3: Tashigi makes an early appearance in Chapter 3.

The white dove skimmed across the rolling waves, the white spray breaking at the bow shimmering like fragments of gold under the sunlight.

It had been three days since the "dismantling surgery" performed on that annoying brat on the nameless island.

Over these three days, rumors had begun to circulate in the once-calm East Blue about a three-masted sailing ship flying a mysterious "White Dove flag."

However, Rice, the center of this storm, didn't care about any of that at the moment.

"Rice, come over and try on these clothes."

Makino's gentle call came from inside the cabin.

Rice spat out the dogtail grass he'd been chewing until it was nearly shredded, then strolled lazily into the cabin with his hands shoved into his jeans pockets.

Over the past few days, the auxiliary cabin, which had originally been used for storage, had been completely transformed by Makino into a cozy little living room, with the faint scent of malt ale drifting in the air.

At this moment, Makino was standing by the brightly lit window, holding a freshly ironed white shirt in her hand.

The material of that shirt was clearly much better than the one Rice was wearing, which had been washed until it was a bit yellowed.

"You rotate between just these two outfits every day; they're covered in salt stains."

Makino turned around and gave him a slightly reproachful look.

She didn't hand the shirt to Rice, but instead walked up to him naturally, reached out to wrap her hands around his broad shoulders, and helped him slowly peel off the somewhat messy old shirt he was wearing.

His powerful upper body, honed to perfection through years of trading blows with Garp and containing almost no excess fat, was completely exposed to the air.

Makino's breathing hitched involuntarily.

Although she had seen Rice returning from the back mountain shirtless back in Foosha Village, being in such a confined, private space and facing this explosive physique at such close range still made her heart beat like a drum.

Trying to suppress her shyness, her fair fingers trembled slightly as she picked up the new shirt and draped it over his broad shoulders, then stood obediently before him, head lowered, helping him button up the front.

As her fingertips inadvertently brushed against his skin, which was as hard as steel, she felt a tingling sensation and didn't dare to look directly at his chest.

Rice looked down at the submissive woman, watching her long eyelashes tremble slightly from nervousness.

He chuckled softly, his right hand suddenly emerging from his pocket to gently lift Makino's delicate chin.

"Makino, you're shaking."

Rice's voice was low, carrying a hint of playfulness.

"Don't... don't tease me, or I'll mess up the buttons."

Makino tried to look away in a panic, but she ended up locking eyes with his deep, pitch-black gaze.

In that instant, their breaths intertwined, and the air grew thick and heavy.

The ambiguous tension stretched to its limit, spreading wildly through the air; neither of them broke the momentary silence.

"If you mess up, you can just do it again. We have plenty of time."

Rice smirked, his thumb gently caressing her delicate chin.

Makino gave him a shy, annoyed glare and raised her small hand to tap him lightly on his rock-hard chest:

"Look ahead, we're almost at the new port."

Rice laughed heartily, finally letting go and turning to look out the window.

Ahead, a massive Marine base building rose above the sea—Shells Town, Marine Branch 153.

"Shells Town, huh... That small-fry Morgan, the local tyrant who oppresses the people and calls himself a god, is probably still dreaming his grand dreams."

Rice sneered.

"Makino, wait for me on the ship. I'm going to the Marine base to take care of some business."

Rice reached back and ripped open the top few buttons of his shirt, returning to his usual look—hands in his pockets, looking laid-back and unrestrained.

He popped another blade of grass, pulled from who knows where, back into his mouth and raised an eyebrow at Makino.

"Be careful."

Makino smoothed out the hem of his shirt, her eyes filled with unconditional trust.

Ten minutes later, in the courtyard of the Shells Town Marine base.

"Who goes there?! How dare you trespass on the Marine branch!"

"Alert! An unidentified intruder!"

A piercing alarm instantly shattered the base's tranquility. Dozens of Marine soldiers, wielding flintlock rifles and steel swords, rushed out in a panic, tightly surrounding the figure in the white shirt and jeans in the center of the courtyard.

"So noisy."

Rice stood with his hands in his jeans pockets, a blade of grass in his mouth, scanning the crowd with a lazy gaze.

Finally, his gaze paused for a second on a black-haired girl outside the circle, wearing red-framed glasses and clutching a famous sword, "shigure," tightly.

Tashigi.

At this moment, she was pushing up her glasses in a fluster, staring in shock at the young man who had suddenly broken into the base.

On the other side of the circle, a young man with a strange mushroom haircut and wearing a flashy suit was hiding behind the Marine soldiers.

It was Morgan's bully of a son, Helmeppo, who was now pointing at Rice and shouting through gritted teeth:

"Bastard! Where did this lunatic come from?! How dare you trespass on my father's territory! Fire! Quickly, shoot him to death!"

Following Helmeppo's clamor, the surrounding Marine soldiers pulled their bolts, aiming their dark gun barrels directly at Rice.

However, before they could pull the triggers, a violent roar came from behind the crowd.

"Get out of my way! A bunch of losers!"

Captain Morgan, with his hulking frame and a massive steel axe attached to his right arm, walked out, his face twisted in a scowl.

He stared at Rice's arrogant demeanor, the cruelty in his eyes almost tangible:

"In this base of justice ruled by me, I am God! Anyone who dares to resist me must die!"

Boom!

Morgan's thick left leg slammed into the ground, shattering it. His massive frame, weighing over two hundred pounds, charged out with terrifying pressure. The huge steel axe on his right arm carved a pale arc through the air, whistling with a piercing, tearing sound as it slashed down directly at Rice's head!

"God? Hahaha, that's hilarious."

Facing this violent axe blow capable of splitting rock in two, Rice didn't even intend to take his hands out of his pockets, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.

Just as the axe was inches from his face and Tashigi couldn't help but cry out in alarm, Rice's eyes sharpened.

Marine Six Styles—[Soru]!

Swish!

In a single second, Rice's feet stomped rapidly against the ground dozens of times; the intense reaction force instantly turned his body into a white afterimage that the naked eye couldn't track.

Morgan's unstoppable axe slashed through Rice's "body" without any resistance, directly carving a trench several meters long into the granite ground.

But that was just an afterimage of air left behind by Rice.

"Nani?! Where is he?!"

Morgan's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, and the massive momentum from missing his strike caused his body to tilt forward uncontrollably.

"Aren't you a god? You're such trash."

A low, lazy voice sounded without warning behind Morgan's ear.

Morgan's hair stood on end, his scalp tingling.

Damn it, when did this guy get behind me?

He instinctively tried to twist his body to swing the big axe.

However, it was too late.

Rice's right hand finally emerged from his jeans pocket.

The moment it came out, his calloused knuckles clenched into a fist.

The muscle definition all over Rice's body bulged under his white shirt like tightened steel cables, and the blood and energy within him surged wildly at this moment.

He made no unnecessary, flashy moves, simply throwing a punch forward aimed at Morgan's back.

The moment his fist thrust forward, his terrifying physical strength compressed and condensed the air in front of his fist frantically. Due to the high-pressure air currents, the outline of a diving White Dove faintly formed in the void!

[White Dove · Iron Heavy Strike]!

Boom—!!

This punch landed solidly on Morgan's thick back.

No flashy Haki, just a pure, extreme explosion of physical strength—a single force defeating ten thousand techniques.

The dull sound of physical impact exploded in the Marine courtyard like a thunderclap on flat ground!

"Crack! Crack!"

The sound of shattering bones was as dense as firecrackers going off.

Morgan couldn't even scream; the sound was stuck in his throat as his back ribs were instantly shattered by the terrifying fist force and high-pressure air.

What was even more terrifying was that this overwhelming force passed through his body, rushing forward with a 'bang,' shattering the giant steel axe attached to his right arm into scrap metal flying everywhere!

Pfft—!!

Morgan spat out a huge mouthful of blood, his entire body flying backward like a cannonball, carving a deep trench along the ground. He flew dozens of meters, smashing heavily through the Justice Building behind him and being buried in the rubble, completely silent.

One punch—the god of Shells Town had his bones shattered, life or death unknown.

The entire Marine base courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

Helmeppo, who had been shouting on the sidelines, was so terrified his eyes were about to pop out. Watching his god-like father get sent flying by a single punch, his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground, wetting his pants instantly and emitting a foul stench.

Dozens of armed Marine soldiers shook violently; 'clatter, clatter,' their weapons dropped to the ground in droves.

They looked at the man in the white shirt, who was slowly retracting his fist and putting his hands back into his jeans pockets, their eyes filled only with the fear one feels when facing a god or a demon.

"Is... is this Marine Six Styles? No, what was that last punch..."

Tashigi's almond-shaped eyes, behind her red-framed glasses, were wide open. Her pure, cute little face was deathly pale, and her brain was buzzing.

She looked down at "shigure," which she was clutching tightly in her arms, and then at Morgan, who was lying in the ruins, life or death unknown. The worldview of justice she had upheld for over a decade was smashed to pieces by this single punch.

In the deathly silence, Rice brushed the non-existent dust off his shirt, looking a bit bored.

He strode forward with his long legs, walking unhurriedly up to the stunned Tashigi.

His height of 1.92 meters cast a towering shadow, instantly enveloping the petite Tashigi.

The aggressive scent of the man, mixed with sweat and a faint smell of sea salt, rushed toward her, making Tashigi's heart race in confusion.

Rice extended a long, powerful finger, gently hooking the frame of Tashigi's red-framed glasses, and used the momentum to lift her dazed, adorable face, which was still blank with shock.

The distance between them was extremely close; Rice could even see his own face, wearing a smirk, reflected in her dark, bright pupils.

"Little sister, this sword in your hand, it's called shigure, right?"

Rice looked at her panicked, bewildered eyes, the dogtail grass in his mouth bobbing up and down, his voice low and full of temptation:

"The Marine's justice is too hypocritical; it doesn't suit such a pure girl like you. How about... coming with me onto my White Dove ship? I'll teach you what real peerless swordsmanship is."