One Piece: Luffy's Vice Captain wants to be a Marine

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After Helmeppo was sent flying, he scrambled to his feet, pointing at Ikki and Luffy with a mix of fury and disbelief. "You fools, what are you standing around for? Take them down!" he barked at the nearby Marine soldiers.

Reluctantly, the soldiers reached for the rifles slung over their shoulders, aiming them at Ikki and Luffy.

Ikki, unfazed, swiftly pulled out a letter of appointment from his coat and held it up. "Stand down! I am Admiral Ikki of the Private Marines. I'm here to investigate Captain Morgan's exploitation of civilians and abuse of power for personal gain!"

Ikki's declaration stunned the Marine soldiers. They exchanged bewildered looks, unsure of how to respond.

They understood the weight of the title "Admiral," but Private Marine? That was new to them. Still, the mention of investigating Captain Morgan's corruption resonated with them. Though their expressions remained neutral, the thought of someone standing up to Morgan filled them with quiet relief.

For too long, they had been complicit in Morgan's oppressive regime. Instead of upholding justice, they were forced to carry out his family's selfish whims, which weighed heavily on their conscience. Without much hesitation, the Marines lowered their rifles.

Meanwhile...

Luffy and Koby stood with the little girl, who had just finished explaining why Zoro was tied up. Her story left Koby visibly shaken. His dream of becoming a Marine admiral had been built on the belief that the Marines embodied justice. But now, hearing about Morgan's cruelty, his faith in it wavered.

Luffy, on the other hand, burst into laughter after hearing the tale. "Zoro! Come join my crew and become a pirate with me!"

Zoro sneered at the offer, his voice dripping with disdain. "You want me to join you? To plunder, loot, and become a scum like the rest of the pirates? Keep dreaming!"

As a pirate hunter, Zoro's disdain for pirates was deeply rooted. He had initially taken up bounty hunting to earn money for food, but over time, he realized just how lawless and vile pirates could be. Eliminating them didn't trouble his conscience in the slightest.

At that moment, Ikki returned, having tied up Helmeppo and secured the situation with the Marines. He walked over to Zoro and held out his Private Marines appointment letter.

"Zoro," Ikki said confidently, "if you sign this, you'll officially join us as a member of the Private Marines."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Marine? I thought you were pirates. Aren't you all in the same group?"

"Of course..." Luffy started to reply, but before he could utter the word "pirates," Ikki quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and whispered, "Idiot, can't you see Zoro doesn't want anything to do with pirates? Let's get him to join us as a Private Marine first."

Luffy blinked, then grinned widely. "Oh! You're so smart, Ikki!"

Standing tall, Luffy struck a proud pose. "Yes! That's it—we're Private Marines!"

Zoro stared blankly. "...Right."

Ignoring Luffy's antics, Ikki addressed Zoro directly. "What do you say? Join us, and this punishment ends here and now."

Zoro didn't answer immediately. Instead, his gaze shifted to the little girl, who was watching him with innocent, hopeful eyes.

Understanding Zoro's hesitation, Ikki added, "Don't worry. Now that we're here, we'll take care of Morgan and his corruption."

At that, a smirk crept onto Zoro's face. "Fine. I'll join you... but on one condition. I have my own ambition—I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman. If you ever get in the way of that, I'll cut you down myself!"

Luffy erupted into laughter, thrilled by Zoro's resolve. "Sounds good to me!" he said, completely unbothered by the threat.

Ikki stepped forward and summoned a blade of wind, slicing through the ropes that bound Zoro. "Ambition drives motivation."

Just as Zoro was freed from his restraints, the gate to the school grounds creaked open again. Captain Morgan, the commanding officer of the base, entered with dozens of Marine soldiers in tow.

"Who dares to run wild on my territory?!"

Morgan was an intimidating figure, his iron jaw glinting menacingly under the sunlight and a massive axe replacing his right hand—a feature that had earned him the nickname Axe-Hand Morgan.

The soldiers who had surrendered to Ikki moments earlier visibly trembled at the sight of Morgan. For them, he was a tyrant—a nightmare that loomed over the entire town of Shells Town.

Ikki stepped forward confidently, holding up his Private Marines appointment letter once again.

Morgan's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the official Marine headquarters seal stamped on the letter. His heart sank. He knew exactly what he had done in Shells Town, and if word got out, it would mean a lifetime behind bars.

His expression darkened as a cruel glint flickered in his eyes. Whether the boy claiming to be a Private Marine was legitimate or not didn't matter—Morgan had no intention of letting him leave Shells Town alive.

"Hmph! Pretending to be a Marine officer? That's punishable by death!"

With that, Morgan took a few steps back, motioning for his soldiers to move forward. "Shoot them! Shoot them all!" he barked.

Koby and the little girl turned pale with fright as the soldiers raised their guns. Meanwhile, Zoro, Luffy, and Ikki stood their ground, expressionless.

"Haha..." Zoro chuckled. "Looks like your Private Marine status didn't work after all."

Ikki scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well... it was worth a shot. But either way, this guy doesn't look like he's letting us walk out of here. So, let's just get it over with!"

Before the soldiers could fire, a volley of bullets was unleashed. Luffy stepped forward, his rubber body absorbing the projectiles effortlessly before bouncing them back toward the Marines.

"It's useless! It's useless!" Luffy declared with a grin, sweeping the soldiers aside with a powerful Gum-Gum Whip.

Morgan's eyes widened as he watched his men crumble under Luffy's attack. "How did he do that?!"

"Everyone, forget the guns! Use blades and cut them down!"

But Ikki was already in motion, his hands swirling with violent gusts of wind as he charged forward. "Let's see... do I lose justice points for taking down Marines?" he muttered to himself.

With a swift strike, Ikki sent a Marine soldier flying. A quick glance at his system confirmed that his justice value hadn't been deducted. Relieved, he grinned. "Well then, no holding back!"

In mere moments, the combined efforts of Luffy and Ikki left the courtyard littered with unconscious soldiers. Only Morgan remained standing, his son Helmeppo still tied up nearby, mumbling incoherently through his gag.

Ikki pointed at Morgan, his tone resolute. "Morgan, you're under arrest!"

"Arrest me?!" Morgan sneered, his voice dripping with defiance. "You're not qualified—"

Before he could finish the word "fool," Ikki unleashed a Sky Dragon's Roar that sent Morgan flying, slamming him into the ground.

As Morgan fell, Ikki's system chimed with a notification. He glanced at it and grinned.

He'd earned two significant justice rewards: ten points for defeating Morgan and a massive fifteen hundred points for saving the entire town of Shells Town.

Ikki's eyes widened at the unexpected windfall. "So, defeating corrupt Marines is also an act of justice," he mused with satisfaction.