The Marines and Pirates' Karmic Entanglement

Chapter 039: The Entangled Fates of Marines and Pirates

"I bet you have Marines chasing you, don't you?" Leo asked tentatively, but surprisingly, he received an affirmative answer.

The Ship Doctor, Masked, nodded. "That's right. There's a Marine named Iska who's been relentlessly pursuing us, and she seems to have a bit of an interest in Ace."

"Ah, Iska's here?" Ace suddenly sat up from his food bowl, bits of rice and meat still on his face. He grabbed his hat and looked around before asking.

"No, we were just talking about her," Masked turned to look at the somewhat nervous Ace and chuckled. "Leo was about to explain the relationship between the Marines and us."

"What?" Ace asked curiously.

"Let me give you a simple example," Leo glanced at Ace, knowing his next words would deeply impress him.

"Marine Vice Admiral, the Hero of the Marines, 'Iron Fist' Garp, and the Pirate King Roger were locked in a lifelong battle of love and hate. They were enemies, rivals, and friends, all while respecting each other."

"You should know this better than anyone, Garp's grandson." Ace's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Leo to know about this, but then again, Leo knew who his father was, so it wasn't surprising he knew Garp raised him.

"Aren't you curious why your father, with so many friends, former subordinates, and old comrades, would entrust you and your mother to a Marine? A Marine he was entangled with his entire life?"

"They were spiritual friends, enemies by circumstance, and they unconditionally trusted each other's character."

"This is related to a certain Marine policy."

Everyone in the Spade Pirates and the nearby Kuja Pirates guarding them perked up their ears at the gossip about Pirate King Roger and the Hero of the Marines, Garp.

Indeed, if they were just using them as isolated examples, it wouldn't represent anything universal. But using the Pirate King Roger, or even other well-known figures, as examples would make them listen intently to Leo, driven by the sheer thrill of gossip.

"Pirate King Roger and 'Iron Fist' Garp were likely the most famous, and they were watched by the Marines as they grew to such strength. Did Garp make Roger, or did Roger make Garp? No one can say for sure, but was this a coincidence?"

"Actually, it wasn't."

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Whitebeard, Golden Lion and Chief of General Staff Tsuru. The Marines and pirates have always grown together, accompanied by entangled fates."

"And after discovering this, the Marines even developed a complete theory to test it."

"First, the Marines are always the victors."

"--Even if they lose, they can escape and regroup, so the Marines have enough resources and time to verify this theory."

"Second, powerful pirates always stimulate the Marines' growth."

"Then, they use ordinary cases for experimentation."

"Of course, many Marines would die, but isn't it natural for Marines to die while pursuing pirates? This is counted as battle damage, but if these Marines hadn't died, they would have all grown stronger due to the stimulation from the pirates."

"The final outcome? Naturally, once this Marine 'seed' grows stronger, several powerful Marines will join forces to corner that promising pirate and bring him to justice," Leo smiled slightly, placing several apples on the table as a gesture.

This theory was something he had deduced logically without concrete evidence, but upon closer inspection, it was indeed a systematic approach. Iska and Ace, Smoker and Luffy, Garp and Roger, Sengoku and Whitebeard... these were all traceable patterns.

If the Marines could truly leave their posts to chase pirates at any moment, the entire Marine force would fall into chaos.

Take G1 and G9 branches, for instance. Each branch controls vital routes or fortresses. If every commander were to abandon their post, the Marines might as well close down.

Did Smoker have special privileges? Yes. As a Logia Devil Fruit user and a Captain dispatched from Marine Headquarters, he certainly had certain privileges. But abandoning an entire branch to chase the Straw Hat Pirates with just one ship was quite outrageous.

The Marine higher-ups likely agreed for a specific reason.

Perhaps the dejected Smoker suddenly became invigorated, perhaps he was a 'seed' candidate himself, or perhaps it was a tradition within the Marines for a 'seed' candidate to be responsible for a crew of highly promising pirates...

These were all plausible explanations.

The reason the Marines weren't afraid of pirates growing too powerful was that they had the organization backing them.

With a large, violent organization spanning the Four Seas, the Marines could call for help from high-ranking generals if they were outmatched. For those Vice Admirals who possessed Haki and used Life Return, dealing with pirates who had just entered the Grand Line would be like swatting flies.

The most classic example was Caribou, a Logia Devil Fruit user with the Swamp-Swamp Fruit, being knocked out with a single punch by a fighter under Big Mom's command, Borsalino.

This was probably why the Eleven Supernovas had to attach themselves to the Four Emperors to work for them later. The pressure from the Marines was too great. Wasn't it more appealing to develop in secret under the protection of a Four Emperor?

Of course, forming alliances was another option. But if everyone had similar strength, similar reputations, and similar levels of ruthlessness, who would dare to turn their backs on their allies? They would likely be the first to crush your pirate crew and absorb your crew members.

Thus, the current landscape was formed.

The members of the Spade Pirates touched their necks, feeling that the adult world was truly insidious.

"Hey, Ace, are all Marines this insidious?"

"No... I think it's only the top brass who play these kinds of mind games," Ace thought of his grandfather's straightforward personality and shook his head, denying their statement.

Leo smiled slightly, not correcting him. In his opinion, the true masterminds weren't Sengoku or Tsuru, but Garp, the genuine Hero of the Marines!

"So, Iska is the Marine 'seed' who's getting stronger by chasing us?" Michael frowned, carefully pondering Leo's words, finding them increasingly logical.

"Who knows? Even if she's just an ordinary Marine, the Marines can afford the loss. After all, they have the entire world behind them, and countless righteous people want to join them."

"Whether they'll be disappointed after seeing the true World Government is another matter," Leo chuckled lightly.

PS: This is the second update for today. My back pain is making it hard to continue~