Chapter 112: Chapter 112: A Free-Minded Marine!
Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't react to Shanks's sarcasm. By then, he had already stopped working. Turning around, he sat down on the edge of the roof, raising his eyes to observe the unfamiliar group of Marines quickly approaching.
"There's actually a unit that arrived at Lodestar Island earlier than we did?"
"Hey, which division are you from? G-1 of the New World?"
The squad of Marines marched directly up to Yoriichi and his group. Leading them was a man wearing a somewhat tattered Marine Justice coat. Judging by his shoulder insignia, he was clearly a high-ranking officer, either a Rear Admiral or a Vice Admiral.
The Marines behind him exuded a fierce presence. The lowest among them held the rank of commissioned officer.
Despite their sloppy appearances, there was no denying it. Judging by their aura and ranks, these men were indeed elite.
As they came closer, the officer in the Justice coat looked up at Yoriichi, who was still seated on the rooftop.
Though Yoriichi was dressed no differently from any other Marine, the moment he had spoken earlier, the approaching Marines had instinctively turned their attention to him.
The officer could tell at a glance—this young man was clearly in charge.
And seeing Yoriichi's youthful face made the man's expression turn more serious.
This was the depths of the New World. For someone this young to have led his men here ahead of them clearly meant he wasn't an ordinary figure.
"We're Marines from G-5. Our direct superior is Rear Admiral Kuzan."
"My name is Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Captain of Marine Headquarters."
Yoriichi answered flatly, but he didn't even glance at the senior officer now standing below the rooftop. Instead, he looked toward the civilian who had just been kicked earlier by a drunken Marine.
The man was still glaring in silent fury at the Marines, holding back his anger, an expression that made Yoriichi sigh softly.
"You're Yoriichi Tsugikuni?!"
The officer seemed visibly surprised by the name. But after the brief shock, he smiled brightly and said:
"G-5, huh? Excellent."
"I'm Rear Admiral Amusa Boone, stationed at the G-5 base."
"I've heard of your achievements."
"You're a rookie who rose to the rank of Captain in less than two years, Marine HQ's most promising new star."
"With you and Aokiji together, it makes sense you arrived at Lodestar Island before us."
"By the way, Captain Yoriichi, may I ask, what are you and your men doing?"
"If I'm not mistaken... are you repairing houses? Doing carpentry work?"
He praised Yoriichi like a proud elder, then looked around at the Marines busily fixing the damaged homes, clearly confused.
"Yes, I'm leading my men in repairing the homes that were destroyed."
"Since the damage was caused while fending off pirates, it's only right we help the citizens recover."
Yoriichi answered calmly with a nod.
Amusa Boone frowned slightly at Yoriichi's detached tone. Then, the drunken Marine who had attacked the civilian suddenly stepped out of the formation and shouted, his head thrown back:
"Hey!"
"You Marine over there!"
"Is that how you speak to your superior?!"
"No honorifics? Who the hell do you think you are?!"
Buggy immediately stepped up beside Shanks, the two of them watching the confrontation with great interest.
Shanks looked on, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
If the timing had been more appropriate, he would've grabbed Yoriichi by the collar and demanded to know, "So tell me, is freedom important or not?"
Shanks wasn't a Marine, of course, but putting himself in Yoriichi's position, just hearing the other side bark orders like that was enough to piss him off.
"Being a free pirate really is better after all," he muttered.
"Everyone on board is a comrade. This whole 'talking down to others' attitude—who would show that to their crewmates?"
Back on the ground, Yoriichi slowly stood up after hearing the outburst. He leapt down from the rooftop and landed directly in front of the drunken Marine.
He looked at him coldly, then said:
"There's no explicit rule banning alcohol during missions, but one rule is crystal clear."
"You're absolutely not allowed to be drunk."
"And attacking a civilian without any aggressive intent is strictly forbidden."
"Sir, you've broken the rules."
As he spoke, Yoriichi suddenly reached out, grabbed the Marine by the collar, and slammed him into the ground.
Thud!!
A dull impact echoed across the area. Amusa Boone, Shanks, and the others stared, stunned. None of them expected Yoriichi to strike a fellow Marine so decisively.
And all over being drunk and attacking a civilian?
Amusa Boone looked down at the unconscious soldier, seeing that Yoriichi's blow had completely knocked him out. His expression darkened.
He looked up at Yoriichi and said:
"Captain Yoriichi, don't you think that was too much?"
"So he had a bit too much to drink, and all he did was shove aside someone who got in our way while we were 'carrying out our duties.' That hardly counts as attacking a civilian, does it?"
"Even if punishment was necessary, he's still my subordinate. Shouldn't it be my responsibility to deal with him?"
Boone's tone was stern, his brow furrowed. Still, he didn't sound hostile. Nor did he hold any grudge about Yoriichi's earlier lack of formality.
The reason was simple. Amusa Boone had heard of Yoriichi. He knew how powerful the man was, and just how highly regarded he was at Marine Headquarters.
After all, this was the Marine who had helped Aokiji drive off the Golden Lion.
Though officially only a Captain, Yoriichi's strength spoke for itself. For a mere Rear Admiral like Boone, there was no real comparison.
The fact that Boone was still trying to reason with Yoriichi spoke volumes about his own restraint.
"Rear Admiral Boone, I understand that the G-5 Marines are a collection of 'problem soldiers' pulled in from all across the ranks."
"I know they're hard to manage. I get that."
"But even so, as Marines, we still need to uphold a sense of duty."
"There are things we can do, and things we absolutely shouldn't."
"I believe everyone here should understand that clearly."
"Wouldn't you agree?"
Yoriichi's figure suddenly vanished from Boone's sight.
It was only when his voice came from behind that Boone realized Yoriichi had somehow moved without a sound.
The shock made Boone's hair stand on end.
And when Yoriichi's words carried a faint note of warning, the Rear Admiral instinctively nodded and replied:
"Yes, you're right, Captain Yoriichi."
He even switched to a respectful tone.
A Rear Admiral, deferring to a Captain.
Shanks stared in open-mouthed astonishment at Boone's sudden shift in tone.
Watching Yoriichi in silence, Shanks realized something:
This Marine... seems pretty damn free too.
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