William's judgment proved correct. Shortly after, the Marines on shift change arrived to inspect his cell, accompanied by a group of nobles from the Navia Kingdom.
Following William's arrest and imprisonment, Vice Admiral Garp and the other two Vice Admirals had prioritized two tasks: capturing fugitive Morgan Group executives like Kuro and Edmond, and "liberating" the royal family and nobility who had been under pirate control.
These nobles—who had spent years stripped of their former power and prestige, reduced to mere figureheads signing documents in the parliamentary building—greeted the Marines' arrival with unbridled jubilation.
When the Marines entered the parliamentary building, elderly nobles with silver hair had clutched Garp's hands with trembling fingers, too overcome with emotion to speak—a truly moving scene for witnesses.
The restoration of power to the aristocracy proceeded smoothly for two primary reasons. First, the most loyal officers in William's military had either been strategically reassigned to distant regions under the guise of "reforestation campaigns" or captured during the harbor battle. Second, monarchical systems remained the dominant political structure in this world. The brief period during which feudal nobles were controlled like puppets represented merely a fleeting anomaly in a nation with centuries of history. To ordinary citizens, it felt like awakening from a brief dream—however reluctantly—and returning to the reality they had known for decades.
A few years simply wasn't enough to overcome centuries of historical inertia.
Naturally, some younger citizens resisted returning to the old order, but without leadership to unite them, the common people remained fragmented and ineffectual. More critically, the legendary Marine hero Garp remained stationed at the palace with elite forces from Headquarters. If even William—at the height of his influence—had been captured and imprisoned, ordinary citizens lacked both the courage and practical means to resist.
The nobles who accompanied the Marines gazed with satisfaction at William's current state—confined to a cramped cell, his legs shackled with chains limiting his movement to less than two meters, his hands bound with Sea Stone cuffs that rendered him helpless. They couldn't resist coming to witness the once-invincible William in his current state of degradation.
The satisfaction of seeing a reversal of fortune transcends all boundaries—race, region, even worlds.
From 1510 of the Sea Calendar until now, the Navia Kingdom's nobility had lived in perpetual anxiety under William's rule. The three years that had brought vitality and opportunity to the lower classes had been three years of humiliation and powerlessness for the former privileged elite.
But now, at last, the righteous Marines had arrived in the East Blue to restore proper order!
While William's supporters might view the nobles' behavior as petty vindictiveness, from the aristocrats' perspective, their actions represented justified relief after enduring years of pirate tyranny.
"Who wrapped his shackles with cloth?" A tall, thin noble with keen eyes immediately noticed the anomaly around William's ankles. His eyebrows shot up as he shrieked, "Remove it at once!"
Smoker, who had accompanied the nobles, frowned at their imperious tone but remained silent. He glanced back at the Marines behind him, quickly realizing they wouldn't have done this, then shifted his attention to the prison guards.
Sure enough, several jailers looked visibly uncomfortable, their eyes involuntarily darting toward one young man in particular.
Seeing this, the noble who had spoken flew into a rage, glaring venomously at the young jailer. "You worthless commoner! Are you in league with Morgan William? Do you wish to share his cell? I'll—"
"Viscount Ochoa, why torment a poor soul caught between not wanting to offend me yet unable to defy governmental authority?" William's calm voice drifted through the small window in the cell door as he sat cross-legged on the floor.
"Morgan William!" Upon hearing William's voice, Viscount Ochoa immediately abandoned the terrified young jailer and pressed his face against the small window, as if trying to force his entire head through the opening. He peered down at William with undisguised glee. "Never imagined you'd come to this, did you? This world isn't yours to control after all! The World Government and Marine Headquarters still stand for justice. Every decree you issued when you usurped this kingdom—those policies that brought our nation to ruin—has been abolished! Those of us whose noble titles you stripped away, myself included, have had our rightful status fully restored!"
Viscount Ochoa recalled the days of uncertainty and humiliation after William had revoked his title. Now, seeing the once-untouchable William confined to a damp cell filled him with vindictive pleasure. "Your era has ended."
"You rushed all the way here just to tell me this?" William showed no anger at the Viscount's taunts. Instead, his voice carried a mocking edge as he laughed loudly. "Viscount Ochoa, look at your pitiful ambition. When Norton I was my prisoner, you sent your daughter to warm his bed, hedging your bets both ways. What now? Are you planning to offer another daughter to warm my bed? Aren't you afraid I might escape?"
Viscount Ochoa's face contorted with fury before suddenly breaking into laughter. "No wonder you remain so composed—you're still clinging to false hope! Do you honestly believe you have any chance of returning to power? Let me enlighten you: you're about to die, Morgan William! Right here in Kalmar City, before the very commoners who worship you like an idol, you will be publicly executed!"
Both Smoker and the jailers visibly tensed at these words.
Smoker's reaction stemmed from the fact that Garp and the others hadn't yet decided whether to announce the execution publicly. The broadcast throughout the East Blue required extensive equipment setup in various locations. They worried that premature announcement might create complications, particularly if William attempted something desperate upon learning his fate. If he were to commit suicide in his cell, the public execution—and its intended message—would be impossible to deliver.
Smoker hadn't anticipated that Viscount Ochoa would recklessly reveal such sensitive information.
Pushing the Viscount aside, Smoker peered through the small window to gauge William's reaction. Surprisingly, William merely raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression otherwise unchanged—as if he had either anticipated this outcome or had already made peace with his fate.
Irritated, Smoker drove Viscount Ochoa and the other nobles away from the cell door. He entered with two Marine soldiers and instructed them to remove the cloth padding from William's shackles.
William offered no resistance—nor could he, with Sea Stone neutralizing his Devil Fruit powers.
Puffing on his cigar, Smoker observed how William maintained his composure despite the Marines' somewhat rough handling. "I'm starting to believe you truly are the great pirate the newspapers describe," he remarked. "Few pirates remain so composed when facing death. Do you know how most pirates react?"
"They weep and plead, with snot and tears streaming down their faces, begging for mercy—just like the civilians who once begged before them," William replied, lifting his head slightly to meet Smoker's gaze.
Smoker held William's gaze momentarily. Once his men had removed the cloth from the shackles, he turned and left the prison, forcibly escorting the Navia Kingdom nobles away to prevent further taunting.
In Smoker's view, capturing pirates was his sworn duty, but there was no honor in humiliating a defeated opponent—especially one who maintained dignity even in defeat.
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