Suddenly, Broly waved his hand casually, and a faint cyan light drifted from his palm. Before anyone present could react, it landed accurately on the bloody mess that was Doberman on the ground.
"Boom—!" A deafening explosion erupted violently. The spot where Doberman had fallen instantly sank into a scorched deep pit. He himself had long been blown to pieces, not even leaving behind any residue.
Issho, with his eyes still intact, stared dead at Broly, his eyes full of disbelief, almost writing the word "Why" on his face.
Broly glanced at him and said lazily, "Didn't you want to save those pregnant women and babies? If you let these Marines go back alive, what do you think will happen?"
As soon as these words came out, not only Issho but also Cobra instantly frowned.
Although the logic was cruel, it was undeniably true.
Let alone Doberman, as long as one of these Marines survived, today's events would be reported to the World Government. At that time, in the best case, these women and children would be captured again; in the worst case, Alabasta would be kicked out of the ranks of affiliated countries.
Broly added from the side, his tone devoid of any ripple: "If you still want the remaining women and children to survive, then hurry up and finish off the rest."
After a long silence, Issho looked at Broly and said slowly, "The legendary Demon Child is actually kinder than this old man imagined. Do you also want to save these innocent people?"
"No," Broly answered crisply.
Issho's expression froze instantly, and he couldn't help but press, "Then what are your true thoughts?"
Broly curled his lip and pointed in the direction where Doberman had disappeared: "He glared at me just now. He was already courting death."
In his previous life, when reading web novels, he often saw the protagonist being hated and crazily retaliated against just for looking at the villain's woman. At that time, Broly only felt that such plots were brain-dead to the extreme.
But now, standing in the "villain's" position himself, he realized that this feeling... was damn satisfying.
Issho almost lost his composure.
He felt that since meeting Broly, he had been speechless more times than in the first half of his life combined.
Originally stunned by Doberman's death, the Marine soldiers heard Broly's words and instantly looked terrified. Not caring about catching the fleeing pregnant women anymore, they turned and ran in the opposite direction.
Seeing this, Issho immediately drew his cane sword, about to release gravity on the area. Broly interrupted him just in time: "Do you want to crush those pregnant women to death along with them?"
Issho snapped back to reality and hurriedly withdrew his power, secretly annoyed: "I actually forgot about that."
Broly shook his hand and urged, "Make a decision quickly. Either let these Marines run away and wait for them to come back and catch these people again, or kill them now and let these women and children survive. Just these two choices."
These words sounded cruel, but they were the absolute truth.
After all, this fucked-up world was just this cruel.
Seeing that many capable Marines were about to run out of sight, Issho secretly gritted his molars. Finally, he swung his cane sword, releasing a fierce tiger-like sword energy that crushed all the fleeing Marines into minced meat.
"Gravity Blade: Raging Tiger!"
Broly watched from the side with great interest, a smile on his lips: The future Marine Admiral is actually slaughtering his own soldiers right now. This scene is just too interesting.
In less than ten minutes, the eight hundred soldiers Doberman brought were wiped out by Issho.
When Issho sheathed his sword and returned, his purple robe was already soaked in blood, a dazzling red.
He raised his cane sword, looking at his blood-stained face through the reflection on the blade, and muttered to himself, "Although these soldiers were ordered to pursue the innocent, they were ultimately coerced by the World Government... Now this old man has no choice but to kill them. I truly have failed the world!"
Before his voice fell, Issho suddenly pointed the tip of the blade at his own eyes!
Cobra and the two figures hiding in the dark widened their eyes in shock. But just as the tip of the blade was about to touch his eyeball...
"Ding—!" A crisp sound of metal collision rang out.
Issho looked up in astonishment, only to see a slender finger firmly pressed between the blade tip and his eye.
His pupils constricted slightly. Turning his head, he saw Broly floating in mid-air, extending his small hand and blocking the blade effortlessly.
"Why stop this old man?" Issho was puzzled. "To lose one's sight is also a blessing... There are too many filthy things in this world, and today this old man has become one of them."
Broly flicked his finger casually, sending Issho's cane sword flying, and said disdainfully, "You're just engaging in incompetent rage. Do you think that if you can't see, those filthy things won't exist?"
"Incompetent rage?" It was the first time Issho heard this term. He was stunned, and upon careful thought, he felt every word pierced his heart.
Broly continued, "I can understand not wanting to see this filthy world. But don't you want to see what this filthy world looks like after it's destroyed and reborn?"
Issho's eyes lit up suddenly, and he asked eagerly, "Does Mr. Demon Child have such ambition?"
Because he was so pleasantly surprised, he even added an honorific to the address.
"No," Broly answered like a basin of cold water poured over Issho's head.
"I actually quite like this fucked-up world." He grinned, his tone full of undisguised wantonness. "That way, I won't feel guilty when I mess around."
In his previous life, having experienced a series of fucked-up things like donations turning into earrings, extreme feminism, and rich kids doing drugs, Broly already had quite a bit of hostility.
After crossing into this One Piece world, he let himself go completely.
Although he wouldn't go as far as killing innocents indiscriminately, once he made a move, he would never show mercy.
After all, this pirate world was a place where scum walked everywhere and degenerates were found everywhere, far more indulgent than any world he had ever imagined.
If he were sent to a harmonious and loving place like Pokémon, he might feel a bit restrained instead.
Issho rolled his eyes dramatically, cursing himself for being a fool in his heart.
How could someone like this possibly work for peace? It's already a huge blessing as long as he doesn't kill innocents indiscriminately.
Issho looked at the Marine corpses all over the ground, his face darkening: "But with so many Marines dead in Alabasta, it will inevitably alert the Marine Headquarters and the World Government. How are we going to cover up this lie?"
Cobra was also in a bind.
Although those women and children were temporarily saved, a dignified Marine Vice Admiral and eight hundred soldiers died in his country...
Even if he had a special identity compared to other kings of affiliated countries, those petty guys in the Holy Land would most likely strip Alabasta of its status as an affiliated country.
"Isn't that simple?" Broly spoke again, looking at Issho. "Why don't you take all the blame?"
Saying this, amidst Issho's bewildered gaze, he turned to Cobra again. "Later, when you report to the World Government, just say that when you were about to hand over the people, a lunatic in purple clothes wielding a sword suddenly appeared, killed all the Marines, and snatched away those pregnant women and babies. Doesn't that settle it?"
Issho was completely speechless—This is really treating me like a Wano native!
"Th-This might be inappropriate, right?"
Cobra looked conflicted, but he also knew clearly in his heart that this seemed to be the only way.
He couldn't possibly pin the blame on Broly, right?
Although Broly already had enough blood debt, and adding one more wouldn't matter, they didn't dare to.