The Beginning of the End!
"Alright, we made it to the ship without incident. Now you three stay here and keep yourselves hidden. We need to go back onto our patrols." Lieutenant Commander Tides told Daisuke, Henrika, and Norma as the trio boarded the ship.
"Thank you for the assistance. We apologize if we have inconvenienced you in any form." Norma faced the marines and politely bowed her head to them. "I promise you that I shall protect these two from here on out. Go on and find the Marine Killer."
"And make sure you marines do the smart thing and kill the man." Daisuke spoke harshly. "You can't keep capturing and locking away the lackeys of the Carnage pirates. Sooner or later they will escape and then we'll have bigger problems to deal with."
Corona, Lucy, and Dagger exchanged hesitant looks with each other. Killing the Marine Killer was not something they had considered. No one would blame them for killing the man responsible for the deaths of over thirty marines. But killing was not something that could be done so easily, at least not for them.
"Although I do not condone the action of killing. If this man is truly affiliated with the Carnage pirates, then killing him would be the best course of action." Henrika decided to speak up. "The Carnage pirates are rather influential and they have dozens of allies and connections throughout the world. Disrupting their power of control anywhere is one step closer to taking them down for good."
"Our mission is to capture him. Not kill him." Tides informed the trio before he ordered them to keep themselves hidden until marines from their squad returned. Although reluctant at first, the trio eventually caved and hide themselves.
Once they were gone Corona and the others returned to their patrols. It did not take long for them to receive a distress call from their Den Den Mushi's. The one making the distress call was none other than Wyatt. He informed them about their encounter with the Marine Killer and about how Junior Grade Jays was the only person engaging him in combat at the moment. Initially startled about the news, Tides kicked it into high gear and took off down the street as fast as he could.
He immediately responded to the call and demanded for Wyatt to reveal the location of Jays. His designation was given to him within seconds and he continued on down the street with Corona and the others following close behind. It took them some time to reach their destination and upon arriving on the scene, they were horrified to see at least a dozen corpses lying across the ground. Although he did not show it, Tides felt a moment of relief since he did not see Jays' body anywhere. But this also terrified him. Without hesitation he proceeded down the alleyway, his rifle in hand and ready for action.
By the time he reached the middle of the alleyway, his eyes widened, his jaw dropped, as well as his gun. There she was, lying face down in a puddle of blood alongside numerous other corpses. Tides rushed over to Jays and turned her over onto her back. He desperately shook her and cried out her name, hoping that she would be able to respond.
While he continued to shake her and cry out her name, Corona and the others decided to remain vigilant. It was unfortunate for what had happened to their comrade, but they could not afford to let their guards down. The Marine Killer was still out there somewhere and they needed to find him.
"I'm sorry Jays. Please forgive me. I wasn't here to protect you." Tides said quietly, streams of tears ran down his cheeks and dropped onto Jays' face. He gently set her down and scowled fiercely. He turned around to face his subordinates and gathered his rifle. "We need to find this son of a bitch right now."
"But how? I'm not picking up his scent anywhere. All I am picking up is the blood of the corpses." Dagger reluctantly admitted, his ears flopped down as he avoided making contact with the angered man standing before him.
"We will find him somehow. I will be damned if I allow this bastard to continue doing as he pleases. His reign of terror ends today." said Tides with new found determination. The group was alerted upon hearing the sound of gunfire in the distance. Wasting no time they rushed off in the direction of the gunfire. They arrived on the scene just in time to witness the Marine Killer slaughter more unfortunate marine officers. His blood soaked daggers and blood drenched clothes made him appear far more grotesque than the marines initially imagined.
But nonetheless Tides raised his rifle and fired a shot at the Marine Killer without warning. The Marine Killer raised one of his daggers and deflected the bullet in another direction. Initially annoyed by his first shot being deflected so easily, Tides fired a few more shots towards the criminal, hoping that at least one of them would hit. However, his hopes were crushed when all of the bullets were deflected by the daggers.
"You're not marines from the G-25 base. You must be from Bullock's squad." Marine Killer concluded, slowly lowering his daggers down to his sides. "Where is Bullock?"
"I think you have other things you need to worry about now. Like how you're going to look in black and white once we're through with you." Tides said harshly, feeling infuriated that the Marine Killer wasn't paying any real attention to them.
"Are you going to try and get in my way as well? I would much prefer it if you could forget that you ever saw me today." Marine Killer said. His nonchalant attitude irked the marines.
"Forget?" Tides was appalled after hearing the man's words. "That is clearly impossible! Especially since you murdered one of our comrades tonight! I will not forget nor forgive you for your crimes!"
"I do not expect forgiveness for my actions. But I must do this or else…" Marine Killer stopped in mid-sentence as he quickly jumped to the side to evade another gunshot fired by an angered Tides. He tried to speak up again but Tides refused to listen. The man was hell-bent on putting a bullet through the criminal.
That psychopath killed his comrade, his friend. He did not plan on letting the man get away so easily. He continued to fire shots at the criminal until he was forced to stop and reload.
Marine Killer decided to capitalize on the situation and rushed in to take out Tides. However, thanks to the interference of Corona, Lucy, and Dagger, his plans were thwarted. The first one to strike was Lucy. She hurled her chain flail towards the criminal, hoping to capture him as quickly as possible. The moment Marine Killer got near the approaching chain flail, he felt an unsettling energy emitting from it. He followed his instincts and quickly avoided it.
"That weapon of yours is made from sea-stone isn't it?" He inquired as he looked over to the female recruit. He blinked in confusion the moment he realized that one of the marines were missing. The one missing was Dagger.
It did not take him long to find him for Dagger had appeared behind him in a matter of seconds. He quickly turned his head and took a glance over his shoulder to see Dagger, whom was in his Wolf Hybrid form at this point, swiping his claws at him. He jumped out of the way just in time and watched the spot he was once standing get destroyed in an instant.
"What destructive power you've got there. It is a shame that we are not on the same side." He complimented the recruit.
"Why would we ever wish to be on the same side of a murderer?" Corona angrily stepped in and rushed the criminal. Upon entering his range, she threw a fierce barrage of punches. While her attacks were indeed fast, they were not fast enough to land a blow against him. Just when she pulled her arm back to deliver another strike, Marine Killer swept his leg out and kicked her across the stomach. She was sent flying back over to Lucy, whom had quickly caught her and set her back on her feet.
"You're going to pay for what you've done!" Tides announced after he had finished reloading his gun. Instead of firing another shot, he this time charged the criminal. He tightened his grip on his gun and swung it, deciding to use it as a club.
Marine Killer crossed his daggers in front of him and blocked the incoming attack. The two of them engaged in a brief power struggle before Tides pressed his foot against the criminal's stomach and pushed him back. Flipping his rifle over again, he fired another shot. This time it managed to bypass the criminal's defenses and pierce through his shoulder. The impact of the shot knocked the criminal off his feet and onto his back. The recruits took immediate action and rushed the downed criminal while Tides remained behind to watch their backs and provide support should they need it.
While the pain of being shot was excruciating, Marine Killer refused to let it stop him. Before the recruits could apprehend him, he kicked up and planted his feet onto Dagger's face, using the poor recruit's face as a trampoline to gain some distance.
"Cease with your foolish attempts to capture me. I will not be stopped until my mission is complete. Should you continue to interfere any further, I will not hesitate to strike you down like those other marines." He warned the marines, pointing his blood soaked dagger in their direction. His arm was rather unsteady, lessening the intensity of his threat. Disregarding the threat, the marines remained, not planning to head anywhere while the criminal before them was still around.
"You're the one that should cease with your foolish actions. You are surrounded by marines and you are wounded. You need to stop before your injuries worsen." Corona told him.
"Feeling sympathy towards your enemy? I admire that. But you are far too naïve. Despite my wounded state, I can still outmatch all four of you." Marine Killer bragged.
"That's some big talk! Let's see if you can back it up!" Dagger recklessly rushed in toward the criminal. He swiped his claws at him in rapid succession, looking to maul the man. Keeping true to his words, Marine Killer effortlessly avoided Dagger's barrage of attacks. He eventually found in opening in which he dealt a devastating blow against the recruit. He pulled his fist back and drove it into Dagger's solar plexus.
The impact of the punch knocked the wind out of Dagger. His legs trembled before eventually giving out. He clutched his stomach and went into a coughing fit. He was in so much pain that he had difficulty even maintaining his hybrid form. Unfortunately, his punishment did not end there. Marine Killer swept his leg out and kicked the downed marine through a nearby building.
Corona, Lucy, and Tides exclaimed in horror after watching their comrade get sent flying through the building so easily. The next one to charge in was Tides. He turned his gun around again and used it as a club. This time Marine Killer did not attempt to dodge it. Instead he raised his arm up and coated it with his Haki. Tides' gun proved to be no match against the criminal for the man's arm did not budge.
"Haki?!" Tides exclaimed, currently in a state of alarm.
"I told you that I could easily outmatch you marines. This is proof enough." Marine Killer swung his arm out and knocked Tides off balance. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he drove his Haki imbued fist into the marine's stomach. The power of the punch itself was more enough to render Tides unconscious. "I admire the courage and tenacity you showed here today. But none of you are ready to defeat me." He slowly turned his head to face Corona and Lucy, whom were both frozen in fear.
Two of the strongest marines out of there team was taken out within seconds by the Marine Killer. And now his sights were set onto them. They needed to do something or else they would end up as his next victim.
Marine Killer took notice of their fear and turned his back to them, preparing to leave the area. He did not wish to waste any more time fighting against them, especially since he could already foresee their defeat.
"You don't have to worry about your comrades. I will not bother killing them. You may continue going about your lives without having to see the horrors of death…yet." He solemnly told them. Unfortunately, it was his words that snapped Corona out of her state of panic.
Unknown to him, Corona has seen death before. It was not something she liked to bring up in any circumstance.
"I will not let you escape! We can still stop you!" She spoke confidently, showing no signs of wavering at all. Marine Killer stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around to face the marine. "You will pay for your crimes today! If I were to falter now and let you escape…I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for cowering away!"
"Same here! Even though I am scared, I wouldn't be much of a marine if I allowed fear to control me!" Lucy stood strong with her friend, her chain flail held at the ready to engage the criminal in combat again.
"Bullock must be doing one hell of a job recruiting marines such as yourselves. I am interested to see if a new age of marines will rectify this world." Marine Killer decided to honor the bravery being shown by the recruits before him. Any other marine would have fled in terror had they seen someone like him defeat two strong marines within seconds. "Come marines…show me what you can do. Do not hold back. If you do, your lives will be forfeit."
"We are aware of this! But we wouldn't have become marines if we were not aware of the risks!" Corona used her Soru technique and took off down the alleyway, charging towards the man with a fierce expression on her face. Marine Killer performed a horizontal slash with her dagger, aiming for the recruit's neck. She ducked under the dagger and stepped into his blind spot before she turned around and prepared to throw a punch at him.
While impressed by the swiftness of the recruit, Marine Killer was far too experienced to be taken by surprise so easily. He easily followed her movements and had his second dagger prepared for Corona. Just when he raised it to stab her, he felt something restricting him. It was none other than Lucy's chain flail. It was thanks to her intervention that Corona was able to land her strike across the criminal's face. He was thrown off his feet and Lucy took advantage of his position to tug on her chain flail, pulling the dazed man towards her. When he was within range, Lucy drove her fist into his stomach as payback for the attacks he landed on Dagger and Tides early.
Unfortunately, their attacks didn't appear to do much damage to the man. Marine Killer remained on his feet. Although shocked by the turn of events, the recruits continued to attack him together. Corona attacked him from behind while Lucy attacked from the front. Marine Killer jumped into the air to avoid their attacks and then he spread his legs out, striking the both of them with his feet and also knocking them off balance. Once his feet touched the ground, he rushed for Corona first. He closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds and knocked her back with side kick to her stomach.
His attention was then brought back onto Lucy, whom had recovered from his previous attack and aimed to strike him down with her chain flail again. He jumped to the side to evade her attack while also tossing one of his daggers at her. The dagger flew across the alleyway and headed straight for the recruit's face. In a state of panic, Lucy tilted her head to the side, narrowly avoiding being impaled by the projectile. However, since she was focused on the dagger, she was shocked to see Marine Killer merely inches away from her face. She tried to jump back to gain some distance but she was quickly grabbed by her neck and forced onto the ground.
"You marines are brave; I commend you on your bravery. However, you're still too naïve and foolish. You knew from the beginning that you could not have beaten me." Marine Killer told Lucy. He raised up his dagger and prepared to impale her. "No one would have blamed you if you had retreated. If you do not stand a chance against an enemy, what is point in even fighting in the first place? As far as I see it, you're merely throwing your lives away."
"What would you know?" Lucy angrily spat at the Marine Killer, struggling to break free from his grasp. "You've been talking nothing but nonsense ever since we first saw you. You commend us on being marines, but then you berate us as well. Make up your damn mind. I don't know what you have against the marines of this base, but it does not excuse your actions. Although we may die, we can rest easy knowing that our comrades will put a stop to you."
Marine Killer stared Lucy straight in the eyes. He could see no fear. No remorse. Only confidence and determination. He was actually rather hesitant to kill such a marine with eyes such as hers. But she was in his way and she needed to be removed. He regained his resolve and prepared to deliver the final blow, however his attempts were stopped after a loud bang echoed throughout the area.
After the sound of the echo vanished, everything went silent. Marine Killer dropped his dagger after feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He slowly looked down to see blood staining through his cloak. He slowly parted his cloak and saw a gunshot wound. He had been shot. He slowly turned his head and looked over his shoulder to spot Corona holding Tides' flintlock rifle in her hands. Her face was pale. Her hands were unsteady. It looked like she was going to fire off another shot if she didn't keep her unsteady fingers off of the trigger.
He slowly lifted his arm and pointed at Corona, alarming her greatly. Luckily for him, she did not pull the trigger again, giving him enough time to say, "That's...dangerous...recruit..."
He coughed up a small amount of blood before he collapsed on top of Lucy. She let out a small yelp before she pushed the man off of her. His blood stained her clothes.
"Thanks for the save, Corona." Lucy let out a sigh of relief, believing the situation to be over now. She looked over to her friend and frowned at the sight of Corona still aiming the gun. She carefully walked over to her and gently placed her hand on Corona's shoulder, snapping her back into reality.
Corona quickly scanned the area, trying to figure out what had happened when she had blacked out. Her eyes eventually landed onto the gun in her hands. The smoke escaping from the barrel infiltrated her nostrils, making her set the gun down. She then looked further down the alleyway to see the body of Marine Killer, lying face down in a puddle of his own blood.
"What happened to him?" She inquired. Her voice was nervous and unsteady.
"You don't remember, Corona? You shot him to save my life." Lucy reminded her, feeling concerned that her friend had forgotten her own heroic actions.
"I…I did?" Corona looked to her trembling hands. She tried to remember with all of her might. But nothing came to her mind. She took a death breath and closed her eyes, trying to focus all of her power into remembering the events that transpired.
Her hands traveled down to her stomach upon remembering being kicked by the Marine Killer earlier. The pain of that kick didn't feel like it would disappear any time soon. Memories of Marine Killer pinning Lucy to the ground was the next thing to reappear. It was then she remembered feeling helpless. Her friend was in trouble and she did not possess the necessary strength to rescue her. She remembered begging for someone to rescue them, but no one would reach them in time. So she had no other choice but to take matters into her own hands and grab onto Tides' gun. Everything after that was a complete mystery since it all went black.
"Everyone! We've found them!" G-25 marines finally arrived on the scene and surrounded the area. They were all on alert and prepared for battle. However, they all lowered their weapons upon seeing the body of the Marine Killer. The sight of the infamous criminal lying on the ground before them caused them to cheer out in victory, alerting the entire town that their nightmare was finally over.
The marines gathered around Corona and Lucy, questioning them on the events that lead to the death of the criminal. Since Corona was still in shock to properly respond, the one to do so was Lucy. She told them how Corona was the one that dealt the killing blow against the criminal. Overcome with joy, the marines grabbed Corona and tossed her up into the air multiple times, happily cheering her name.
This continued until Commodore Bullock, Captain Dexter, and Vice-Admiral Rowden appeared on the scene. They demanded that the marines show some professionalism and deal with the deceased and wounded marines. Immediately following their orders, the G-25 marines broke off into teams and went to work.
"What am I going to do with those men? Even though the Marine Killer is dead, it doesn't mean that we are out of the woods just yet." Rowden sighed as he watched his subordinates place Marine Killer in a body bag.
"Indeed. One of our subordinates have killed off one of their lackeys." Dexter commented. "The Carnage pirates will not remain silent for long."
"How is your subordinate doing by the way? It doesn't appear that she is taking things too well." Rowden looked over to Corona, who was helping the G-25 marines carry Dagger and Tides back to the base.
"This is her first time killing someone. You understand how it sticks with you for the rest of your life." Bullock nonchalantly said, not feeling too concerned with Corona's condition at the moment. "Nonetheless we should return to the base and identify the identity of the infamous Marine Killer."
He turned around and followed the marines taking Marine Killer's body back to the base. It took about a half hour, but Bullock, Dexter, and Rowden entered the morgue and placed the Marine Killer's body on the table. They removed his hood and looked at his face.
Rowden raised his eyebrows and voiced his surprising upon recognizing the man's face. "Ah…this man…I know him. He's Commodore Redfield."
"Redfield?" Bullock inquired, seeming to have recognized hearing the name from somewhere before.
"He was considered to be Autumn's right hand man whenever she was in command of this base. He was supposed to be the one to be promoted to Vice-Admiral before me. But after hearing about Autumn's death, he suddenly disappeared." Rowden informed them.
"And now here he is…portraying himself as the Marine Killer." Dexter clicked his tongue in annoyance, failing to understand how a marine could go around killing other marines.
"He was such a bright young man…he had a promising future ahead of him. And now it's all over…" Rowden tightened his hand into a fist, trying his best to suppress his rage. "Why did you do this, Redfield? Why did you suddenly start killing your comrades? I can't make any sense out of this."
"The Carnage pirates must be involved in this somehow. Unfortunately, we are unable to determine how since our only lead is currently deceased." Dexter looked to Redfield again, shaking his head in disappointment.
"You two have already done more than enough for me and the people of this island. As promised I shall assist you in your endeavors against those Carnage pirates. If there is anything that you need from me, please don't hesitate to ask." Rowden looked to his comrades and smiled. "It is a shame that such a tragedy had to befall this island. But it is all over now. We can finally put this Marine Killer mess behind us."
"Are you going to reveal his identity to the people of the town?" Bullock suddenly asked. Rowden blinked in surprise before he looked back and forth between his comrade and Redfield. He couldn't see anything good coming from this situation. Redfield was well known throughout the island. People looked up to him. People inspired to be marines just like him.
If they were to learn that their hero was the one behind all of the murders, their faith in the marines would most certainly drop. Rowden didn't want that. As a last act of kindness to his former comrade, he would keep his identity a secret so that his name as a marine would not be tarnished. It was the last thing he could do to honor his memory.
"No. It would be best of no one besides us knew about the identity of the Marine Killer." Rowden told them. Bullock and Dexter exchanged looks before nodding in agreement with the Vice-Admiral's decision. "So what is it that you needed my help with in the first place?"
"There is an island a few days away from here that was subjugated by the Carnage pirates. We managed to liberate the island from their control and now we need assistance in evacuating the citizens. Their island is dying and they will not last long at this rate." Dexter informed him.
"That is no problem. Give me the coordinates to the island and then I shall send an escort ship early in the morning." Rowden nodded before he placed Redfield's body inside of one of the cabinets. With that all said and done, the marines went to their respective quarters and slept for the night.
Morning came hours later and the entire island was thrown into a frenzy. Everyone was celebrating the death of the Marine Killer. Their nightmares were finally over. Peace could once again return to the island. Although the people were overjoyed, their excitement was nothing compared to the marines in G-25. The entire base was throwing a celebration party for the one that dealt the finishing to their nightmare, Corona J. Reynolds.
The G-25 marines would occasionally gather around her and bombard her with questions about how she felt when confronting the Marine Killer. She tried her best to fake a smile and answer their questions as honestly as she could, but she was still in shock over last night's events. She wandered away from the party and entered the infirmary to check on the condition of her allies. The first one that she laid her eyes on was Tides. He was lying down on the medical bed, staring up at the ceiling with a solemn expression.
"How are you feeling, Tides?" Corona nervously called out to him. Tides continued to stare at the ceiling for a few more seconds before he turned his head to look at her.
"Hey there, Corona. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. How are you feeling though?" Tides asked. "You look worse than I do."
"To be honest, I'm not doing so well. I killed the Marine Killer last night…with your gun…" Corona confessed to him.
Tides closed his eyes and nodded, having already heard the news from the medics this morning. "Yeah, I know. I am sorry that you had to do that last night. But you did the right thing."
"Did I? It doesn't seem like I did." Corona frowned.
"Lucy was in trouble and you did everything that you could to save her. That, to me, sounds like you did the right thing." Tides told her. "It is unfortunate that a man had to die, but there's nothing that you can do about it. Things like this happen in the world. Sometimes it is kill or be killed."
"I just can't help but blame myself for this incident. Had I just been a tad stronger. Perhaps I could have stopped him without killing him." Corona said.
"Don't blame yourself. Don't blame yourself for something that was entirely my fault. As your superior officer I should have ordered for you recruits to stay aboard the ship while I dealt with Marine Killer. Someone with the capability to murder over thirty marines had to have an impressive amount of strength." Tides leaned up from the medical bed, groaning in pain as his wound from the fight last night had not quite healed up yet. "If I hadn't been consumed with rage after seeing what that man did to Jays…you wouldn't have had to be the one to pull the trigger. It would have been me since I am used to it by now."
Hearing those words from Tides caused Corona to raise her head. Although she was hesitant to ask, she still felt the need to do it. "You have killed before, right? Does it ever go away? The feeling of ending someone's life with your own hands?"
"…No it does not. It will always stay with you. People go through this differently, sometimes they will always regret killing someone, or they will enjoy it, or they will just feel nothing as time passes. No matter what, make sure that you always feel something if you ever kill again." Tides said. "Because if you don't, you're no better than the Carnage pirates."
Corona nodded her head in understanding, taking his words to heart. "Thank you, Tides. I knew I made the right choice coming to talk to you about this."
"Don't thank me. It's my fault that you had to kill someone. It's also my fault for what happened to Jays…if anything, I should be punished for my actions." Tides lowered his head in defeat and sighed.
"And you will be…" Strands of blue hair appeared from behind the cloth next to Tides' bed. They wrapped around the unsuspecting marine's neck and proceeded to strangle him. The cloth was parted aside to reveal that Jays was alive and well, albeit being wrapped up in bandages. "How dare you talk like I was killed in action! Do you have so little faith in me that I cannot survive in a battle against the Marine Killer!"
"J-Jays?!" Corona exclaimed, surprised and happy that her comrade was alive. Tides was happy as well, although he could not show it since his face was turning blue due to the lack of oxygen.
"Believing I was dead…you should be ashamed of yourself. Who was it that saved your scrawny ass back when the Carnage pirates raided our island ten years ago?" Jays reminded Tides. She eventually calmed down and released her strangle hold on the man, allowing him to final catch his breath.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! You were covered in blood when we saw you! I also called out your name several times and you didn't answer! What was I supposed to think?" Tides asked.
"I was unconscious! Did you even bother to check my pulse?" Jays continued to scold her comrade. Deciding to give the two some space, Corona slowly edged her away out of the infirmary. Once she entered the hallway, she accidentally bumped into someone. She immediately turned around and prepared to apologize until she saw that the person was none other than Harper Valentine.
"Watch where you're going." Harper ordered, her face contorted in disgust at the sight of Corona.
Not wishing to involve herself with Harper at the moment, she turned around and started to walk away. "I don't wish to do this right now, Harper. Leave me alone."
"Not that I care or anything, but why do you seem so disconcerted? I figured that you would be happy that you killed a criminal." Harper called out to her.
"How could I be happy? I have never killed a person before. It doesn't matter if he was a criminal, I don't consider myself a hero for this." Corona solemnly answered. "A man's life was cut short because of me. If I had the strength to capture him and put him in prison, perhaps he could have been reformed or something."
"That way of thinking is far too naïve. You shouldn't bother wasting your time concerning yourself over the death of a criminal. He killed over thirty marines…our comrades in arms. Feeling sorry for someone like him is disrespectful to all of his victims." Harper told her with a stern expression on her face. "You did the right thing. You killed the enemy and protected your ally. There is no reason for you to feel down about your actions."
Believing that she had said more than enough, Harper turned around and proceeded to head down the hallway.
"Have you ever killed someone before, Harper?" Corona suddenly called out to her. Harper stopped dead in her tracks and looked to the floor. "You've always talked about cutting people down with your sword. I've also noticed your elegant and yet aggressive sword fighting techniques. You show no mercy towards your enemies in battle. I figured that you can speak so easily about killing someone because you've done it before."
"…I have killed someone before." Harper reluctantly answered.
"How did you feel when you killed the criminal?" Corona questioned her.
"Who said the person that I killed was a criminal?" Harper answered the question with a question of her own. Having said more than enough, she continued on her way down the hallway, leaving Corona alone with her thoughts.
Grand Line: G-25 Marine Base; Morgue
"What are we doing in here? Didn't Vice-Admiral Rowden order us not to enter the morgue without his permission?" A group of marines entered the morgue, scanning the area to make sure that no one was around to catch them.
"Oh come on, the Marine Killer has finally been killed and yet he refuses to reveal the man's identity? I understand if he doesn't want to reveal it to the public, but to also keep it from us is rather suspicious." The lead marine officer informed his comrades.
"I have a bad feeling about this. Perhaps we should get out of here." One of the marines said nervously.
"Quit being such a baby! There are only us and a bunch of corpses in this room! There is nothing to worry about! Now hurry up and start looking around for the Marine Killer's body!" The lead marine officer ordered. The marines spread out and searched around for any corpse that could resemble the Marine Killer. Their search was momentarily interrupted upon hearing a loud banging noise within the room. All of the marines jumped and frantically looked around the room, trying desperately to locate the source of the sound.
"What was that? What the hell was that?" Another one of the marines panicked.
"I don't know! It sounded like it came from one of the cabinets!" Another marine answered. Before any more of them could speak, banging noises echoed throughout the entire room, frightening the marines even more. Eventually the cabinet doors were thrown off their hinges, allowing the corpses being contained to escape and stand before the marines.
"The...the corpses are moving? What the hell is going on here?" The marines yelled.
"A revolution..." The marines froze with terror after hearing a voice coming from behind them. They reluctantly turned around and jumped at the sight of Redfield being there with a ominous smile across his face.
"R-Redfield? What's going on?!" The marines asked.
"Redfield? I haven't been called that name for quite some time. Allow me to correct you...my name is Marine Killer." Marine Killer introduced himself to the marines.
"Marine Killer? You're the Marine Killer?!" The marines raised their weapons at the man. "That's impossible! You should be dead! The Marine Killer was killed last night!"
"As marines yourselves you should known that justice cannot be killed." Marine Killer told them before the marines were surrounded and overwhelmed by the corpses. "Which is why everything will come to an end here..."
And that is the end of this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! Now it's time for the preview for the next chapter!
Next time on One Piece: The Fight for Justice!
Marine Killer Vs. G-25!
Marine Killer: Go on and proceed with the revolution. I cannot be stopped by anyone.
Dagger: The corpses are moving and attacking the marines all around the base!
Corona: Marine Killer isn't dead after all?
Lucy: We're losing men fast! The more men that die, the more firepower the one responsible for this gains!
Harper: I have remained on the sidelines for far too long! I will not stay here and allow more men to die!
Dexter: This is one hell of a situation. But nonetheless, we can handle this as long as we keep a cool head.
Bullock: So you're Commodore Redfield. I've heard much about you. Or would you rather that I call you Marine Killer?
Rowden: You've interfered with my work for far too long! I will put an end to you once and for all!
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