Arrival

North Blue, Batia Island.

The warship slowly entered the harbor.

The anchor dropped, and the North Blue Branch 321 Marines, led by Darren, walked down the gangplank.

The moment he set foot on Batia Island, Darren looked surprised.

"This doesn't seem quite like the Batia Island I remember..."

Batia Island was a major transit hub for several well-known North Blue routes. Though its trade volume was nowhere near that of some bustling commercial islands on the Grand Line, it still ranked among the top islands in North Blue.

Many merchant ships and trade caravans passed through Batia Island to resupply, supporting the island's economic development.

But wherever wealth flowed, dirty dealings were bound to thrive. That was simply the way of the world.

Batia Island's prosperity and convenient location had naturally made it a place to line one's pockets and hide all manner of shady business.

The Mafia, underground forces, illicit trade, and even pirate raids had become commonplace here.

Darren had previously spent a great deal of time and effort balancing the forces on Batia Island.

Even so, the Batia Island he remembered was still a prosperous yet utterly chaotic place.

But the scene before him was somewhat unexpected.

The island's once-crowded, oil-stained harbor had been completely transformed, now decorated with colorful flowers.

The streets were remarkably clean, without a speck of trash. The stalls that had once lined both sides of the roads were now neatly arranged and orderly.

The old buildings had all been given fresh coats of paint, their walls white and their roofs blue. They looked quite grand.

A brand-new archway, ten meters tall, had also been hastily built in front of the town entrance. Colorful lettering hung across it: "Welcome, Saint Childers!"

"After the Celestial Dragon washed ashore on Batia Island, the island's mayor immediately issued an order to clean up the city. He also spent a large sum of tax money renovating some of the old buildings..."

Momonga came up beside Darren and explained in a low voice.

"As for the color scheme... They say the city government wanted to imitate the style of the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, so the Celestial Dragon would feel right at home."

Gion and Gion's partner looked stunned.

Darren couldn't help but smile.

So, no matter the world, there was always such a thing as a "beautification project."

That was only natural, though.

The Celestial Dragons called themselves "gods" in these seas, and wielded absolute power.

In a small place like North Blue, local officials had few chances to see a Celestial Dragon in person.

Now, by chance, a Celestial Dragon who had suffered an "accident" had arrived in the mayor's district. Of course the mayor would want to make a good impression. If he could win their favor, perhaps the Celestial Dragon would be pleased and say a few words that could send him straight to the top.

"Interesting."

Darren smiled and nodded, then turned to Gion and the others.

"Take your troops in first. Set up a security perimeter around Saint Childers's movements. Keep an eye out for suspicious people and make sure nothing unexpected happens."

Though he had no interest in protecting Celestial Dragons who were no better than pigs, he might even have liked to kill one or two if he could.

Still, since this was an order from Headquarters, Darren would do his best.

After all, from what he could tell, this mission could well determine his political future in the Marines.

If anything happened to a Celestial Dragon under his protection, even Sengoku might not be able to save him.

Darren had no desire to leave the Marines.

Being a pirate was a dead end. He didn't want to spend his life running from the Marines across the seas.

Darren didn't consider himself a good person, but he still had limits. He could never bring himself to become a pirate and plunder civilians.

Besides, for a transmigrator like him, who had no cheat or special powers, the Marines—with their relatively comprehensive training system—were undoubtedly the best choice.

Most importantly, he had invested too much time and effort in North Blue to simply give it all up.

"What about you?"

Gion frowned at Darren.

She had heard plenty about the Celestial Dragons' awful personalities, and naturally wasn't eager to protect them.

"I need to meet with the mayor and hand over the mission. After all, the city's militia is currently in charge of the Celestial Dragon's security."

Darren smiled at Gion and Gion's partner, who was craning his neck to look around.

"Since we're here, we should at least greet the local government."

"You don't need to worry. Major Momonga will be in charge of the security arrangements. You two only need to assist him."

"After all, you've only just arrived in North Blue and aren't familiar with the work here yet."

With that, Darren looked toward Momonga.

"I'll leave them in your hands."

Momonga nodded.

Seeing that Darren had already given his orders, Gion had no choice but to stay where she was. She watched as Darren climbed into a carriage and rode off toward the city government.

"Then, this way, Major Gion, Major Gion's partner."

Momonga greeted them with a smile, then turned and led his subordinates toward their assigned destination.

He figured Darren was going to discuss something with the mayor, and that bringing Gion and Gion's partner along would only be inconvenient.

Gion and Gion's partner exchanged a glance. They looked like they wanted to say something, but in the end, neither spoke. They quickly followed Momonga.

Batia Island.

City Hall.

With a secretary in a revealing professional outfit showing him the way, Darren entered the mayor's office.

The office was lavishly furnished and opulent.

A fur rug lay across the polished marble floor, and the walls were hung with paintings that looked expensive at a glance.

"Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner, Colonel Darren."

A fawning voice sounded before long.

A middle-aged man in a suit hurried in, sweating profusely. He was so fat that his expensive suit strained against his body, making him look like a ball.

"Mayor Hunter, I know you've been busy with official business. I'm the one who should apologize for disturbing you."

Darren smiled, accepted the cigar Mayor Hunter respectfully offered him, and sat down without ceremony on the soft leather sofa.

"Not at all, not at all. Colonel Darren, you understand... With Saint Childers arriving on Batia Island, we've been run off our feet."

Hunter pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his face, grinning from ear to ear.

Darren nodded and lit his cigar.

"I understand. After all, this is a once-in-several-decades event."

"I was quite surprised to see how much Batia Island had changed on the way here. I'm sure Saint Childers will be pleased with the arrangements you've made, Mayor."

Hunter's face lit up.

"That's good, that's good."

He pulled out a document he had prepared and handed it to Darren with both hands.

"Colonel Darren, please take a look. This is a report on Batia Island over the past six months..."

As Darren took the document and casually flipped through it, Hunter explained cautiously:

"Thanks to your deterrence, the island's two major Mafia families have shown restraint over the past six months, and they've paid their required taxes on time."

Darren glanced at the final figure in the document and smiled with satisfaction.

"Mm. They've been reasonably well-behaved."

Hunter nodded and bowed.

"Of course. Who in North Blue would dare disrespect you?"

He spoke with trepidation, bowing even lower.

Other people might not know, but how could Hunter, the mayor, not know what this man was capable of?

Batia Island used to be full of Mafia families, constantly fighting over territory. Violent clashes and bloodshed had been commonplace.

That was until Darren, the newly appointed commander of Branch 321, arrived on Batia Island a year ago and used ruthless, overwhelming force to uproot nearly all the Mafia groups.

Even now, Hunter could clearly remember the scene, as if it had come straight from hell.

The streets had run red with blood, and corpses had piled up like mountains.

The man before him had stood there, soaked in blood, while the leaders of the only two remaining Mafia families knelt before him, trembling.

From that day onward,

there had been no more gang vendettas or turf wars on Batia Island.

The two surviving Mafia families had divided the territory between them, each staying out of the other's way. They also regularly handed over half their earnings as "taxes."

With gang warfare brought to an end, civilians could recover, society became stable, and Batia Island's economy flourished.

"Mm. As I've said before, pass this on to them for me..."

Darren slowly exhaled a stream of smoke.

"As long as they don't go too far, I'll turn a blind eye."

"As long as they behave themselves... there'll always be money to be made."

"But I don't want to see civilians bleeding to death anywhere in my jurisdiction."

He smiled.

"After all, I'm a just Marine... Wouldn't you agree, Mayor Hunter?"

Hunter nodded nervously, forcing a smile.

"Of course. Who in North Blue doesn't know that Colonel Darren is the very symbol of justice?"