Chapter 62: The First Hunt
"Headquarters has just issued an order," Colonel Clarl announced, standing tall on the dock. His voice was passionate, full of power. "We are to crusade against any and all pirates that appear in our jurisdiction. As we all know, with the establishment of the 'Four Emperors,' the pirates of the New World are growing more audacious. Our mission is to crush their arrogance."
In every sense, Clarl was the perfect executive officer in Satoru's eyes. He handled everything, said what needed to be said, and took care of the logistics. Satoru could focus on the big picture. For someone like Clarl, this wasn't a burden; it was his duty.
Hearing Clarl's words, the assembled Marines' eyes gleamed with a fierce light. They had all seen the news about the Four Emperors. Their blood was boiling. They knew conflict was coming, but not this fast. Headquarters was moving swiftly. It showed how much the 'Four Emperors' title had pressured them.
"Clarl," Satoru said, stepping forward. "You will take half of our forces and remain to guard the base. The rest will patrol the surrounding waters with me."
"Yes, sir!"
After a careful selection process, the elite Marines chosen to follow Satoru were ready. Each one was eager, sharpening their blades for the hunt. Every one of them had now mastered at least one or two of the Rokushiki. They were itching to test their new skills against a real enemy.
They learned so quickly not because of innate talent, but because their physical conditioning was already superb—they all knew Armament Haki. With their bodies primed and a teacher like Satoru breaking the techniques down step-by-step, their progress was rapid.
But this was only the first step for Satoru. He wanted every Marine at G-8 to master the complete Six Powers. Then, G-8 would become the most powerful Marine base outside of Headquarters itself. Nurturing that growth gave Satoru a deep sense of purpose.
Soon, supplies were loaded. The moment Satoru finally stepped onto the lead warship, the G-8 expedition officially began.
At the same time, the other Marine bases in the New World also mobilized. Sengoku had issued the same orders to every commander.
"Sir," one Marine ventured during the voyage, "our position is at the border between Beast and Big Mom territory. Isn't sailing so openly... dangerous?"
With the 'Four Emperor' title fresh, those two crews would be more aggressive than ever.
"What we need is danger," Satoru replied with a casual smile. "We didn't come all this way to go home empty-handed, did we?"
"Yes, sir! Understood!"
Finding pirates in the New World wasn't hard. If you looked, you'd find them. Any ship sighted in these waters had a 90% chance of being a pirate ship, a 9% chance of being a slave ship, and maybe a 1% chance of being another Marine vessel.
They hadn't even been out half a day when a ship appeared on the horizon.
"Sir! Pirate ship sighted ahead! The flag... it's from the Big Mom Pirates!"
The lookout's shout made every Marine on deck tense. The name 'Four Emperors' didn't yet carry the world-shaking weight it would later, but it was a fresh, potent symbol.
"Close the distance," Satoru ordered. "We'll start with them."
"Aye, sir!"
The warship turned, its steel prow cutting through the waves toward the pirate vessel.
The pirate ship had spotted them, too. But instead of fleeing, it turned to meet them head-on.
"Hahahaha!" The pirate captain laughed, raising his cutlass. "Fresh from being named an Emperor, and some blind Marines deliver themselves to us! Boys! Let's use their blood to celebrate our Big Mom Pirates becoming one of the Four Emperors!"
"YEAAAH!" his crew roared.
The title had them intoxicated. They were only an affiliate crew, not true members. But they were under that banner. If they performed well, maybe they could earn a spot in the main fleet.
"A bunch of fools in a hurry to die," a cold female voice said. It was Cullom, the third-in-command at G-8. She was a woman, but her strength was formidable—a skilled swordswoman on the very cusp of the level of a Sword Master. Constant life-or-death battles with pirates had honed her edge to a razor's thinness from the next breakthrough.
But that final step wasn't easy. It required not just effort, but innate talent. Countless skilled swordsmen were stuck forever at that threshold.
With Clarl guarding the base, Cullom was Satoru's lieutenant on this expedition. Satoru valued her highly. Her talent was slightly better than Clarl's. For a woman to reach this level of swordsmanship in the brutal New World took tremendous will. He could see she hadn't reached her limit. There was room to grow. Whether she could ever become a true Sword Master... that was hard to say. Satoru had never truly felt the aura of a Great Sword Master himself.
"Fire the cannons!" Cullom ordered, drawing her blade. "Sink that ship!"
A dozen cannonballs arced through the air toward the pirate vessel.
But not a single one struck the hull. Those that weren't off-target and splashed into the sea were intercepted mid-air, sliced apart or deflected by the pirates' fighters.
"Damn it! No effect!" Cullom gritted her teeth.
No point wasting more ammunition. If the enemy ship had strong fighters, cannons were useless. Firing more would just deplete their supplies.
"It seems," Satoru said, stepping to the front of the deck, his white hair fluttering in the salt wind, "we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. Prepare to board. Let's give our new friends a proper welcome to the new era."
(End of Chapter)
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