Marineford Square, Marine Headquarters.
"Everyone, stand straight!"
"The Fleet Admiral will be returning to headquarters soon!"
"And that includes all of you, whether you were captains, bosses, or young masters!"
With a long sword at his waist and a Rear Admiral cape draped over his shoulders, Noah paced back and forth in front of the crowd, his sharp gaze sweeping over them.
"I don't care who you were or how strong you were in the past. Now that you're at Marine Headquarters, there are only three things you need to do!"
At this point, Noah raised three fingers, his voice growing louder.
"OBEY, OBEY, AND FUCKING OBEY!"
No sooner had Noah finished speaking than a laugh erupted from the crowd.
"Horohorohoro~"
The laughter came from a girl with pink twin tails, wearing a crown and holding a red umbrella. She stepped forward with a haughty expression, saying.
"You're not cute at all! If you want us to obey, just say so. Why the foul language?"
Hearing this, Noah turned his head to look.
The girl speaking was none other than Perona, a member of the Thriller Bark Pirates, known as the Ghost Princess and a user of the Paramecia-type Ghost-Ghost Fruit.
Noah, who had already reviewed the files of everyone standing in Marineford Square, frowned slightly.
If it had been anyone else, he would have immediately scolded them. But when it came to Perona, he genuinely felt a headache coming on.
First, Perona record was remarkably clean.
She had been raised by Gecko Moria as his daughter, treated like a princess and had rarely been involved in acts of violence or plunder.
Even when she had participated in battles, they were mostly against other pirates at sea, making her one of the few among this group with a relatively clean background.
Second, Perona Devil Fruit ability was truly terrifying.
He still remembered when she first arrived at headquarters.
Several soldiers, deemed "not cute" by Perona, had been controlled by her ability and forced to kneel on the ground, spouting depressing phrases like "I don't deserve to live" "My existence is a waste of air" and "I've accomplished nothing since joining the Marines—please let me die."
Fortunately, those were just a few eager new recruits.
If an officer had been affected, they would never have been able to hold their head high at headquarters again!
Noah had been present at the time and had taken note of this seemingly harmless girl with a terrifying ability. Now, seeing Perona step forward, his Adam apple bobbed slightly.
Though his tone wasn't as domineering as before, he still maintained a stern expression and waved his hand, saying.
"Fine, you're the cutest. Now go back and stand in line!"
But before he could finish, Noah felt something was off.
He was a Marine Rear Admiral, a rising star personally promoted by the Fleet Admiral, tasked with carrying the future of the Marines.
How could he lose his authority in front of a little girl?
With that thought, Noah abruptly stepped past Perona and grabbed the man with a spherical body standing behind her, his voice low and serious.
"Hogback, what are you laughing at?"
Hogback!
One of the Mysterious Four of the Thriller Bark Pirates.
"I... I didn't do anything" Hogback stammered, his spherical belly wobbling as he blinked in confusion.
"Good thing you didn't!" Noah reached out and patted Hogback's belly.
"You're so fat! You need to lose weight! Trust me, you'll slim down soon!"
As he spoke, Noah glanced sideways at Absalom, another freak of the Thriller Bark Pirates, who was standing nearby with his eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.
"You, look up!"
"???"
Absalom, who had been standing straight with his eyes fixed on the ground, was now covered in question marks.
He cautiously replied "I didn't say anything!"
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking just because you didn't say anything!" Noah took a step forward, closing the distance between them, his expression as fierce as if he were facing an enemy.
"Absalom, one of the Mysterious Four of the Thriller Bark Pirates, user of the Clear-Clear Fruit!"
"Here's a little warning for you, using your Devil Fruit ability is strictly prohibited at Marineford. If I catch you using it, whether you've done anything wrong or not, I'll first beat you up for peeking at the female soldiers bathing, then charge you with indecency and throw you into Impel Down to be dealt with by the okama there!"
"Huh?"
Absalom eyes widened in shock.
To be honest, he had indeed been thinking about using his Clear-Clear Fruit ability to sneak into the female soldiers' bathhouse for a relaxing soak once things settled down at the base.
If he was lucky, he might even end up marrying a female officer.
"What do you mean 'huh'?" Noah eyes bulged like copper bells.
"I despise scum like you with weird Devil Fruit abilities the most! Don't think I didn't notice you eyeing those female soldiers who just passed by. Go, run around Marineford Square with a thousand pounds of weight on your back until the Fleet Admiral returns!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Hogback who was standing nearby couldn't help but let out a snicker, whether out of schadenfreude or instinct.
"Hmm?"
Noah immediately turned his head, causing Hogback to quickly shut his mouth and straighten his posture.
"Hogback, you seem to be in high spirits!" Noah smiled, as if the Fleet Admiral himself had possessed him, and said warmly.
"In that case, join Absalom!"
Before anyone could react, Noah suddenly raised his voice.
"What are you waiting for? Start running!"
Not far from the Thriller Bark Pirates' group were the members of Baroque Works.
Seeing how Hogback and Absalom had been completely subdued by Noah, not only the Baroque Works members but also the Donquixote Family members standing neatly on the other side quickly averted their gazes, not daring to watch the spectacle any longer!
Compared to the Donquixote Family, the Baroque Works group was much smaller, consisting of only about eight or nine people.
At the forefront was a tall woman wearing a cowboy hat.
Miss All Sunday, the Vice President of Baroque Works.
Of course, Miss All Sunday was just her codename.
Her real name was Nico Robin, a user of the Flower-Flower Fruit of the Paramecia type, the sole survivor of the Ohara Incident.
She had been wanted by the World Government for her ability to decipher ancient texts and over the years, the Marines and CP9 agents had been dispatched to eliminate her.
Standing at the front of the Baroque Works members, Nico Robin did not join the crowd watching Rear Admiral Noah punish Hogback and Absalom.
Instead, she quietly observed the port of Marineford.
She had already learned everything about the events at Marine Headquarters through her own channels and various news outlets.
She initially thought these events had little to do with them, but unexpectedly, not only had their leader been caught up in it, but they too had been "invited" to Marine Headquarters.
Like Nico Robin, the other members of Baroque Works also turned their gazes toward the port at this moment.
Some were nervous, while others were curious.
"The Fleet Admiral has returned!"
Suddenly, an excited voice rang out from the high wall beside the port of Marineford.
Immediately after, the entrance gate below the port swung open with a loud crash, and a large warship slowly sailed in.
On the deck of the warship, Orion, draped in the Fleet Admiral coat, stood at the bow, clearly visible to everyone.
Before the crowd in the square could react, the warship docked.
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