Chapter 20: I, Keluo, Method Actor!

What a pity—our enemy’s hero is our own mortal foe!

Ajin stared blankly, then coldly fixed his gaze on Gasha after scanning the crowd.

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Drawing weapons on the Marines—even if you’re a noble of this kingdom—I have the authority to execute you on the spot.”

As he spoke, an invisible killing intent erupted from Ajin, so dense it became visible to the naked eye.

The harbor guards felt a sudden chill rise from their soles straight to the crown of their heads.

Their hands gripping rifles trembled visibly, as if the weapon pointed at them wasn’t a human, but some beast wearing human skin.

Gasha felt Ajin’s killing intent; goosebumps rose visibly on her arms, and her fingers beneath the sleeves shook uncontrollably.

Yet as mistress of the harbor, she mustered the courage to meet Ajin’s icy gaze head-on:

“How coincidental—this man beside me, a Marine lieutenant, just fought a fierce battle at sea against the cunning Kuro.”

Gasha’s vigilance spiked to its peak.

Especially toward the man before her—Ajin.

Pirates disguising themselves as Marines to infiltrate harbors and launch attacks—this happened frequently in the East Blue.

Even the infamous admiral pirate Krieg had used this very tactic to strike multiple harbors in the East Blue in succession.

She subtly signaled to the guard beside her.

The guard instantly understood.

He turned and began organizing the harbor patrol guards to evacuate civilians still present and set up defensive lines.

It was a posture of full readiness.

“This…”

Ajin’s lip twitched.

He glanced at the heavily damaged warship docked in the harbor, then at Gao Wen’s righteous expression.

For a moment, ten thousand goats seemed to stampede over his head.

No.

Can I even make up a random excuse and have it collide with reality? Can this get any more absurd?

But.

Remembering Krieg’s words before departure, Ajin quickly calmed himself.

He had followed Krieg for years—he knew his methods well. Saying they were flawless might be an exaggeration, but Krieg would never leave him hanging on something like this.

So Ajin retracted his killing intent and spoke:

“I serve under Captain Bate of Marine Branch Base 18. You may verify this with nearby bases.”

“As for you…”

He turned to Gao Wen, his gaze icy:

“I’ve never seen you before. State your ship’s designation and the branch you belong to.”

“Otherwise, I’ll execute you on the spot for impersonating a Marine!”

Saying this,

Ajin drew a staff with iron balls at both ends from his waist and began slowly spinning it.

As the iron balls spun faster, Kuro’s expression grew darker.

Clang!

The claw blade hidden beneath his coat flashed out, gleaming with a chilling, lethal sheen.

The bizarre weapon instantly drew every eye—even Ajin’s breath hitched the moment he saw Kuro’s weapon.

“Hey hey hey, this feeling? Not good at all.”

Palu’s forehead was slick with sweat; he instinctively raised his shield in front of himself:

“Except for the captain, this is the first time I’ve felt such terrifying killing intent from an enemy.”

“This guy isn’t a Marine!”

Ajin said nothing, his face grim as he stared at Kuro:

“So you’re really impostors?!”

“Tch. Guess we’re going to have to rely on…”

Kuro’s words were cut off as Gao Wen grabbed his arm. Kuro turned, confused, to see Gao Wen giving Gasha an apologetic look, then speaking calmly:

“My apologies, madam. Luoke cannot tolerate any potential threat.”

“His entire family was killed by pirates when he was young—this shaped his extreme personality.”

Kuro paused, then understood—Gao Wen had a backup plan.

He deliberately retracted his killing intent, sheathed his claw blade, and feigned angry embarrassment:

“Shut up.”

Gao Wen smiled warmly, as if used to such outbursts, and secretly gave Kuro a thumbs-up.

No wonder he’d infiltrated Kaya’s household for three years without a single slip.

No script, instant immersion—every pretty boy and seasoned actor would be crushed by this performance. After watching Kuro, they’d all need to go back to acting school.

“It’s fine. It’s not his fault.”

Gasha, watching Kuro’s act, felt tears welling in her eyes—obviously deeply moved.

Gao Wen turned to Ajin, frowning slightly:

“We belong to Marine Branch GL-5, directly under Branch Vice Admiral Weierge .”

“Branch GL-5? A Marine vice admiral?!”

Ajin froze.

He’d never heard of this branch—it clearly wasn’t in the East Blue. GL was clearly an abbreviation, pointing to only one place…

The Grand Line! Marine vice admiral!

The moment these two keywords linked together, no further explanation was needed—everyone present instantly grasped their weight.

Ajin’s face darkened, uncertain what to do.

Should he press the issue further—or eliminate them here now to secure his next move?

But Gao Wen’s next words sent icy sweat cascading down his spine…

“I’ve never seen you in the East Blue—but I’ve seen your face on a bounty poster. Reward: twelve million Berries. The Demon Man—!”

Whizz!

Ajin lunged, his spinning iron balls leaving afterimages in the air as they struck straight for Gao Wen’s skull…

Clang!

Kuro moved faster, his claw blade catching Ajin’s strike with perfect precision. He looked down at Ajin with contempt:

“That guy may be a bastard, but he’s not someone you can just blame. And rushing to kill us? Aren’t you the real pirate?!”

“Tch!”

Ajin’s face turned livid.

His identity exposed, infiltrating Crow Harbor for an inside-out attack was now impossible. His only option: direct assault.

But the terrifying aura radiating from Kuro left Ajin with zero confidence.

This man named Luoke was stronger than Krieg, not weaker—and Gao Wen, standing calmly in the distance, shielding Gasha behind him, was even more inscrutable!

After all, even a powerhouse like Luoke was merely his subordinate.

Ajin was trapped—his cover was about to blow, and he couldn’t win a fight.

Krieg’s fleet was dozens of nautical miles away. By the time they arrived, his men would already be dead beyond recovery.

Palu saw it too. He raised his shield before them and asked:

“What do we do?!”

The harbor guards now converged, dozens of flintlock muskets simultaneously aimed at Ajin and his men…

…

At that moment, another whistle echoed from the distant sea.

A sense of dread stirred in everyone’s hearts.

They turned.

Another warship cut through the waves, slowly entering the harbor.

Confused guards turned to Gasha; after she nodded, they moved to assist the new vessel’s docking.

Soon,

a naval officer with a rat-like face descended the gangway, flanked by soldiers.

His gaze swept the scene; seeing both Gao Wen and Ajin held lower ranks than him, he tilted his chin toward Gasha and said:

“I just fought a battle at sea. I need food and medicine—otherwise, my ship won’t reach the nearest Marine base.”

“Cooperate fully with our needs.”

(End of Chapter)