The port of Rimy Town.
It was completely deserted.
Just the sight of a pirate ship docked there had been enough to send every villager scurrying back into their homes, hiding behind locked doors and only daring to peek outside through cracks in their windows.
Nami and the others had been waiting for quite some time.
Finally—after what felt like an eternity—Adrian returned together with Zabuza and the newly acquired subordinate drawn from the system: Rob Lucci.
"Welcome back, boss."
Nami and Nojiko greeted him with bright smiles.
"No one came looking for trouble, I hope?" Adrian asked.
"Of course not," Nami replied, shrugging.
"The moment people saw a pirate ship dock, they ran straight home. And besides—didn't you leave him to guard the ship? Even if someone had been stupid enough to try something, with his strength he'd have chopped them down in minutes."
Nami glanced at Yoriichi.
She had personally witnessed his power—terrifying didn't even begin to describe it. In the entire East Blue, the highest bounty holder was Arlong. Yet Arlong had been cut down by Yoriichi as easily as slicing melons.
In the whole East Blue…
Was there anyone who could match Yoriichi?
Maybe—just maybe—the only one was the Marine Hero Garp.
"And this is...?"
Nami finally turned her attention to the unfamiliar man standing behind Adrian. The sky had already darkened; earlier, she hadn't noticed him clearly.
Now that she saw him properly—it was obvious her boss had gone out, robbed Captain Nezumi blind, and casually picked up a new subordinate on the way back.
"Rob Lucci. From today onward, he'll be part of our bandit crew."
Adrian gave a simple introduction.
"Just call me Lucci," Rob Lucci said calmly, his sharp gaze sweeping across everyone on the ship.
Although he was someone drawn out by the system, only those directly extracted as subordinates came with the memories the system prepared for them. Others did not.
Nami and Nojiko exchanged quick smiles and introduced themselves.
And yet—the more she observed this ever-growing crew, the more Nami felt that Adrian's "bandit group" was becoming something terrifying. Anyone Adrian selected was definitely abnormal in some way—and that "abnormality" was, without question, strength .
This new man called Lucci…
His strength should also be frightening.
Their chances of escaping this crew were growing slimmer by the second—unless Adrian personally let them go.
But judging from their interactions so far…
A navigator as outstanding as her?
He wasn't letting her go. No chance.
"Nojiko, it's about time for dinner. Go make something."
Adrian looked at the darkening sky and spoke casually.
"...All right."
Nojiko nodded obediently.
Being treated like a servant annoyed her deeply.
But Adrian had kidnapped her largely because they lacked a cook. Resistance was pointless.
And with how cruel he could be—who knew what he might do to her and Nami if they rebelled?
So she swallowed her resentment and did as she was told.
The Next Morning
The tragedy at Marine 16th Branch was finally discovered by the frightened villagers of Rimy Town.
The sight of countless dead Marines terrified them.
To them, the pirates who had docked the previous day had looked harmless—they hadn't robbed the town or hurt civilians.
But now…
They realized how wrong they had been.
Those pirates hadn't touched the townspeople…
But they had massacred almost the entire 16th Branch.
The cruelty chilled them to the bone.
Meanwhile, some Marines who had fled the night before began returning—many had families in Rimy Town and couldn't simply run away forever.
When they confirmed the pirates had already sailed off, the higher-ranking Marines let out a breath of relief.
Had the pirates intended to kill every Marine—including them—they would've had nowhere left to flee.
Soon after, they contacted Marine Headquarters via Den Den Mushi and reported everything exactly as they'd seen it.
Of course…
They were confused.
They couldn't understand why Adrian's group suddenly chose to attack their branch.
Because they had no idea about Nezumi's crimes, they could only report exactly what they saw.
If they had known the truth…
They likely would've stayed quiet.
After all—they had benefited from Nezumi's corruption too.
Expose him, and they themselves wouldn't escape punishment.
Marine Headquarters
The moment the intelligence officers finished reporting the situation from East Blue 16th Branch…
BAM!
Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed his fist down onto his desk, splitting it cleanly in half.
"OUTRAGEOUS!"
His furious voice echoed through the office. His anger did not subside—if anything, it grew hotter.
An entire Marine branch… destroyed.
Since when did the East Blue produce such lawless criminals?
This was blatant contempt for the authority of the Marines.
"To attack a Marine branch outright—this cannot be tolerated! Notify Colonel Smoker of Loguetown! Have him capture this pirate immediately!"
In Sengoku's view, Smoker's Logia-type Devil Fruit—Smoke—should be more than enough. Against someone who hadn't mastered Haki, a Logia user was practically invincible.
"Yes, sir!"
The Marine saluted quickly and fled the office—because standing near an enraged Sengoku was the last thing he wanted.
Loguetown
The order reached Smoker almost instantly.
"What?!"
He slammed a fist onto his desk.
"Are the Marines at 16th Branch all useless?! They let a pirate destroy the entire base— and killed nearly seventy percent of the personnel?! And now they want me to clean it up?!"
He snapped at the Den Den Mushi operator before taking a deep breath.
But in the end—he still accepted the order.
Smoker might be rebellious, but there were lines he would not ignore.
A pirate bold enough to wipe out a Marine branch?
If he ignored that, how could he call himself a man of justice?
Thud!
He hung up the receiver and marched out of his office.
"Gather everyone! Headquarters has issued an order—we're setting sail to hunt down a pirate!"
Outside the door, Tashigi straightened immediately the moment she heard him.
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