"It's over! It's all over!" Nami shrieked, her panic reaching a fever pitch. She lunged forward, grabbing Dande's right arm and clinging to him as if he were a life buoy.
Her eyes were fixed on the approaching ship in terror. "They found out! Has Moke been captured by the Marines? What do we do? Run! We have to run right now!"
"Relax. If things go south, we'll just pretend we don't know Moke."
"Relax?! Is it too late to play the 'stranger' card now?!" Nami retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She frantically scanned their surroundings. "Where's Robin? Find Robin! We're heading out to sea!"
"Go where? It's nice here. I told you to stay calm." Dande managed to extract his arm from her warm, soft grasp and gave her a sharp flick on the forehead. "Robin is busy with other things; she's gone underground for a bit."
In this world of face-blindness, Robin could probably stand right in front of Smoker without being recognized as the "Devil Child," provided her identity wasn't leaked. However, with Garp in the mix, Dande wasn't taking any chances.
Besides... Admiral Aokiji hadn't shown his face in years. Dande was certain that Kuzan knew exactly where Robin was.
"That hurt!" Nami hissed, rubbing her forehead and glaring at Dande. The physical shock had managed to ground her slightly, but she remained skeptical. "Do you really have a plan?"
"Of course."
"What plan?"
Dande looked up at the pirate ship that was now bumping against the dock, a meaningful glint in his eyes. "Collusion, of course."
As the ship docked, a grim-faced Smoker and Tashigi stepped off, followed by a now-serene Garp, whose deep eyes betrayed a hidden sharpness.
Colluding with pirates. Embezzling funds. Human trafficking.
The list was long enough to put the "corrupt" Captain behind bars for life.
But before they could initiate an arrest, Udo—who had been vibrating with anxiety on the ship—leaped onto the pier and rushed toward Dande. "Captain Dande! I—"
"It's fine, I know," Dande interrupted, patting Udo on the shoulder. "Since you're here, help the town settle the newcomers."
Dande had already prepared Nojiko and the others. Despite the tension caused by the sudden appearance of the Inspectorate, the townspeople didn't panic or try to obstruct the Marines.
Dande turned to the three guests, a wide smile on his face. He spread his arms in a warm, welcoming gesture. "Welcome, Inspectorate! I am honored by your presence!"
"..."
His enthusiasm was met with three very different reactions: Garp was grinning, Tashigi was fuming, and Smoker was staring at him with a coldness that bordered on pity.
Dandé Dande.
Smoker felt a pang of disappointment. A former prodigy of the Headquarters, fallen to this. Did he feel no shame toward Instructor Zephyr? Zephyr had personally vouched for him to avoid a court-martial years ago.
"Dandé Dande..." Smoker began, his voice dropping to a dangerous level.
"Alright, everyone! Down you go! In an orderly fashion!" Moke's booming voice drowned Smoker out. "Don't be afraid! I told you, I'm not a human trafficker! Once you're here, you'll have plenty to eat. You'll be thanking me soon enough!"
To Smoker and Tashigi's confusion, the "slaves" they expected to see were actually refugees. Fear and despair still lingered in their eyes, but they followed the pirates' lead toward the pier.
Just as the two officers prepared for a "slave hand-off" between the pirates and the corrupt Captain, a group emerged from the town.
They wore brown uniforms and caps. The leader had a small windmill pinned to his hat.
The local security force? Smoker wondered. Has the 16th Branch's influence spread this deep into the civilian population?
The security team marched up to the refugees, quickly dividing them into three distinct rows. Smoker and Tashigi tensed, fearing the security force was about to mistreat the civilians. Tashigi's hand flew to the hilt of Shigure.
"Wait," Smoker said, his hand clamping down on her hilt to keep the blade sheathed. "It's not what we thought."
Sure enough, the security force didn't draw weapons. Instead, their leader shouted, "Groups one through ten, follow me for a hot meal! Move out!"
Others followed suit:
"Groups eleven through twenty, this way for the bathhouse!"
"Anyone feeling ill? If you're sick or injured, step into the medical line!"
Under the practiced guidance of the security team, the "scary pirates' cargo" was being organized with military precision.
"???"
Food? Baths? Medical care?
Tashigi looked on, utterly bewildered. "What... what is happening?" She turned around, only to realize the pier was suddenly much emptier. "Where is Captain Dande? Did he run? Is this a trap?"
"Calm down. He won't get far," Smoker grunted, scanning the area. The Captain was indeed gone, but Smoker wasn't worried. The 16th Branch was under lock and key; no Captain could outrun him and the Hero of the Marines.
"Wait... where is Vice-Admiral Garp?"
"Over here!" a voice shouted from a short distance away.
Smoker and Tashigi spun around. Garp was no longer standing on the pier. He was at a food stall, accompanied by a very nervous-looking Moke.
Garp was holding a steaming flatbread, taking a massive, happy bite. "Mm! This is delicious!"
"..."
"What are you doing?!" Smoker marched over, his face turning an even darker shade of red. "We have a mission! Vice-Admiral Garp!"
"Relax, Smoker-boy," Garp waved a hand dismissively. "This bread is seriously good. You want a piece? Someone else is paying."
The vendor, flipping more bread, grinned. "The old gentleman has good taste! This is a specialty flatbread from the Goa Kingdom—a secret royal recipe I spent a fortune to acquire! Even the Hero of the Marines would give it a thumbs up!"
Smoker and Tashigi stared at the vendor. A secret recipe from the Goa Kingdom? Give us a break. More importantly, the man standing right there was the Hero of the Marines. Didn't Garp realize the vendor was using his name to sell bread?
"Vice-Admiral Garp..."
Garp suddenly frowned at the vendor. His voice turned serious. "Those trash royals in Goa couldn't come up with a recipe this tasty if their lives depended on it!"
"..." That's the part you're arguing about?!
Smoker's eye twitched. "Vice-Admiral, focus on the mission!"
"I know, I know," Garp said, shoving a piece of bread into Tashigi's hand. "I'm not lying, it's great. And don't worry about the bill. That Dande kid said all our expenses in Cocoyasi are on his tab."
Garp took another bite, his eyes scanning the surrounding town. The humor in his gaze flickered with something deeper. "Smoker-boy, stop being so uptight. Look around."
Smoker followed Garp's gaze, his dismissive scowl slowly fading into a look of profound shock.
He was a Marine from Headquarters. He had seen the capitals of great kingdoms and the luxury of Sabaody. But this "rural village" was... different.
It was clean. It was vibrant. And the smiles on the faces of the people weren't the hollow grins of those serving nobles—they were genuine.
"This place..." Tashigi whispered, her mouth still half-full of bread.
"It seems," Garp said, looking at the sweating Pirate Captain Moke, "we've stumbled into a very interesting place. Hey, Moke-boy! You're going to be our tour guide. If you do a bad job, I'm throwing you in a cage!"
*Bonus chapter for every 40 Power Stones
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