18 Taking Down a Symbol of Justice (4)

*Splash*

A dozen armed townsmen were crushed by a terrifying 4-meters-big beast.

It was none other than Lieutenant Hermès, who had hidden his trump card until now: his Rhinoceros Zoan Devil fruit, allowing to turn himself in a beast capable of destroying ships, not to mention puny villagers.

The morale of the marine soldiers instantly improved slightly, perhaps out of terror rather than actual hope.

Most were still devoid of fighting spirit, the scene too brutal and tragic for their heart to handle.

Jackson squinted and moved forward. Everyone was improving: Lara, Harry, George, Henry and...William as well, the most talented one of the bunch.

But Jackson never felt stronger. A few years ago, upon reaching thirty of age, he thought to have reached his prime, but the latest events had proven him wrong.

He could still improve, and although he was shouldering many responsibilities as he was first mate of the crew...he also took the time to meditate and train his swordsmanship.

This allowed him to create his own set of skills, and one such set is what he called: « Ghost Blade »

Invisible to the naked eye due to its extremely high speed, Jackson's twin katanas smashed through the air and in a blur, two massive marks appeared on Lieutenant Hermès' body: the rhino hide he was so proud of had been slashed through like it was butter.

*Gasp*

It truly was an incredible sight.

But he wasn't the only one giving his all, as Lara moved forward as well, using flaming powder on her sword, causing it to release terrifying heat and releasing a blinding light.

*Roar*

Lieutenant Hermès, symbol of light, was being hunted like prey. He, who was considered an apex predator by all, was feeling...fear.

The few marine soldiers who still had a glimpse of hope ended up gasping, in shock, or perhaps in terror. They just wanted all of it to end. It was a nightmare. A true nightmare.

But Lieutenant Hermès didn't give up. He knew he would die otherwise. He gave up his humanity temporarily, and gave up to his bestial instincts. Years of killing had split his mind into two personalities: a beast and a human, and naturally, the beast personality was more dangerous, more fearsome.

As the wounds piled up on his body, his change was apparent as he stopped trying to reduce the damage he took, instead going on the offensive. Every shot he took, he would try to retaliate, no matter how painful it was, no matter how life threatening and unpredictable it was: these were the instincts of a beast.

While Jackson and Lara dealt over forty blows, Hermès was still hanging on, his devil fruit providing him with vitality far surpassing the norm. Truly, he was a monster worthy of his rank, perhaps worth even more.

Eventually, they made a mistake.

Lara missed a strike and stumbled on the ground. It only took one second for Hermès to grasp the opportunity.

The rhino stomped her, and though she partied the strike to some extent, the weight crushed her, sounds of her bones cracking reverberating in the battlefield.

Jackson was taken over by fury and moved forward with a rarely seen rage. The narcissistic, easy going man was frowning with a glare that would scare demons away.

At ten steps, Hermès felt danger, so it stayed away. He wanted to run away...

But Jackson didn't go into the melee, instead he threw his sword like a javelin, with a force that far surpassed what his body could handle.

The scene of a perfect throw, mustering all muscle groups of the human body with accuracy and terrifying mastery ... was the last scene Lieutenant Hermes saw.

He died by the hands of a Pirate with merely 120 000 Berry on his head. This was absurd. A bunch of nobodies was accomplishing ever more impressive feats.

Seeing this whole scene from afar, a federal agent called Blurry received his orders via the escargophone : « Should I intervene? »

« Agent Number 7, the marines in Garlic Town have violated over a dozen laws. Only step up when they are eradicated »

« Understood, sir »

On his back, the letters CP-4 could be seen. Without any doubt, he was part of the infamous secret organization well-versed in elimination and information gathering.

But...nobody knew about his presence at this point, the pirates blinded by the loot, the marines terrorized by the scenes of brutality displayed on the battlefield, and the townsmen taking back what belonged to them in the first place.

But then...

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