"Colonel Adkin, Colonel Adkin…" A Navy ensign ran to the conference room entrance, his face urgent, to report.
The Navy colonel, who was sitting alone at the table, staring intently at the nautical chart with a solemn expression, slowly looked up: "Ensign Filman, please always pay attention to your words and actions. As a Navy ensign, I hope you always present a calm and composed demeanor to the people!"
"Yes, sir!" Filman saluted with a look of shame, then said solemnly: "Colonel Adkin, we have found traces of the Rhinoceros Pirates on the coast of the island ahead. All their ships are anchored along the coastline."
"Is the island inhabited?"
"There's a small town called Leaf Town located on that island."
Colonel Adkin's expression instantly turned serious, and he asked sharply: "Can you see any flames on the island now, or… is there any smell of gunpowder drifting on the sea breeze?"
Filman was startled by Colonel Adkin's stern words, swallowed, and said: "No… we haven't found anything."
"Rhinoceros Alex is cruel and suspicious. If the massacre were complete, he certainly wouldn't linger on the island. Plus, you haven't seen any gunfire, which means he likely just landed… or he's holding the islanders hostage to negotiate with us."
Colonel Adkin's expression softened slightly, "Whichever the outcome, it's much better than him causing another tragedy."
"Ensign Filman…"
"Yes, sir!"
"Immediately relay my order: full sails, proceed to that island at maximum speed!"
…
In the town, many residents were continuously bringing their "spoils" from the naval battle home. Suddenly, several snot-nosed kids with short legs came running, shouting loudly as they ran:
"It's bad, it's bad, on the sea… many big ships are coming again!"
As soon as the words fell, the crowd instantly stirred.
"What? Are pirates attacking again?"
"Oh no! Could it be that those pirates are after our spoils of war?"
"Damn it, let's fight them! Now we each have a musket, and we even dismantled several cannons from the ships. Even pirates won't get off lightly without paying a huge price."
Because of their experience repelling pirates several times over the past three years, the town residents were not as afraid of pirates as those in typical towns. As long as it wasn't a notorious large pirate group like the Rhinoceros Pirates, they didn't lack the courage to fight.
…
"What did you say? The Rhinoceros Pirates were completely wiped out, and even Rhinoceros Alex died at your hands?" Colonel Adkin's eyes widened, almost suspecting that the kind-faced old man in front of him was a spy sent by Alex to deceive them.
The naval officers following Adkin also had wide eyes. The Rhinoceros Pirates, who had repeatedly escaped from their Navy, were actually annihilated in an ordinary small town. This sounded even more bizarre than a fairy tale.
"Ah? No, you misunderstood!" The mayor, seeing a high-ranking officer like a Navy colonel for the first time, was a bit flustered and quickly explained, "Being able to defeat the Rhinoceros Pirates was mainly Longinus's credit, we…"
"Ah ah ah! Damn pirates, I'll fight you…"
Just as the two were talking, a large group of townspeople rushed out of the town, holding muskets high. Seeing this harmonious scene, they were also a bit dumbfounded. The uniforms those people were wearing seemed to be Navy, right?
"Damn pirates, quickly let go of Grandpa Mayor…" Several little kids who hadn't figured out the situation yet cried out and charged forward.
"You little rascals spreading rumors, those aren't pirates… they're the Navy!" A quick-witted townsperson grabbed them and explained awkwardly.
"Eh? Is that the Navy that Big Brother Longinus went to join? So they're on our side?"
Following that,
The little kids said aggrievedly: "And also, what we said before was clearly that many big ships were coming. It was you who said there were pirates…"
The few adults thought about it, and it seemed to be true. Feeling a bit embarrassed, they slapped the little kids on their bottoms in exasperation, "Children shouldn't talk nonsense."
"Big Brother Longinus said that violence can't solve problems, and justice will always stand with…"
The passionate uprising of the little kids ultimately met with violent suppression.
Slap, slap, slap!
"Justice will always stand with the dictators…" the little kids mumbled, rubbing their bottoms.
Colonel Adkin watched the scene before him with amusement. He became interested in the Longinus they kept mentioning. A young man who could defeat Rhinoceros Alex and had a heart for justice was truly rare.
"The person who defeated Rhinoceros Alex, is he the Longinus you mentioned? Can you tell me about him?"
Upon hearing Adkin mention Longinus, the surrounding boy scouts instantly felt that this stern Navy officer wasn't so scary anymore, and they eagerly started speaking.
"Me first, me first! Big Brother Longinus came to our town three years ago because of a shipwreck. And because of that, Big Brother Longinus helped us fend off dozens of pirate invasions, big and small, over these three years."
"Yeah, even that fierce bald guy yesterday was no match for Big Brother Longinus. Big Brother Longinus is the guardian god of our Leaf Town!"
Seeing that everyone had the same story, Adkin was moved but also forced himself to accept this seemingly absurd conclusion: the Rhinoceros Pirates, who had repeatedly escaped Navy pursuit, were finally annihilated by a young man who had not yet ventured out into the vast sea.
"Longinus… is he a Devil Fruit user?"
The townspeople looked at each other, not understanding the meaning of Adkin's words.
Seeing this, Adkin understood. It was normal for people on such a remote island not to know the rumors of Devil Fruits, so he rephrased his question: "Longinus… can he swim in the sea?"
"Of course he can!" The townspeople looked at Adkin with strange eyes, muttering to themselves, how many men by the sea can't swim?
This Navy officer must be an idiot!
And the younger boys cheered even more loudly, "Big Brother Longinus dives into the deep sea to train every day, and catches a Sea King to improve everyone's meals!"
"Catches a Sea King casually?" The naval officers behind Adkin twitched their mouths. If it was just surfacing on the sea, it would be fine, but to kill a Sea King in the deep sea, even a Navy Commodore might not be able to do it.
Seeing that the town residents were all rosy-faced and robust, a sense of envy subtly arose in the hearts of the naval officers.
One must know that Sea Kings, as overlords of the sea, not only have delicious meat but are also rich in abundant life energy. Long-term consumption can fundamentally strengthen the body and are the most premium ingredients on the sea.
Even Colonel Adkin, the highest-ranking officer among them, could only eat it once or twice when returning to Navy Headquarters to report. But listening to these townspeople, it seemed they could eat fresh Sea Kings every day, which made them insanely jealous.
"The meat of Sea Kings is indeed delicious, but it's a pity that after eating it for three consecutive years, even the most delicious food can become tiring." A townsperson said with a sigh.
"Yeah, after Big Brother Longinus left, we can finally try something different." Buggy ignored the murderous glares of the Navy officers and said, completely oblivious.
Colonel Adkin tried to calm his agitated mind and asked nonchalantly: "From what you're saying, he went to join the Navy?"
"Yes, Big Brother Longinus said he was going to the Navy 'Jier' branch to participate in the World Conscription."
"It's Navy G2 Branch." Adkin first corrected the other party's statement, then muttered to himself: "To be able to defeat Rhinoceros Alex relying purely on physical strength, his power is already on par with a general commodore. If he can receive further training at Headquarters, he might even become a big shot like a Rear Admiral or even a Vice Admiral. No, I must quickly return to G2 Branch and recruit him before anyone else does."
Seeing that Adkin seemed to intend to leave, the mayor quickly spoke up: "This… General, can we exchange Rhinoceros Alex's head for a bounty?"
Adkin was moved again: "That young man… he actually left you a head worth 37 million Berries?"
"Yeah, Big Brother Longinus said he wasn't interested in money. He never touched money."
"Ah! This young man named Longinus… truly has a heart of gold!"