13 Marines on the move

Before we start, I just want to make something clear. For people who are wondering whether the MC will leave and make his own crew at some point in the future then the answer is no…it's already decided, the mc and Kid are co-captains (Like Dorry and Brogy) I'm trying to write a new and an interesting idea as 99% of the stories are about mc making his own crew and I never once seen a story about two co-captains (And I've already written that kind of story before so this is a breath of change for me too) So if you don't like this kind of thing then you might not like this story.

Well, with that cleared out of the way let's get right into the chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

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"Well, well, looks like we stumbled upon a real treasure hunt, eh?" Kid grinned mischievously.

"If we are going after it, we'll definitely clash with other pirate crews eventually" Killer stated.

"Even better, I would never say no to a good fight" Kai responded with excitement, he hoped he could find something more than just gold and silvers in this treasure "Though we still have no leads to it or this map, we will have to keep it in mind until we find more information about it"

"We could always just let someone else find it first and then steal it from them" Kid said.

"Yeah, but either way, if its real, we're not letting someone else have it" Kai agreed with Kid. The three kept drinking for a while before they left.

"I'll go check on Heat and Wire if they didn't get in any troubles" Killer informed them before he walked in a different direction. Kid and Kai also got separated shortly after that.

"*YAWN*…Hoi Kiddo, I'm going back to check on the ship and take a nap" Kai said to his brother while yawning loudly.

"Ah, see you back there"

Kai turned the other direction and walked towards the port.

[Marine Base – 67th Branch, Soldier Town – South Blue],

Base Commander Office,

Sitting in the office is an incredibly tall and muscular middle-aged man with a missing left eye, prominent scars across his left cheek and neck and a few missing fingers from his left hand. He also has brown hair and a long red beard.

[67th Branch Base Commander, Captain Hawk]

Captain Hawk was doing some paperwork before an officer barged in and carrying an urgent report.

"Captain Hawk! We just got an urgent report of a pirate ship arriving at the port!" The officer informed Hawk before he handed him the report with details.

"Pirates?! Are they out of their minds stopping in a Marine Base Island?!" Hawk questioned with a serious face before he thoroughly read the report "…two red haired young men who appeared to be twins, a blonde haired with gauntlets equipped in his arms, a tall man carrying a trident, a blue haired man with two sabers and several other sailors…based on the flag's description, the twins must be the captains or at least one of them is. They must be new to the game since they still don't have any prizes on their heads"

"Yes, however the description of the latter two fit perfectly with the bounty hunters that visited the base earlier" The officer stated.

"The ones that defeated the Claw Pirates? If that's the case then we just handed 18 million to a bunch of criminals…" Hawk frowned upon reaching that conclusion, he didn't like the idea that he was played by pirates "Mobilize the troops and send Lieutenant Cole to search for them and confiscate their ship, block every exit of the town and don't let them run away! in the meanwhile I'll get ready in case something goes wrong!"

"Yes Sir!...Ah, there is another thing…We have another report states that Captain Tatsuki is going to resupply in Soldier Port here, he spoke through the Den Den Mushi and said that he was chasing the Claw Pirates a few days ago but unfortunately he was too late"

"I see, this will make the job easier for us, inform him about the situation when he arrives!"

A while later…Somewhere in town,

(Killer POV),

As I wandered through the bustling streets of the city, my eyes scanning the crowd for any signs of Heat and Wire, I couldn't help but be intrigued by the vibrant atmosphere around me. The streets were lined with colorful stalls, each selling their own array of goods and delicacies. The scent of various foods wafted through the air, enticing hungry passersby.

As I turned a corner, my gaze fell upon Heat and Wire from a distance. They were standing by a street vendor, munching on sandwiches with satisfied grins on their faces. Relief washed over me as I saw that they seemed to have successfully completed their task of retrieving the bounties from the Marines without a hitch.

Approaching them with a smile, I said, "Hey, you two. Good job on getting those bounties. Did everything go smoothly?"

Heat, ever the joker, grinned back at me. "Of course! Piece of cake. Though I did have to use my charm on them, they did not suspect a thing!"

Wire nodded, his serious demeanor contrasting with Heat's lightheartedness. "Yeah, but we managed to get the job done without causing any trouble."

Heat proceeded to hand a big bag full of money, I could not believe that those pirates were worth 18 million Berries. For us it was big sum of money more than anything we ever earned "The K's will be very satisfied, knowing Kai I'm sure that he will put the money in good use"

As we chatted, our laughter was interrupted by a sudden commotion nearby. I turned my head to see a group of Marine officers and soldiers, advancing with purposeful strides. My instincts kicked in, and I could feel the tension in the air.

"Heat, Wire, we've got company," I warned them, instinctively getting on guard and ready to use my Punishers.

Heat's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the approaching Marines. "Looks like they finally caught wind of our presence here"

Wire's expression remained composed as he assessed the situation. "We'll need to act fast. What should we do, Killer?"

When the marines caught eyes with us, they immediately surrounded the area while pointing their swords and rifles at our direction.

"Lieutenant Cole, these three fit the descriptions we have perfectly" an officer who was standing near him stated. Lieutenant Cole is a middle-aged man with a long black hair slicked back, and has an average build, he also wears black rounded sunglasses, and he carries with him two swords.

"I see…" Cole narrowed his eyes while gazing at us before he stepped forward "Turn yourselves in quietly pirates, otherwise we're going to have to put you down!" He declared, and the rest of his men got ready to engage.

"Hmph…we did not become pirates just to get caught in our second day! Bring it on if you think you can defeat us!" I said while confidently pointing my index finger at Cole.

Cole frowned at my answer.

"Ohh! So badass Killer, I almost fell for you!" Heat and Wire said jokingly.

"THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT TIME FOR JOKES YOU TWO!!" I exclaimed in annoyance, before I turned back to Cole again. He calmly gestured with his hand and yelled out orders.

"FIRE!!"

"TAKE COVER!!" I shouted, and everyone proceeded to jump behind a nearby cart and took cover, while the civilians and vendors around ran away.

*GUN-SHOT*-*GUN-SHOT* The Marines immediately shot us with their rifles.

"I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die!" the unfortunate vendor beside us who got caught in the middle of the crossfire exclaimed in panic.

As soon as the gunfire subsided, the three of us swiftly sprang into action, launching a decisive assault.

"I'll deal with the Lieutenant! You two deal with the rest!" With decisive orders issued, I swiftly lunged at Cole, moving with extraordinary speed, and deftly flexing my weapons in preparation for the encounter.

As I pressed forward, confronted by two marine soldiers on either side, Heat and Wire swiftly intervened, skillfully thwarting their attempted attack and deftly paving the way for me to continue.

"Not so quickly!" With a resounding shout, Wire swiftly disarmed the adversary to my right with a powerful kick before expertly thrusting his trident into the man's chest, dealing a fatal blow. Meanwhile, Heat skillfully intercepted the sword strike from the other marine using his dual sabers, and without hesitation, he executed a swift horizontal swing, cleanly severing the opponent's head from his body. The deadly display of their combat prowess left no room for doubt about their capabilities.

*ZWOOOSH* The blades mounted on my Punishers whirled to life, and with blinding speed, I surged forward toward Cole, aiming to execute a swift and decisive strike around his neck, intending to sever his head.

"Be careful even if they are rookies, they were strong enough to defeat the Claw Pirates!" With a confident declaration, Cole unsheathed his twin swords, skillfully interposing them to thwart my incoming attack.

*CLANG*-*CLANG* Cole expertly blocked my initial attack, but little did he expect the swift and surprising spinning kick that followed, forcing him to stagger backward slightly.

"You're pretty strong I see…" With a sharp remark, he lunged toward me, his swords slicing downward in an attempt to strike me down.

With grace and agility, I executed a swift somersault to evade his incoming attack. In one fluid motion, I soared gracefully into the air, positioning myself directly above him. Taking advantage of the momentum, my Punishers spinning fiercely, I descended with precision, slicing through him in a powerful vertical strike.

"WHAT--?!" Cole was taken aback by the force behind the attack, struggling to fend it off. However, I persisted, applying pressure until I finally overwhelmed him and brought him down to the ground "*CRASH*…Wait--…?!!"

*SPLASH* Without hesitation, I swiftly descended, landing atop his fallen form. With a deft motion, I employed the razor-sharp blades of my Punishers to sever his head. Blood splashed everywhere, adorning my weapons, visage, and attire in a scarlet hue.

"Don't chicken out after trying to kill us a moment ago"

"Nice one Killer!" With a firm grip on the collar of an unconscious marine soldier, Wire turned toward me and spoke before dropping the soldier to the ground.

"I wonder if they went after Kai and Kid…" Heat questioned.

"Don't worry about those two, they won't go down that easily" I said.

…

Meanwhile at the port,

A figure deftly guided a small boat into docking at the port adjacent to the Victoria Punk.

"I didn't think I would come across pirates at a place like this…" Said a slim, curvaceous young woman with long light pink hair and purple eyes "They must have some valuables on the ship…I'm going to need some money to get a crew and a ship after all" With a mischievous grin, she stealthily slipped into the ship. The port was deserted at this hour, making her entry an effortless task, however, luck was not on her side as the Victoria Punk happened to be guarded by a handful of vigilant crew members.

"Hey! who the hell are you?!" As soon as they caught sight of her, one of the crew members from the Eustass Pirates demanded. His reaction instantly put the rest of the crew on high alert, and within moments, three additional individuals had encircled her.

"Tch…Keep it down before you make a commotion!" With a sudden lunge, the woman made contact with the sailors, triggering a remarkable transformation. Their bodies began to age in reverse, regressing into youthful versions of themselves until they ultimately transformed into little children "Age Skewer."

Afterward, she proceeded to deliver powerful kicks, swiftly rendering them unconscious.

"What's wrong with these guys, they are very weak?" It was natural since Kai hadn't recruited them for combat roles, rather, they were brought on board to fulfill other essential tasks for the ship "Let's see what these guys have…"

After an extensive search, the young woman finally discovered the ship's hold, brimming with a treasure trove of riches earned by the victorious Eustass Pirates when they defeated the Claw Pirates. Within its depths lay an abundance of gold, silver, and exquisite jewelry.

"Jackpot! Today is truly my lucky day!" she exclaimed, only to be interrupted by a deep, resonant voice.

"Lucky?...I wouldn't say that if I were you…" The young woman was taken aback, swiftly turning her head to face the figure who had spoken. It was none other than Kai, who had returned to check on the ship and rest after being separated from Kid and Killer.

Sporting a wicked grin, Kai toyed with the hammer in his grip, issuing a daring warning "You better drop my treasure before I drop you…Jewelry Bonney"

Bonney was taken aback as she exclaimed "You know me?!"

"There is a 4 million bounty on your head, don't tell me you didn't know about that?" Kai stated, he saw her wanted poster earlier while reading the newspaper in the bar "I'm pretty surprised I met you in a place like this. Maybe we were destined to meet each other, I'm Kai by the way…the man who's going to reach the pinnacle of this world and surpass the King of Pirates!"