Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13.
Shakky was in a rather good mood today. As the former empress of Amazon Lily, though she had not been involved in the kingdom affairs for many years, she had always kept a close eye on Amazon Lily.
Ever since a ruthless Marshal appeared in the Marines, she had been worried that the current Empress of Amazon Lily, Hancock, might face repercussions. After all, Hancock was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Judging by the temperament of this young and iron-fisted Marshal, it seemed unlikely that he would allow the existence of the Seven Warlords, who stood between pirates and the Marines.
However, her worries turned out to be unnecessary. This young Marine King did not wipe out the Seven Warlords entirely but instead made an example of one to intimidate the other six into submission. What the other Warlords were plotting, she didn't care.
All she knew was that Empress Hancock of Amazon Lily had made the wisest choice. With the protection of this Marine King, who dared to make the World Goverment sign the Mary Geoise Treaty, Amazon Lily would remain secure for many years to come.
Most importantly, she had just received the latest intelligence, this young Marshal of the Marines had suddenly descended upon the East Blue, bringing with him all the submissive Seven Warlords.
What the Marine Marshal was doing in the East Blue, she still didn't care. Whether the other Warlords followed or not, she didn't mind. The fact that Orion had brought Hancock along indicated that Hancock performance at the Marine Headquarters had been satisfactory.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Shakky turned her head toward the corner of the bar. Seeing Rayleigh sitting alone, staring at a burnt-out Vivre Card in front of him, Shakky was momentarily stunned before walking over from behind the counter.
"You didn't go to coat the ship today?"
Standing in front of Rayleigh, Shakky glanced at the ashes of the Vivre Card and asked curiously.
"Is it because of this Vivre Card?"
"Hatchan is dead!"
Rayleigh nodded solemnly, his voice tinged with sorrow. He shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Though I had expected it, it's still hard to avoid feeling sad. It seems I'm truly getting old!"
Hearing this, Shakky fell silent.
When the news of the Arlong Pirates attacking a Navy warship reached Marine Headquarters, she and Rayleigh had already anticipated that Orion, the newly appointed Fleet Admiral, would take action.
Regardless of Orion personal temperament, any pirate force daring to attack the Navy at this time would be unacceptable to him, as it was equivalent to declaring war on him.
Most importantly, Orion had just publicly executed Whitebeard Jr. and forced the Shichibukai to submission, making a grand spectacle in front of all the world's powers. Under such circumstances, not to mention a mere Arlong Pirates, even the Emperors of the Sea in the New World had to avoid his ruthlessnes.
Indeed, the Beasts Pirates, who had been active after one of the Shichibukai, Hanafuda, was killed by Orion, had suddenly become very quiet these past few days.
Even the Beasts Pirates, led by one of the Four Emperors, Kaido, chose to endure in silence at this time. The Arlong Pirates causing trouble now was undoubtedly digging their own graves.
However, although they knew Orion would surely suppress them with thunderous force, they didn't expect him to personally descend upon the East Blue while the movements of Kaido, one of the Four Emperors in the New World, remained unclear.
After a brief silence, Shakky tentatively asked.
"Do we need to go to the East Blue? After all, Hatchan is your benefactor..."
Before Shakky could finish, Rayleigh immediately shook his head and said.
"Since he chose to become a pirate, I believe he was prepared to die. To have the Fleet Admiral personally come for him, he can consider it a worthy death."
...
East Blue, Cocoyasi Village.
In front of the gates of Arlong Park, Nojiko, with her short purple hair, stood side by side with a young girl with short orange hair wearing a dress. The girl, who looked about twelve or thirteen, blinked her teary brown eyes as she watched the Marines inside the park inventorying the treasures the Arlong Pirates had amassed over the years.
Nami, who had been rescued from the battlefield by the Marine soldier Bellemere when she was still a baby, had since settled in Cocoyasi Village with Nojiko under Bellemere care.
"Nojiko, are the Arlong Pirates... really gone?" Nami turned her tear-streaked face to Nojiko after watching the busy Marines for a moment, her voice choked with sobs.
"These Marines... they won't be like the ones before, will they?"
"No, they won't" Nojiko shook her head, pointing to the young figure seated on what was once Arlong throne.
"See that Marine? He's the Fleet Admiral of the Marines! I heard from Gen that the Fleet Admiral just issued a pirate extermination order, and all Marine branches in the East Blue will immediately start hunting down all pirates!"
At this point, Nojiko voice suddenly became choked with emotion.
"If only this man had become Fleet Admiral sooner, then Bellemere wouldn't have..."
Before Nojiko could finish, Tashigi suddenly ran up to them.
"Nojiko, Nami—come with me! The Fleet Admiral wants to see you!"
Without wasting any words, Tashigi, who had arrived in front of them, took their hands and led them back the way she had come.
.....
Meanwhile...
Standing beside Orion, Ain took out a document and spoke with a serious expression.
"Marshal, the treasures extorted from the villagers of Cocoyasi Village by Arlong and his crew over the years have all been recorded. Additionally, we just received word from the archives of the 16th Branch. There was indeed a marine soldier named Bellemere who once participated in a mission to eradicate pirates within the territory of the Oykot Kingdom, which falls under the jurisdiction of the 16th Branch. During this mission, Bellemere discovered two children along the way. Later, because one of the children suffered from a persistent high fever, she chose to leave the Marines and took the children to seek medical treatment."
"According to Bellemere superior, although she was a female soldier, she was exceptionally brave."
"After leaving the Marines, Bellemere never contacted the 16th Branch again. It wasn't until Arlong and his crew appeared and began their oppressive rule over a dozen nearby villages that she sent a letter to the 16th Branch seeking help. However, she never expected that the then-Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch had already colluded with Arlong, and she ultimately died at Arlong hands."
"According to the villagers and Gen, the rules set by Arlong and his crew dictated that the civilians under their rule had to pay a monthly fee to buy their lives—100,000 Berries for adults and 50,000 Berries for children. At the time, Bellemere managed to scrape together 100,000 Berries. She could have lived, but she chose to give the chance of survival to her two adopted daughters."
At this point, Ain paused slightly, then looked up at Orion with reddened eyes.
"Marshal, Bellemere did not disgrace her former identity as a Marine. She bravely chose to fight Arlong from the start, though her strength was limited. Even so, she did not kneel and beg for mercy. Instead, she faced Arlong gun and met her death with dignity!"
"According to some villagers, Bellemere proudly declared during her fight with Arlong that she had once been a soldier!"
"Therefore, I believe Bellemere should be posthumously honored as a Marine hero!"
As soon as Ain finished speaking, Genzo, who had been standing quietly beside her, once again lost control of his emotions. His shoulders shook violently, and tears streamed down his face in silence.
For Gen and the villagers of Cocoyasi, as well as all the villages oppressed by the Arlong Pirates, the Marines' sudden appearance and the complete eradication of Arlong and his crew was already an unexpected miracle.
But Gen never imagined that this was just the beginning.
Bellemere, who had left the Marines years ago to raise the war orphans Nojiko and Nami, would once again gain the attention of the Marine higher-ups. Now, she was even being proposed for posthumous recognition as a Marine hero.
"Nojiko, Nami—"
"Hurry up and thank the Marines!"
Unable to control his emotions, Gen saw that Nami and Nojiko had been brought over by Tashigi. He quickly walked over, pulled them down to kneel facing Orion, and shouted with a trembling voice.
"Marshal, on behalf of Bellemere... thank you!"
At that moment, more voices of gratitude suddenly erupted. Following the sound, they saw that all the villagers, having received a portion of the life money they had paid to Arlong and his crew over the years, returned by the Marines, were moved to tears.
They knelt outside the gates of Arlong Park, facing Orion.
"Thank you, Marines!"
"Long live the Marshal!"
"Marshal, you are our savior!"
The sudden turn of events caught all the navy soldiers off guard. They stood rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do, and collectively looked up at Orion.
Orion, too, was momentarily stunned by the sight of the villagers outside the park kneeling alongside Aken.
After a brief pause, his brows furrowed slightly, and he stood up, speaking in a deep voice.
"What are you all doing?"
As Orion words fell, the villagers immediately quieted down. However, including Genzo no one stood up. Instead, they remained kneeling, as if they had done something wrong, trembling under the overwhelming aura of Orion.
Seeing that no one responded, Orion stepped forward to Genzo, reached out, and patted his shoulder. His sharp gaze then swept across the entire crowd.
"From this day forward, any evil force, noble, king of a nation, or even the lofty Celestial Dragons—if their so-called nobility demands that you bow and scrape, that you worship them on your knees—"
"What you must do is not grovel for survival, but stand tall like Bellemere did in her time, face the bloodshed head-on, and show them the pride of the untamed!"
"In the past, my position was too low to influence the world affairs, but from now on, I stand with you!"
"Remember the words I speak today!"
After a slight pause, Orion voice suddenly rose, each word resounding with force.
"STAND UP!"
"ALL OF YOU, STAND UP!"
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