Chapter 52: A Sword to the Bull’s Head

Captain Nezumi's judgment was spot-on—his subordinates were exactly the same kind of scum as he was: greedy yet cowardly, arrogant in success, and panicked in defeat.

Back when they had joined forces with the elite forces of Loguetown to hunt down the Arlong Pirates, these corrupt marines had fought with the ferocity of tigers descending from the mountains—all to help Captain Nezumi silence witnesses and cover up their crimes.

But in the blink of an eye, their powerful allies had transformed into cold, unforgiving military enforcers. What was supposed to be an easy, one-sided battle had turned into a brutal frontline assignment. And looming in the near distance, the terrifying sea monster—dreaded by all—was charging toward them, its bloody maw wide open.

"Hmm."

Garen looked at the sea cow, which was larger than their battleship, and casually commented, "That cow actually looks kinda cute."

"It really does,"

Nami instinctively murmured in agreement.

If she had any fond memories of the Arlong Pirates, it might just be of this gigantic, dumb, and weirdly adorable sea cow named Momoo. But the branch marines staring down its furious charge weren't in the mood to appreciate it like a pet.

Driven by the fish-men, Momoo stormed toward the warship in a rage.

Its enormous body surged through the waves, creating monstrous waves in its wake, making Captain Nezumi's sizeable ship bob like a tiny rowboat.

"…"

Captain Nezumi paused for a moment, then suddenly began screaming hysterically at his men:

"Fire! Kill that cow!"

It wasn't that he had courage—it was that he had no other options.

Nezumi could tell that Smoker had no solid evidence of his corruption and was trying to use this battlefield assignment to eliminate him under the guise of military orders.

If he ran, Smoker would have the perfect excuse to execute him. But if he fought the Arlong Pirates, there might be a slim chance of survival.

"Kill them! Kill them all!"

Nezumi shrieked, his bloodshot eyes wild with desperation.

He muttered to himself with manic intensity:

"If I shut them all up, then... then everything'll be fine…"

But not a single one of his subordinates moved.

"What... what are you doing?!"

Nezumi demanded, waving his command saber frantically in the air. "I said fire!"

Still, no one acted. Instead, their faces were filled with conflicted expressions.

"Captain!"

One of them finally spoke bluntly, "Give it up! You've completely lost your mind."

"From the look of things, Captain Smoker's already made up his mind to get rid of you!"

"Evidence or not, you're done for!"

"You... you..."

Nezumi froze. His gaunt, yellowed face turned unnaturally red with fear and panic.

He knew they were right.

As a corrupt officer who'd climbed the ranks through scheming, Nezumi understood one simple truth better than anyone:

If your superior wants you dead, then 'evidence' doesn't matter.

"What... what do I do..."

Nezumi muttered, panic written all over his face.

Suddenly, a katana pressed against his neck.

It was wielded by the very lieutenant Nezumi trusted most.

Before Nezumi could even question him, the lieutenant spoke solemnly:

"Captain... just confess."

"You're the one who's been hogging all the spoils while we barely got any scraps."

"There's no reason for us to die with you!"

The other marines brightened immediately, their eyes lighting up as they looked at Nezumi like he was a life raft.

"Yeah!"

Another officer chimed in, "You're the one who took bribes! You're the one working with pirates!"

"We were just following orders—we won't be executed for that!"

Nezumi's face turned completely ashen.

And so, just as Momoo was nearly upon the ship, its massive head about to crash into the bow, the 16th Branch marines—appointed by Smoker as the vanguard—deployed their most powerful "attack" yet:

With his blade at Nezumi's throat, the lieutenant shouted across the sea to Smoker hundreds of meters away:

"Captain Smoker!"

"I'm reporting him!!"

"Captain Nezumi took bribes, colluded with pirates, and exploited the people!"

Momoo was just about to ram the ship when the other marines, full of panic, jumped in to support the accusation.

Suddenly, the sea echoed with a cacophony of shouting:

"I'm reporting him too! Nezumi didn't just take bribes—he bribed his superiors too!"

"He's absolute trash!"

"I've had it with him for a long time!"

Garen's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but comment, "Captain Nezumi really knows how to manage a team, huh?"

"Hmph."

Smoker snorted coldly. "These scumbags finally opened their mouths."

Then he turned into a puff of smoke, preparing to fly over and rescue the branch marines.

He only wanted to punish the ringleader—he had no intention of letting the entire unit drown.

Besides, the ship was government property—it would be a shame to let a dumb cow wreck it.

"Wait up!"

Garen, helpless as he stared at the enemies still a kilometer away, called out to the flying Smoker, "Take me with you!"

Smoker didn't say a word. A wisp of smoke wrapped around Garen, who had already donned his armor and greatsword, and lifted him into the sky.

A thousand meters was nothing for a flyer like Smoker. The two of them quickly soared above Momoo, who was just about to smash into the warship.

"Whoa, that's huge!"

Garen gasped as he looked down at the cow's head, which was big enough to serve as a parking lot.

"That's nothing. Doesn't even count as a Sea King,"

Smoker said dismissively, with the air of a city-slicker from the Grand Line.

"Momoo!"

But the sea cow remained oblivious to the smoky figure above. It roared and continued charging the marines' ship.

"White Bind."

Smoker casually flicked his arm, which transformed into dense white smoke that quickly expanded.

The growing smoke tendrils shot forward, stretching toward Momoo until they formed a dozen massive, whip-like vines.

They lashed out like a Kraken, wrapping tightly around the sea cow's limbs and torso, halting its momentum.

Smoker's eyes narrowed as he yanked the smoky tendrils back.

"Momoo?"

The sea cow, still mid-charge, was suddenly dragged backward, its massive body slammed into the sea, sending up towering waves.

Trapped in the tendrils, Momoo wore a comically human-like expression of frustration and flailed against the binding smoke.

But smoke was still just smoke—and under the sea cow's frantic struggle, the tendrils began to fray and fall apart.

"Let me down. I'll cut it!"

Garen's eyes gleamed with excitement as he stared at the beast below.

He was genuinely curious to see how strong these bizarre sea monsters were in this world.

Smoker nodded and released Garen from the smoke coil.

"Decisive Strike!"

Garen plunged from the sky, greatsword gleaming brightly.

The target was so massive he didn't even need to aim.

The descending blade landed squarely on Momoo's head.

Garen had underestimated his own strength—and overestimated the creature's toughness.

The instant the sword made contact, the immense shockwave rippled through Momoo's blubbery skin, sending waves of flesh quivering visibly.

The residual force pierced through flesh and bone, making a beeline straight to the sea cow's brain.

Garen's greatsword sliced through the creature's skull like tofu, leaving a gaping, bloody wound wider than Garen himself.

He was instantly drenched in a torrent of blood.

"Moooo!"

Momoo let out a pained cry. Its car-sized eyes filled with confusion and agony.

Just one strike had left it concussed.

"That was… weak."

Garen could clearly feel how feeble the beast was beneath him.

Slow reactions, poor defense… For a powerful fighter at sea, it was just a giant, easy target.

"Momoo! Don't just sit there!"

The fish-men following close behind shouted, urging the bleeding beast forward.

"Keep fighting!"

"Moo…"

Momoo whimpered, a distinctly human look of hesitation on its face.

"Do it!!"

The fish-men continued barking orders from the distance.

"Moooo…"

Momoo let out two more deep groans, so pained that even Garen could hear its emotional struggle.

"Are all the animals in this world this... human?"

Garen mumbled in curiosity, momentarily forgetting to swing again.

"Hey,"

Garen casually spoke to the sea cow beneath him. "If you don't wanna fight, why not just pretend to faint?"

"Moo?"

A strangely cheerful moo sounded in response.

Garen felt the giant head beneath him tremble—then the sea cow dropped straight down into the sea like a stone.

(End of Chapter)