Chapter 51 - 51: A Pirate Ship Under a New Flag!

The West Blue, the most entangled and chaotic of the Four Seas. If one were to ask which of the Four Seas had the greatest number of pirates, the most powerful pirates, or the most brazenly lawless pirates, the answer would be unanimous: the West Blue. But beyond the rampant piracy, the West Blue had a unique "local specialty" that none of the other seas possessed, the Mafia. In simpler terms, land-based underground criminal syndicates. While the other seas also had their share of such groups, the Mafia in the West Blue was in a league of its own, capable of challenging even national governments for influence and control. To put it bluntly, this place was like a more complex version of Mexico. In the West Blue, chaos and disorder weren't exceptions—they were the norm. Yet, amid this sea of constant unrest, there existed a tranquil, untouched oasis: Angor Town, part of the Kingdom of Mia under the jurisdiction of Marine Branch 133. The Kingdom of Mia was the archetype of an island kingdom found throughout the world of One Piece, a small archipelagic nation. The kingdom was composed of sixteen islands of varying sizes. Together, their total land area amounted to only 600 square kilometers, roughly the size of modern-day Seoul. However, Mia's economic development lagged far behind that of the capital cities in the World Government's Grand Cosmic Nations. The entire kingdom's population was a mere 150,000. Among the thousands of countries scattered across the One Piece world, the Kingdom of Mia ranked firmly in the lower-middle tier in both land and population. Even within the West Blue, it was considered a second-rate nation. Angor Town, home to the Marine's Branch 133 base, sat on the easternmost of Mia's islands. With an area of just 45 square kilometers and a permanent population of under 10,000, it was little more than a modest town. After more than ten days of sailing, the warship belonging to Branch 133 finally docked at Angor Town's naval harbor on a calm and sunny afternoon. A long wooden plank was lowered from the ship. Captain Cain, standing tall and composed, led the Marines off the vessel. His posture was straight as a blade, his eyes fixed forward, his expression solemn. The passing Marines on the dock all stopped to salute, a sign of deep admiration and respect for Captain Cain. Only a hundred or so Marines had accompanied Cain on this journey to report to Marine Headquarters. Yet the full strength of Branch 133 numbered close to two thousand. That meant the dock was bustling with Marines coming and going. As they watched Cain march down at the head of the returning unit, many stopped to salute, creating a striking and imposing scene. It was clear that Captain Cain commanded significant authority and prestige within the branch. At the rear of the group, Yoriichi Tsugikuni was quietly observing the scene, a touch of surprise in his eyes. His first impression of Cain had not been favorable. He couldn't quite pinpoint why, just a vague sense that Cain was too deep, too unreadable. Unlike Garp or Zephyr, whose intentions were plain as day, Cain gave off an impenetrable air. Yoriichi instinctively disliked that. His discomfort only grew when he boarded Cain's warship and was unexpectedly assigned the role of boiler operator, a job typically handled by the lowest-ranking crew. Such duties were normally left to ship orderlies, so why was a Seaman Third Class like himself tasked with it? The real question was—where were the orderlies? Had those positions truly been eliminated, or were they merely erased on paper? It was a question worth pondering. On the surface, orderlies might seem like an insignificant role in the Navy. But for a branch of 2,000 Marines, the number of orderlies needed would easily reach into the hundreds. When you add up their annual salaries and rations, it's far from a trivial expense. And yet, the Navy allocated funding to each branch based on official personnel rosters. Unless additional funds were awarded for merit, the annual budget was fixed. If manipulated cleverly, those hundreds of "ghost salaries" could easily line Cain's pockets. It was this suspicion that led Yoriichi to keep his guard up and remain distant from the Marines in the branch. He didn't open up to them, always keeping one hand on the figurative sword. To Yoriichi, Cain was a naval officer who might very well be skimming money from fake staff positions. So when he now saw the genuine reverence the Marines on the dock had for Cain, his surprise made perfect sense. "Was I overthinking it?" The thought passed quietly through his mind, and his expression softened a little. After arriving at the base, Yoriichi and Kyros were assigned to serve under a sergeant in the branch. "Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Kyros. Welcome to Marine Branch 133." "You're now part of my unit." "Name's Santos. I'm your squad leader. With the two of you added, our squad now has 21 members total." "Come on, I'll take you to the dorms. From now on, you'll be living and operating alongside the other Marines in this unit." Sergeant Santos was a young man in his early twenties, standing around 180 centimeters tall. He had a sturdy build and a sincere, honest face. With a warm and welcoming smile, he greeted the newly assigned recruits, Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Kyros. Yoriichi offered a polite nod and greeted Santos with the calm detachment one would show a colleague, neither distant nor familiar. Kyros, on the other hand, greeted him with a cheerful smile, clearly more enthusiastic. "Haha, no worries. You'll all get to know each other better in time," Santos chuckled, assuming Yoriichi's cool demeanor came from being new. He didn't take it personally and led the two toward the dormitory with his usual upbeat energy. Yoriichi and Kyros were assigned to an eight-person barracks. When they arrived, the room was empty—everyone else was still out training. Near the bathroom, a bunk bed sat unclaimed. Santos pointed at the empty bunk and said, "That's your spot." "Top or bottom bunk, you two can figure that out yourselves." "Don't mind that it's close to the restroom, everyone else picked their spots already. This was the only one left." "We're Marines. A little discomfort is just part of the job." As he spoke, Santos dusted off the beds for them. From the moment they entered, Yoriichi had been quietly surveying the room. Neither he nor Kyros commented on the sleeping arrangements. After a brief glance around, they joined Santos in tidying up their bunks and tossed their packs onto their beds. Once everything was clean, the two followed Santos to collect their bedding and other essentials. They quickly settled in. Even after helping them get organized, Santos didn't leave right away. Instead, he stayed to explain the daily duties of their squad. The 133rd Marine Branch was stationed in Angor Town, but their jurisdiction wasn't limited to just the nearby waters. The area they oversaw spanned a 100-kilometer radius centered around the Kingdom of Mia. Santos's squad, aside from routine training, mainly worked joint patrols with other units. Upon encountering pirates, their standard procedure was to retreat and report back to the branch. They were an intelligence-gathering unit, not a combat division. Having understood their responsibilities, both Yoriichi and Kyros nodded in acknowledgment. Afterward, Santos took them on a brief tour of the base to help them get familiar with their surroundings. By dusk, Santos led them to the mess hall where they joined the rest of the squad for dinner. There, they exchanged brief introductions and got to know their teammates. With that, Yoriichi and Kyros were officially part of the unit. The next day, Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Kyros received their first patrol assignment. At sunrise, a 133rd Branch patrol ship sailed steadily across the sea. Yoriichi stood on the deck, a telescope in hand, scanning the horizon. The sky was vast, the ocean calm. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just as he was about to shift his gaze, a small dark speck appeared on the water, entering his field of vision. "Hmm?" Letting out a quiet murmur, Yoriichi focused. He adjusted the telescope toward the black dot in the distance. It was a ship, no flag, no insignia, and it was moving fast toward their patrol vessel. "It's coming straight for us... What kind of ship is that?" Perplexed, Yoriichi called over Sergeant Santos. The sergeant took the telescope, observed for a moment, then grinned. "Don't worry about it, Yoriichi." "That's a merchant vessel from the Lolo Trading Company. Probably heading back to the Kingdom of Mia." He handed the telescope back to Yoriichi and was about to leave when Yoriichi asked, calmly but pointedly: "Sergeant Santos, are you sure it's a merchant vessel?" Through the telescope, Yoriichi continued to observe the approaching ship. A moment ago, it had no identifying marks. Now, it had hoisted a flag, a pink skull insignia. No matter how he looked at it, it didn't resemble a merchant ship. "Juuu~~~~" Just as Yoriichi finished speaking, a shrill, piercing whistle tore through the sky. ********* Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch! 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