In One Piece, Watching Roger's Execution at the Start

As for how he recognized Jonathan at a glance, it wasn't because Atlas had seen him before. The shoulder insignia on Jonathan's Justice Coat had given him away. There was probably only one Vice Admiral in the entire fortress—the commander, Jonathan.

"First, wash your hands before eating!"

"Second, never leave food behind!"

"Third, no talking about work during meals!"

"Fourth, you must brush your teeth after eating! Young man, you haven't washed your hands yet!"

Jonathan, standing nearby, chimed in.

"Yes!"

Atlas answered loudly, then headed straight for the sink in the kitchen. He was the sort of person who adapted to local customs. Since he had come to the G-8 Fortress, he had to follow the fortress's rules.

"Um, excuse me, Miss Chef, could you prepare a sumptuous dinner for me?" After washing his hands, Atlas spoke somewhat awkwardly. His stomach was already protesting vehemently.

As for whether he would offend this seemingly formidable woman, Atlas couldn't worry about that anymore. She looked either like Jonathan's girlfriend or his wife.

"Ah, you can just call me Jessica. As for the food, sit down and wait a while. I'll prepare it right away."

Fortunately, the female chef named Jessica was quite understanding and wasn't as explosive as she appeared. At least as a chef, she was unquestionably qualified. This made Atlas sigh in relief.

"Ugh, what awful vegetables."

Jonathan, who was sitting nearby, couldn't help frowning and complaining after Jessica left. However, his hands never stopped moving, and he quickly polished off all the vegetables on his plate. Clearly, he was doing his utmost to follow the fortress rules Jessica had established.

"Vice Admiral Jonathan, I want to accept a mission tomorrow and begin exterminating pirates!"

Atlas dropped into the seat opposite Jonathan. Now that dinner was taken care of, he couldn't help forming plans for his upcoming graduation trial.

"Now, what was the third rule of the branch, young man?" Jonathan didn't answer Atlas's question. Instead, he asked about the fortress rules he had just listed.

Atlas raised an eyebrow at that, then fell silent and quietly waited for dinner.

After eating and drinking his fill.

"Come on, kid. Follow me somewhere." Seeing Atlas sweep all the food off the table like a whirlwind, Jonathan stood up and motioned for him to follow.

Atlas then watched as Jonathan took fishing rods, one after another, from the office before heading to a corner of the fortress and fishing.

"Ah, sorry. I only have one fishing rod here. You don't mind, do you?" Jonathan scratched his head and smiled at Atlas, who had nothing in his hands.

Vice Admiral Jonathan, you don't look sorry at all! Atlas couldn't help complaining inwardly, but what he said aloud was completely different.

"It's fine, Vice Admiral Jonathan. I don't really like fishing."

"Hahahaha, good. But, kid..." Jonathan narrowed his eyes and continued, "I never fish for free!"

"Ah~ Then, about my mission..." Atlas didn't understand what Jonathan meant, but he still returned to the question that had been interrupted in the dining hall.

"About that? Go find Drake tomorrow!"

"Heh... What an impatient kid..."

Chapter 48: Intelligence

The first half of the Grand Line, a place known as Paradise.

A somewhat "miserable" pirate ship lurched across the sea. Its battered hull seemed to recount the brutal battle it had previously endured, while the pirate flag hanging from the thick mast had been reduced to nothing but tattered cloth desperately clinging on...

"Captain! Galil and the others... their Vivre Cards have burned up completely!" A man with white gauze wrapped around his head and bandages around his arm shouted in panic.

As soon as his voice fell, the somewhat subdued atmosphere aboard the ship was shattered. It was like a stone thrown into a tranquil lake, stirring up a thousand waves. One pirate after another finally succumbed to the despair in their hearts and began sobbing loudly.

"Boohoohoo..."

"We never should have gone to the New World! What kind of monsters are there?!"

"Enough! Stop shouting!" A bald man with rough, darkish skin impatiently silenced the noisy pirates. He appeared to be the captain of the ship, but there was not the slightest hint of sorrow on his face at the news of the death of the companions who had stayed behind to cover their retreat. His expression was emotionless, and only a trace of fear remained in his not-so-large eyes.

Maybe I should find somewhere to settle down and live as a rich man. The captain was exhausted, and had even begun considering retirement. The reason wasn't merely the heavy casualties among his people or the destruction of his fleet. More than anything, it was his fear of that man—the man who was like a devil...

The people aboard the ship were still immersed in fear and grief, completely unaware that their captain planned to take the remaining treasure and live as a rich man. Of course, even if they knew, it wouldn't have made any difference.

Because this was the sorrow of the weak.

Knock knock knock... knock knock knock...

Early the next morning, Atlas arrived at the staff office. Perhaps it was simply too early; only Major Drake was in the office at that moment. The office door was open, but Atlas still knocked politely.

"Do you need something, Captain Atlas?"

Seeing Atlas at the door, Drake looked surprised. He quickly stopped what he was doing and asked why Atlas had come.

"Major Drake, Vice Admiral Jonathan sent me."

"Vice Admiral Jonathan?" Drake asked in confusion. You only arrived at the base yesterday, and you've already met Vice Admiral Jonathan?

Atlas then briefly explained the reason for his visit to Major Drake.

"You want to leave the fortress and participate in a mission?" Drake looked somewhat surprised. "You only settled in yesterday. Don't you need to rest at the base for a few days before taking on a mission?"

"It won't be a problem, Major Drake. I'm in excellent condition and can take part in a pirate-capture mission at any time."

"All right..." After a brief hesitation, Major Drake immediately began searching through the documents piled across his desk.

A moment later.

Drake shook his head apologetically. "Sorry. Since our fortress is relatively far forward in the first half of the Grand Line, the area is comparatively peaceful. We can only provide you with information on some pirates. There aren't many naval battles. However, a group of pirates returning from the New World will pass near the fortress tomorrow..."

Drake hesitated again. "But I personally don't recommend pursuing this pirate crew. A rookie pirate crew recently entered the Grand Line from the Four Seas. With your strength, chasing them should be more than easy."

Clearly, Drake had discounted Zephyr's evaluation of Atlas's strength, which he had heard from Jonathan. He assumed it was merely the habitual exaggeration of a teacher praising his favorite student.

"I want information on the pirates returning from the New World." Atlas couldn't be bothered to care what Drake was thinking. In any case, he had no interest in wasting time dealing with those minor fish.

"But..."

Seeing that Drake still wanted to say something, Atlas directly took the intelligence from his hands, politely thanked him, and left without another word.

What an arrogant brat.

Drake watched Atlas's departing back with some irritation. However, he immediately turned around and hurried out of the Staff Office, heading toward the base commander's office...

Atlas naturally paid no attention to Drake's actions after leaving the office. He simply picked up the intelligence, which was still warm from the printer, and began reading.

The Ekrum Pirates. Captain Ekrum, with a bounty of 200 million Beli. Vice Captain Wirtz, with a bounty of 160 million. Officers Galil, Ibe, and Duerte, each with bounties ranging from 50 million to 90 million. They had encountered Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates in the New World, suffered a crushing defeat, and barely escaped with serious injuries. Of their three ships, only one remained. Most of their crew had been killed or wounded, their vice captain's fate was unknown, and all their officers had been left behind in the New World.

"Tch. I thought they were some great pirate crew. Turns out they're nothing but a pack of beaten dogs." Atlas curled his lip disdainfully. This crew had probably gone to the New World, arrogantly challenged Big Mom, and been wiped out before they even saw her in person. There was never a shortage of self-important fools on this sea.

Judging from this crew's route, they were expected to pass through the waters near G-8 tomorrow. Atlas therefore planned to visit the fortress training grounds.

The training grounds of the G-8 Fortress were enormous. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all wrapped in thick sheets of iron, allowing people to really cut loose without worrying about damaging the facility.

With Atlas's current physical strength, ordinary training could no longer satisfy his needs. Besides, there was no one here like Zephyr or Shuzo to spar with him.

As for Vice Admiral Jonathan, although he had graduated from the same training camp as Sakazuki and the two of them seemed to have a good relationship, his strength was probably not poor. But as the fortress's supreme commander, he couldn't possibly put aside his duties to spar with a mere captain.

So Atlas chose the simplest training method. He asked the logistics department for a huge block of Hundred-Forged Steel and could only make do by hammering it with his fists.

Training time always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, evening arrived again. Atlas looked at the battered block of iron before him and the blood dripping steadily from it, then let out a long sigh.

He hadn't covered his fists with Armament Haki. Instead, he had struck with his bare fists, causing them to cycle endlessly between injury and recovery. Still, the results had been quite remarkable.

Atlas glanced at the sky outside, cleaned up the traces of his training, and headed toward the mess hall. However, he didn't see Vice Admiral Jonathan today.

Chapter 49: The Howl of a Defeated Dog

At the G-8 Fortress harbor, a navy-blue single-person speedboat sat quietly at anchor.

This speedboat was the same type as the one Atlas had previously sailed from headquarters. Both were standard military speedboats. However, because the former had been modified with an Impact Dial, it had died after carrying Atlas to the G-8 Fortress.

The speedboat before him was something Atlas had obtained from an old man in the branch's maintenance department. It had taken several bottles of alcohol from Atlas before approval for the boat had finally gone through.

A short while later, Atlas sailed out of the fortress into the slightly tipsy morning light.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and poured impartially across the blue sea.

After several hours of sailing, the enormous G-8 Fortress had become far out of sight. Nothing but open sea surrounded him, creating a feeling of disorientation.

"Hmm, I should run into the Ekrum Pirates if I just follow the route."

Atlas carefully compared the intelligence in his mind to pass the time during the boring voyage.

Near the waters of the G-8 Fortress.

A battered pirate ship sailed unsteadily across the vast sea. A few pirates with bandages wrapped around them sat scattered across the broad deck, and many of them looked unnaturally pale from excessive blood loss.

A scarred mast stood beside a bald, powerfully built man with a cold expression. His complexion looked much rosier, as if the injuries he had suffered earlier had almost completely healed.

"Ekrum! Where are we going next?"

Beside the bald man stood a sickly-looking pirate who seemed to have just recovered from a serious illness. However, unlike the others, he showed no fear toward the bald man.

"First, we'll return to the South Blue and recruit replacements for the men we lost. Then we'll consider what to do next..."

Ekrum slowly explained his plan to his vice captain, Wirtz. However, Wirtz failed to notice the fleeting ruthlessness in Ekrum's eyes...

"Captain Ekrum!"

At that moment, a pirate on the only undamaged lookout tower suddenly turned pale. He hurriedly warned Ekrum, "This is bad! We've spotted the Marines at three o'clock!"

"Hm?"

Ekrum and Wirtz grew tense as well. After losing so many people, most of their main fighting force was injured. Although they hadn't lost all combat ability, their ability to fight an enemy had certainly been greatly reduced. And now they had encountered the Marines...

The two exchanged a glance and shouted, "How many of them are there?!"

They had already prepared themselves for a desperate battle. Meanwhile, Ekrum's desire to retire had grown even stronger. This sea was simply too cruel. He was tired.

"It seems to be just..." The lookout pirate sounded uncertain. "Just one Marine!"

"What?!"

The pirates aboard the ship were shocked and enraged. Although they had suffered heavy losses in the New World, they were still one of the most powerful pirate crews in Paradise!

Sending only one Marine to pursue them was clearly looking down on them!

"Men! Bring the ship over!"

"Kill that bastard!"

Ekrum bared his broad mouth savagely, a cruel glint appearing in his eyes. It was as if he intended to vent all his recent frustration on the approaching Marine.

At that moment, Atlas also spotted the battered ship of the Ekrum Pirates and immediately sprang up from the speedboat.

Geppo!

It was as if invisible steps hung in the air. Atlas leisurely climbed them, looking down from above at the panicked pirates on deck.

"What are you panicking about? It's only Geppo!"

Ekrum shouted. As a pirate who had reached the New World, he naturally wouldn't be intimidated by the mere Six Powers. At most, he became somewhat more wary of the young Marine before him.

Although monsters were everywhere in the New World, Marines capable of using Geppo were still uncommon in Paradise. Moreover, this man was only a captain. He might be a monster secretly cultivated by the Marines.

"Hey! Marine brat over there, I'm Ekrum, with a bounty of 200 million Beli!"

Ekrum had clearly begun to back down, hoping that his enormous bounty would frighten Atlas away. But he had obviously misjudged the situation. The higher his bounty, the more excited Atlas became!

"I know. You're just a defeated dog!"

As soon as he finished speaking, before Ekrum could fly into a rage from humiliation, Atlas's hand had already grasped the Sandai Kitetsu at his waist...

One Sword Style: Starfall!

Countless enormous slashes descended toward the pirate ship below like falling stars. The expressions of the pirates froze in their final moment of shock, and the already-battered ship was instantly cleaved into countless fragments by the storm of slashes.

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"