One Piece: Marine to Warlord to Conqueror

Inside the Loguetown Marine Base.

”Captain Smoker, you’re back?” a Marine called out.

”Yeah.” Captain Smoker had just returned from hunting down pirates outside the city. Without another word, he pulled off his leather gloves and casually tossed them aside. Then, he sank into a large sofa, crossing his legs. Taking the cigar from his mouth, he flicked off the ash and glanced expressionlessly at his second-in-command, Petty Officer Tashigi.

”How’s that task I gave you coming along?” he asked blandly.

”Yes, Captain Smoker!” Hearing her captain ask about work, Tashigi snapped to attention. ”We’ve assigned Marine guards to the pier and port, as instructed. The shops dealing in illegal goods have been warned and ordered to cease operations. We’ve also barred bounty hunters and pirates from entering portside shops. However...”

She hesitated, pushing her plain glasses up her nose before continuing, a note of helplessness in her voice.

”Many shop owners are unhappy, claiming it’s hurting their business. The weapons dealer, Ippon-Matsu, was particularly vocal. He mentioned that Captain Shawn never imposed these restrictions and... well, they’re threatening to file complaints against you!”

Smoker scoffed. ”Shawn? Hmph.” He put his cigar back between his lips, exhaling a cloud of smoke. ”Let them complain. Ignore them,” he said dismissively.”

”Yes, sir.” Hearing his indifference, Tashigi sighed inwardly. She knew complaints meant nothing to Captain Smoker. After all, he’d already been demoted for clashing with his superiors, so why would he be intimidated by shopkeepers?.

As for Captain Shawn-no, Rear Admiral Shawn now-Smoker had his doubts. Ever since the incident with Captain Dante, Smoker suspected that Shawn had known all along and might have even been involved. That left a bitter taste in his mouth.

At that moment, Tashigi seemed to recall something. She hesitated before saying, ”Also, our investigation shows that the weapon shop exports a large number of arms overseas at regular intervals. We suspect they’re supplying major pirate crews beyond the island. We’re looking into it.”

”Major pirate crews...” Smoker frowned at Tashigi’s report, mulling it over. ”Keep the investigation quiet,” he ordered. ”Let me know immediately if you confirm any collaboration with pirates.”

As he spoke, another thought occurred to him. He looked up at Tashigi. ”What about the military funding request I had you send to Marine Headquarters? Did it go through?”

Tashigi’s expression turned conflicted. She hesitated before finally replying in a soft voice, ”It was rejected.”

”Rejected? Already? That was fast.”

”The application was sent back,” she corrected.

”...”

”Headquarters stated our request didn’t meet their criteria,” Tashigi explained, seeing Smoker’s expression darken. ”They also reminded us that fund allocation to branches is at their discretion.” She continued quietly, a helpless tone in her voice, ”They pointed out that this year’s funds were already allocated before we transferred to the East Blue. They told the Loguetown branch not to make ’unreasonable demands’ and urged us to focus on our duty guarding the entrance to the Grand Line.”

Smoker exhaled sharply, irritation clear on his face. ”Those bastards... Marine 16th Branch gets approvals left and right, but we can’t get a single request through?”

”Well...” Tashigi ventured, ”We did receive new equipment when we transferred from Headquarters. They probably didn’t anticipate Rear Admiral Shawn completely stripping the base armory when he left.” Seeing her superior’s thunderous expression, Tashigi hesitated, then suggested, ”Perhaps we could... take a page from Captain Dante’s book-”

”Shut up! I’m a Marine!” Smoker cut her off sharply, guessing her implication. ”I will never cooperate with pirates, no matter the circumstances.”

”No, Captain, that’s not what I meant!” Tashigi stammered. ”I was suggesting... perhaps we could ’requisition’ some funds from a captured pirate for urgent needs?”

”Ridiculous!” Smoker shot back. ”You think I need to resort to shaking down some East Blue fodder like Dante Ashford did? Are you suggesting I humiliate myself?” He waved dismissively. ”Getting tangled up with someone like Ashford never ends well,” he grumbled.

Shawn and Dante were definitely connected. Smoker had assumed that sending Vice Admiral Garp to the Goa Kingdom would put some distance between himself and that bastard. He never expected to run into the fallout here in Loguetown. Emptying the entire armory?!

He flicked ash from his cigar again, his face hardening. ”Forget it. We’ll deal with the funding later. Tell everyone to stay alert. We’ll reapply in a while.” He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. ”As for Shawn... if I find definitive proof he crossed the line...” A dangerous glint entered his eyes. ”He won’t like the consequences.”

Before Tashigi could respond to Smoker’s words, the Den Den Mushi on the desk began to ring. ”Puru Puru~ Puru Puru~”

Smoker frowned again, retrieving the Den Den Mushi from his jacket. ”Loguetown Marine Base, Smoker speaking,” he answered curtly.

”Captain Smoker, this is Marine Headquarters,” the Den Den Mushi responded, its features mimicking the caller’s serious expression. ”We have an urgent mission assignment for you.”

”Go ahead,” Smoker replied.

”We’ve received intel from the East Blue. A pirate alliance is forming, gathering crews from surrounding waters. Their target is the Marine 16th Branch. Reports indicate they plan to attack soon and have publicly declared their intention to massacre everyone there. Captain Smoker, you are ordered to proceed immediately to reinforce the 16th Branch, crush this pirate threat, and uphold the Marines prestige.”

”The 16th Branch?” Smoker repeated, momentarily stunned. A faint smirk touched his lips, a flicker of schadenfreude.

’Of course, it had to be the 16th. While he despised the idea of a Marine Captain consorting with pirates,’ his duty was clear. He wouldn’t let pirates overrun a Marine base. This was a slap in the face to Marine Headquarters itself.

’But why would pirates target Dante specifically?’ he wondered. ’Could his little scheme-using pirates to catch other pirates-have been exposed?’

”Understood.”Smoker said after a moment’s thought, his expression serious again. ”We will proceed to Marine 16th Branch immediately to provide support. Have you identified the pirate group leading this attack?”

”Yes,” the Headquarters officer confirmed. ”The ones spearheading the assault are the new overlords of East Blue-the Mock Pirates. If possible, capture them alive. They’re extremely dangerous.”

”...” Smoker blinked, staring blankly down at the Den Den Mushi, still wearing its serious expression checking if he’d misheard. ’What the hell? The Mock Pirates attacking the 16th Branch? What the hell is Mock planning now...?’

---

At the same time.

Meanwhile, as Mock’s wanted poster circulated, invitations from these ’new overlords’ reached countless pirate crews across the East Blue, stunning them with the sheer audacity of the plan.

It felt as though a dark carnival of pirates was descending upon the East Blue.

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