One Piece - A manga adaptation 2022

Chapter 4: The Great Captain Morgan

"He really did it!!" "He punched Morgan's son!! Captain Morgan will be furious!" The towns-people shout. "Luffy! Stop! Are you trying to pick a fight with the WHOLE Navy!" Koby says, desperately trying to hold a still angry Luffy back. "Scum is scum.. no matter WHO it's father is!" Luffy says in reply as Helmeppo is getting up. "Y-You HIT me! You actually hit ME! No one has ever hit me! Not even daddy! I'm Captain Morgan's beloved son!! I'm telling daddy on you!!" He says with a pitiful rage while tears and blood is streaming down his face. The people visibly back away from the scene at these words, afraid of Morgan's retaliation. "Don't run crying to papa! Face me like a man!" "Luffy please stop!!" "You'll die begging for mercy! You're a walking corpse!" Helmeppo says right before his Navy officers help him up and they quickly run away to the base. "Father will kill you!!" "He's not even worth hitting." Luffy says, putting his straw hat back on his head after it had fallen on the ground during his punch. "You BOOGERFACE!!" Helmeppo retorts as a final insult before there out of sight. "Now you've done it..." Koby mumbles. "You were GREAT, big brother! I feel a lot better now!" Says the small girl. "Then I wish I'd given him a few more whacks for you!" "Rika!! Get over here!" A middle-aged woman with an apron comes out of the restaurant storming towards them. "You shouldn't be talking to that person! If they think you're his friend, they'll kill you, too!!" "But, mommy, he's a good man. And Zoro, he's a good—" "What are you saying!? You didn't go to the parade ground did you!?" "Um.. Well.. No-o-o.." "Hurry up, let's get inside.." And both the girl and her mom disappear into the restaurant, Luffy waving her goodbye. "They won't let you get away with this! And Captain Morgan has the whole Navy behind him!" Koby panics. "Yeah, whatever. I need to talk to Zoro." And Luffy walks away without a care in the world. –

At the Naval base compound there is a large, well decorated room with a large Desk with a large chair, and in this chair sits a large man. "I'm so.. GREAT!!" Says a loud low voice from the chair. "Yes Sir! You certainly are, sir! You're the great captain Morgan, Sir!" a Navy officer at the door says in full salute. "Then why are the tributes from the peasants.. ahem.. townsfolk.. getting smaller!?" "Yessir, regarding your tributes.. I believe the townspeople are now too poor to raise—" "I's not a question of how much they can pay.. it's a question of their respect for me!!" "DADDY!!" Helmeppo's voice sound through the large doors to the office right before he bursts through them. "What's wrong, Helmeppo? Why the commotion?" Captain Morgan asks. "I want you to kill someone for me!!"—

Back in the courtyard Luffy has once again climbed the wall and headed towards Zoro, who is still tied to the pool. "Hey!" "You again.. If this is about me joining your pirate crew, my answer is still NO!" "Call me Luffy! I'll untie you if you'll join my pirate crew, okay!?" "You don't LISTEN boy! I've got my own mission.. and it doesn't involve becoming a stinking PIRATE!" "You're too good to be a pirate? You, a bounty hunter? Who everyone thinks is some sort of demon?" Luffy says sceptically. "I don't care what people think. I live by my own code.. I've never done anything I regret, and I don't intend to in the future. Which is why I'll never be a Pirate!!" "Sorry, but I've made up my mind! You're gonna join my crew!!" "I don't care what you've decided!!" Zoro says angrily at Luffy's childishness. "I heard you can use a sword!" "Hmph! If I wasn't tied up, I'd show you.." "So, where is your sword now?" "They took 'em from me. The captain's idiot son.. Next to my life, those swords are my dearest treasures." "Hmm... Treasures, huh? Too bad they took 'em.. I know! I'll get your swords from the idiot son!!" "What?" "Then, if you want your swords back.. you'll have to join my crew!" "YOU LITTLE RAT!! Hey come back!!" "See ya soon!" And Luffy runs off. "He's going into the fortress.. that's one DUMB pirate.."—

"Okay! Steady! Stand it up!" Loud voices are coming from the roof of the base where dozens of Navy officers are trying to hoist up a giant statue of Captain Morgan. "Father!! Why aren't you hunting the brigand who hit me!? Even you never laid a hand on my lovely yet masculine face before!" "Do you know why I've never hit you?" "Because I'm your beloved s—" "I'll tell you why.. IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE AN IDIOT SON WHO IS NOT EVEN WORTH HITTING!!" And Morgan hits Helmeppo straight in the face. "Why should I fight your battles? You're big enough to wipe your own bottom..." And Captain Morgan steps into the light, revealing himself. He is a tall man with a long Navy coat, buzzed blonde hair, a piece of steel for a jaw and an axe for a hand. He is a Naval Captain also known as 'Axe-hand Morgan'. "I don't mind if you use my status.. but I only lay hands on people who defy ME!! Don't fool yourself.. YOU are not the great one! I am great!! I am the GREAT ONE." He says to a weeping Helmeppo. "I heard a little mouse snuck into the parade ground." "The little girl? I dealt with her, I—" "So you killed her." Morgan says with a stern stare. "What!? No.. I, uh.. she was just a little girl and I.. She didn't even know what she was doing.." "You! Find her and kill her!" Captain Morgan yells to one of the navy soldiers. "Huh!?" "Child or not, ANYONE who defies me must suffer the penalty!" "But, captain, she's just a little girl.. I wouldn't obey such a cruel order!" "Oh, wouldn't you? You are a lieutenant in the Navy aren't you? And I, A captain, am your superior officer, am I not?" Morgan slowly walks up to the lieutenant. "Uh.. yes sir.." "Then you are dutybound to obey me!! If I say kill her, then you will kill her!!" "I.. I won't murder a little girl!!" "MUTINY" And Morgan uses his axe-hand to brutally cut down the soldier. "AAAAAAAH" screams Helmeppo. "You didn't have to KILL him!!" "Lieutenant!!" The other soldiers scramble to try and help their superior officer. "No matter, the townsfolk must be taught RESPECT. I'll handle it personally! For years I laboured to achieve this rank, and I did it by my own strength.. at great personal cost! Rank means EVERYTHING in this world, remember that!! My rank is the highest on this base.. which makes me superior to everyone else here... THAT means everything I DO is RIGHT!! Is that clear?" "Yes Sir!! You are the greatest, Sir!" "This is a monument to my rank and power!! It took years to build, but today it is finally complete. Raise my statue! Put it at the highest point of this compound as a symbol of my Greatness!!" –

"That's funny.. there aren't any soldiers around.. maybe they're having a meeting or something.. No one to help me find Zoro's swords.. or the idiot son..."—

"Heave!! Heave!! UNHHHH!!" The soldiers pull and pull and the statue slowly gets pull upright, however one of the statue's hands latches onto a wall. "What was that!? Did you just bump it!?" "Sorry, Sir! We were Careless Sir!"—

"Huh? I think I hear voices up there. I'll just check it out!" Luffy pulls back his arms and launches it into the air, latching onto the railing of the Navy Base roof. "Gum-Gum Rocket!!" And Luffy launches himself like a catapult.—

"Swine! Do you know how long I've waited for this statue to be finished!? And you've already scratched it!!" "Sorry, Sir! I'll pay to have it fixed!" "This statue is like my person! Scratching it is the same as Attacking ME! Let this be a warning for all!" "AAAH!" The soldier screams just as Luffy comes flying over the side of the building. "Whoa! I overshot!" "What's that!?" "It came from below!!" The soldiers shout. "Got it!" Luffy grabs onto the statue's pulling robes, pulling the statue and the soldiers holding the robes with him as he lands. This causes the Statue to break on the ledge and fall apart, it's torso plummeting to the ground and shattering to pieces. "Wow..." Morgan is in absolute shock at seeing this and the soldiers on the roof are petrified. "Um.. Sorry." "SEIZE HIM! I'LL HAVE HIS HEART!!!" Morgan roars. "Yes Sir!" "Aye Aye, Sir!!" "Daddy!! That's the ruffian who hit me! If you had killed him this would never have—" "I've been looking for you!" Luffy grabs Helmeppo by the shoulders and starts dragging him with him. "L-Let me Go! Father! Help!!" "He's entering the compound!" "Help Me!!" "Get Him!!" "Captain! Someone's in the courtyard!" "What!? All these rebels defying me! Kill 'em all!" In the yard Koby has gone up to Zoro. "What!? Luffy went into the fortress!? Why is he so Reckless!?" "Yeah, I've noticed. Who is he anyway?" As Zoro asks this Koby starts untying Zoro's bounds. "Hey! Now YOU'RE being reckless! If they catch you freeing me, they'll kill you!" "They imprisoned you unfairly! I can't stand to see the Navy act improperly. I'm going to become a proper soldier! Just like Luffy's going to be the king of the pirates!" "What!? King of the pirates!? Does he know what that means!?" "Hahaha.. I was shocked when he first told me, too. But he'll succeed or die trying! That's how he is!" Then 'BANG' Koby is shot by someone on the roof. –

"There he is! Get him!" "Where are Zoro's swords!?" "I'll tell you! just stop dragging me!" Luffy and Helmeppo are running through the corridors of the base, and the Navy soldiers are hot on their trail.