Chapter 14: The Straw Hats and the Green-haired Warrior
The citizens’ voices confirmed Morgan’s crimes. They hailed the arrival of justice, but Tashigi couldn’t find happiness in it. After all, the disaster was caused by the Marines themselves. The cheering felt like a harsh reminder of their own shortcomings.
“Raise your head, Tashigi,” Saitama’s voice sounded beside her. “We can’t change what happened, but we can stop it. We must do the right thing now. It’s never too late to solve the problem once and for all… Justice!”
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“It’s an internal Marine affair. Obviously, it’s inappropriate and dangerous to bring a little girl,” Saitama thought to himself before sending Rika home. He then proceeded to the 153rd Branch base.
To his surprise, the base was in chaos.
“Gomu Gomu no…”
“…BAZOOKA!”
Accompanied by screams from the base, a tall man with an iron jaw and a huge steel axe for a right hand smashed through the gate and fell heavily in front of Saitama.
Saitama and Tashigi recognized the man with the axe. He was familiar to them.
The soldiers behind them were shocked by what had just happened.
Helmeppo, who had been rolling on the floor crying, was so frightened that he couldn’t believe his eyes. He stared in disbelief at the man before him and exclaimed, “D-dad?!”
“That’s right! This beaten guy is the commander of the 153rd Branch, Axe-Hand Morgan!” Tashigi whispered in shock. “But as a captain who has fought in countless wars, to be humiliated like this… The person who did this must be crazy and incredibly powerful to beat and fly a high-ranking Marine soldier within a Marine base!”
Before anyone could respond, a teenage boy with a straw hat, accompanied by another person with green hair carrying three swords at his waist, rushed out of the base and stood in front of Saitama’s group.
“Damn! More soldiers!” the swordsman exclaimed, as he noticed the Marine troops gathering around them. His eyes flashed with ruthless determination as he drew his three Katana swords from their sheaths in an instant.
With the back of his sword pointed at Saitama, he declared, “Do not block my way!”
“What?!” Saitama’s expression remained unemotional.
-Wosh-
Before anyone could react, Tashigi had moved in front of Saitama and blocked Zoro’s attack with her sword, “Shigure.”
“I won’t let you hurt Saitama-san,” Tashigi declared, her eyes burning with a fierce determination.
Zoro was stunned by Tashigi’s sudden appearance and her ability to block his attack. But what shocked him even more was her face.
“But… it’s impossible! She looks like Kuina, the girl I grew up with!” he exclaimed in disbelief.
“What’s the matter with you, Zoro?” the straw hat boy asked, noticing his friend’s stunned expression.
He quickly raised his legs to prevent the surrounding soldiers from rushing up to catch him.
“Gomu Gomu no…
WHIP!!” Suddenly, the boy stretched his leg and kicked in a wide circle towards the soldiers.But before he could make contact, Saitama effortlessly caught his foot with one hand.
“Hey!” a slap sound echoed as the boy’s attack was stopped.
“That’s bad,” the boy muttered, looking at his foot in Saitama’s grip. He raised his fist and quickly hammered towards Saitama with amazing elasticity: “Let me go! Gomu Gomu no… PISTOL!!!“.
Saitama froze as he suddenly realized that he recognized the boy’s face. “That boy…he looks familiar! But where…OUCH!” He was interrupted by the kid’s fist connecting with his face before he could remember where he had seen him before.
The impact of the boy’s fist hitting Saitama’s bald head was so strong that it caused it to recoil like a rubber ball. The boy’s hand swelled up like a pumpkin from the force of the blow.
“Ouch, that hurts!” exclaimed the boy as he covered his right fist. “Wait a minute, I have a rubber body, why did that hurt?”
“Rubber body?” Saitama thought to himself. “Could it be that he has a rubber ability? Don’t tell me that he’s…”
To be sure, Saitama gently asked, “Hey, kid, what’s your name?”
Luffy’s face lit up with a wide, toothy grin as he replied, “Uh?! I’m Luffy!”
“So, you’re Garp’s grandson!” exclaimed Saitama upon hearing Luffy’s name.
Luffy suddenly appeared to be at a loss for words and stared at Saitama’s face intently.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully and murmured, “Hmmm…looking at you now, I feel like I’ve seen you before…and that bald head looks really familiar! But aside from Grandpa, I don’t know any other Marines. Who are you, bald man?”
Saitama’s face twisted with frustration. “Please, stop calling me Bald,” he pleaded.
As they were discussing, Luffy’s face suddenly lit up as if he had an epiphany. He paused for a moment, and then clapped his hands together in excitement.
However, his expression quickly turned to one of horror as he pointed a trembling finger at Saitama’s head.
“It’s you!” he exclaimed, his voice wavering with fear. “The… The…”
As Saitama looked down at the young boy, a sense of recognition slowly dawned upon him.
“He finally remembers me,” Saitama thought to himself. “It’s true that many years have passed, but…”
“The bald Devil!!!” He cried out, cutting Saitama off mid-sentence.
Saitama’s frustration was evident on his face. “It’s definitely him… This kind of stupidity only exists in Garp’s family! This kid must be Garp’s grandson… Luffy.”
In the blink of an eye, Saitama was standing in front of Luffy. With a single punch, he knocked the young pirate unconscious and scooped him up by his red vest.
“I didn’t expect that,” Said with a sigh of helplessness as he scratched his head. “This kid really went to the sea…”
He paused for a moment, lost in thought. “He needs to be sent to Garp-san. It’s really a mess,” he continued. “But I haven’t seen Ace or Sabo in years. I don’t know if they’ve snuck off to the sea, too…”
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Meanwhile, Roronoa and Tashigi had engaged in a fierce sword fight.
Though Tashigi was skilled, Zoro’s strength was greater. However, after three days without food or water and catching a glimpse of his opponent’s face which reminded him of an old friend, Zoro found himself in a dilemma. He was unable to concentrate fully on the fight.
“Damn it!” he muttered in frustration as he watched his new captain being taken away.
Despite his fatigue and weakness, Roronoa pushed Tashigi aside and saw an opportunity. He charged towards Saitama like a tiger, shouting, “Let him go!”
-Tree-sword style!-
“Tora Gari!”
Roronoa realized he only had one chance to strike with the marine officer’s formidable strength in front of him. Their blades clashed, but neither attack was deadly.
As Tashigi tried to block him again, she realized she was too late and screamed a warning. “Be careful, Commodore!!!”
As three sharp blades came towards him, Saitama turned around, startled. “What… are you trying to do!?” he exclaimed.
Suddenly, a green-haired person sprang into the sky. Roronoa flew through the air like a broken kite before crashing heavily to the ground, his three katana swords clattering beside him.
The force of the punch had taken Roronoa by surprise. He hadn’t expected someone to stop his attack with just one blow. The punch had shaken him to his core, destroying his confidence.
“I…I have lost,” he said, barely standing up with a trembling body and blurred eyes. “A failed swordsman is not qualified to live…But even if I were to be killed, I…”
He suddenly screamed, “I WON’t LET YOU TAKE MY CAPTAIN! LET HIM GO!”
Hey everyone,
I hope you all had a great time reading this chapter!
I’m really excited to hear your thoughts and get your feedback. Don’t forget to drop a comment and let me know what you think!
Looking forward to catching you in the next chapter!
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