how is that possible?"
Colonel Nezumi was so terrified that he forgot his pain. To slice over a dozen firearms in a single instant—even Colonel Smoker at Loguetown didn't possess that kind of skill!
"W-what do you think you're doing! I am the Branch Base Commander of the Marines! If you dare to touch me, you will be hunted by the entire Marine organization!"
"They will even dispatch an Admiral if necessary!" Colonel Nezumi threatened Auguro, his voice betraying his fear.
"A Marine Admiral?"
Auguro sneered, mocking him.
"Who do you think you are? A Celestial Dragon? For an Admiral to be dispatched!"
Rangiku Matsumoto spoke with even more contempt.
"Is this what the Marines, who rule the entire ocean, are like? And he's a Base Commander?"
"Someone like him wouldn't even qualify to do odd jobs in our Gotei 13!"
Gotei 13? Colonel Nezumi was certain he had never heard this name in the East Blue.
Rukia Kuchiki then turned to Auguro and asked, "Lord Soul King, how should we deal with these people?"
Auguro did not immediately answer. Instead, he said to Nami, "Nami, take everyone and go home first! I need to have a good talk with this Marine gentleman!"
Nami, who had just narrowly escaped death, felt Auguro's figure towering and glorious. He hadn't simply taken Cocoyasi Village under his wing; he genuinely protected them as his people! Even the Marines wouldn't be allowed to bully them! This complete sense of security was something Nami had never felt in over ten years!
"Yes! Lord Auguro!"
Nami agreed with resolute eyes, then signaled the villagers to return to their homes. From now on, Lord Auguro was the sky for her and Cocoyasi Village!
Colonel Nezumi and his men were then escorted by the Ten-Man Guard Squad outside the village.
"You're the leader, right? My attitude was a bit poor earlier! How about this: I won't take the money, and you let me leave? Let's just pretend nothing happened, okay?"
Along the way, Colonel Nezumi realized the situation was dire—they didn't look like they were planning to release him—and he immediately pleaded for mercy. Unfortunately, Auguro and his people ignored him completely from start to finish.
Soon, the Marines were driven to where their ship was anchored.
"Get out!"
Auguro threw out a single word and led his group away from the warship.
Colonel Nezumi was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, thinking the other side was afraid of his Marine identity. He immediately ordered his soldiers to set sail and leave.
Watching Cocoyasi Village recede into the distance, and confirming that no one was following them, Colonel Nezumi's face instantly twisted into a vicious sneer.
"Contact the branch! Tell them a massive pirate group has appeared in Cocoyasi Village! Order the branch to dispatch every single warship and level the village with cannon fire!"
Did they think everything could be dismissed just because he was allowed to leave? What a joke! He was a dignified Marine Colonel, the Base Commander of a branch! And he was threatened by a group of pirates! How could he not exact revenge for such a profound humiliation?
And those commoners—they saw his disgrace! If such a stain were left behind, how could he continue to rule this sea area?
Therefore, neither this "Gotei 13" nor Cocoyasi Village could be allowed to exist any longer!
"Yes!"
Colonel Nezumi's adjutant immediately took out a Den Den Mushi (transponder snail) to make the call.
But just then, a cold voice came from directly above them.
"As expected, Lord Soul King was absolutely correct! People like you can never change! The only way to change you is through death!"
Colonel Nezumi snapped his head up.
Black hair, black Shinigami robes, and a Zanpakutō at her waist. It was the Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Rukia Kuchiki! She was quietly hovering in the air above their warship.
"A-a Devil Fruit user!"
Colonel Nezumi's heart trembled; he was completely panicked.
"Quick! Open fire! Shoot her down for me!" Colonel Nezumi roared almost hysterically.
Although a dozen rifles had been destroyed, the warship had plenty of spares. A group of soldiers frantically grabbed guns and loaded them.
But Rukia Kuchiki in the air had already begun her incantation. A massive Reiatsu quickly condensed around her, like a magnificent storm.
"Ruler, wearing a mask of flesh, all creation, winging its way, man-named! On the wall of blue flame, engrave the double lotus! In the distant heavens, await the great fire pit! Hadō Number Seventy-Three, Sōren Sōkatsui (Twin Lotus Blue Fire Fall)!"
Boom!
Two enormous, intertwining blue fire lotuses descended from the sky.
The Marines on the warship barely managed to raise their guns, only having time to glimpse a flash of fire brighter than the sun itself.
The next second, the fire lotuses engulfed the warship, causing an earth-shattering explosion.
Rumble!
Giant waves dozens of meters high erupted from the sea. Fragments of the warship mixed with dismembered limbs tumbled in the waves before finally sinking into the seabed.
Rukia Kuchiki lingered for a moment. After confirming there were no survivors, she flew back toward the harbor.
At the harbor, Auguro watched the scene with profound envy. When would he ever possess such power? Hadō Number Seventy-Three! That required at least the Seated Officer level of Reiatsu and Kidō to cast. With that strength, he could even try his hand at the New World!
Auguro impulsively asked the System, "System, is there a way to quickly increase my strength?"
"Host can consume Achievement Points to directly copy a subordinate's specific ability."
The System actually offered a solution! Auguro eagerly opened the interface, only to have his enthusiasm instantly extinguished. The Achievement Points required for each ability were astronomical! It was better to use them to summon new subordinates.
The group returned to the village, where Nami and Genzo came out to greet them.
Genzo asked with some concern, "Lord Auguro, what about those Marines?"
Auguro waved his hand. "Them? They've left! I talked things over with them, and they won't be bothering you again!"
Well, of course! They were at the bottom of the sea; how could they cause any more trouble?
Genzo fell silent. Being an experienced man, he likely guessed the fate of those Marines.
Auguro patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry about that trash! Go notify the representatives from the other villages and towns; we need to discuss establishing the administrative committee!"
Auguro had no intention of telling them the truth about the Marines. After all, these territories had just been acquired, and the loyalty of the people was not yet guaranteed. Who knew if someone might report him? He had Rukia Kuchiki sink the warship far out at sea for this very reason. There was a difference between speculation and eyewitness testimony.
As for doing what the original story did—beating up Colonel Nezumi and letting him go, only to immediately gain a bounty of tens of millions—Auguro felt such an idiotic move was beneath him. Luffy had a Marine Hero as a grandfather, and the Marines constantly gave him leeway. Auguro had no such backing; being targeted by the Marines would be pure self-inflicted trouble.
The only good enemy is a dead enemy!