The villagers of Cocoyasi Village also noticed the massive warships slowly approaching Arlong Park. Seeing all the soldiers inside the park standing at attention and saluting toward the ships, the once noisy villagers instantly fell silent.
Soon after, some villagers followed suit, raising their hands in salute toward the approaching warships.
Gen and Nojiko too dared not continue their search for Nami recklessly. Standing behind Tashigi, they both turned their gaze toward the warships coming ashore.
As the lead warship docked, an invisible pressure swept over everyone in the park like a tidal wave, causing them all to tense up.
On the deck, Orion, draped in a Fleet Admiral coat, looked down at Arlong Park with a commanding gaze, his eyes eventually settling on Arlong, who was being trampled under Captain Morgan foot.
"Fleet Admiral of the Navy Headquarters!"
Seeing the young figure standing on the deck, Gen, who was enduring the immense pressure emanating from the Fleet Admiral , suppressed his inner excitement.
He straightened his body, and a light that had disappeared since the arrival of Arlong and his crew rekindled in his eyes.
For Gen, whose life had been plunged into darkness due to the arrival of Arlong and his crew, even seeing them bound and captured didn't completely ease his mind.
The collusion between Navy Captain Nezumi and Arlong crew had left a shadow in his heart.
But now, things were different. The Fleet Admiral of the Navy Headquarters had arrived in person. He believed that such a high-ranking figure would never collude with Arlong crew.
Orion, standing on the deck, merely glanced around before retracting his gaze. Then, he leaped off the deck and entered Arlong Park.
"Attention, all!"
As soon as Orion stepped into the park, Morgan took a deep breath and shouted with fervor.
"Salute to Fleet Admiral Orion, the supreme commander of the Marines!"
"LOYALTY!"
The soldiers of the 153rd Branch and the Loguetown Base simultaneously took a step forward, shouting in unison the slogan that had been buried in their hearts for a long time.
Orion footsteps didn't pause as he raised his hand in a casual salute and walked straight to Morgan. Seeing that the wound on Morgan chest hadn't been bandaged, Orion brows furrowed slightly.
Without hesitation, he tore off a piece of his coat and, under Morgan astonished gaze, began to bandage the wound with a serious expression.
"Fleet Admiral!"
Looking at the young Fleet Admiral personally tending to his wound, Morgan eyes instantly reddened. The ferocity he had shown during his battle with Arlong vanished, and his voice even trembled slightly.
After finishing the bandage, Orion patted Morgan shoulder and then turned to face the soldiers standing in perfect formation before him. He nodded lightly and said.
"Well done, you truly live up to the name of my heroic navy!"
After a brief pause, Orion suddenly raised his voice.
"Brothers, you've worked hard!"
Hearing this, all the soldiers stepped forward almost simultaneously, shouting fervently in unison.
"FOR JUSTICE!"
"Good! Next—"
Orion sharply flicked his Fleet Admiral coat and swiftly walked over to the throne in Arlong Park, which had once belonged to Arlong.
He declared firmly, "Bring out the Arlong Pirates!"
At Orion command, the members of the Arlong Pirates, led by Arlong himself, were dragged one by one by the navy soldiers to kneel before Orion, lined up in a row.
"Still daring to move!"
As soon as Arlong was forced to kneel before Orion, he merely lifted his head, and the two officers escorting him immediately raised their rifle butts and smashed them down on Arlong head without hesitation.
However, Arlong didn't pass out from the blow. Instead, he stared blankly at the descending rifle butt and then looked up at Orion.
"Shahaha, Navy Fleet Admiral!"
"You—"
"Can't kill me!"
As he spoke, Arlong struggled wildly and roared.
"My boss is Jinbei, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Before Orion could react, Morgan standing nearby, suddenly snatched a rifle from a soldier and emptied the entire magazine into Arlong legs in one second. Before Arlong could even scream, Morgan raised the axe in his hand high and brought it down with a vicious chop on Arlong saw-like nose.
"What status do you have to shout at the Fleet Admiral like that?"
After cleanly severing Arlong nose, Morgan kicked him in frustration, his killing intent palpable.
"You're asking for death!"
"Argh—"
After a brief moment of shock, Arlong, now without a nose could no longer endure the dual pain and let out an uncontrollable scream.
"Still daring to scream!"
Morgan raised his axe again and brought it down on Arlong gaping, bloodied mouth.
"Mmmph—"
Arlong was completely dazed. With his hands and feet shackled and his mouth smashed to pieces, he could only make muffled noises. The once fearsome image of Arlong was utterly destroyed in this moment.
Orion didn't stop Morgan.
He coldly watched as blood continuously poured from Arlong mouth, his eyes showing no trace of emotion.
Standing beside Orion, Gion and several vice admirals led by Ain also watched expressionlessly as the Arlong Pirates knelt in a row before Orion.
In the past, they might have intervened. Because their mission has always been to capture, and whether the captured pirates are sent to Impel Down or Enies Lobby is determined by the judicial department.
It is precisely this procedure that has led to many dissenting voices within the Navy Headquarters over the years, especially since the attack on the training ship.
More and more officers believe that any pirate daring to attack the Navy should be captured with full force and executed.
However, that was in the past. Now, they follow a ruthless young Fleet Admiral, and they must adapt to his style of leadership.
Most importantly, if it weren't for the special status of Captain Stock, the mere presence of the Arlong Pirates wouldn't have been enough to warrant the Fleet Admiral's personal attention.
At that moment, a figure swiftly moved from the deck of the first ship to dock and stood respectfully beside Orion. It was Jinbei, the Knight of the Sea.
"Boss Jinbei!?"
"Boss, save us!"
As soon as Jinbei stood beside Orion, the Arlong Pirates' officers, including Hatchan and Kuroobi, along with other fishmen pirates, looked up excitedly, their eyes burning with hope for survival!
Even Arlong, whose mouth had been smashed to pieces, seemed to see a lifeline and began mumbling incoherently toward Jinbei.
However, as soon as they made any noise, the Navy soldiers standing beside them didn't hesitate. They raised their rifle butts and struck down decisively.
"Fleet Admiral."
Jinbei didn't look at Arlong and his crew but instead bowed toward Orion.
"The Arlong Pirates have committed heinous crimes, and I, Jinbei cannot shirk responsibility. I am willing to bear the punishment alongside them!"
With that, Jinbei took two steps back, knelt beside Arlong, and faced Orion.
Seeing this, the hope in Arlong and the others' eyes vanished instantly, replaced by sheer terror of death.
"Jinbei, if you're trying to show loyalty to them now, you'd better think carefully!"
Orion glanced at Jinbei, his tone as calm as ever.
"Are you sure you can bear the weight of this responsibility?"
Hearing this, Jinbei expression changed drastically.
Although Orion didn't say it explicitly, the implication was clear, if Jinbei took responsibility it wouldn't just be him but also the members of his Sun Pirates and all the fishmen on Fishman Island who would be implicated!
Before Jinbei could recover from his shock, Orion suddenly shifted the topic.
"I only want to know one thing!"
Orion didn't look at Arlong, whose mouth had been smashed, but instead scanned the Arlong Pirates' officers, Hatchan, Kuroobi, and others, with sharp eyes. He spoke slowly.
"In which sea did you attack the Navy ship?"
"Whoever tells me first, I'll let them…"
"Me, me, I know—"
Before Orion could finish, one of the Arlong Pirates' fishmen suddenly raised his head and shouted.
"Kuroobi has a map in his possession, drawn by a little girl from Cocoyasi Village. We used this map to set up an ambush in that sea. Kuroobi intercepted the ship, and Hatchan created a massive whirlpool underwater, using it to drag the ship to the depths!"
Upon hearing this, Orion nodded and glanced at Jinbei once more.
"It's true that Arlong was able to be released from prison and continue his evil deeds because of your former status as one of the Seven Warlords. However, the Arlong Pirates are the Arlong Pirates, and you are you. Considering your recent commendable performance at headquarters, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Take this fishman pirate and the nautical chart to the incident area immediately. If you can retrieve the bodies of Stock and all the fallen soldiers, I promise not to hold this against all fishmen."
"Yes, sir!"
Jinbei didn't dare delay.
He immediately stood up, walked over to Kuroobi, retrieved the nautical chart and then, along with the fishman pirate, jumped into the pool.
"Fleet Admiral, what should we do with them?"
At that moment, Ain stepped forward her gaze fixed intently on the row of kneeling Arlong Pirates members.
Orion didn't speak, merely giving a slight wave of his hand.
"Understood!"
Ain immediately drew her sword, her voice cold as she commanded.
"Prepare for execution!"
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