The noble of Goa Kingdom was momentarily stunned by the young Marine's tone.
For a brief instant, he did not dare question her further.
A mere commoner… speaking so bluntly to a man of noble blood?
But the more he reflected on it, the more his pride burned. Rage festered in his chest. By the time he returned to his estate, indignation had eclipsed caution.
He drafted a formal report to the World Government, embellishing every detail. In his version of events, Saint Roselith Seraphina of the Roselith line was arrogant, insubordinate, dangerously ambitious nearly indistinguishable from a pirate.
He exaggerated until ink itself seemed to darken with malice.
Roselith did not care.
Pirates had slipped beyond immediate reach. That alone concerned her.
Clad in her Marine Colonel's coat, the golden insignia sharp against the sea breeze, she walked through the capital's immaculate streets with measured calm. Marines of the 18th Branch followed at a respectful distance.
No soldier dared impede them.
The Goa Kingdom was an affiliated nation of the World Government. By law and precedent, Marines possessed the authority to pursue criminal elements within its borders.
Roselith slowly closed her eyes.
Her Kenbunshoku Haki
Observation Haki unfurled like a tide.
Voices.
Breathing.
Heartbeats.
Intent.
The kingdom was… pristine. Streets swept clean. Buildings painted in bright, orderly symmetry. Citizens dressed in refined garments. Laughter echoed in controlled civility.
Beside her, Fran spoke respectfully.
"Colonel Saint Roselith, this is the Goa Kingdom. It is reputed to be the most beautiful country in the East Blue."
She gave a faint nod.
But her Haki stretched farther.
Beyond the polished stone roads.
Beyond the manicured estates.
And then
Ash.
Charred timber.
Silence.
Her eyes opened.
"To the east," she said calmly. "There are burn scars. Extensive ones."
Fran blinked. "Ah… yes, Colonel. About a year ago, the newspapers reported a large-scale fire. Extremely severe."
He hesitated.
"It was also said that the pirate Bluejam perished in it."
The name stirred memory.
The Bluejam Pirates.
She had been pursuing remnants of that crew.
Fran continued, lowering his voice.
"There were also rumors that a Celestial Dragons noble visited around that time."
His tone shifted unconsciously, touched with awe.
"The highest bloodlines in the world…"
Roselith's gaze hardened slightly.
If she struck him, it would be for ignorance, not disrespect.
Celestial Dragons were not divine beings.
They were descendants of the founders of the World Government
yes.
But divinity?
That was a lie history forced upon the weak.
She had read classified archives. She had seen the cracks beneath the throne of "justice."
Why had the masses never risen?
Because power in this world did not belong to the many.
It belonged to the strong.
Was strength justice?
Or did justice simply follow strength?
Roselith did not intend to bow to either interpretation.
They approached the outer districts.
The further they walked, the more the illusion of beauty thinned.
There it stood.
The remnants of Gray Terminal.
A wasteland of scrap metal and scorched earth.
Garbage mounds still smoldered faintly beneath new layers of refuse.
Roselith's Haki dipped low, searching.
There were people here once.
Many.
Desperation lingers. Fear lingers. Death lingers.
She asked a passing commoner.
"This place?"
"Gray Terminal, ma'am. It used to house… well… the unwanted."
The unwanted.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the hilt of her blade.
The timeline aligned too cleanly.
A Celestial Dragon visit.
A fire the day before.
No survivors recorded.
No cause publicly disclosed.
And now
A spotless capital with no beggars in sight.
Her thoughts moved like sharpened steel.
If the Celestial Dragon was to visit, the kingdom would need to appear flawless.
And if refuse and poverty were eyesores…
Then they would be erased.
Perhaps some in the court even called it "efficient."
Two birds with one stone.
Roselith exhaled slowly.
Behind beauty
Blood.
Always blood.
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
Hidden Quest Detected: Unveil the Truth of Gray Terminal
Reward: Unknown
Penalty for Abandonment: Moral Deviation Increased.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"So even you see it," she murmured inwardly.
The System did not speak often unless fate thickened.
After a thorough sweep, no trace of pirate signatures appeared within the capital's perimeter.
Fran returned with a map.
"The capital is surrounded by mountains on three sides. To the right lies Mount Colubo. There may be hidden inlets along the coastline beneath it."
Roselith nodded.
"If I seal the sea and restrict land movement, they will be forced to abandon their vessel."
Calm.
Certain.
Calculated.
As she approached the restricted entrance to Gray Terminal
"Stop!"
Royal soldiers blocked the gate.
Even before she spoke, they explained nervously.
"By order of His Majesty, this area is restricted. No one may enter without written authorization."
They trembled—but held formation.
Roselith did not blame soldiers for obedience.
Duty without question was drilled into them.
Before she could respond
"Colonel! Colonel!"
A Marine detachment approached hurriedly.
"Colonel Jess of the 17th Branch requests your presence!"
Roselith paused.
So.
The local watchdog arrives.
She instructed Fran quietly.
"Monitor the Mount Colubo coastline. Identify any deep-water harbor suitable for large pirate vessels."
"Yes, Colonel."
Pirates could not escape by sea if she controlled it.
That was certainty.
Colonel Jess awaited at the port.
Nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered, seasoned by over a decade in the East Blue.
Unlike Headquarters elites, he had climbed through grime and blood.
He had also learned something else.
Comfort was preferable to righteousness.
Noble stipends paid well.
Too well.
Thus he had become an obedient ally of the kingdom's aristocracy.
When he learned a Marine from the 18th Branch had entered his territory, fury ignited within him.
His territory.
His profits.
After discreet inquiries through Captain Nezumi a fellow opportunist, he discovered the intruder was a "genius" transferred from Headquarters.
Jess scoffed.
Genius?
In the East Blue, experience outweighed talent.
Today, he would teach that lesson.
The 17th Branch Marines lined the dock in disciplined formation.
Opposite them stood Roselith's 18th Branch.
Tension tightened the sea air.
Jess approached, addressing Fran first.
"Colonel Sera"
He stopped.
The insignia on Fran's shoulder read Lieutenant Commander.
His gaze shifted.
And landed on her.
Golden hair stirred by wind.
Calm, piercing eyes.
Marine coat bearing the rank of Colonel.
Saint Roselith Seraphina.
Descendant of the Roselith line her family name restored after severing ties with lesser nobility generations ago. A lineage that once served the Marines directly, not courtly parasites.
Jess blinked.
This child?
Colonel?
Impossible.
Was she backed by power?
By bloodline?
Or
Was her strength truly that overwhelming?
For the first time in years, uncertainty crept into Colonel Jess's hardened heart.
And Roselith simply looked at him.
Unmoved.
Unimpressed.
Unafraid.