The Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 66.
On the central avenue, which had been rebuilt to be extremely spacious and sturdy, Drake—wearing a form-fitting leather vest, a wide, snow-white justice cape on his back, and a sword and axe at his waist—strode down the middle of the road with a large group of panicked subordinates, heading straight for the new Marine Base 66.
As they got closer to the base's gate, the bearded pirate following closely behind Drake could no longer contain his panic. He edged closer to Drake and said in a hushed, urgent tone, "Captain Drake, are you sure this is okay? We're just going to swagger into a Marine base in broad daylight?"
"What could possibly happen?" Drake's expression didn't change. He even had the leisure to turn his head and nod to the Marine soldiers standing guard at the base's entrance.
"But... but we're pirates," the bearded man was genuinely scared.
As a seasoned pirate who had been roaming the first half of the Grand Line for years, what kind of situation hadn't he experienced?
Fighting, looting, naval battles, escaping—the bearded man had lost count of his narrow escapes from death.
But he had never experienced a scene like this.
Following this powerful captain he had only known for less than half a year, and openly walking into a Marine base on Sabaody.
And it was a base that had been rebuilt and was rumored to be guarded by a veteran Marine Vice Admiral.
If their identities were exposed, wouldn't they be surrounded and "made into dumplings" by the Marines stationed here in minutes?
They had to remember that the Sabaody Archipelago was no longer in the chaotic state of a year ago, with its messy mix of various powers.
Ever since the Celestial Dragons were attacked here, the security measures on this massive mangrove island had been elevated to the highest level.
While it was still impossible to completely prevent dark forces from entering the island—like some pirates and slaving ships that cooperated with the World Government, smugglers of alcohol and tobacco, or the ever-present entertainment districts—these large and small factions had long lost their previous arrogance and high-handedness due to the constant presence of Marine patrols.
To continue living and doing business here, they had to be cautious.
Drake's footsteps paused, and he looked back at the hundreds of pirates behind him, patting his distinctive military uniform.
"Don't worry. Don't forget my current identity. I'm still a Rear Admiral in the Marine Headquarters. Remember, you are my soldiers now, not pirates. When we see Vice Admiral Lacroix, straighten up. I've received news that the warehouse at Base 66 just received taxes from those merchants, and the amount is over a billion Berries. As long as we can get that money, we'll head straight for the New World and get far away from here. Think about it, that's over a billion Berries. We'll have everything we could ever want!"
Pirates, as expected, were a group that would risk their lives for money.
As soon as Drake mentioned that the base ahead contained over a billion Berries, their eyes lit up, and their breathing became rapid.
The greedy desire for money suppressed their anxiety, and for a moment, they forgot their fear.
Watching the various expressions on his subordinates' faces, Drake maintained a stern expression. It wasn't until he walked into the base's courtyard and saw a giant devouring food on a stone block that a bright smile appeared on his face. He strode forward.
"Vice Admiral Lacroix! Long time no see."
Vice Admiral Lacroix, the giant who was currently eating, was a typical hulking giant of a man, built like a mountain.
He was over twelve meters tall, and just sitting down, he was like a small mountain, radiating a suffocating pressure that made the pirates behind Drake shiver, snapping them out of their greedy trance.
Seeing Drake walking toward him, Vice Admiral Lacroix's eyes lit up. He put down the large bone he was holding and burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahahaha, Drake, what brings you here? Weren't you doing well at Marine Headquarters? I heard that Fleet Admiral Sengoku was going to send you to the G-2 branch to be a base commander. Is that true?"
Drake pulled up a chair and sat down next to Lacroix. He picked up a plate of meat without ceremony and started eating, sighing with a wry smile as he ate.
"Vice Admiral Lacroix, don't make fun of me. I'm not worthy of being sent to G-2 to be a base commander. The highest-ranking officer there is Vice Admiral G-5. My current qualifications and strength are still far from his."
As he spoke, Drake turned and waved to his subordinates, who were standing stiff and dazed.
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and pour the good sake I brought for Vice Admiral Lacroix!"
"Yes! Yes!"
The pirates came to their senses. Suppressing their panic, they quickly carried the barrels of sake they were holding to Lacroix.
Someone opened a barrel and poured a full glass of fragrant, golden-yellow sake into the giant cup placed in front of Lacroix.
Lacroix's nostrils flared, and his eyes immediately brightened.
"Good sake!"
He grabbed the cup, which was the size of a barrel, and chugged the entire thing in one gulp. He let out a satisfied burp, and with a hand the size of a cattail fan, he patted Drake's shoulder hard, causing the chair Drake was sitting on to creak under the strain, as if it would collapse at any moment.
"Drake, not bad. This sake is good, it has a kick! Come on, let's drink together!"
He laughed, and instead of having the pirates pour him another glass, he grabbed a large sake barrel, opened it, poured a glass for Drake, and then started drinking the rest directly from the barrel.
"I'm glad you're satisfied, Vice Admiral Lacroix. Cheers!"
Drake also smiled and raised his glass.
The two of them went back and forth, eating and drinking, laughing and chatting in Marine Base 66 as if they were old friends.
Lacroix was a giant, after all, and his capacity for both alcohol and food was astounding.
The dozens of barrels of high-proof sake Drake had brought were almost not enough to get him drunk.
Fortunately, Lacroix had already had a lot to drink before Drake arrived.
The drinking session lasted until evening, ending with Vice Admiral Lacroix passing out on the table, snoring loudly.
The pirates who had been serving for half a day were almost asleep themselves.
Drake shook his dazed head vigorously, stood up, and, with practiced ease, led the pirates toward the base's warehouse.
Ten minutes later, a sharp whistle pierced the air in Marine Base 66, waking up the groggy Lacroix.
He looked up just in time to see over a hundred figures carrying various-sized leather cases and sacks running out of the warehouse and toward the base's exit.
Among them was a familiar back that made Lacroix's fuzzy head feel even more muddled.
"Drake? What's going on?"
Just then, a large number of Marine soldiers with weapons came running from the direction of the warehouse, shouting at Lacroix. "Vice Admiral Lacroix! The 1.2 billion Berries in tax money we received yesterday was stolen by Rear Admiral Drake and his men! He even injured the soldiers guarding the warehouse!"
"What?" Lacroix's eyes widened. He roared in disbelief, "Say that again! Who stole the money?"
"Drake! It was Rear Admiral Drake! There's no mistake; many people saw him!"
Lacroix looked at the empty sake barrels all over the ground, pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead, and instantly understood what had happened. His face, already red, flushed even more.
He kicked the large table in front of him, sending it flying apart, grabbed a ten-meter-long sword from the ground, and roared with fury in the direction Drake had fled.
"Drake! You damn brat, what are you doing? Do you have any idea what you're doing?"
With that roar, Lacroix took off, stomping so hard the ground rumbled like a mad tiger. Gripping his giant sword, he led a large group of Marine soldiers in a furious chase after Drake in the fading light of dusk.
"Captain! They're chasing us! We're finished! That's a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, and a giant one at that!"
The bearded man, carrying a large bag of Berries, was frantic. His voice was filled with a crying tone.
Drake turned his head and glanced at the roaring giant chasing after him, subtly curling his lip.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku really went overboard.
Couldn't he have just put out a fake news report?
He insisted on having me defect secretly without telling anyone.
He said he couldn't be hypocritical and that to deceive pirates, you first had to keep your own people in the dark.
Now look what happened. Vice Admiral Lacroix is going to hate my guts.
Why did I have to be the one to go undercover, anyway?
Rorschach would have been perfect for it.
That kid is a Mythical Zoan user that everyone wants. I'm just a poor Ancient Zoan.
When Kaido went to capture that kid a few days ago, wasn't that the perfect opportunity?
It would have been easy for him to join the Beasts Pirates, pretending to be captured, and then taking over from the inside.
When Kaido got old, he could have just risen up, brought the Beasts Pirates to the Marines, and everyone would have been happy, right?
It's so much better than this whole mess.
"Sigh, there's no humanity. Is there no future for Ancient Zoans?"
Drake grumbled to himself indignantly, then stopped running. He shouted to his subordinates, who were still running with the money, "Our ship is at the port a few miles away. You go on ahead. I'll buy you some time to escape!"
With that, Drake unhooked his rapier and hand-axe from his waist and turned to face the charging Lacroix.
Seeing their captain turn to face the enemy without hesitation, the pirates were all moved to tears.
On the seas, what could move these lawless pirates, who treated human lives like dirt, more than anything?
Loyalty, of course.
Although many pirates were treacherous and ungrateful, a large number of them still wanted to find brothers they could trust with their lives.
At this moment, Drake was clearly a great and worthy captain.
To ensure his subordinates could escape safely, he, as their captain, was stepping forward and bravely charging toward the pursuing Marines.
What courage and fearlessness!
"Captain Drake! We'll go together!" The bearded man's eyes were wet with tears.
Before, he just thought Drake was manly. Now, he thought Drake was not only manly but a man he could trust with his life.
If they lost a captain like this, where would they find another?
Teary-eyed, the bearded pirate was about to lead a group of equally emotional pirates to charge with Drake.
Drake inexplicably shivered, feeling a cold sensation in his backside.
Was that a delusion?
Drake shook his head, focused, and shouted, "This is a captain's order! Everyone must obey unconditionally! Get back to the ship now! I'll meet you there! Do you not believe in my strength?"
The pirates were still crying and refused to abandon their captain.
The bearded pirate looked at Drake's determined eyes, bit his lip, and then turned suddenly, shouting in a rough voice, "Everyone! Listen to the captain's orders! Get the Berries back to the ship!"
Drake, seeing that the pirates were finally willing to leave, felt a wave of relief and gave a silent thumbs-up to the bearded pirate.
Well done. I'll promote that guy to be my right-hand man in the future.
A strong gust of wind blew from behind, taking the captain's hat off his head.
"No one is getting away! Drake! You Marine traitor!"
The furious Lacroix raised his giant sword high, and with a terrifying aura, he brought it down on Drake.
Seeing the anger in Lacroix's eyes, Drake inwardly gave a wry smile.
I'm screwed!
He gritted his teeth, his axe in his left hand and sword in his right, and leaped from the ground, holding his weapons in a cross-guard in front of him.
Clang!
A dull, deafening explosion erupted. Drake groaned as he was sent flying dozens of meters by Lacroix's single slash, plowing a long furrow in the ground.
Thump, thump, thump went Lacroix's footsteps as he pursued, roaring his questions.
"Drake! As a proud Marine Rear Admiral, why would you stoop to becoming a pirate? Why would you abandon a great future and the justice you stood for to become a pirate? Don't you hate pirates the most? Were all those righteous ideals and resolve you talked about when we drank together all fake? Tell me! Answer me!"
Drake cursed inwardly, but a sneer appeared on his face. He put his sword and axe back at his waist, his body swelling rapidly as he roared back at the charging Lacroix:
"That's right! It was all an act! The hypocrisy of the Marines sickened me! Lacroix, you probably don't know this, but my father was a pirate! I am a descendant of pirates! My dream wasn't to become a Marine Admiral and a dog for the World Government. I want to go to sea and get the legendary treasure, the One Piece! I want to become the—"
"Pirate King!"
An eight-to-nine-meter-tall blue-green dinosaur shot up from the ground, roared with its massive jaws, and slammed its huge head into Lacroix's chest. The unprepared Vice Admiral coughed up blood and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Watching Drake shrink back to human size and dart away, Lacroix gritted his teeth and punched the grassy ground beside him, shouting:
"Send out a distress call! Get me backup! Tell all nearby Marines to come here and capture this traitor, Drake!"
(End of Chapter)
────────────────────────────────────
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Naruto: Starting with Tsunade-san]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Soul Land 2: Golden Dragon King]."
"If you want early access to nearly 35+ chapters, join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"