One Piece: Star Sea Legend

Chapter 15: Unspoken Understanding

“Is he immortal? He looked like he was on the verge of collapse earlier.”

“Maybe it was a trick to make us think he was weak. How cunning.”

“Yeah, good thing we didn’t attack him. Captain Morgan fell right into his trap.”

The Marines surrounding Qin Ming were filled with fear after seeing him use his feet to catch Morgan’s giant axe and effortlessly throw Morgan aside. However, when they mentioned Morgan falling for Qin Ming’s trick, their tone carried a hint of schadenfreude, showing just how much they despised their arrogant and brutal captain.

“Weren’t you on the verge of death earlier? How did you suddenly become so lively? Were you faking it to trick me?”

Nami, having recovered from her shock, casually wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. Seeing Qin Ming so easily throw Morgan away, she couldn’t help but feel suspicious. His current state was a stark contrast to his earlier condition.

Seeing that the wound on Qin Ming’s back had stopped bleeding, Nami felt slightly relieved. While wiping her tears, she secretly smiled, unnoticed by anyone.

“Damn, even if I had nothing better to do, I wouldn’t fake my death just to make you cry.”

Qin Ming shook his hands and stretched his muscles, feeling just as puzzled. Somehow, not only had his stamina recovered, but the pain in his back had also lessened significantly.

Moreover, his strength seemed to have increased as well, which confused him even more. He knew that just a few minutes ago, he wouldn’t have been able to catch Morgan’s full-force axe swing with his feet.

Although it had been difficult, he had indeed managed to block Morgan’s attack using only his feet.

“Is this the power of the Devil Fruit?”

Qin Ming’s mind raced. “I was truly at my limit, on the verge of death. But when I heard Nami say she was worried about me, it felt like an electric current ran through my body, leaving me tingling all over. Then, I recovered almost completely.”

“Reviving from the brink of death and gaining strength in the process…”

Qin Ming stroked his chin, deep in thought. Nami, who had been about to speak to him, decided not to disturb him.

The surrounding Marines, without Morgan’s orders, simply surrounded Qin Ming and Nami, too afraid to attack.

Nami, who had been secretly observing Qin Ming, suddenly heard him muttering to himself: “Reviving from the brink of death and gaining strength… Doesn’t that make me like a Saiyan?”

“Saiyan? Is Saiyan your hometown? I’ve never heard of a Saiyan Village in the East Blue. Are you not from the East Blue?”

Nami asked curiously, her words immediately making Qin Ming feel awkward.

“Damn, if I were really a Saiyan, I could blow Morgan away with a breath. I wouldn’t have to fight so hard.”

Qin Ming looked at Nami speechlessly, feeling conflicted. Seeing the faint tear stains on her smooth, fair face, he couldn’t bring himself to tease her, especially after realizing she had cried out of concern for him.

The Marines, hearing Nami’s words, stared at Qin Ming, thinking: “What kind of village is this Saiyan place? How could it produce such a monster? This is terrifying. If I ever request a transfer to another branch, I’ll make sure there’s no Saiyan Village nearby. If there is, I’m not going.”

Just as Qin Ming was about to explain to Nami what a Saiyan was, Morgan’s voice rang out: “You two still have the nerve to chat? Today is truly a day of shame for you, Morgan!”

Morgan slowly walked towards Qin Ming. Although he had been thrown by Qin Ming earlier and looked badly injured, he hadn’t suffered any serious harm. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Qin Ming and ordered the Marines: “All of you, follow my command! Let’s kill these two who dared to defy my supreme authority!”

At Morgan’s command, the Marines surrounding Qin Ming and Nami attacked again. Morgan, wielding his giant axe, charged at Qin Ming, and chaos erupted.

Facing the wave of attacking Marines, Qin Ming no longer had the luxury of chatting with Nami. He punched and kicked, scattering the Marines around him.

With the Marines interfering, Qin Ming, now unarmed, found it difficult to deal with Morgan.

“You’re agile, but you lack strength. You’re destined to lose to me!”

Morgan blocked Qin Ming’s punch with his axe and then swung his left fist at Qin Ming.

Qin Ming quickly crossed his arms to block the blow.

“Are you okay?”

Nami, who had been dodging attacks, saw Qin Ming being forced back by Morgan’s punch and called out in concern.

“I’m fine. His weak punches are just tickling me.”

Qin Ming grinned, though inwardly he groaned: “Damn, why can Luffy take down Morgan with a few punches, while I’ve hit him with everything I’ve got, and he’s still standing?”

Qin Ming knew there was a significant gap between his current strength and Luffy’s. He had realized this when they fought Alvida, the obese female pirate. In terms of raw power, Luffy was far stronger.

What Qin Ming didn’t know was that Morgan was also cursing him internally: “This guy is like a cockroach that just won’t die. No matter how much I hit him, he keeps getting back up. It’s infuriating!”

“Damn, if I had a proper weapon, I’d wipe the floor with them!”

Qin Ming dodged Morgan’s attack but couldn’t counter because several Marines were swinging their swords at him. He had no choice but to evade, or he’d be chopped to pieces.

Even though Qin Ming felt stronger after recovering from his near-death state, dealing with both Morgan and the Marines while protecting Nami was still exhausting.

It wasn’t that Morgan had suddenly become stronger, but Qin Ming had to split his attention between fighting and protecting Nami. If he were alone, he could have taken the initiative, and the situation wouldn’t have been so dire.

Morgan was now fighting at full strength. Having been punched hard by Qin Ming earlier, he no longer underestimated him.

With Morgan going all out and Qin Ming distracted by protecting Nami, the two were evenly matched.

“Stay away from me!”

Nami pulled out a collapsible staff strapped to her left leg and knocked down a Marine charging at her.

Seeing Nami’s staff, Qin Ming had an idea. He faints a kick, forcing Morgan back, and shouted to Nami: “Give me your weapon!”

“Huh?”

Nami was startled but threw her staff to Qin Ming. “Do you know how to use a staff? I didn’t know you were so versatile.”

As soon as she said this, Nami realized: “If I give him my weapon, I’ll be unarmed. What am I doing? Why am I listening to him?”

With this thought, Nami barely dodged a Marine’s attack and glared at Qin Ming. “Idiot, give me back my weapon! Are you trying to get me killed?”

“Damn, this woman changes her mood faster than flipping a book!”

Qin Ming disassembled Nami’s staff into three shorter sections and threw one back to her. “Use this for now.”

Nami caught the short section. Her face darkened as she yelled at Qin Ming: “You moron! How am I supposed to use something this short?”

If it weren’t for the Marines attacking her, Nami might have resorted to violence against Qin Ming.

“Aren’t you good with the staff? You can make do with this, right?”

Qin Ming tripped a few Marines, and while they were sprawled on the ground, he quickly took off their boots and pulled out the shoelaces.

“Make do with this?”

Nami looked at the 30-centimeter-long section in her hand and then at the Marines’ meter-long swords. Her fair face turned as dark as coal, striking fear into those who saw her.

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely protect you. Just give me a little more time. I’ll finish this soon.”

After dodging several attacks from Morgan and the Marines, Qin Ming picked up a Marine’s sword and poked holes in the two wooden sections he held.

Nami’s expression softened slightly when Qin Ming said he would protect her, but then she saw him stabbing the wooden sections with a sword. Thinking he was destroying her weapon, she felt inexplicably furious. Just as she was about to speak, four or five Marines surrounded her, raising their swords.

Nami instinctively raised her short staff to block, but then she remembered it was only a third of its usual length. There was no way it could defend against the swords.

“I’m done for!”

As the swords were about to strike her, Nami instinctively looked towards Qin Ming, thinking: “You big idiot, you’ve really got me killed. What will happen to the people in my hometown?”

Just as Nami was filled with despair, a figure flashed past, wrapped an arm around her waist, and spun her around. She vaguely saw the Marines who had been about to strike her being sent flying by a crooked stick, their screams filling the air.

“Huh, her waist is really slim.”

Qin Ming, holding Nami, spun her around a few times before using his makeshift weapon to save her just in time.

“Why is my staff bending?”

Nami, still in shock, stared in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Qin Ming held the dazed Nami with one arm and wielded his weapon with the other, scattering the Marines and sending them retreating in disarray.

“Captain, we’re no match for him with that strange weapon.”

A Marine, his face swollen from being hit by Qin Ming’s weapon, crawled over to Morgan. Before he could finish speaking, Morgan kicked him to death. “I don’t need subordinates who spread panic!”

Morgan walked towards Qin Ming, eyeing the weapon in his hand—a simple-looking contraption made of two sticks connected by a rope. “You think this ridiculous weapon can defeat me?”

“Ridiculous?”

Qin Ming swung the nunchaku, knocking down three Marines. He looked at Morgan, wiped his nose, and gave him a thumbs-down gesture, then waved his hand dismissively. “Since you look down on it, I’ll let you experience its power.”

Yes, Qin Ming was now wielding a nunchaku made from Nami’s staff. He found it incredibly easy to use—it was simply satisfying to fight with!

Morgan, seeing Qin Ming’s dismissive gesture, was so enraged that his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He charged at Qin Ming: “How dare you look down on me! I’m the most excellent Marine captain, the elite of the elite—Captain Morgan, the Axe-Hand!”

“Whether you were faking your injuries earlier or not, I’ll execute you here today! Along with the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, that straw-hat brat, and this woman with you! I’ll make sure none of you have a place to be buried!”

Morgan’s eyes were cold, veins bulging on his forehead as he raised his axe and swung it at Qin Ming.

“You dare threaten them? You’re asking for death!”

Qin Ming’s anger flared at Morgan’s words. He sidestepped the axe and swung the nunchaku, bypassing Morgan’s axe and striking him squarely in the face, eliciting a howl of pain.

Whack!

Qin Ming struck Morgan’s face again, leaving him dazed and slowing his movements.

Yah!

Qin Ming relentlessly swung the nunchaku, left and right, beating Morgan until his face was swollen and unrecognizable, leaving him unable to fight back.

Zoro, tied to the post, stared in awe. “He’s pretty good with that weapon.”

“Captain Morgan is completely defenseless now.”

Koby adjusted his thick glasses, having witnessed Qin Ming’s turnaround from being at a disadvantage to completely dominating the fight. His emotions were in turmoil, though he wasn’t sure what to think.

“Stop!”

Just as Qin Ming was relentlessly beating Morgan, a small, trembling voice reached his ears.

“I said stop! Did you hear me?”

The voice came again. Qin Ming delivered one last blow to Morgan, knocking him to the ground, before finally pausing.

Morgan’s face was now swollen beyond recognition, so much so that even his son, Helmeppo, who had just called for Qin Ming to stop, could barely recognize him.

“Dad, are you okay?”

Helmeppo trembled slightly, holding a pistol pointed at Zoro and Koby. He also ordered a dozen Marines to aim their guns at Nami, threatening Qin Ming: “If you make any more moves, your friends are dead. Step back and stay away from my dad!”

“Damn it, I was so focused on beating Morgan that I didn’t notice when this guy showed up.”

Qin Ming frowned, puzzled as to why Helmeppo had appeared but Luffy was still nowhere to be seen.

“Hahaha, that’s my good son!”

Morgan spat out a few bloody teeth as he spoke. His eyes were so swollen he could barely see. He slowly sat up and said to Qin Ming: “Drop your weapon and stand next to the woman. If you don’t obey, the consequences will be on you!”

Qin Ming glanced at the Marines aiming their guns at Zoro, Koby, and Nami. He promptly dropped the nunchaku. “So this is your trump card. If you couldn’t beat me, you’d have your idiot son step in and force me to surrender.”

“I can’t beat you? How could I not beat you!”

Morgan struggled to his feet, roaring at Qin Ming.

“I’ve dropped my weapon, and you still don’t dare come near me. You’re truly a coward.”

Qin Ming’s words enraged Morgan. He divided his Marines into three groups: two groups aimed their guns at Nami and Zoro, while the third group aimed at Qin Ming.

This way, even if Qin Ming tried to save someone, he couldn’t save both sides at once.

The remaining group aimed their guns at Qin Ming.

“Kid, if you make any sudden moves, they’re dead!”

Morgan’s swollen mouth let out an unpleasant sneer as he ordered the third group: “Aim carefully! Don’t kill him! Shoot his limbs! I want to deal with him personally!”

“Wait!”

Nami, standing about ten meters to Qin Ming’s left, suddenly shouted.

“What do you want? Are you in a hurry to die?”

Morgan’s grotesque appearance frightened Nami. She glanced at Qin Ming, who, despite his grim expression, showed no fear. She then looked at the nunchaku Qin Ming had dropped earlier, feeling a strange emotion.

“No, I just suddenly have a stomach ache. Can I go to the bathroom?”

Nami’s words left everyone puzzled. Qin Ming felt like his mind was spinning. “What is this woman doing? Couldn’t she come up with a better excuse?”

“You want to execute me, right? Then let me lead the way! Shoot me!”

Before Morgan could respond, Zoro’s voice rang out.

“Roronoa Zoro, you’re an important tool to control that brat. Don’t worry, once I deal with him, it’ll be your turn!”

Morgan raised his hand and ordered the Marines aiming at Qin Ming: “Ready!”

Looking at the black gun barrels pointed at him, Qin Ming held his breath, but his mind was eerily calm.

“I’ve done my best. What a short journey this has been.”

Just as Qin Ming was about to close his eyes and await death, Morgan gave the order.

“Fire!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just as Qin Ming was about to close his eyes, a figure leaped in front of him, blocking all the bullets.

“Shishishi!”

Qin Ming stared at the person who had taken the bullets for him. The bullets didn’t penetrate his body but instead caused it to stretch and deform, forming spike-like protrusions.

One of the spikes even brushed against Qin Ming’s nose, and he could feel the residual warmth of the bullets at its tip.

Looking at Luffy’s back, Qin Ming felt a surge of excitement and relief. Just when he thought he was about to die, he had been saved. The feeling of escaping death made his blood boil, his heart burning with intensity.

“Straw Hat…”

Morgan’s face darkened as he glared at the boy in front of him, gritting his teeth.

“It’s you!”

Zoro, seeing Luffy standing in front of Qin Ming, exclaimed in surprise.

“Luffy!”

Koby screamed, and the Marines, seeing Luffy appear out of nowhere, were stunned.

“Isn’t that the troublemaker?”

Nami voiced her true thoughts.

“It’s useless!”

With Luffy’s spirited shout, the bullets bounced back, leaving Morgan and the Marines speechless.

As the Marines and Morgan were stunned by Luffy’s bullet-deflecting ability, Qin Ming shouted: “Luffy!”

“Yeah!”

Luffy responded simply.

Qin Ming quickly used his foot to flick the nunchaku off the ground and hurled it at the Marines aiming at Nami.

At the same time, Luffy stretched his leg and swept it towards the Marines aiming at Zoro:

“Gomu Gomu no Muchi!”

As Luffy’s leg sent the Marines on the right flying, Qin Ming’s nunchaku smashed into the guns of the Marines on the left, shattering them.

The Marines had lined up so neatly that it made Qin Ming’s job easier.

In an instant, thanks to the tacit cooperation between Qin Ming and Luffy, the threats to Nami and Zoro were eliminated…