Chapter 115: The Devil Colonel

Before the fire, several shifty-eyed men sat collapsed on the ground, trembling so badly that they did not dare utter a word.

None of them had ever imagined that the task assigned by their boss would be ruined by this Marine.

At the same time, they could not for the life of them understand why this Marine captain was chatting so amicably with a pirate.

Given their respective identities, should they not have started fighting the moment they met?

“Rowan, are these the men who were scheming behind our backs?”

Broggy stared fixedly at the group, his gaze vicious.

If these men had not interfered, he would probably already have enjoyed that barrel of fine wine.

After a hundred years, he had finally been given the chance to drink human-brewed alcohol again, only for these idiots to ruin it. How could he not be furious?

“Speak. Who sent you?”

Rowan drew Nara and pressed the blade against one man’s throat, his voice deep and cold.

Of course, he knew who had sent them. But with Broggy standing right there, he could not say so openly. Otherwise, Broggy might assume that this entire incident had been staged by Rowan.

What puzzled Rowan was that, after hearing his question, the trembling men suddenly became tough.

They had been shivering moments ago, but now they simply closed their eyes and assumed an expression of resignation, as though they were ready to be slaughtered.

Rowan had ways of dealing with that.

When it came to these pirates, Rowan had no moral restraints whatsoever. There was simply no need for them.

The incident on Salon Island had happened within this very month, after all.

Once he had obtained Broggy’s consent, Rowan slashed one of the pirates across the main artery in his neck. Watching the blood gush forth, he suddenly felt an exhilarating sense of satisfaction.

Hearing their companion’s agonized screams, the others could not help opening their eyes to see what had happened. Instead, what greeted them was blood carrying the sharp scent of iron.

Amid the increasingly piercing cries, the pirate struggled desperately, trying to staunch the wound, but he could do nothing. He could only watch helplessly as the blood poured from his body and feel his warmth steadily drain away.

Yet he was powerless to stop it.

“If you want to die comfortably, you’d better not follow his example.”

Rowan pointed Nara at the remaining pirates and smiled with narrowed eyes.

The others exchanged glances. Then one of them slowly spoke.

“If I tell you everything, you won’t torture me, will you?”

They were not afraid of death. What they feared was torture.

The reason they had refused to answer Rowan earlier was that, if their boss found out, their fate would certainly be horrific.

But now it seemed that even if they remained silent, the Marine would torture them to death.

Since they were going to die either way, they might as well choose a quick death and suffer less.

Their companion had only had his main artery slashed, but who knew how many other methods this man had at his disposal?

People who committed evil deeds had always been willing to imagine the very worst in others.

“I can promise you that.”

Rowan nodded, sheathed Nara, and sat down directly in front of them.

“Our boss is Galdino, one of the members of Baroque Works. His codename is Mr. 3.”

“We came here for this giant, Broggy the Red Ogre, and for Dorry the Blue Ogre as well. Their combined bounty of two hundred million is enough to let us live in luxury for a very long time.”

“He’s hiding somewhere in the forest. If you need me to, I can lead you to him. I only ask that you give me a quick death when the time comes.”

The three men hurried to speak, their only goal being to secure a painless end.

They had already realized that this man was nothing like the other Marines.

If they surrendered to ordinary Marines, those Marines would not continue attacking them. They would merely arrest them and throw them in prison.

But the look in this man’s eyes was like that of a demon. He appeared refined and mild on the surface, yet there was undoubtedly a devil dwelling deep within him.

There was no hope of surviving in his hands, but they might still be able to beg for a quick death.

“Of course.”

Rowan nodded. He dispatched the other two pirates with a single slash, leaving only the one who knew the way.

“Broggy, to make sure nothing similar has happened to Dorry, go and check on him. We cannot allow another group of vermin to plot against him.”

“I’ll take this man and find their boss.”

Holding the last pirate by the collar, Rowan looked up at Broggy.

“No problem. Leave them to you. I’m going to check on Dorry. We’ve been fighting for so many years, and I refuse to let him fall victim to such underhanded methods.”

Broggy rose, gripping his enormous axe. After saying this, he strode away.

Following the pirate’s directions, Rowan left as well, heading deeper into the forest.

Although the man had provided information, Rowan did not trust him completely. As they advanced, he continuously used Observation Haki to examine their surroundings with care.

However, after observing the entire way, Rowan found no traps or anything of the sort, and he finally allowed himself to relax somewhat.

According to the anime’s setting, Mr. 3 considered himself a high-IQ criminal and disdained resolving problems through brute force.

Whenever a matter could be handled through schemes and trickery, he would never act personally.

The absence of any tricks along the way merely proved how arrogant Mr. 3 was. He had actually believed that mixing explosives into a barrel of wine would be enough to kill Broggy and Dorry.

In the original story, even the dim-witted Luffy had been able to resolve that crisis. Why should Rowan be unable to do the same?

Eventually, they reached the depths of the forest, where Rowan saw a house made entirely of candles.

“Is Mr. 3 in there?”

Rowan pointed toward the candle house in the distance.

The pirate nodded, and Rowan immediately killed him with a single slash.

There was no way Rowan would spare him, so it was better to send him on his way quickly.

After killing the pirate, Rowan unleashed a flying slash that howled toward the house.

The fierce blade wave tore through the air. It sliced down the towering trees along its path and, in the blink of an eye, split the house in two.

The upper half was reduced to dust by the slash. The lower half remained standing intact, while two men inside stared in bewilderment at the walls that had suddenly vanished, question marks practically filling their faces.

Mr. 3 reacted quickly enough. In the next instant, he spotted Rowan slowly emerging from the forest, and his face turned deathly pale.

“That devil captain among the Marines... R-Rowan?”

Mr. 3 had clearly recognized him. His body trembled uncontrollably, and even the coffee in his hand slipped from its tray, fell to the ground, and shattered.

“Devil captain?”

Rowan was stunned as well. What the hell was that supposed to mean? How had he acquired such a title?

And how did Mr. 3 know him? Rowan had only been in the Grand Line for a short time. How could these people possibly know about him?

“Number Three, who is this man? Why do you look so frightened?”

The little girl sitting on the sofa beside Mr. 3 suddenly spoke, asking in confusion.

“He’s Rowan, the new Marine captain who came to the Grand Line from the East Blue. His methods against pirates are exceptionally cruel. Nearly every pirate crew he encounters is wiped out without a single survivor, so pirates call him the Devil Captain.”

“Have you heard about the Pirate Forbidden Zone project in Loguetown? He was the one who devised it. In the past, when the Marines captured us, they would either kill us or imprison us. But after this man proposed that project, nearly every Marine branch began hanging captured pirates at the harbor to intimidate other criminals.”

“There were even rumors recently that, while entering the Grand Line, he personally defeated a vice admiral from Marine Headquarters. His strength is terrifying as well.”

“This man is a genuine devil!”