A Welcome Banquet

Lieutenant Nezumi of the Marine G-2 Branch would soon be transferred to the Marine 16th Branch in the East Blue, where he would serve as regional commander with the rank of captain.

Since ancient times, a posting away from the capital had always been a fine thing.

In terms of strength, the branches in the four seas could not compare with those on the Grand Line. A captain at one of those branches was only equivalent to a lieutenant at Marine Headquarters or a Grand Line branch. But after going to the East Blue, Lieutenant Nezumi would have the chance to command a region of his own, becoming the local tyrant of several islands.

The feeling of holding such power would be wonderful.

Before heading to the East Blue, however, Lieutenant Nezumi decided to make one last haul to help fund his journey.

Ma Qiao stood on the dock, gazing into the distance as Lieutenant Nezumi's flagship slowly approached—a small warship with a rat's head as its figurehead.

Though Nezumi's Ship was only a small warship rated to carry no more than fifty people, it had two gun decks and considerable firepower.

Moreover, the special structure just visible near the waterline showed that this was an advanced warship with a Seastone-lined hull, capable of crossing the Calm Belt.

The word "Justice" gleamed on its side in the sunlight.

No matter how he looked at it, it was hard to imagine that the man in command of this warship was a piece of trash...

Hosting banquets was one of Whiskey Peak's specialties.

Fine food and wine, even acrobats to liven things up—nothing was lacking.

Sometimes, a pirate crew that had just arrived on the Grand Line would rashly come to Whiskey Peak. Mr. 8 would organize a welcoming party and warmly invite the pirates to eat and drink their fill, then strike once they were dead drunk.

Using this tactic, Whiskey Peak had once achieved the glorious feat of capturing a notorious pirate with a bounty of 17 million Beli.

Today, the town had once again prepared fine food and wine, but this was no trap disguised as a feast. It was a genuine welcome banquet.

A sleazy man in a Marine coat, with half his face hidden beneath his hood, jumped down from the warship.

Mr. 8 hurried forward to welcome him.

This was not the first time Ma Qiao had met the infamous Lieutenant Nezumi.

Half a year ago, when Ma Qiao had caught a glimpse of Lieutenant Nezumi's impressive bearing at the dock, he had been deeply awed by his appearance and resolved to have some van♂ with him.

Ma Qiao had even put his Den Den Mushi breeding plan, which he had been developing for years, on hold for the time being.

The reason was simple: the bastard looked way too much like Twitch with his facial fur shaved off...

In fact, Ma Qiao already remembered Captain Nezumi, but seeing a character from a two-dimensional comic enter reality was bound to be somewhat different.

Ma Qiao really had not expected a human being to look so much like a literal rat...

Perhaps something like this could only happen in the One Piece world, where the differences in looks were so enormous.

In the story, during his time as captain of the 16th Branch in the East Blue, Nezumi had colluded with the Fish-Man Arlong and his gang, taking bribes and allowing them to prey on more than twenty villages in the East Blue.

Later, at Arlong's behest, he had used Marine justice as a pretext to confiscate the huge sum Nami had worked eight years to save, and had shot and wounded her older sister, Nojiko.

In the end, after Arlong's gang was defeated by Luffy and the others, Nezumi had merely been beaten up by Nami. He had not received the punishment he deserved; he had not even been suspended, had his pay cut, or been made to drink three cups as a penalty.

And to get revenge, Nezumi had embellished his report on Luffy, causing Luffy's initial bounty to reach 30 million Beli.

In short, Lieutenant Nezumi was an utterly sleazy, shameless, petty weakling who reeked of scum from head to toe.

Ma Qiao could not understand how such a worthless fellow had risen so smoothly through the Marine ranks, eventually becoming a high-ranking branch captain in one of the four seas.

After turning it over in his mind, he figured only Marshal Zhang's old saying could explain it: "The martial world isn't about fighting and killing; it's about relationships and social connections."

At this moment, however, Lieutenant Nezumi clearly showed none of the fawning and social finesse he displayed before his superiors.

He arrogantly accepted the pouch of money Mr. 8 handed him, counted it carefully, and, looking satisfied, openly stuffed it into his coat.

The Marines behind Nezumi all looked accustomed to the sight, and even a little excited.

Clearly, these trusted subordinates of Lieutenant Nezumi's were bad Marines too, with no connection to the word "justice."

Smiling apologetically all the way, Mr. 8 led the Marines to the town's banquet hall.

Soon, a grand reception, complete with food and wine, was underway.

Lieutenant Nezumi drank fine wine and feasted alongside the Marines accompanying him, who were no better than he was.

The soldiers left behind to guard the warship complained incessantly, shouting for their comrades to bring back plenty of food and wine.

As Nezumi drank, he boasted about how highly Vice Admiral Comil of the G-2 Branch regarded him, and how he was about to go to the East Blue to throw his weight around and make a fortune.

Mr. 8 kept refilling his cup, his feelings a jumble.

On the one hand, as a high-ranking official of Alabasta, one of the World Government Member States, Igaram was saddened by the increasingly corrupt ways of the Marines, who were supposed to uphold justice.

The G-2 Branch was relatively decent; Igaram had heard that the lawless men of the G-5 Branch were even worse.

On the other hand, Igaram was relieved that this damned filthy rat was finally being transferred away.

After all, on the surface, Whiskey Peak was a den of Pirate Hunters, engaged in wiping out pirates in exchange for bounties.

This was something the World Government and Marine Headquarters encouraged.

But anyone with even a little seafaring experience and common sense knew that the line between Pirate Hunters and pirates was very blurry.

Quite a few Pirate Hunters had committed acts of piracy, while among pirates, there was no shortage of those who captured their fellows and turned them over to the government for bounties.

One could even say that at least half of all Pirate Hunters were former pirates who had washed their hands of that life.

Whiskey Peak was just such an ambiguous gray area.

To avoid trouble, the people in charge of Whiskey Peak had always paid protection money to the Marines responsible for this stretch of sea. It was a kind of tacit understanding and unwritten rule.

But never had any Marine captain been as revolting as this Lieutenant Nezumi.

He was insatiably greedy, fickle, and a thoroughly despicable man,

And now, at last, the bastard was going to the East Blue to bring misery to someone else.

Igaram felt both relieved and worried for the people of the East Blue.

But there was nothing he could do about it.