Time—
Marineford Year 1517.
Location—
East Blue.
Somewhere in calm waters.
A massive warship was slowly sailing along.
A huge Justice flag hung high above it, white with a seagull clutching a pair of scales, while countless cannons lined its hull and towering masts and sails filled the sky.
This was a Marine warship.
At that moment.
On the broad deck, an elderly man with white hair and beard, a tall and broad frame, and well-developed muscles was lazily resting his head on his hands with his eyes closed. He appeared to be sleeping quite comfortably, and a bubble occasionally blew from his right nostril.
Suddenly.
An East Blue sea breeze drifted over and popped the bubble on the old man's nose, jolting him awake from his nap.
After sleepily glancing around at the surrounding sea, he casually grabbed a doughnut from a small tea table beside him and stuffed it into his mouth.
While chewing in huge, uncouth bites, he asked the Marine officer waiting beside him without any concern for appearances, "Smoker, have we reached Marine Branch 16 yet?"
Large Marine Headquarters warships rarely appeared in the East Blue, known as the weakest sea.
This trip to the East Blue was not only to send Marine Hero Garp home for vacation, but also to escort Marine Headquarters Colonel Smoker and his subordinates to Loguetown's Marine base, the town known as the "Town of the Beginning and the End," located at the entrance to the Grand Line, for their new posting.
At the same time, they also had to make a stop at Marine Branch 16 along the way.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp."
The man called Smoker wore a delinquent-style jacket draped loosely over his shoulders, with the word "Justice" written across its back. It was completely different from the standard Marine Justice Cape, and a pair of goggles hung around his neck.
The broad expanse of bare chest and abdominal muscles, his slicked-back silver-gray crew cut, and the thick cigar clenched between his lips made him look less like a Marine Headquarters colonel and more like some underworld boss.
Watching Vice Admiral Garp finish his snack, casually tell him to wake him once they arrived, and then lazily lie back down, Smoker could not help showing a trace of helplessness on his stern face. Still, he said nothing and merely shook his head.
Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku could not control Vice Admiral Garp. What could a mere Marine Colonel who had been assigned away from headquarters do?
He casually opened the military file in his hand. Inside was the profile of a Marine officer—the target of this trip.
Name: Dander Xieche
Age: 23
Birthplace: East Blue, orphan
Position: Base Commander of East Blue Branch 16
Rank: Marine Headquarters Colonel
Evaluation: Former genius student of the Marine Headquarters training camp, possessing extraordinary talent in swordsmanship. After only two and a half years of training, he was exceptionally granted the rank of Marine Colonel by Marine Headquarters. After offending a superior, he was assigned away from headquarters and began to fall into decline. His will was lost, he doubted his own strength, his talent deteriorated, and he had achieved no victories or merits in seven years.
Notice: Headquarters suspected that this individual had colluded with pirates and betrayed Marine justice. The Inspection Team was to investigate carefully!
There was also a photograph on the right side of the file, showing him in a Marine uniform.
The man in the photograph had black hair and black eyes, deeply defined features, clear lines, and eyes as profound as the night. His entire body exuded confidence and carefree ease.
"So this is Colonel Dander Xieche? He doesn't look like someone who would collude with pirates."
As Smoker frowned slightly and silently stared at the photograph, a female Marine officer waiting beside him leaned over and looked at it with curiosity as well.
She wore neat short black hair and unfashionable square-framed glasses. She was not wearing a Marine uniform either, only a casually matched plaid shirt and suit trousers.
She looked like a cute and friendly girl next door, but the serious expression on her lovely face, along with the finely crafted famous sword Shigure at her waist, gave her a little of a Marine officer's presence.
She pushed up her unfashionable glasses and looked at the photograph curiously. "And I heard Colonel Xia Che had already become an outstanding swordsman back then. Maybe Headquarters simply misunderstood him."
"Shut up." Smoker expressionlessly glanced at his subordinate, removed the cigar from his mouth, and said flatly, "As Marines, we should never judge someone by their appearance."
He could not see anything from the file alone, but as a Marine Genius Colonel, the man had not achieved a single notable victory in the East Blue for seven years, yet had suddenly been transferred from Marine Branch 315 to Branch 16...
So what exactly had this guy been doing?
And the Moke Pirates...
Could that vicious pirate crew, which he had always used to demand military funding from Marine Headquarters, really be so difficult to capture?
Also, what relationship did he have with the previous base commander of the Loguetown branch, and why had that man recommended him to take over Marine Branch 16?
As Smoker pondered this.
"We're almost there!"
The voice of his subordinate—Sergeant Tashigi—pulled Smoker from his thoughts.
He raised his head and looked ahead.
On the distant horizon, the outline of a familiar Marine branch base, marked with the number 16, slowly emerged from the mist.
Smoker frowned slightly. After glancing at it, he lowered his head again and stared at the photograph in his file, muttering, "Dander Xieche!"
What exactly was this guy hiding?!
Conomi Islands.
This area fell under the jurisdiction of Marine Branch 16.
At that moment.
In Cocoyasi Village... no, it should now be called Cocoyasi Town.
"Colonel Xia Che is here! Colonel Xia Che is here!"
"And Nami is back too! Nami came back!"
"Idiot, you should call her Sergeant Nami now! Nami finally... made something of herself. Bellemere would be so happy if she knew. I thought she would be a thief for the rest of her life and worried she would never amount to anything! Hurry and get Mayor Nojiko!"
As a Marine warship docked at Cocoyasi Town's newly built pier and a group of people disembarked, cheers immediately erupted throughout the harbor.
At the front was a black-haired man wearing the standard white Marine suit and a black fur coat draped over his shoulders. A sword hung at his waist, several people followed behind him, and with a smile on his face, he walked toward Cocoyasi Town amid the crowd's cheers.
"Damn it, who are you calling someone who won't amount to anything?!" Nami, who was also dressed in a white shirt and black short skirt, immediately raised her fist at the villagers after hearing their comments. "Just wait! Believe it or not, I'll arrest every last one of you!"
She had even changed out of her usual simple short-sleeved striped top and faded skirt that hung past her hips, deliberately putting on a pretty outfit instead. Yet these people still said she would not amount to anything.
Of course~
Arresting them was only a joke.
After fiercely threatening her fellow villagers, Nami turned her head. Her lovely orange, slightly curled short hair rested against her delicate, fair collarbones, while her jewel-like brown eyes looked at the man walking ahead and then at the changes in Cocoyasi Village... Town. Her heart filled with emotion.
She had never expected everything to change so much. It even felt as though a lifetime had passed.
A year ago, she had still been a member of the Arlong Pirates. Now, she had actually become a Marine sergeant.
And Cocoyasi Village, once so poor, had become a prosperous town. All of it had been brought about by the man before her.
Thinking of that, Nami's lips curved upward. She secretly moved closer to Xia Che, who strode ahead with both hands in his pockets and his coat draped over his shoulders, looking imposing. After hesitating for a moment, she softly said, "Hey, thank you~"
"???"
Why was she suddenly thanking him?
Xia Che looked at Nami beside him in confusion. Then, seemingly understanding something, he said, "It's only a Marine sergeant position. The young master in neighboring Shells Town has a father in the Marines, and even his two dogs have Marines looking after them. If I had a dog, it would be eating from Marine Headquarters too!"
It was not as if he had to pay for it. Rather than let Marine Headquarters use its resources to protect the Celestial Dragons, he might as well use them to raise dogs.
Besides, Nami was quite talented. There was nothing inappropriate about her being a Marine sergeant.
As for her background... what was the big deal?
In this shitty world, being a thief—one who only stole from pirates—was practically the definition of having a clean background and upright conduct.
However.
The moment he finished speaking.
"???"
Hearing Xia Che say something so inhuman, Nami's beautiful brows immediately rose, and she froze.
Who was a dog?!
She planted her hands on her hips, furious, but before she could say anything.
"Boss, Mayor Nojiko is here!"
A refined voice carrying a hint of suppressed laughter came from beside them.
Before you continue