The Grand Line, along the route to Alabasta.
A merchant ship that regularly traveled between various nations in the first half of the Grand Line was currently moving at a steady pace along this route.
Ever since the great purge at the Sabaody Archipelago, the smuggling industry had been heavily suppressed.
As a result, legitimate guilds and trading associations began organizing manpower and armed escorts to seize the market previously monopolized by smugglers.
And after the rise of the Cross Guild, those World Government officials who had previously colluded with smugglers and frequently accepted their bribes gradually vanished.
At least across the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line, without suppression from World Government officers and the relentless price wars initiated by smugglers, commerce began to thrive rapidly.
At first, many vicious pirates thought these were nothing but juicy pieces of fat waiting to be devoured.
But these merchant ships almost always hired highly capable armed personnel.
Sometimes, several merchant ships would travel together, and every crew member would be armed—now that was what you'd call martial virtue in abundance.
The result was that large pirate crews were uninterested in attacking merchants, and small-time pirate groups simply lacked the strength to take them down.
Some trading associations even hired guards of such high caliber that they would go out of their way to capture pirates with bounties along the route.
They had practically flipped the script—reverse robbery.
For a while, weaker pirates began actively avoiding merchant ships for fear of being captured like cargo and directly handed over to the Navy base.
Now, aboard one such merchant ship, a woman with bright peach-colored hair rested her elbows on the railing, bored as she gazed at the seawater parting before the vessel.
"Yo, Bell-mère, so this is where you were!"
The ship's supervisor walked over. She was a sturdy woman in her thirties.
"You really know how to slack off. Nami and Nojiko have been staying inside the room the entire time, you know?"
"Sigh, Sohan, I only just realized how exhausting it is to raise children..."
Bell-mère let out a long sigh and stretched lazily.
"After all, I'm only twenty-one, and I've never been married or given birth, but now I'm suddenly a mom without the pain... Oh wait, not really painless—those battlefield injuries back then were no joke... You know what condition I was in, right?"
That was a year ago, when this merchant vessel was still operating across the Four Seas rather than within the Grand Line.
They had passed through the East Blue and happened upon the Kingdom of Oykot in the middle of a fierce battle with pirates.
It was there that Sohan found Bell-mère.
At first, she hadn't planned to interfere, but then she saw the tattered uniform Bell-mère wore beneath her ragged clothes—clearly a Navy outfit—and under that grimy, nearly colorless coat were two small children.
So, she had taken Bell-mère with her.
Under Sohan's careful care, Bell-mère gradually recovered from her injuries.
To repay her, Bell-mère didn't return to the Navy but instead became the security officer on this merchant ship.
After all, to have worn the Navy's long coat and cape in the past, she must have at least held the rank of Lieutenant Commander at a base—an outstanding qualification among merchant security.
"Honestly, I still think you should've returned to the Navy," said Sohan regretfully.
"You survived, and judging by your military achievements, you could have been transferred to Loguetown, maybe even trained at Navy Headquarters!"
As a core elite of a major trading guild, Sohan was deeply knowledgeable about the various powers at play.
And in her view, that possibility wasn't just a fantasy—it was highly likely.
"You really threw away a brilliant future. The difference between Navy Headquarters and being a security captain on a merchant crew isn't small."
"Ahaha, Sohan, listen to yourself—if I really went to Headquarters for training, who would take care of Nojiko and Nami?"
Bell-mère chuckled without the slightest hint of regret.
"Besides, the salary here at the merchant guild is much higher than the Navy's. Raising two kids costs a lot, you know."
Seeing Bell-mère say that, Sohan could only sigh again.
Bell-mère...
If only the regret in your eyes wasn't so obvious when you said that...
"Alright, break time's over! Time to head back to parenting hell!"
Bell-mère turned to walk back toward the cabin.
In the next moment, several cannonballs struck the deck, smashing through the planks and followed by a violent tremor!
"Sohan! We're under attack!"
"No explosion! They're solid shot! Pirates aiming for the cargo!"
Sohan barely managed to steady herself through the tremors when she heard Bell-mère's voice.
"Wasn't this route to Alabasta supposed to have hardly any pirates!?"
"Few doesn't mean none!"
Bell-mère rushed forward and grabbed Sohan.
"Enough talk! Go to the cabin and protect Nami and Nojiko—leave the rest to me!"
"Got it! Be careful!"
Sohan didn't hesitate. Though she looked strong on the outside, she was completely clueless when it came to fighting.
"Try to stay defensive! We're close to Alabasta now! I heard Alabasta relaxed regulations a couple years ago and allowed the Navy to set up a base! If we're this close, they might spot us and come to help!"
She crouched and dashed toward the cabin—only to trip over her own feet and tumble inside.
Bell-mère shook her head with a wry smile.
That enviable muscular body paired with the weakest motor skills imaginable...
Isn't that gap just a deliberate act of cuteness?
But jokes aside, she didn't hesitate as she ran toward the security room to grab weapons.
"Bell-mère-senpai!"
"Grab your weapons—cannon fire has stopped! They'll try boarding soon!"
"Yes!"
Despite her young age, Bell-mère held considerable authority on this ship.
Even the brawniest men followed her orders without question.
"This is our first attack in the Grand Line! Stay extra alert!"
"This place... isn't the Four Seas anymore."
Those who had lived in the Four Seas always felt some fear toward the Grand Line.
Even just surviving the dangers of Reverse Mountain had left a lasting impression.
After giving out the orders, Bell-mère charged out with the rest of the security crew.
But...
There was no enemy in sight.
Instead, a figure with wings on his back descended from the sky.
And he was wearing...
A Navy uniform!?
"Hello. I'm Michael, Base Commander of the Navy's Alabasta Branch."
"The attackers have been subdued by our forces. Are any of you injured?"
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