One Piece: Legend of the Star Sea

"Blood?"

Axe-Hand Morgan reached up and touched his nose, which had been crushed and deformed by Alex's kick. His fingers came away soaked in blood, the vivid red color searing into his eyes. Furious, he roared at Alex, "You insignificant nobody! How dare you injure me?!"

"Did you see that? The colonel got hurt by that kid."

"Can't believe the colonel is actually on the losing end."

The nearby Marines watching the fight looked at each other in disbelief, shock written across their faces.

"Injuring you isn't something I'm proud of," Alex said, panting heavily. He spat to the side and forced himself to ignore the pounding dizziness in his skull. Looking straight at the furious Morgan, he continued, "I'm not proud in the slightest."

His words were blunt and disrespectful, but they were true. If he got smug over hurting Morgan, what would he do in the future when facing enemies far stronger than this corrupt officer?

Alex's back was a mess of torn flesh now. The wound had been bad enough already, but after his intense movement in the fight, it was now gushing blood—far worse than before. He hadn't had a moment to treat it; he'd been fighting ever since it happened.

That was expected. He'd fought the Marines while still wounded, and now, fighting Morgan, he was truly feeling the toll.

Although Axe-Hand Morgan's strength as a Marine colonel might have been inflated by status, he was still far stronger than the average soldier.

If this keeps going… I might really die here.

The thought crept into Alex's mind, and for the first time, a wave of panic swept over him—a raw, primal fear of death.

"Leave a few men to keep an eye on the bounty hunter. The rest of you, attack him! Today, I swear I won't be human unless I hack that little bastard who's been defying my authority into bloody chunks!"

Morgan's bloodshot eyes burned with murderous rage as he barked his orders at the surrounding Marines.

"How shameless," Zoro muttered from where he was tied to the stone pillar. "You know you can't beat him one-on-one, so now you're pulling dirty tricks. If you were any kind of man, you'd fight him properly and finish this duel."

He wished more than anything to cut Morgan down right then and there. Zoro could clearly see that Alex was in a bad state. It was obvious that Morgan had noticed too, which is why he had ordered the other Marines to join in the fight. It was pathetic, cowardly, and beneath contempt.

Koby stood next to Zoro, his pudgy frame trembling slightly. His fists were clenched tightly, and his face bore a confused, shaken look.

"This is the Navy? The Navy that claims to uphold justice? Is this what I've been dreaming of joining?"

"You just stay there and keep wailing, Roronoa Zoro. Once I kill that brat, I'll execute you right after. Only trash like you drifting around the seas would still believe in something like a fair duel!"

Morgan sneered at Zoro.

"…What did you say?"

Zoro's face darkened, and his eyes grew cold—so cold they seemed to pierce through flesh and bone. It was like being stared at by a savage beast ready to rip its prey to pieces. The sight sent chills down everyone's spines.

Even Morgan, after holding Zoro's gaze for a moment, felt his entire body tense up with a sickening chill.

No wonder they call him a demon... What terrifying eyes… But under my authority, even a demon must become a lamb awaiting slaughter.

"No need to waste words on someone like that!" Alex snapped. "A man who's already been corrupted by power can't possibly have any backbone left. Someone like him would never have the courage to fight a real duel. I never expected him to fight fairly. I'm not surprised things turned out this way."

At that moment, the unease in Alex's heart faded. He suddenly burst out laughing, staring at the slowly encircling Marines and the furious Morgan.

"You think you can kill me? You think I've been training day and night for a month just for fun? You think I went out to sea on a whim? You think I'll just die here like nothing? You want to kill me? You think you're worthy?"

Five questions—each louder than the last.

And with every shout, Alex's presence seemed to grow stronger, more forceful, to the point where the gathered Marines began to hesitate. His sheer intensity was intimidating enough to shake their resolve.

"You're still barking even at death's door? What are you standing around for—get him!"

Morgan snapped back to his senses and screamed at the Marines, who were frozen in place. His fury was boiling. How could this severely injured boy, with nothing but spirit, manage to rattle him?

It was unbearable for Morgan, who considered himself the elite of the Navy. That a nameless nobody could make him feel fear—it was something he refused to accept.

"AHHHHHHH!!!"

Alex let out a primal roar. It was as if the shout purged all the fear he'd felt before. Gathering every ounce of energy he had left, he rushed toward the encircling Marines.

In that moment, he realized something:

The moment he chose to sail with Luffy, he'd already stepped onto a path full of danger. If he couldn't overcome his fear of death—if he allowed it to control him—he was as good as dead.

That's why he gritted his teeth and gave everything he had. No thinking, no hesitation—just action.

From the start, he'd believed that Luffy and Zoro were dependable. If he ever ended up in real trouble, they'd be there to help.

But right now, Luffy was nowhere to be found. Zoro couldn't move.

It was all on him.

And for the first time, Alex truly understood: If he didn't fight, if he didn't struggle with all his might, he would die.

This was the first real danger Alex had faced since joining the Straw Hat Pirates—the kind of danger where one wrong move could mean death.

And for the first time in his life, he could feel Death breathing down his neck.

If I back down here, then my adventure—my voyage—ends now.

If there's no way out, then the only option is to fight.

Alex knew: If he turned and ran right now, he might actually survive.

But if he did, Morgan would kill Zoro—and everything Alex had fought for would be meaningless.

And running would be no different than abandoning a crewmate in a life-or-death crisis.

To run from danger, to leave a comrade behind?

That would be cowardice—pure and simple.

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