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"Hahaha, it is you, you damn brat! To think that after just a few years, you've shot up to become a big shot at Headquarters!"
Randel walked up excitedly. With Atlas's great accomplishments, he, as his former commanding officer, also shared in the glory.
A ladder was lowered from the side of the docked ship. Atlas, dressed in a pure white suit with his "Justice" coat fluttering in the wind, descended.
Smoker and Vergo flanked him, followed by rows of solemn and imposing Marines—clearly the elite forces from Headquarters.
"Yo! Not bad, Smoker's back too!" Seeing Smoker with the crew, the smile on Randel's face grew even wider. The two former "Twin Stars of Loguetown" had finally matured.
The two men in whom he had placed such high hopes were now important assets for Headquarters.
"Loguetown Marine Branch Captain Randel greets Vice Admiral Atlas! Welcome to our Marine base for your inspection!"
Suddenly, Randel's expression turned serious as he gave Atlas a standard military salute. Familiarity was one thing, but Randel was a traditional old Marine.
After the necessary pleasantries, showing proper respect to a superior was a matter of course.
"Hey, hey, hey! Old man Randel, you're making me unhappy now. We go way back, don't we?"
Atlas's expression changed, and in a mock-displeased tone, he went forward and slung an arm over Randel's shoulder with a friendly laugh.
"By the way, Vergo, take the Marines from the ship to get some rest. I'm going to catch up with my old boss here. You come too, Smoker!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral Atlas!"
Inside the Loguetown Marine base, Vergo and the other soldiers had already begun their evening banquet, arranged by Randel.
Meanwhile, Atlas and Smoker went to Randel's private residence.
The table was laden with food and wine, with the most eye-catching dish being the roasted Sea King meat, which gave off an enticing aroma.
Seated at the four sides of the table were Atlas, Smoker, Captain Randel, and Major Wright.
Five years had passed, but Wright was still a Major. One shouldn't assume that advancing in the Marine ranks is simple.
The first requirement is personal strength. This is a world of extraordinary martial power; without strength to match one's position, one is merely livestock to be slaughtered.
The second is merit. Don't be fooled by how quickly Atlas was promoted; it was because the wars he participated in and the pirates he captured were enough to overcome any lack of seniority.
Promotions might come faster during major upheavals, like after the Summit War a decade or so from now, when one of the three Admirals was promoted and one left, leaving two empty spots with no one to fill them.
Gion and Tokikake were still slightly lacking in strength, so the Marines had to resort to a World Conscription. Now was different.
Although two Admiral positions were also vacant, the "Three Great Monster Vice Admirals" were already strong enough to take their places; it was only the deliberate suppression by the Five Elders that prevented it.
"Before I knew it, you've gotten so tall, Atlas." Wright looked emotional, using his hand to gesture at Atlas's height ten years ago.
"I still remember when you first came to the base. I was the one who recruited you. You were only this tall back then."
In just five short years, it wasn't just Atlas's height that had changed, but also his strength and presence.
"Hahaha, Smoker, you'd better work harder! Don't let your strength fall behind Atlas, and don't let your height fall behind either," Randel teased.
"..." Smoker just smiled bitterly and shook his head. His height had more or less settled, stuck at 209 cm. Compared to Atlas's 2.8 meters, there was indeed quite a gap.
"Alright, let's not just talk! Tonight, no one goes home sober!" Seeing that the atmosphere was sufficiently warmed up, Randel raised his wine glass and shouted.
Atlas didn't refuse. With his current physical constitution, it was impossible to get him drunk, even if all three of them took turns.
After several rounds of drinks and courses, the party was in full swing.
"At... Atlas, let me tell you, the best decision I ever made in my life was... was recruiting you into the Marines!"
Wright slurred, his elbow on the table and his hand propping up his drunken face. The other two were in no better shape, their faces flushed and their eyes glazed over.
"Atlas and Smoker are... are the most outstanding young men I've ever seen in my Marine career! Huh? Sorry, I accidentally included Smoker in that," Randel chimed in, eager to share his thoughts.
"Alright, alright, you're both right!" Atlas replied helplessly, agreeing with them repeatedly.
At least this brat Smoker was quiet when he was drunk, just passed out on the table without moving.
Snore, snore.
A sudden snore echoed. Atlas looked toward the source. Smoker!
A bunch of lightweights, trying to drink with me. Now I have to carry you all back one by one.
What a pain, and so many Marine soldiers out for an evening stroll witnessed a strange sight: Atlas with Captain Randel and Major Wright tucked under his left and right arms, respectively, while the still-snoring Smoker was slung over his shoulder.
By the time Atlas returned to his quarters, reeking of alcohol, it was already late at night.
The night was pleasant, with a gentle evening breeze. After washing up, Atlas was about to lie down and rest for a bit.
Purupurupuru~
Suddenly, the sound of a Den Den Mushi came from the pocket of his white suit.
"Moshi moshi~ This is Atlas." Not many people knew his number. Who would be calling so late at night?
"Hahaha! It's me, Garp!" Garp's boisterous voice boomed from the Den Den Mushi.
"Old man Garp, what's up?"
"Yeah! Listen, please go to Foosha Village and check on my grandson for me! I'm busy in the New World and can't get away. I heard that brat Luffy has been causing trouble again! Give him a good beating for me!"
"Luffy? Not Ace?" Atlas asked, feigning confusion.
"Hahaha, they're both my grandsons! You can go check on both of them."
It had to be said, Garp was as shameless as ever. Atlas just asked a simple question, and his workload immediately doubled.
"Alright! Leave it to me!" Atlas agreed without hesitation. It was perfect; he had already planned to pull that brat Ace off the crooked path of piracy anyway.
While he was at it, he could see if there was any hope for Luffy's brain, which was probably damaged from being beaten by old man Garp since childhood.
Early the next morning, a standard-issue Marine warship bearing the mark of Loguetown slowly departed from the port.
"I used to think that kid Atlas had the makings of a Vice Admiral, but I never expected... heh!" Watching the warship recede into the distance, Randel shook his head and chuckled.
Although he had been very optimistic about the boy, he never imagined he would grow so quickly. It seemed he had underestimated the kid's potential.
"I never expected it either. When I brought him back from the base entrance back then, I never thought I was bringing back a monster."
"The young generation is truly formidable!" Major Wright, standing beside him, also looked emotional. This may be the reward for their sense of justice.
"By the way, how did we get back last night? I don't remember a thing," Wright said, shaking his head, which was still dizzy from the hangover.
He had no memory of last night's embarrassment.
"I blacked out, too. I don't get why the Marines have been looking at me strangely all morning," Randel said, equally baffled.
But soon, the two of them stopped dwelling on it and gradually disappeared from the port.
"Where are we going, Brother Atlas?" Smoker couldn't hold back his question any longer, looking at Atlas lounging comfortably in a wicker chair.
He had been dragged onto the warship early in the morning, and with the effects of last night's alcohol, his mind was still foggy.
He probably wouldn't even notice if Atlas sold him right now.
"Vice Admiral Garp asked me to check on his grandson on the way. I'm also planning to visit Shimotsuki Village," Atlas replied.
For this trip, Atlas wasn't using the giant warship assigned to him from Headquarters. Instead, he had borrowed a Loguetown vessel from Captain Randel.
The crew was small, just enough to keep the ship running. Most of the soldiers, including his capable subordinate Vergo, were left behind in Loguetown.
This time, Atlas was heading to Garp's home turf. Leaving aside Luffy's identity, Ace was the son of the Pirate King.
How could he let a mole know about such a major secret? Whether he could find out or not, it was best to be cautious. This was one of the reasons Atlas had borrowed the ship.
"Shimotsuki Village? Is that the place where you used to train in swordsmanship, Brother Atlas?"
Smoker seemed to have a faint memory of Captain Randel mentioning it once during the year Atlas had disappeared.
"Yeah," Atlas nodded lazily and didn't elaborate further, closing his eyes to enjoy the rare sunbath. Only the Four Blues had such stable weather.
In the Grand Line, you could be sunbathing one second and be a drowned rat the next. That was why excellent navigators were a scarce resource everywhere.
"Vice Admiral, sir! Bad news! There's a nearby Marine vessel sending us a distress call!"
A communications officer, holding a Den Den Mushi, suddenly shouted to Atlas from the deck of the slowly moving ship.
Purupurupuru~
The sound was rapid, very different from a normal Den Den Mushi's ring, and its body was trembling nonstop.
"An emergency signal?" This was the first time Atlas had encountered this. He had heard other Marines talk about it during his graduation trial at the G-8 base.
Some Marines liked to use it to set traps for pirates. If a Den Den Mushi was tapped, the Marines would know the enemy had entered their signal range.
Pirates would either try to take advantage of the situation for some loot or stay far away. But in either case, they would rarely escape the Marines' pursuit.
However, this was the East Blue. The overall quality of the Marines here was a far cry from the Grand Line, so they probably wouldn't dare to pull such a risky move.
Very few Marines played such games unless they were extremely confident in their strength. Otherwise, going fishing and hooking a Sea King would not end well.
"Answer it," Atlas ordered. Whatever the situation, it was safer to check it out.
Click!
The moment the receiver was picked up, a frantic voice came through.
"This is the warship of the 16th Marine Branch! To any brothers from any branch, please save us quickly! We can't hold on much longer!"
Atlas and Smoker exchanged a look, and Atlas replied decisively, "Don't worry, we're on our way!"
"But..."
Clack!
Nezumi stared at the Den Den Mushi, which had gone silent, completely at a loss. I didn't tell them our position, did I? Why did they hang up?
Can they be any more unreliable?! It's over! Nezumi suddenly felt a pang of regret.
He had joined the Marines with a heart full of passion, only to encounter such powerful pirates on his very first mission at sea. It seemed there was no escape this time...
"Found them. The warship is at our six o'clock," Atlas said after hanging up. His Observation Haki had spread out and quickly pinpointed the location of the distress call.
Beside him, Smoker quickly sifted through the wanted posters Randel had left on the ship, while the other Marines mobilised, rapidly turning the warship around.
"The enemy is the Battle Hammer Pirates, a crew with bounties all over ten million. The captain's bounty is eight million Beri, and the vice-captain's is five million."
"Forget it, I'll go on ahead. Otherwise, by the time the ship gets there, there'll be nothing left but a pile of corpses."
After a quick assessment of the power disparity, Atlas decided to go alone. The warship's speed couldn't compare to his mobility.
As soon as he finished speaking, Atlas leapt from the deck under the stunned gazes of the crew!
The unique metallic smell of blood filled the air. The sea breeze blew, carrying waves of a nauseating stench into everyone's nostrils. Bodies were everywhere.
"Carnage" was no longer sufficient to describe the scene. Fish, attracted by the smell of blood, swarmed to feast on the corpses floating in the water.
But the death and injury were still mounting.
"Hey! Orphee! How dare you, pirates, actively attack the Marines? Aren't you afraid of being wiped out by us?" Green was furious, but more than that, he was enraged by the pirate's provocation.
He was a Commander from the 16th Marine Branch. Today, he was taking some recruits out to familiarise them with their patrol area.
The ship's forces were only equipped for routine patrols. Who knew they would run into the recently active Battle Hammer Pirates?
"Hahahaha! Perfect! After I slaughter you Marines, my bounty should get a big boost, right?"
Orphee swaggered, spewing insults at Green while swinging the giant iron hammer in his hands.
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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