Dorag

In the East Blue, near the edge of the Calm Belt, a Marine warship sailed onward.

"Damn William, where the hell did he go?" A young woman stood at the bow. Her name was Estamba Cheng, a colonel from Marine Headquarters and an investigator assigned by headquarters to the East Blue to investigate Colonel William's disappearance.

Several months had passed since Colonel William vanished. After months of investigation, they had found no clues whatsoever regarding him. It seemed that the Celestial Dragons had long since forgotten the matter as well, and naturally, no one else would go out of their way to remind them.

"Report, Colonel. Headquarters has approved your application," a Marine soldier said as he approached.

Not long ago, Marine Colonel Estamba Cheng had submitted a report to Marine Headquarters stating that Colonel William had encountered a shipwreck while carrying out an escort mission. After several months of investigation, they had concluded that Colonel William was dead.

Although it was rather far-fetched for a colonel from Marine Headquarters to die in a shipwreck in the weakest sea, the East Blue, it was merely an excuse to placate the Celestial Dragons. Otherwise, there would be no way to give them an explanation. Given William's strength, even if something had truly happened to him, it was impossible for him to have left behind no trace at all.

Since Colonel Estamba Cheng's report clearly stated that Colonel William had died in a shipwreck, headquarters naturally had no desire to waste further manpower on the investigation. After a brief meeting, Marine Headquarters decided to approve Estamba Cheng's return to work on the Grand Line.

In the eyes of Marine Headquarters, William had been an exceedingly rare talent. Thus, even if they found him, he would no longer be able to continue serving the Marines after this incident. Perhaps death was the greatest release for William. After all, if he remained alive, he would have to face the Celestial Dragons.

"Then let's hurry back to the Grand Line. I'm bored to death here." Now that those old fossils at headquarters had approved her application, Estamba Cheng had no desire to remain in the East Blue for even another moment.

"Yes!" Upon receiving the order from Colonel Estamba Cheng, the warship's highest-ranking commander, the Marine soldier immediately relayed it and began preparations to cross the Calm Belt and return to the Grand Line.

"It's a Sea King! Prepare to engage!" Before the warship had even entered the Calm Belt, a Sea King had already set its sights on it. Although the bottom of the warship employed the World Government's latest sailing technology to prevent Sea Kings from detecting the vessel, it could not fool every Sea King without fail. Occasionally, they encountered Sea Kings that surfaced from the water, and their technology became useless at such times.

"Did this guy come to keep me company because big sister was bored?" When Estamba Cheng saw the Sea King, which was even larger than her warship, she did not feel the slightest fear. Instead, she grew somewhat excited. In her eyes, this Sea King was not a monster, but a playmate to relieve her boredom. Otherwise, she would not have called a Sea King larger than a warship "this guy."

"10,000-Volt Discharge!" Lightning burst from Estamba Cheng's hand. However, the attack did not cause any substantial damage to the Sea King, merely numbing its body for a moment. Yet precisely because of that, the Sea King was enraged.

"10,000-Volt Discharge!" Seeing the Sea King grow angry, Estamba Cheng said irritably, "The consequences of getting angry at me are very serious!"

Under Estamba Cheng's 10,000-Volt Discharge, the Sea King before them was numbed all over by the current and lost all sensation. Its skin also bore wounds from the lightning strikes. But then the Sea King's expression suddenly changed, and it fixed the warship with an incomparably savage gaze.

"What a terrifying look. You scared big sister to death. 50,000-Volt Discharge!" Though Estamba Cheng claimed to be frightened, she did not take the Sea King seriously at all. In an instant, powerful currents surged through the Sea King's entire body. Its enormous body was charred black by the lightning, giving off a burnt smell, before it lost its life forever.

"As expected of the colonel! She's so strong!" Although the Marine soldiers aboard the warship were already used to Colonel Estamba Cheng instantly killing Sea Kings with a single move, they could not help but praise her.

It could not be helped. The commander of their warship was an icy beauty who possessed both looks and strength. Previously, a pirate crew of several dozen men had harassed Colonel Estamba Cheng. The result was that their entire pirate ship had been split apart by lightning.

Though the Marines lacked no Devil Fruit users, Estamba Cheng's fruit ability possessed tremendous destructive power and an enormous attack range. If she had not focused only on developing her fruit while neglecting physical training, she would at least be a rear admiral by now.

However, Estamba Cheng had graduated in the same class as William. Both had been formidable rookies who became colonels at the young age of nineteen. Estamba Cheng relied on her fruit ability, while William relied on physical skills and intellect. The reason Marine Headquarters had originally sent Estamba Cheng to the East Blue to investigate Colonel William's disappearance was because they had entered the Marines at the same time and understood one another well.

"What's this?" After returning to her room, Colonel Estamba Cheng discovered the latest East Blue wanted poster on her desk. What caught her attention was not the wanted poster itself, but the background of its photograph. Others might not recognize it, but she spotted a very familiar back.

What Estamba Cheng noticed was not the back of Usopp's head, but William's back. Perhaps even William himself had not noticed that he had been captured in the corner of the photograph, but he had indeed been photographed.

"Report, Colonel! This is the East Blue's most vicious pirate, Straw Hat Luffy!" Thinking that the colonel had suddenly taken an interest in the Straw Hat pirate, the Marine soldier immediately answered. Although Straw Hat Luffy's bounty was only forty million Beli, which was not particularly high for a first bounty, this was the East Blue. Furthermore, forty million Beli was already the highest bounty in the East Blue.

So far, there had only been four pirates in the entire East Blue with bounties exceeding ten million Beli, and Straw Hat Luffy was the number one criminal among them. The other three pirates with bounties exceeding ten million Beli had all been defeated by him as well.

"Get his files for me immediately!" Colonel Estamba Cheng shouted excitedly. Wasn't the reason she had been sent to this place because of William? She had originally thought that William had changed his name and hidden somewhere. After all, anyone who offended the Celestial Dragons would immediately think of the miserable fate awaiting them.

If it was for justice, they would have no regrets even if they had to sacrifice themselves. They had become Marines to protect their homes. If they failed a mission, they were willing to accept any punishment from headquarters, but they could not accept the Celestial Dragons' inhuman demands.

"Yes!" Although the Marine soldier did not understand why the colonel had suddenly become so excited, he immediately followed her orders and retrieved Straw Hat Luffy's files.

According to the files, the Straw Hat Crew's route was generally heading toward the Grand Line. The documents only noted that Straw Hat Luffy had five companions, but there was no information whatsoever about those five people.

"Change course immediately. Destination—Loguetown!" Estamba Cheng immediately ordered the warship's route changed.

Although the warship had already entered the Calm Belt, this was the order of the warship's commander. They had no choice but to turn around and return to the East Blue.

"Dorag William, I've finally found you!" Estamba Cheng took out the document headquarters had issued several months earlier and muttered to herself, "This time, I'll definitely let you taste the power of my lightning."

The name written on the document was none other than "Dorag William." This was William's name. Although Dorag William had joined the Marine academy at the age of one, the records from before William turned one were incomplete.

Estamba Cheng was an original character in this work and a Devil Fruit user. Her surname was taken from Don Estamba Catarina, a figure known as the Spanish Pirate Queen during the eighteenth-century Age of Sail. Her given name was taken from Madame Cheng, the famous Chinese female pirate who once commanded the largest pirate fleet in history.