Chương 17: Pirates!
CLANC! CLANC! CLANC! CLANC!
"A ship is approaching?
Today?
Now?" Marlon, Roxanne, and Norman wondered rhetorically as they leaned out the window to look.
At the village dock they had a bell, in the event that a ship approached the first person who would see it had to ring it to alert the entire village
Normally that bell was only rung every two weeks to receive the ship from the Slowwagon company... which was yesterday... and on very few occasions that sound was heard
Like the time when a fishing boat that almost shipwrecked in a storm ended up reaching the island, another time when another ship… due to a poor planning… ran out of drinking water and food for the trip and came to the island to buy provisions or some other poor ship with problems that ended up arriving here every few years
However, except for those occasions in ten years hardly any ship approached this humble, peaceful and secluded island...
And now...
"Oh no..." The three stammered at the same time as they saw the ship more closely. A ship flying a black flag with a skull on it that was almost about to dock at the town's wharf
PIRATES!
People who travel by ship taking by force or intimidation (or both) the possessions of people who travel on other ships or live on the shores they choose to board
Yes, there are also groups of pirates like Luffy's and a few more who never do that or at least they only do it with other pirates or with people who had attacked them first...
However, that's only the smallest minority, the real pirates were known for coming to a defenseless village, turning everything upside down, looting and destroying everything they found, killing anyone who tried to stop them... or even for fun... raping every beautiful woman... or not so beautiful... that they met and even kidnapped people to sell them as slaves or forcibly join them to his crew...
Therefore, the happy faces of Marlon, Norman and Roxanne, who until now had been awaiting the arrival of their children to celebrate a surprise party... were instantly filled with bitterness and concern.
"Roxanne, Norman...
Hide in the basement and don't come out, don't let them see you
I'm running home to get my [tool]…" Marlon said as he sped towards the exit.
"Marlon! Where do you think you're going!?" Roxanne yelled as she grabbed her husband's arm as she sensed that he intended to do something extremely dangerous to his life.
"The answer is obvious...
I am the only adult who knows how to fight on this island" Marlon answered with extreme determination, making his big, muscular body look even bigger than it appeared.
But despite this demonstration of determination and courage, Norman was forced to offer other alternatives that were less dangerous in principle. "Marlon!
They haven't reached the shore yet, we can run into the woods and..."
"Too late Norman...
The village and the island are small and they can perfectly see who's leaving and who's entering the houses...
Also, I recognize that flag from the newspaper...
They are the Leech Pirates!" Marlon replied as he went to the table, took today's newspaper and showed on one of the pages the attack last night in the city of Artora
A heart-breaking news that explained how the bloodthirsty group of Leech pirates sacked the city of Artora and especially its consequences, which shook both families when reading the newspaper that morning
Those monsters came to the city and forced everyone to hand over their belongings without putting up a fight and that in return they wouldn't harm them... however, all the people, whether or not they offered resistance, were savagely attacked
Those who resisted were killed instantly if they were lucky enough to die quickly and relatively painlessly and those who weren't so lucky were mutilated to bleed to death.
The beautiful women were kidnapped and dragged to the ship and all those who tried to escape from the city were hunted like animals all over the island until they were captured and tortured, later joining the collective of victims.
"Don't fuck with me!
Those lunatics!?" Norman yelled as he realized the horrible situation they were in.
"That's how it is...
You've heard all the reports...
If we flee, they will hunt us down anyway and will be more cruel to us once they find us
If we add to that that the island is very small, that it's evident that we are outnumbered, that the majority of the villagers are elderly, women and children incapable of fighting...
And also that I couldn't protect you properly while we run through the forest... the only option that exists is to stop them here" Marlon replied as he touched his prosthetic leg, a leg made by him that despite being made of his favourite material wasn't very suitable for running, much less through the forest
"NOOOOOO!
They...
They will kill you..." Roxanne screamed, falling to her knees on the floor from the helplessness she felt.
If they escaped they would surely persecute them and die, if they hid they would surely find them and die and if they confronted them they would surely defeat them and die
Neither option was encouraging...
"And if I don't try to kill them first, they will surely kill the entire village...
Well... not all of it... at least if the newspaper reports are true...
And don't give me up for dead yet, I may not be at my best, but I'm still very strong" Marlon replied as he lifted and hugged his woman to reassure her
But no matter what her husband told her, it was impossible to stop her crying helplessly "Marlon, please..."
As Fred said, I'm a mayor without a mayor's office… that doesn't collect taxes or open hospitals
The only thing I can and must do is defend my people when there's danger!" Marlon said determinedly as he opened the door as he pulled his mayor's bandana out of his pocket, displaying it high in his hand.
"Marlon...
That's not what a Mayor does..." Norman said, helping Roxanne to get up to get them both inside the secret basement that Fred and the others had worked so hard to build.
"I know, but it's my way of being the mayor!" Marlon replied as he left the Freed's home while placing a simple piece of cloth with metallic letters on his shoulder, a piece of cloth that carried the great weight of protecting the people of his town
---
On the dock of the island...
The Leech Pirates ship finally docked and its twenty-seven crew members, carrying their swords, cutlasses, knives and pistols, began to march towards the village looking around with the same joy and voracity as a group of starving obese people at an all-you-can-eat buffet
"And to end our tour we have this little village...
They are only villagers, I doubt they can give us a good [donation]
But it cannot be avoided, there's a gap in the cellars that needs to be filled" Said Captain John the Leech with haughtiness and sarcasm as he led his twenty-six men towards the entrance of the humble town of Narhad.
Such a small, poor-looking and largely unpopulated village on such a remote island shouldn't have much to plunder, so the despicable pirate captain couldn't help but feel disappointed for wasting his time coming here, the main reason why they hadn't attacked the island on other occasions
However, here was his first officer and personal bootlicker, Mr Smith who set out to boost his boss's morale "Partly that's better Captain
Our warehouses are almost full, it would give me a bad taste in my mouth not being able to loot a large city due to logistical problems"
"Leech! Leech! Leech!
You always know how to see the good side of everything Mr Smith!" Captain John replied happily, instantly regaining his passion for his trade, especially when he saw what was in front of him "Oh, look, they've come to receive us...
They are very friendly bumpkins"
In front of them, about 20 meters away, a man blocked their path
A man of four meters and three hundred kilograms of pure muscle mass and something of a beer belly, with a virile beard practically squared and with a metallic prosthetic leg that reduced some of his intimidation... but that carried an intimidating huge and heavy metal bat over three meters on the opposite shoulder of his mayor's bandana
"Good evening, I am Marlon Steel, the Mayor of Narhad
Thank you for visiting our remote and poor village, now that you have seen it you can turn around and go back to the boat" Marlon said as he leaned on his bat and looked with warlike eyes at the human scum in front of him
"Oh
I had never received such a warm welcome…" John said sarcastically as he scanned his surroundings for different targets and threats.
Apart from Marlon in the center of the main street, there were two men with a rifle hiding behind the window on the upper floors of their houses, ready to attack the moment the conflict began.
In short, there wasn't enough danger to threaten their lives, so John responded by ending with his sentence "Unfortunately I will have to decline your kind offer...
But don't worry good people of this little town, once you give us everything you have of value we'll leave without causing any further inconvenience
And you're in luck, there isn't much more space on our boat, so you can keep something"
"No matter how polite or haughty you try to appear to be or think you are, we know who you are John the Leech.
Do you really expect us to believe that a psychopath like you won't do us any harm, whether or not we give you our belongings?" Marlon answered while showing him two reward posters that were updated today in the newspaper
A 60 million Berries reward poster for John the Leech, the captain of the Leech pirates and another 30 million bounty poster for Smith the Bloodlust, the sub-captain of the Leech c pirates. The infamous pirates who had earned their reward for their great combat power, but above all due to their aberrant acts against the civilian population
"PFFFFFFFF...
OF COURSE NOT! BUUAAAAAKA!!
Leech! Leech! Leech!
Being popular is a problem, now we will have to make an effort to steal instead of waiting for you to deliver everything to us personally
Although if you do us that favor we promise to be [moderately] more gentle with you" Said John the Leech with a creepy, disgusting, ruthless and sarcastic smile while licking his saber. Something that clearly indicated that he had no intention of showing mercy in any way.
For him and his crew killing and causing pain wasn't a means to an end, but an end in itself.
This was something that everyone who had read the reports and Marlon's explanation had already imagined, but seeing it first-hand disgusted the entire population even more, further increasing Marlon's resolution, who didn't answered at all in order not to satisfy that scum with his reaction
"..."
Something that John didn't like at all, since he liked to see the reactions of panic and disgust of his future victims.
"How boring...
Guys, take care of that lame peasant while I have a drink so I can get back in the mood...
If I can't recover my desire to kill, start without me" Said Captain John as he backed up to a vacant seat behind his crew and demanded a bottle of rum from one of his lackeys while another of his lackeys did all the work.
"At your orders captain!" Shouted one of the filler pirates who wanted to gain the trust of his sadistic captain while he pointed his rifle at Marlon and...
He shot the crippled blacksmith!
BANG!
However...
Contrary to what the pirate who shot believed, the bullet didn't hit Marlon's torso, but was intercepted by his huge metal bat.
CLANC!!
And contrary to what everyone could imagine, that didn't end there, since Marlon at the moment of intercepting the bullet hit it and as he was playing baseball he returned the bullet as a baseball to whomever he threw it!
Specifically in the head, piercing his skull and brain...
CHOF!
A totally unexpected event that perplexed everyone, momentarily silencing the noisy pirates who had given Marlon up for dead from the beginning...
"Oh...
This has turned me on again..." Said Captain John the Leech, who returned the still unopened bottle to his lackey while looking with a grim smile at the pierced head of his former subordinate.
A former subordinate whom he lost sight of when he noticed something pointing at him from above...
BANG!
Mr. Alberto Gonzalez, the father of Edu and Sara, from his window shot John, the captain of the crew and the leader of those psychopaths, thinking that if he managed to kill the leader would probably eliminate the biggest and only threat to him, his wife, his children and all the people in the village
Nevertheless...
"Huh!?"
CHAFFF!!!
"AAHHH!!!"
The shot was intercepted by another of the Leech pirate crewmen, whom Captain John volunteered to act as a human shield 'I finally have an excuse to kill this one, it smells terrible'
Something that shocked and demoralized the other crew members, who could have suffered the same tragic fate as their former partner.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?
START WORKING!" Captain John yelled as he threw the dead human shield he was holding by the neck against the window from which the shot came
CRASHH!!!!
Thus destroying part of the building revealing M Gonzalez, who was terrified by John's show of strength, so much so that he forgot that he could still shoot with his rifle
And at the same time that show of strength brought the Leech pirates out of their trance by remembering one of the reasons why they followed that monster
Because he's as strong as he's ruthless! And he's very, very ruthless...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Shouted the remaining twenty-two common pirates as they prepared to invade the alley like a plague of rats
A plague of rats that Marlon intended to frighten away with three-meter metal bat blows!
"NOT EVEN IN YOUR DREAMS!" Marlon yelled as he kicked the ground with his non-metallic leg, propelling himself at high speed towards the first four closest pirates and…
BLAAAAAAAASHHHHHHHH!!!
¡CRACK! ¡CROCK! ¡CRACK!
And with a single movement of his giant bat the skulls, ribs, arms and/or legs of the first three pirates were shattered, stopping the other buccaneers movements in their tracks due to the fear of also being shattered like a watermelon on the beach (you need to understand that reference){Editor Note:lol}
A terrifying image that was engraved in the minds of the less powerful and cowardly pirates, who didn't dare to advance towards the village, precisely because the only way to reach it was through Marlon, who kept charging towards them brandishing his metal bat…
BLAAAAAAAASHHHHHHHH!!!
¡CRACK! ¡CROCK!
Killing or knocking out two pirates again with a single blow, smashing their motionless bodies against their companions!
"Oh shit!"
"He's too strong!"
"He's going to kill us!"
Panic began to spread once again among the crew, who covered in the blood of their former companions were paralyzed, with trembling legs and with the thought in mind that it was better to return to the ship.
It wasn't worth losing your life to plunder such a poor village!
The fear of losing their lives and the lack of motivation due to the lack of rewards when risking their lives took over their bodies and minds, making any fear of not obeying the orders of their ruthless captain take a backseat
Something that Captain John the Leech immediately realized, who believed it was time to change strategy...
And take action!
BLAAAAAAAASHHHHHHHH!!!
BLAAAAASHHHHH!!!
CLANCK!
In this way, before Marlon could disfigure the already disgusting face of some other anonymous pirate, the Captain stopped Marlon's bat with his great saber.
"Nice hit...
What's a guy like you doing in such a backwater place?" John asked as he fell back almost a meter due to the force of Marlon's blow, which had more force than he expected.
"AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Marlon yelled as he attacked again
BLAAAAAAAASHHHHHHHH!!!
BLAAAAASHHHHH!!!
CLANCK!
"I see you're shy...
Then you won't mind if my men go into the village to see if there's someone able to answer for you right?
Leech! Leech! Leech!
Come on guys! Get back to work!" John said as he stopped with all his might another attack from Marlon and ordered his men to enter the village
"YES CAPTAIN!" The rest of the Leech pirates shouted, more relieved to see that their captain would take care of that monster
And with the certainty of knowing that the four-meter mayor would have a more difficult time cracking their skulls, since he was busy with other matters, the pirates ran towards the village, passing in front of Marlon, who until now had been guarding that road
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Marlon yelled, kicking John with his metal leg, knocking him back a few meters and jumping so powerfully that he even broke the ground...
CRASHHH!!!
He charged at the pirates trying to enter the village, with the intention to kill them all before dealing with the leader, but...
BLAAAAAAAASHHHHHHHH!!!
BLAAASHHH!!!
CLANCK!
His lunge was stopped again by someone else...
"Over your dead body?
We have a solution for that ..." Said Mr Smith as he backed away from that hit with his arm totally numb after blocking Marlon's bat hit
Although Smith wasn't as notorious or strong as his captain, he was definitely a tough and strong guy who could be considered a super human in the world of One Piece. He was a level above many Marine officers, whom he had killed dozens of, as well as other West Blue pirates with eight figures on their heads.
'Who the hell is this monster?'
However, the strength that Marlon had exhibited was superior to all those he had fought against so far, even superior to his captain!
"Good job Mr Smith!
Let's have fun together with this good host while the kids play a little" Said Captain John as he charged towards Marlon to help his first officer fight what's possibly the only threat on the island
Marlon was strong, so strong that they didn't think they could defeat him fighting in an honorable duel of pirates, however they estimated that it was possible to retain him and even defeat him if both collaborated
"MOLDY WOOD CHUNKS!
DIE!" Marlon yelled as he officially started the desperate 2 VS 1 match that he knew he had to finish as fast as possible.
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