Until Roya had been gone for quite some time, the sound of someone swallowing hard finally came from the Marine warship.
Only then did someone snap out of the shock. Almost instinctively, he walked to the very front of the deck, leaned against the railing, and looked out at the sea that had been dyed an eerie blueberry blue. Then he glanced again at the Sea King's corpse floating on the surface, already completely motionless.
There was still shock lingering in his eyes as he muttered unconsciously.
"What kind of power is this…"
"So this is Rear Admiral Roya's true strength?!"
The scene from moments ago continued to replay in everyone's minds. Deep reverence filled their eyes. This time, no one harbored even the slightest trace of contempt because of Roya's youth. It was pure, heartfelt awe toward overwhelming strength.
"It completely doesn't match his age… To possess such terrifying power at such a young age—Rear Admiral Roya's future is probably far more than this."
No one knew who said it, but the words made everyone's minds buzz, their thoughts going blank. It was a long while before they finally recovered.
---
A close encounter with a Sea King was merely an accident. Even though Sea Kings were numerous in the Calm Belt, nothing like that happened again along the rest of the journey.
Occasionally, when large groups of Sea Kings were spotted from afar, the ship would immediately change course to avoid them, safely leaving the Calm Belt.
The 1st Branch of the West Blue was located near the entrance to the Grand Line. Traveling there from Marine Headquarters at the end of the first half of the Grand Line was undoubtedly a long journey.
Even at full speed with a warship's power, assuming smooth sailing all the way, it was still a lengthy voyage. Along the way, they had to stop at certain islands to replenish water, food, and other supplies.
The West Blue had numerous islands.
In this world, islands were roughly divided into three categories by size: small islands, medium islands, and large islands.
Islands with complete ecosystems, sufficient water and food, inhabited by people, and capable of forming town-sized settlements were classified as small islands.
Medium islands were much larger than small ones. On a medium island, there would be at least several small towns, and usually a large central city as well.
As for large islands, those capable of supporting an entire nation were considered large islands, such as Alabasta or Dressrosa. These islands were generally governed by their own national regimes, and the Marines would not station forces there to avoid power disputes.
On medium islands, a small Marine branch was usually established. The highest-ranking officer of such a branch was a Captain, and its jurisdiction covered the island itself and the surrounding sea area.
Marine bases commanded by a Rear Admiral, on the other hand, were built on small islands.
Or rather, the entire small island would be constructed as a Marine base. Its jurisdiction would encompass more than a dozen, or even several dozen, nearby small and medium islands.
The whole world was clearly a very complete system.
In his previous life, Roya had only had a general understanding of the various information about this world. Now that he was actually living in it, his understanding had become far clearer and more comprehensive.
The World Government, with more than 170 affiliated nations, combined with the Marines spread across almost every corner of the world, controlled nearly every region. With Marine Headquarters and the Holy Land Mary Geoise as the center, they formed a complete circle of authority.
The Grand Line was the only exception.
On the Grand Line, especially in its latter half where the Four Emperors held sway, even the World Government's influence had to yield. They were unwilling to provoke direct conflict with the Four Emperors lightly.
Inside the highest cabin of the warship.
Roya was sitting cross-legged, having entered a tranquil, thought-free state. Engetsu lay horizontally across his knees as he explored deeper realms of swordsmanship while simultaneously training his Observation Haki.
Suddenly.
Roya opened his eyes.
At the exact moment he did so, a knock sounded from outside the cabin.
"Come in."
Roya gently put Engetsu away and stood up.
The next moment, a Marine Lieutenant Commander pushed open the door, entered the room, and reported to Roya.
"Reporting, sir. We've just received intelligence that on Kronoya Island ahead, two factions are currently engaged in battle. One side is pirates, and the other appears to be some kind of underground assassin organization."
Kronoya Island was a medium-sized island and also the next planned stop for replenishing fresh water and food supplies.
"I understand."
Hearing this, Roya showed no visible reaction and nodded casually.
Along the way, they had received quite a bit of intelligence regarding pirates. Since this warship was on a transport mission, they could choose to intervene or ignore it and leave the matter to other Marine units.
Because Roya had been rather bored, he had not ignored reports of nearby pirate crews. As a result, several pirate groups had already been suppressed along the journey.
However, the highest bounty among them was only around ten million. It could only be said to be better than nothing.
Seeing Roya's casual attitude, the Lieutenant Commander immediately understood his intent. Since Roya showed no intention of avoiding the area, it meant they would proceed directly.
Along this route, more than one or two pirate crews had been wiped out by Roya, and almost all of them had been annihilated in an instant. Roya's terrifying strength inspired deep, instinctive awe among them, and no one would dare question his decisions.
With such a fearsome Rear Admiral on board, even if ten pirate crews were fighting on the island ahead, what difference would it make? They would all be suppressed.
After saluting respectfully, the Lieutenant Commander turned and left Roya's room.
---
Kronoya Island.
This was a medium-sized island with nearly ten small towns scattered across it, and a fairly prosperous city located at its center.
But at this moment, the city was engulfed in smoke and chaos.
Two factions were engaged in a fierce melee here. The entire city had effectively become a battlefield. The pirate side had hundreds of members, while the underground assassin organization had far fewer, only several dozen.
Yet it was precisely these several dozen people who were evenly matched against the hundreds of pirates, plunging the situation into utter chaos.
"Damn it, we have to let these pirates know how strong we are!"
"They dared to provoke me—kill these bastards!"
The two sides fought fiercely throughout the city. The original cause of the conflict was already unknown. Now both factions were bloodthirsty, intent only on wiping the other out.
On one of the streets.
Seven or eight pirates surrounded a black-haired girl with long hair draped over her shoulders, all wearing vicious, feral expressions.
"She's with them too. Kill her!"
Someone shouted, and everyone rushed forward with weapons in hand.
However.
Faced with so many pirates, the girl's beautiful eyes remained calm and unruffled. Her expression was extremely composed. She suddenly raised her delicate hands and crossed them in front of her chest.
"Treinta Fleur… Clutch!"
Crack!
The pirates who charged forward suddenly sprouted numerous arms from their bodies. Those arms twisted around their necks and wrenched violently, producing a teeth-grinding crack. Moments later, every one of them collapsed to the ground.
"The commotion is getting a bit too big. If this continues, the Marines will arrive sooner or later. It would be better to leave early."
The black-haired girl pondered calmly for a moment, then turned and walked toward another street.