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Captain Nezumi continued to spread his rumors, trying to draw more pirates, more players, into the mix. When the situation devolved into chaos, he, as the ranking Marine officer in the area, would have the opportunity to intervene and claim a piece of the pie.
"Heheheh—"
Just as he was on the phone, he heard a sharp whistling sound. Was that... a cannon? Were there pirates fighting nearby?
BOOOOM!
The warship lurched violently. The explosion was deafeningly close.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
"PIRATE SHIP! PORT SIDE! THEY'RE GAINING ON US!"
"LOOK OUT!"
Cries of panic erupted from the deck.
Pirates? Attacking a Marine warship? Impossible.
Nezumi rushed outside and collided with a soldier who was running to report.
"Sir! A pirate ship is firing on us!"
Nezumi was furious. "What??"
Another cannonball screamed through the air.
Nezumi looked up just in time to see it arcing toward his ship.
CRASH!!!
The mainmast splintered, the top half teetering for a moment before snapping and crashing to the deck.
"Bullseye!"
"The mast is down!"
"Nice shot, Mihar!" Masked Deuce said, observing through a spyglass.
"These Grand Line cannons are no joke," Mihar said, patting the howitzer. "They pack way more punch than anything in the East Blue."
The howitzer was a gift from Jin. It was powerful enough to obliterate a sloop with a single shot.
Ace stood at the prow, one hand on his hat, the wind whipping around him. "Deuce! Full speed ahead! Get us in close!"
Fire burned in his eyes.
Before they had set out, Jin had said to him, "You want to make a name for yourself, Ace? Go take out Captain Nezumi and attack the 16th Branch. You'll be ridding the world of a pest, and you'll make a name for yourself in the process."
"A pirate, doing good deeds?" Ace had scoffed. "All I ever hear is people cursing pirates. Especially... Roger."
"Not all pirates are bad," Jin had replied, his tone measured, profound. "And not all Marines are good. The world isn't black and white. Good and evil... it's a matter of the heart."
Ace wanted to be famous. So Jin had given him the chance.
Unleash the Ace.
"Aye, Captain!"
This time, Deuce didn't try to talk Ace out of his reckless plan. He took the helm himself, ready to teach the Marines a lesson.
They had already heard what the Arlong Pirates had done to the villages of the Conomi Islands.
"A human Marine captain... not only did he not help his fellow humans, but he protected those Fish-Men?" Deuce seethed. "Unforgivable. Killing him isn't enough."
Deuce didn't hate Fish-Men, but he was proud to be human. He despised what Arlong and his crew had done, and he despised Captain Nezumi—a man who, for the sake of profit, had turned his back on his own kind—even more.
And so, the four-man Spade Pirates had launched an all-out assault on a Marine warship carrying a crew of 138.
"That flag... it's the Spade Pirates!" a soldier on the warship shouted.
"Dammit! Open fire! Sink them!"
The cannons roared, and a volley of cannonballs flew toward the pirate ship.
"Fire Fist: Heat Haze!"
Ace's arm transformed into a pillar of fire, and he unleashed a beam of flame that intercepted all the cannonballs.
As the explosions subsided and the two ships drew within twenty meters of each other, Ace leaped into the air, a fiery meteor streaking toward the warship.
Flames engulfed the deck.
A short while later, Captain Nezumi was dead, and the warship was a sinking wreck. Only a handful of sailors, clinging to pieces of driftwood, survived.
Ace and his crew didn't stop there. They sailed for the 16th Branch base and wreaked havoc.
While Ace and Mihar drew the soldiers' fire, Deuce and Skull found Nezumi's secret vault. Inside, they found a massive stash of Berries, as well as ledgers detailing his dealings with various nobles.
They even found evidence of crimes committed by the commanders of other branches.
"Just as the king predicted," Deuce thought, a sense of awe washing over him. "A treacherous man like Nezumi would definitely have an insurance policy."
Jin was not only terrifyingly strong, but his intellect, his methods... they were on another level. He was the perfect hero for the novel Deuce wanted to write.
If he hadn't met Ace first, would he have chosen to follow him?
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News of the Spade Pirates' attack on the warship and the 16th Branch sent shockwaves through the Marine bases of the East Blue.
"THIS IS A PROVOCATION!"
"A HUMILIATION TO THE MARINES OF THE EAST BLUE!"
"THEY MUST BE PUNISHED!"
When the report reached Headquarters...
"Ace?"
The moment Sengoku saw the picture of Ace, his eyes widened in shock.
What the hell??
He was the spitting image of a young Roger.
Sengoku and Garp had chased Roger all over the world. He knew that face better than his own. He would have recognized it even if it had been burned to ash.
Roger's son... he's really alive. And he chose to become a pirate, starting in the East Blue?
Wait... East Blue?
Sengoku's stern gaze fell on the laughing Garp.
"Issue an order to all branches in the East Blue," Sengoku commanded. "The capture of the Spade Pirates is now top priority. And increase all their bounties. The captain, Ace... set his bounty at 100 million Berries."
"One hundred million Berries?" the officer taking the notes said, stunned. "For a rookie from the East Blue?"
"Is there a problem?" Sengoku growled. "For such a vicious criminal to appear in a peaceful sea like the East Blue... this is a special case. It requires a special response."
The Marines of the East Blue mobilized, all of them in pursuit of the Spade Pirates.
The Conomi Islands were about to become the stage for a pirate "carnival."
Captain Nezumi dying rumors, fanned by various interested parties, had ignited the pirate world.
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Under the cover of night, Nami and Carina, in a small lifeboat, finally made it back to the island. They ran, breathless, all the way to the tangerine grove.
"Nojiko! We have to run!" Nami burst through the door. The light from inside spilled out, and she froze.
Jin, Maya, Law, Robin, Reiju, Tashigi, and Genzo were all sitting around a table, eating and drinking.
Nojiko, to thank the king, had made a special tangerine cake and was hosting them for dinner.
"Nami!" Genzo shouted happily.
"Nami?" Nojiko came out of the kitchen. "You're back! Are you alright?"
"Nojiko! Genzo! We have to get the villagers out of here, now!" Nami said, her voice filled with panic.
"Huh? Run?"
"There are a ton of pirate crews heading this way, looking for Woonan's treasure! They're vicious! We have to let them and Arlong's crew fight it out! We have to hide!"
Nojiko just laughed.
"I'm not lying!" Nami shouted, frustrated. "I risked my life to get back here! This isn't a joke! They'll be here tonight! Carina can vouch for me!"
She pulled Carina into the room.
Carina smelled the food, and her stomach rumbled. She swallowed hard. "Nami's telling the truth."
They'd been on the run for two days without food.
"Are you hungry?" Nojiko said. "Why don't you have something to eat?"
"Hey! Are you even listening to me??" Nami shouted.
Genzo cleared his throat. "Nami... Arlong and his crew are gone."
"The villagers have already been moved to a safe place."
"And with His Majesty and his crew here, everything will be fine."
"Huh??" Nami said, a look of utter confusion on her face. "Genzo, what are you talking about? I don't understand. You said Arlong's crew..."
Nojiko walked over and gently stroked Nami's hair. She pulled her into a hug. "They're all dead, Nami."
"The sky over Cocoyasi is clear now. You don't have to carry that burden for us anymore."
"Arlong and his crew... are dead."
Nami was stunned. She couldn't believe it.
"It's true," Nojiko said softly. "It happened four days ago. I placed his skull on Belle-mère's grave."
Belle-mère?
Nami pushed away from Nojiko and stumbled out the door.
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