The subsequent developments unfolded almost exactly as Sherlock had predicted.
Nezumi received another message from Marine Headquarters, confirming that the fleet led by two Vice Admirals was heading to the waters where Golden Lion Shiki had appeared—specifically, to the Navia Kingdom.
Shortly thereafter, Nezumi, leveraging his connections in the Grand Line, gathered additional intelligence. It appeared the two Vice Admirals weren't coming to investigate William's activities. On the contrary, they might be tasked with recruiting him. After all, Shiki's arrival had caused tremendous upheaval throughout the East Blue, and in the eyes of its inhabitants, William had emerged as the hero who saved the region.
Meanwhile, Akain, stationed at Marine Headquarters in the Grand Line, also transmitted intelligence reports. According to his observations, there had been no large-scale mobilization of ships or personnel from Headquarters. The Three Admirals remained firmly stationed at their posts without any indication of deployment.
Akain further reported significant dissatisfaction among Marine leadership regarding the current Seven Warlords of the Sea. The World Government had originally established the Warlord system in response to the Great Pirate Era, which had stretched Marine resources dangerously thin. Faced with an ever-increasing number of pirates, the Marines had reluctantly turned to utilizing the strength of certain notorious criminals.
The seven Warlords were strategically intended to correspond to the seven major routes of the first half of the Grand Line. Their privateering license didn't grant them freedom to plunder World Government member nations or legitimate merchant vessels. Instead, it authorized them to raid "undeveloped territories"—nations that hadn't joined the World Government, as well as other pirates.
This was precisely why the Warlords were frequently derided by other pirates as the World Government's "dogs." The primary source of this contempt wasn't merely their recruitment by the government—many pirates who spent their lives evading government and Marine pursuit would have gladly accepted such an arrangement. Rather, the hatred stemmed from becoming targets of the Warlords' sanctioned predation.
In theory, if the Warlords were strategically positioned along the seven routes, they could effectively suppress the influx of pirates from the Four Blues into the Grand Line.
However, this remained purely theoretical. Pirates were still pirates, and they rarely adhered to World Government or Marine directives. Most Warlords harbored their own ulterior motives, acting independently and often abusing their privileged status to commit various atrocities. Ultimately, it was the World Government that bore the brunt of public outrage for these actions.
Among the Warlords, Donquixote Doflamingo, who frequently incited conflicts between neighboring nations, and Gecko Moria, who exploited his Devil Fruit powers to steal others' shadows, were particularly infamous.
Marine leadership had long desired to revoke the Warlord titles of these two and replace them with more "dutiful" pirates, similar to Crocodile.
Perhaps this time, the Marines were indeed coming to invite William to become a new Warlord.
Regardless of the Marines' true intentions, William prepared for the worst-case scenario. Beyond his existing arrangements throughout the East Blue, he had systematically emptied everything of value from Merveille Island, including retrieving Golden Lion Shiki's corpse and his legendary swords.
The two prized blades, "Oto" and "Kogarashi," were gifted by William to Aramis and Edmond respectively. Shiki's corpse, however, was carefully preserved.
Officially, William claimed that preserving Shiki's body served as a deterrent to future enemies contemplating an invasion of the East Blue. But deep within, he recognized the true motivation—akin to a hunter mounting the head of a bear or lion on their wall—stemmed from pride and the desire to showcase a remarkable trophy.
Killing a legendary pirate like Golden Lion Shiki was no small feat, and William couldn't entirely suppress a sense of accomplishment.
Such thoughts would have been utterly foreign to the William who had grown up in a peaceful society, or even to the William of his early days in this world.
Marine Headquarters possessed specialized warships capable of traversing the Calm Belt, allowing them to reach the East Blue with remarkable speed.
For days, Captain Nezumi had been incessantly pestering William, urging him to accept the title of Warlord. According to World Government regulations, once someone became a Warlord, their subordinates' past crimes would be pardoned.
William outwardly humored Nezumi, but internally, his vigilance reached its peak as the Marines entered East Blue waters. Intelligence reports from the Fifth Division of Commercial Affairs flooded into his study daily like snowflakes in a blizzard.
After arriving in the East Blue, the two Marine warships didn't immediately head for William's stronghold in Kalmar City. Instead, they first conducted thorough inspections of the fallen islands—Merveille and surrounding debris—and their adjacent waters. Only after completing these surveys did they leisurely set course for Kalmar City to meet the man hailed as the hero who had saved the East Blue from catastrophe.
The docks of Kalmar City teemed with spectators. The last time such crowds had gathered was during the visit of the Celestial Dragons. News of the Marines' impending arrival had spread through East Blue newspapers, and the populace eagerly anticipated their arrival.
Although Golden Lion Shiki had already been defeated by William, the Marines' delayed response resembled the police in films from William's previous life—always arriving just after the crisis had passed. Still, late was better than never. In the public consciousness, the Marines and World Government remained symbols of ultimate authority. At the very least, people hoped they could help eliminate the monstrous creatures that now infested the waters surrounding the fallen islands.
William stood at the docks accompanied by Kuro, Edmond, and Don Krieg, who had recently proven his worth and earned William's favor. Alongside them were numerous capable officers and elite members of the royal guard. The nearby waters were patrolled by several warships ready to blockade the harbor at a moment's notice.
From the rooftops of distant high-rise buildings, Yasopp and a team of expert snipers maintained vigilant watch. If the Marines made even the slightest suspicious move, William wouldn't hesitate to strike.
In truth, if not for the Marines' apparent intention to recruit him, William would have initiated conflict the moment they entered East Blue waters.
Notably absent from the welcoming party were Dampier, William's trusted strategist, along with the fiercely loyal Harden and Aramis, who commanded the Fifth Division of Commercial Affairs. They represented William's contingency plan.
"The Marines have arrived," announced Kuro, his Den Den Mushi projecting his voice clearly as William and his officers looked on attentively.
Moments later, the two warships that had traversed the Calm Belt came into view of the assembled crowd.
On the foredeck of one vessel stood a remarkably young Marine officer with prematurely white hair. His upper body was bare except for a white coat draped over his shoulders, emblazoned with the kanji for "Justice" across the back.
His coat pockets bulged with cigars, testament to his heavy smoking habit. Even now, he simultaneously clenched two cigars between his teeth, exhaling thick plumes of smoke with each breath.
The white-haired officer's gaze shifted from a clipper ship that had been tracking their movements from a distance. The embers of his cigars glowed brighter as he took a deep drag, then exhaled a perfect smoke ring.
"It seems the newspapers were right," he muttered, his voice laden with contempt. "What a reckless and audacious pirate."
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