Loguetown.
Marine Branch Headquarters.
"Captain Smoker, you're back?"
"Yeah."
Having just finished a patrol to round up local pirates, Smoker grunted in response. He pulled off his leather gloves, tossed them aside, and sank lazily into a wide sofa.
Crossing his legs, he took the cigar from his mouth, flicked the ash, and looked expressionlessly at his adjutant, Petty Officer Tashigi.
"The tasks I gave you—how are they progressing?" he asked flatly.
"Sir!" Tashigi immediately snapped to attention. "Sentries have been stationed at the docks and the harbor. We've also issued formal warnings and restructuring orders to shops selling illegal goods.
Bounty hunters and pirates are now prohibited from entering harbor-side stores. However..."
Tashigi hesitated, adjusting her clunky glasses, before continuing with a sigh.
"Many shop owners are furious. They claim this is severely impacting their business. Specifically, the owner of the weapon shop, Ipponmatsu, said Colonel Sean never enforced such rules. They're threatening to file a formal complaint against you."
"Sean? Hmph." Smoker snorted, putting the cigar back in his mouth with an air of annoyance. "Ignore them."
"Understood!" Tashigi sighed internally. She knew Smoker didn't give a damn about complaints. After all, he had been demoted to the East Blue precisely for defying his superiors; he wasn't about to be swayed by a local shopkeeper's threats.
As for Captain Sean—or rather, Rear admiral Sean now—Smoker suspected he had known about Dande's little "arrangement" all along, or was even a partner in it. The thought still grated on him.
Tashigi suddenly remembered something. "Also, our investigation into the weapon shop shows they export large quantities of weapons overseas at regular intervals. We suspect they are collaborating with major pirate crews outside Loguetown. We're currently looking into it."
"Major crews outside the island..." Smoker's brow furrowed. "Keep the investigation quiet for now. Notify me the moment you find proof of collusion."
He looked back up at her. "What about the budget request I had you send to Headquarters? Was it approved?"
"Er..." Tashigi's expression became pained. She hesitated for a moment before whispering, "It's been sent back."
"The money is already here? That fast?"
"No... the request was sent back. Rejected."
"..."
"Headquarters says our request doesn't meet the criteria. They stated that Headquarters has its own metrics for branch funding," Tashigi explained sheepishly.
"Apparently, this year's budget was allocated to the Loguetown branch before we even arrived in the East Blue. They told us to stop 'causing a scene' and reminded us to stay focused on guarding the entrance to the Grand Line."
"Those bastards... the 16th Branch applies ten times and gets approved, and we can't even get one?"
"Well... to be fair, we did get a full gear upgrade before leaving HQ. They probably didn't expect Brigadier Sean to literally strip the armory bare before he left.
" Tashigi looked at her fuming superior and suggested tentatively, "Maybe we should follow Colonel Dande's example and..."
"Shut up. I am a Marine!" Smoker cut her off coldly, sensing exactly where she was going. "I will never, under any circumstances, cooperate with pirates."
"No, Captain, I just meant we could... pick a random pirate name and use them as an excuse to get some emergency funds."
"Ridiculous. Do you honestly think I'd fail to capture a pirate in the 'Weakest Sea' like Dande does? Are you asking me to slap my own face?" Smoker waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing good comes from being associated with that man."
Sean and Dande were clearly cut from the same cloth. Smoker had thought that after dropping Vice-Admiral Garp off at the Goa Kingdom, he'd finally be rid of that headache. He never expected to find a hollowed-out armory waiting for him in Loguetown.
He flicked his ash. "Forget it for now. Tell the men to be vigilant. We'll reapply in a few months. As for that guy... if I ever catch him doing something truly 'evil'..." His eyes narrowed. "He'll regret it."
Before Tashigi could respond—
Purupurupuru, purupurupuru.
Smoker's Den Den Mushi rang. He pulled it from his coat. "Loguetown Marine Branch, Smoker speaking."
"This is Marine Headquarters, Captain Smoker." The Den Den Mushi's face turned stern. "Headquarters is issuing an emergency mission. You are ordered to execute it immediately."
"Go ahead."
"We have received intelligence from the East Blue. A group of pirates is currently gathering allies to launch a coordinated attack on the Navy's 16th Branch.
Intelligence suggests they intend to 'wash the base in blood.' You are ordered to depart immediately to provide support, stop the pirates, and uphold the Navy's honor."
"The 16th Branch?" Smoker blinked. A flicker of schadenfreude crossed his face.
While he despised Dande's "pirate-ranching" methods, he was still a Marine. He couldn't sit by while a fellow branch was massacred. It would be a humiliating slap in the face to the entire organization.
Why is he suddenly being targeted for revenge? Did the local pirates find out he's using Moke to hunt them?
"Understood," Smoker said, his face returning to its usual stoicism. "I'll head to the 16th Branch immediately. Do we know which pirate crew is leading this retaliation?"
"The investigation is complete," the Den Den Mushi replied gravely. "The leader is the 'New Overlord of the East Blue'—the Moke Pirates! If possible, arrest these extremely vicious criminals at once!"
Silence.
Smoker: "???"
He blinked, staring at the serious-faced snail in his hand in utter bewilderment.
What?! The Moke Pirates are going to 'wash the 16th Branch in blood'?
What the hell is Dande trying to pull now?!
Meanwhile, as Moke's Pirate Summons reached the corners of the sea, countless crews were answering the call of the "New Overlord."
A dark carnival of piracy was beginning to cast its shadow over the entire East Blue.
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