Only Hard Fists Count

Lofan cut straight to the heart of the matter and purged a Marine Branch.

This Marine Branch had not been established for very long, but its location had caused it to become corrupt extremely quickly.

The Search Bureau had investigated it several times before, but had always returned empty-handed.

The reason lay with the commander of this Marine Branch, Rear Admiral Morris.

In the Search Bureau's files, Lofan had discovered this strange place and its strange rear admiral.

The Investigation Bureau had obtained crucial evidence against him several times, yet each time they had failed to catch him, while his position remained secure.

Patterns he had learned from television dramas in his previous life made Lofan understand.

There had to be a big fish here. Otherwise, with such conclusive evidence, even the former Search Bureau, rotten as it had been, could not possibly have failed to investigate him.

So Lofan immediately decided to start with this tightly sealed Marine branch.

He would turn it upside down and get to the bottom of everything.

But the first priority in investigating this place was stealth, and the second was secrecy.

So Lofan quietly entered the territory under the 199th Marine Branch's jurisdiction to conduct a covert investigation.

His first stop was a small island called Katalier.

This island lay at the edge of the 199th Marine Branch's jurisdiction and consisted mainly of a town of smugglers and fishermen.

The island had its own smuggling fleet, which primarily transported a special stimulant to the New World.

This stimulant was highly addictive.

It could enhance a Devil Fruit User's abilities for a short time, but prolonged use would cause the body to break down.

The raw material for this stimulant was extracted from a marine product unique to the area.

Fishermen and smugglers formed a solid supply chain.

Needless to say, the profits it generated were substantial.

Lofan used his ability to conceal his appearance and landed on the island disguised as an ordinary traveler.

The architecture here was rather unusual.

Enormous fish bones formed the beams and pillars of the houses, while great sheets of fish scales had been made into roof tiles.

The walls were pure white, while the trim of the houses was a vivid red.

Lofan had never seen such an unusual style in this world.

It was as though this place existed apart from the rest of the world, a truly eye-opening sight.

As soon as he landed, Lofan experienced its distinctive character.

The people here all worked with their heads down, not saying a word.

They seemed indifferent to everything except work.

They did nothing but bury themselves in their work, and communication between people was pitifully scarce.

Lofan found an inn that was still open and went inside. The owner behind the front desk looked constipated.

The enormous bags under his eyes were dark and shiny. "Owner, give me a room."

The owner did not even look at Lofan, only staring fixedly toward the door without a word.

Even when Lofan spoke to him, he did not change the direction of his vacant stare.

If the owner had not silently taken out a room key and placed it on the counter, Lofan would have thought the man had died with his eyes open.

Lofan was not annoyed. He had already grown used to it since arriving on the island.

Maybe everyone here is made of wood. Lofan wandered around town and finally found someone willing to talk to him.

"This is a nation of smugglers. You must've taken a wrong turn to end up traveling here, young man."

Lofan chatted on and off with the old man, who was resting during a break from work, and had a small cup of liquor along the way.

"This place used to be just a fishing nation. Who knows when, but someone brought a method of extracting substances from sea fish here. After that, this wretched place gained another industry.

"They processed those extracts, and then the smugglers came.

"They were originally pirates, but they took control of this place and started smuggling.

"Later, the Marines came and beat the pirates.

"But they didn't wipe them out. Instead, they let them keep smuggling, putting them in charge of smuggling our extracts."

"The Marines? Why didn't they wipe them out?"

"Hahahaha, young man, you're still too young. Those pirate smuggling crews couldn't thank them enough for sparing their lives.

"The Marines even allowed them to carry on with the work. The only change was that they had to pay the Marines a hefty share of the profits.

"And what finally reaches us fishermen? Hahaha, it's hard enough just to get by, young man."

Lofan was not surprised in the slightest. Such familiar affairs were nothing new.

With that, he could confirm that the Marines' dirty dealings here were most likely just that.

At least, that was almost certainly the case. All that remained was to find evidence.

With these leads, Lofan's next steps became much simpler.

Well, a pirate camp. I'll just barge in.

Lofan spread his Observation Haki and found where those petty crooks lived.

Against small fry whose bounties barely exceeded a few million, Lofan did not have to exert himself at all before they knelt before him.

Faced with overwhelming strength, they readily confessed to everything.

Lofan used a Den Den Mushi to record everything they said, then happily returned to the inn, planning to sleep before leaving.

Lofan had barely lain down when the sound of his door being kicked disturbed him.

In fact, he had heard the commotion when these people were making a racket downstairs, but he had never intended to pay them any attention.

He had not expected them to actually be coming for him. In that case, he would have to give them a proper reception.

Lofan opened his sleepy eyes and looked at the people who had barged in.

Just as he had expected, they were all Marines, and their leader held a fairly high rank: colonel.

"Brat, you're the one running wild on my turf, aren't you? Today I'll teach you who you can't afford to mess with."

"What, dealing with a few petty crooks counts as running wild? Are the Marines standing up for a few pirates?"

"Cut the crap. Who the hell do you think you are? Since when do you get to tell the Marines what to do?"

With that, the man raised his enormous katana and brought it down toward Lofan's face.

Lofan easily sidestepped the slash. The colonel seemed not to have expected Lofan to dodge at all.

Unable to halt his momentum, he smashed the katana, as long as a person was tall, into the floor, leaving a large hole.

"Oh? So you're going to be stubborn and resist to the bitter end? You passed up the road to heaven and came knocking at hell's door instead."

Seeing that he would get no answers, Lofan wasted no more words. It was a good chance to stretch his limbs.

Since the man refused to talk, he would beat him into submission first.

Only hard fists counted. He would start with this colonel on his path to establishing his authority in the Navy Investigation Bureau.

Lofan moved, leaving his spot in an instant and appearing in front of the colonel.

This Marine colonel had some skill. He planted his sword against the floor and used the blade to block Lofan's lightning-fast blow.

Lofan showed a trace of satisfaction. It seemed the Marines were not merely useless money-grubbers. Their actual strength was still up to standard.