One day later.
Clear skies stretched endlessly above.
The East Blue.
The East Blue Naval Fortress.
This was the largest Marine base in the entire East Blue, a fortress built upon the open sea, spanning over ten square kilometers—large enough to be called a city unto itself.
For hundreds of miles around, the waters were calm.
No pirate ship dared approach.
Across the vast ocean, the fortress stood alone, towering above the waves—an isolated citadel of justice, and the only landmark across the empty horizon.
Inside the fortress was everything one could need to live: markets, supplies, housing. For the Marines stationed here, it wasn't just a base—it was a thriving town.
It could house over a hundred thousand people.
At present, around thirty thousand Marines were stationed here, and fifty thousand pirates were held in its prison cells.
This was the scale of the East Blue's greatest Marine stronghold.
And though the East Blue was known as the weakest of the four seas, a fortress of this size still required the command of a Marine Vice Admiral to guard it.
On this day, a medium-sized Marine warship approached under the sea breeze. Its sails flew the white flag of the seagull—symbol of absolute fairness, justice, and order.
On the deck stood over a hundred Marines, led by a burly officer in a Marine coat of "Justice." His name was Ensign Darmes, a man with a sword at his waist, dark sunglasses hiding sharp eyes, and a physique built like iron.
As the ship reached the fortress gates…
RUMBLE!
The colossal stone doors of the base groaned open, shaking the air like thunder.
Splash!
The waves surged as the gates parted, allowing the warship to glide smoothly into port.
"Docking complete!"
Anchors dropped. Ropes secured.
Darmes led his Marines, escorting shackled pirates off the ship, ready to throw them into the fortress's cells.
The moment the port-side Marines saw who he was escorting, the air turned rowdy.
"Wait—am I seeing things?!"
"That's Karl the Thief King! A six-million-Berry pirate!"
"No way, Darmes Ensign caught him alive?!"
"As expected of Ensign Darmes! Even a six-million-berry big shot fell to him!"
Cheers and praise echoed.
Hearing their words, Darmes's lips curled into a proud smile.
He knew the truth: capturing Karl had nearly cost him his life, a brutal struggle from start to finish.
But appearances mattered.
"Small matter," Darmes said with feigned modesty, basking in the admiring stares.
"This six-million capture will surely earn me my promotion to lieutenant."
"A pirate worth that much… it's no small merit."
With that satisfaction, he began leading Karl away from the docks.
But then—
Whoa!
A commotion spread.
"Look over there!"
"Another warship!"
"Wait… that's not one of ours from the East Blue!"
"It's enormous!"
Every Marine turned to stare.
An immense battleship was sailing in—towering far above Darmes's modest vessel.
And trailing behind it—
"A pirate ship?!"
Confusion swept the port.
"What's going on? Why is a pirate ship following a Marine warship?"
"An attack?"
"No… look closely! That pirate ship's already under control. Its crew must have been captured!"
The dock buzzed with speculation.
But Darmes froze.
His eyes locked on the battered, familiar outline of that ship. His pupils shrank. His breath caught.
"…No. It can't be."
A memory seared through him—humiliation that haunted his career.
Some time ago, he had been tasked with capturing a dangerous crew repelled from the Grand Line. He had led his forces personally.
And been utterly defeated.
Slaughtered, routed, forced to retreat in disgrace.
The crew that had broken him—
The White Ostrich Pirates.
And the ship before him… was theirs.
"No way…"
"That ship… it really is them!"
His throat went dry. His face twisted with disbelief and dread.
If their ship was here—escorted into the fortress—there was only one explanation.
"The White Ostrich Pirates… have been annihilated?!"
Impossible.
They were one of the East Blue's most fearsome crews. Even he hadn't stood a chance against them. Only the fortress's Vice Admiral could have done it.
Yet here their ship was—dragged in like a trophy.
The surrounding Marines soon pieced it together too.
"Holy crap… that's the White Ostrich crew?!"
"The one with a combined bounty of twenty million?!"
"And their captain, Kukari, was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, worth eleven million alone!"
"Who in the East Blue could possibly have crushed them?!"
Voices rose, speculation swirled.
Somewhere in the fortress, a new legend was arriving.
And Darmes… could only stare, trembling, desperate to know the truth.
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