"C-Captain Morgan...?!"
"What happened?!"
On the outskirts of the battlefield, several Marine soldiers spotted Morgan, who had crashed into the training ground. They gathered around him, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
"That damn bastard...!"
Recovering his senses, Morgan hastily scrambled to his feet. Displaying such a disgraceful state in front of so many of his subordinates filled him with humiliating rage. He glared at Allen through gritted teeth.
"You bunch of idiots! What are you standing around for? Hurry up and kill him! Open fire!!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing the order, the panicked soldiers hastily raised their rifles and took aim.
However, when they saw that the figure standing atop the pile of rubble was Allen, they froze in astonishment.
"Lieutenant Allen?!"
"Wait a moment, Captain Morgan. Isn't there some sort of misunderstanding?"
"What misunderstanding?! Are the injuries on my body fake?!"
Morgan bellowed, angrily raising a hand to point at Allen.
"This guy blatantly disobeyed orders! He even attacked me, his commanding officer! He's a traitor! An absolute disgrace to the Marines!!"
"This..."
"How could that be...?!"
The Marines exchanged uncertain glances, their eyes filled with hesitation. Even with Morgan forcing them with strict orders, they couldn't imagine the usually gentle and quiet Lieutenant Allen doing such a thing.
Seeing that they still weren't making a move, the veins on Morgan's forehead bulged. He threateningly raised his right axe-hand and roared at the subordinates around him.
"Open fire right now! Do you all want to betray the Marines too?!"
Watching this unfold, Allen stroked his chin with amusement. The guns in the hands of ordinary Marines couldn't exactly be called entirely useless, but they were practically worthless.
Regardless, they posed no threat to him whatsoever. However...
*'I might as well play this a different way. Perhaps I can gather some initial crew members for my future pirate crew.'*
Allen narrowed his eyes, his decision already made...
"Brothers!!"
Before the soldiers could be coerced into raising their guns, Allen spoke up first, his voice ringing out with righteous indignation.
"How much longer are you going to endure this?! Wearing Marine uniforms while doing the dirty work of pirates! Carrying the word 'Justice' on your backs while oppressing civilians!!"
"They are the very people we should be protecting! Yet they avoid us like the plague, just as they would pirates! Can you truly not see their fear?! Can you not see the disgust in their eyes?!"
"Tell me, brothers! Is this why you joined the Marines?! Is this the meaning behind your grueling daily training?!"
Allen's voice was brimming with fury.
His impassioned words echoed through the sky above the training ground, like a long-suppressed volcano finally erupting, instantly threatening to ignite the barren wasteland.
Even the soldiers fighting the Straw Hat kid in the distance had their attention drawn over. Every Marine on the field was captivated by Allen's deafening, soul-stirring outcry.
Asking themselves honestly, was all of this truly what they had once desired?
Of course not!
They were human too, and they also had families living in the town.
How could the sorrow and despair that now filled these waters possibly be what they had yearned for?!
"Some of you joined the Marines because your families were murdered by pirates, longing for the day you could personally strike down your enemies!"
"Some of you were moved by acts of justice! Inspired by tales of heroes, dreaming of becoming someone others could look up to!"
Allen's speech continued. He shouted at the top of his lungs, his tone growing increasingly high-pitched and intense.
"Everyone has their own reasons for joining the Marines! But it was absolutely never to live under the shadow of a reign of terror! Never to be forced into oppressing the very civilians we swore to protect!!"
"And now, who is responsible for all of this?! Who exactly is oppressing us?! Who is forcing our hands?!"
As his words fell, the air grew deathly silent.
Within the crowd, gazes began to converge on a single spot. It was glaringly obvious that they only had one answer—Axe-Hand Morgan!!
Seeing the eyes locking onto him from all directions, panic began to creep onto Morgan's face. He subconsciously took a half-step back before his fear morphed back into rage.
"What are you idiots trying to do?! I am the base commander here! Mutiny is a capital offense in the Marines!"
Hearing this, the surrounding Marines fearfully took a step back. They lowered their heads and clenched their fists tightly, gritting their teeth, yet not daring to let their inner fury erupt.
However, Allen's next words shocked them once again.
"Do you think it's Morgan? Wrong! Dead wrong! What truly pushed us to this point is the weakness in our own hearts!!"
"Do you really think simply swapping out the ruler will guarantee things change for the better?!"
With an explosive voice, Allen issued his final, piercing question to everyone present.
"Even without Captain Morgan, there will just be a Captain Nezumi, or a Captain Cockroach!"
"Tell me, brothers! What will we do then?! Are we doomed to sink deeper and deeper into this dark abyss for the rest of our lives?!"
"Of course not!!"
Suddenly, an angry roar erupted from the crowd. Allen and all the Marines turned their heads in surprise.
It was Commander Ripper. His thick black beard twitched as he panted heavily, his chest heaving violently, fully displaying his overflowing indignation.
By now, he had naturally figured out Allen's intention to incite a mutiny.
At this critical moment, he suppressed his inner weakness and decided to add the final spark to the prairie fire Allen had ignited!
Ripper was the first to raise his gun, aiming the barrel directly at the panicked Morgan as he shouted:
"Brothers! This is absolutely not what we wanted! We must rebel!!"
"He's right!"
Seeing this, Allen took a large stride forward. He raised his tightly clenched right fist high into the air and roared with burning passion:
"I, Francis Allen, will be the first to lead you all in this rebellion today!!"
"Lieutenant Allen..."
"And Commander Ripper..."
The soldiers on the field were deeply moved. Their long-harbored grievances were finally ignited by the words and actions of these two men.
"I'm going all in!"
"Me too! I can't stand that bastard Morgan anymore!"
"I'm listening to Brother Ripper!"
"Brothers! Let's follow in Lieutenant Allen's footsteps!"
Hearing the voices erupting one after another from the crowd, the corners of Allen's mouth curled up slightly.
The time had come!
"Brothers! Just like the oath we took back then, right now! Raise your guns against evil!"
"Yes, sir!"
*Clack! Clack! Clack!*
The synchronized response was deafening. One by one, gun barrels were raised in unison, all aiming directly at Morgan!
"Y-You...! All of you...!!"
Morgan was truly terrified now. Staring at the pitch-black muzzles pointing at him from all directions, his hands and feet trembled in panic.
"There is no need to fear! And absolutely no need to feel guilty! Because!"
Allen swept his hand out, pointing fiercely at Morgan. With a resolute gaze, he roared:
"These bullets carry Justice!!"
"Execute him!!"
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
A dense barrage of gunfire erupted, drifting into the azure sky alongside the wisps of white smoke rising from the muzzles.
Blood trickled down, seeping into the yellow sand. Riddled with holes, Morgan's pupils completely dilated, and his body crashed backward onto the ground with a heavy thud.
...