In the waters of Shiloh Island, two Marine third-class battleships patrolled, while a desolate small island lay not far off. The island was tiny, roughly the size of ten standard basketball courts—about 4,000 square meters. Aside from dirt slopes and rocks, it only had a dozen or so coconut trees. The beach mostly had sea crabs, or occasionally, resting birds.
However, now, a Marine second-class battleship and two large merchant ships from the Bion Kingdom were docked at the shore, bringing human presence to this nameless island.
Marine Headquarters, at the request of the Bion Kingdom, decided to establish a Marine branch in the waters of Shiloh Island, choosing this location, about 5 nautical miles from Shiloh Island's Oneway Port, which translates to approximately 9 kilometers on land.
The nameless island was now bustling. Hundreds of Marine soldiers and over a thousand Bion Kingdom citizens were hard at work, constructing the new branch's fortress.
In the harsh New World, whether it was a large G-prefix branch or a regular small branch, Marine bases were always fortified strongholds; otherwise, they couldn't withstand pirate raids.
Thus, the Marines naturally had to build a sturdy small fortress on this nameless island. Otherwise, the Marine soldiers here wouldn't even have time to protect the Bion Kingdom before the new branch might be destroyed by pirates.
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Work harder!"
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Work harder!"
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Work harder!"
"..."
The laborers on the construction site chanted work songs, some digging, some transporting sand and soil, some moving stones... Everyone was vigorously toiling, bit by bit constructing the fortress.
As a standard Marine branch fortress, its defenses needed to withstand at least 24-pound naval cannon fire, so they were built with solid stacked rocks. The accompanying dock and port also needed to be constructed, so all the necessary stone, iron, and timber were directly transported from the Bion Kingdom.
At this moment, Tokikake and Cross walked over, inspecting the busy construction site. Behind them, hovering in mid-air, were a scorching fireball the size of a exercise ball and a dark cloud, both with human-like eyes, mouths, and other facial features, drawing curious gazes from many ordinary people.
"This is outrageous! You have a beautiful queen for company, yet you dragged me to this godforsaken place! How miserable!"
"Don't talk nonsense! Me and Queen Shanna has nothing!"
"Oh, come on! Last time, I saw Queen Shanna looking at you, her eyes practically glued to you, and you say 'nothing'? Do you think I'm blind?"
"I've always been one to act without getting emotionally involved. Besides, this is Fleet Admiral Kong's order, and I didn't drag you here. I'm not taking the blame!"
"Outrageous! This is truly outrageous!"
"..."
The two conversed, Tokikake constantly complaining to Cross. Because this small island was too small and desolate, lacking everything, all supplies had to be transported from elsewhere. Even fresh water had to be shipped from Oneway Port, 5 nautical miles away, making it very difficult for the pleasure-loving Tokikake to adapt.
"Alright, alright, it'll be a year at most. Once the Bion Kingdom's military strength recovers from this incident, we won't need to stay here. Stop whining!" Cross impatiently waved his hand, sternly scolding Tokikake.
"What?! Another year?!" Tokikake's face showed shock, and he urgently said, "Doesn't that mean I won't see the beautiful Gion-chan for over a year?! Damn it, it's all your fault! You must be jealous of my sincere feelings for Gion-chan, afraid that my next confession will succeed, so you deliberately made me stay here! I knew you were also eyeing Gion-chan's beauty!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? With your slovenly appearance, Gion probably wouldn't agree even after 100 confessions!" Cross said, looking at Tokikake beside him with a disgusted expression.
"What's wrong with my image? The pretty ladies in the pleasure district really like my type!" Tokikake puffed out his chest, quite confidently.
"That's normal. After all, Gion isn't a lady from the pleasure district!" Cross shrugged, deliberately mocking him. "Or perhaps, as long as someone pays, even if the target is a wild boar, they'd intimately feed it pig slop!"
In an instant, Tokikake felt like he'd been struck by lightning, freezing in place. That makes so much sense, I can't even find a reason to refute it!
Pere pere pere... pere pere pere...
Suddenly, the sound of a Den Den Mushi chirping came from Tokikake's pocket, startling him out of his despondency.
Click~
Tokikake pulled out the Marine-issue Den Den Mushi from his pocket and answered, "It's me. What's wrong?"
"Rear Admiral Tokikake, it's bad! A Big Mom Pirates ship has been spotted approaching from the southeast!"
"Big Mom Pirates?! Are you sure?"
"Absolutely sure! I can clearly see their pirate flag through the telescope!"
The news from the Den Den Mushi made Tokikake's expression change slightly. He immediately regained his composure and asked again, but the answer was still the same.
"I understand. Keep monitoring. Captain Cross and I will be there soon!" Tokikake said seriously, then "clicked" off the Den Den Mushi.
"Why would the Big Mom Pirates come here? Wait... if I'm not mistaken, they're probably coming for me!" Cross turned around thoughtfully, glancing at Marduk and Surtur behind him.
"You mean..." Tokikake also looked back, a knowing expression appearing on his face.
"???"
"???"
Marduk and Surtur looked innocent, not understanding why their master and the human beside him were looking at them like that.
Then, Tokikake's expression grew serious, and he said in a deep voice, "You can fly. Go stop them from approaching the island. I'll gather the soldiers and be right there!"
"No problem, I'm on it!" Cross's face was grim. He reached out and pulled Marduk in front of him, then leaped onto its back.
"Let's go, Marduk! Let's meet a Yonko crew from the New World!" As he finished speaking, Marduk grinned menacingly, soaring skyward with Cross, heading towards the sea to the southeast. Surtur followed closely behind, his flames intensifying.
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
Then, the sound of a bell clanging echoed across the island, drawing everyone's attention. Tokikake began rallying the Marines on the island, putting everyone on high alert.
Meanwhile, Marduk hadn't flown for long when Cross, hundreds of meters in the air, spotted three ships on the sea ahead.
Two were their own third-class Marine battleships, and the other was a candy-themed pirate ship, massive enough to rival a Marine first-class battleship. It had frosting on its railings, ice cream cones on its mast tops, candy canes and chips on the sides of its main deck, and three large, candlelit, double-tiered cakes directly on its stern. Most importantly, this ship was alive; its figurehead was a round, clown-like face wearing a tricorn hat and a crown, constantly singing.
"I'm a ship! I'm a ship!"
"I'm a ship! I'm a ship!"
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