Hancock's dominance and tyranny caused Usopp and Chopper's brains to short-circuit momentarily.
"S-so scary!"
The two clung to each other, shaking like leaves in an autumn wind, their teeth chattering audibly.
Too terrifying!
This woman was even scarier than Vice Admiral Garp's iron fists!
Yet, there's always someone who doesn't know when to quit.
"Yohohohoho—"
A distinctive laugh rang out as Brook wobbled out of the lineup.
In his hollow eye sockets, two faint blue soul flames burned silently.
He adjusted his top hat and, with what he considered the most elegant gentlemanly posture, glided over to Hancock, placing a hand over his chest as he bowed.
"My lady, your beauty is so breathtaking it could make my heart stop—though I don't have a heart, yohohoho—"
"I know this is rather abrupt, but..."
Hancock's brows furrowed slightly, her peerlessly beautiful face filled with clear disgust.
This skeleton was getting too close.
Before Brook could utter his signature line, Hancock's Perfume Femur struck with crisp efficiency—a clean side kick without the slightest hesitation.
The outcome was never in doubt.
With a explosive sound, Brook flew backward faster than he had approached, tracing a perfect parabola through the air before landing in a heap of scattered bones right beside where Luffy had just been sent flying.
"..."
The entire plaza fell into dead silence once more.
"You bastard!"
An angry roar shattered the quiet.
Ace's freckled face was frozen with fury—he'd seen enough.
Luffy was his brother.
Though the kid definitely deserved a beating sometimes, he couldn't just stand by and watch.
Getting pummeled by Marines was one thing, but now this woman dared to bully Luffy too!
And that skeleton hadn't even done anything wrong, yet he'd been kicked away as well.
He took a step forward, his dark eyes fixed intently on Hancock.
"Attacking my brother and my comrade—that's going too far!"
Hancock slowly turned her head, glancing at Ace from the corner of her eye with a look that treated him like a noisy insect.
"Another rude brat."
Before the words fully faded, her figure vanished.
Ace only saw a blur as an irresistible fragrant breeze washed over him.
Before he could even react, excruciating pain exploded across his cheek.
"Bang!"
A third parabola soared over the plaza, landing precisely beside Luffy and Brook to form a human stack.
Soon, several expressionless Marines ran over and dragged back the bruised Luffy, disassembled Brook, and equally dazed Ace like sacks of potatoes, dumping them at Orion's feet.
Only then did Orion finally speak, his voice warm and mellow, carrying a strange affinity that seemed to soothe all restlessness.
"Welcome to where your dreams begin, you bunch of blockheads."
As his voice rang out, the tense atmosphere enveloping the plaza instantly dissipated.
Whether it was Luffy groaning on the ground, Ace fuming with indignation, or the highly vigilant Zoro and Sanji—the moment they heard that voice, an inexplicable warmth surged in their hearts.
For the first time ever, they felt this Fleet Admiral—might actually be alright!
However, the moment this thought emerged, Orion's next words plunged them into an icy abyss.
"To express my welcome to all you blockheads," Orion's smile remained unchanged, but his words froze the very air.
"I've prepared a special welcoming ceremony for you."
"All personnel, males will carry 50kg loads, females 5kg loads. Run ten laps around Marineford Plaza."
"..."
Everyone's expressions instantly stiffened.
A welcoming ceremony? This was trying to kill them!
"What are you waiting for?"
A crisp female voice rang out as Kujaku brandished a black whip, cracking it sharply through the air.
"Don't you understand the Fleet Admiral's orders? Get moving, blockheads!"
"I protest!" Luffy was the first to jump up, pointing at Orion and shouting.
"I'm not running! I'm the man who'll become the Pirate King, not some Marine!"
Hancock shot a frigid glare across the room.
Luffy instantly froze like a duck with its neck wrung, the rest of his words trapped in his throat as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
"I also..." Ace began to speak.
Hancock's disdainful voice echoed once more, this time carrying an undeniable authority and fervor.
"Silence! You impudent fools!"
"Coming here, before the Fleet Admiral, there is only one thing you can do—and the only thing you must do!"
"And that is—"
"Loyalty! Loyalty! And more loyalty!"
"Now, immediately, at once! Start running!"
...
An unknown amount of time later, as the sun began to set, several figures collapsed back onto the plaza like mud.
Nami, Nojiko, Usopp, and Chopper were pale-faced with purple lips, unable to stand steadily.
They sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath as if every cell in their bodies had been wrung dry.
In contrast, the others appeared far more relaxed.
Luffy was merely sweaty, still bouncing around while complaining.
"There's no challenge at all! Grandpa had me training like this when I was five."
Zoro wasn't even breathing heavily.
Wiping sweat from his brow, his eyes revealed a hint of disappointment.
"If this is all the Marines' training amounts to, it's truly disappointing."
....
Meanwhile.
A warship of distinct design slowly docked at the harbor.
Following this, a group of figures clad in black suits, emanating a cold aura, disembarked from the vessel one by one.
The man at the lead, with a pigeon perched on his shoulder, had an expressionless face and eyes as sharp as blades.
It was Rob Lucci, the agent who had been undercover in Water 7.
Behind him were the long-nosed Kaku, the smirking Jabra, and the curvaceous Kalifa.
They were all former CP9 agents.
After Orion seized power through a military coup and drastically reorganized the CP organizations under the World Government, the original CP9 designation was abolished, with its elite members integrated into the highest intelligence agency, CP0.
Their undercover mission was thus cut short, and they were summoned back under Orion's orders to retrieve a flamboyant man named Franky from Water 7 and bring him to Marineford.
Trailing behind Lucci and the others was Franky, wearing a floral shirt and speedos, sporting a blue pompadour, standing out starkly amidst the sea of black suits.
The moment he stepped off the gangway and set foot on Marineford's soil, he struck his signature pose—arms crossed above his head in a star shape—and roared with all his might.
"Super—"
"Marine Headquarters, Franky has arrived!"
The sudden outburst silenced the entire harbor.
Lucci paid no mind to Franky's antics.
After a brief handover with the welcoming Marine officers, he learned that Orion was training a group of new recruits on the plaza.
His eyes flickered with intent, and he led Franky straight toward the plaza.