In Year 1497 of the Sea Calendar, a monumental upheaval shook the Kingdom of Cartier.
A newly emerging faction known as the Sunagakure Pirates invaded the East Blue island nation and raised their blades against the royal family, publicly decapitating King Philip III right outside the royal palace.
As for the inhumane experiments conducted within the Kingdom of Cartier, the reporting news media omitted every single word.
To the press, a minor scandal paled in comparison to the explosive headline of a sovereign king being beheaded on his own soil. To stir up public sympathy, news outlets went so far as to fabricate a series of philanthropic deeds attributed to the late monarch.
The general narrative painted Philip III as a benevolent ruler who strove to deliver social welfare to his subjects year after year. Even as the royal treasury ran dry in recent years, he reportedly insisted on implementing various tax cuts for his people.
During this invasion by the Sunagakure Pirates, the King had personally stepped forward to negotiate for the safety of his citizens, only to be maliciously slaughtered in cold blood. To the public, it was framed as an utterly lunatic, heinous atrocity.
The incident ignited an absolute uproar. Royalty and nobles across the kingdoms of the East Blue panicked for their safety, inundating the World Government with desperate pleas for armed protection.
Meanwhile, word of the event reached the ears of Patrick Redfield—the legendary "Red Count"—far across the Grand Line.
Although Redfield had never held his self-proclaimed follower in particularly high regard, Philip III was nonetheless known as his sole disciple.
Even if the Red Count had never formally acknowledged the connection, having the man brutally murdered in broad daylight was an undeniable slap to Redfield's own prestige.
"Rookie pirates from the East Blue, is it?"
As a grand pirate whose renown rivaled Whitebeard, Golden Lion Shiki, and Gol D. Roger, every move made by the Red Count commanded the undivided attention of the World Government.
Inside the main meeting room at Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Kong received definitive intelligence: the Red Count had officially departed the Grand Line, setting his course directly for the East Blue.
The World Government was already deeply unsettled by Roger's sudden movements in the second half of the Grand Line, and now a massive crisis had erupted in the East Blue to make matters worse.
"It's that Sunagakure Pirates crew again!"
Fleet Admiral Kong's expression was utterly dark. This crew of unknown origin simply refused to play by the rules.
Redfield was, after all, a member of the Redfield-Chaikaf bloodline. Any action he took was bound to disrupt the delicate balance of power across the Grand Line.
The Marines had felt increasingly overwhelmed by the escalating chaos at sea in recent years. Now that the Sunagakure Pirates had publicly executed a monarch, the World Government was forced to deal with this troublesome rookie crew head-on.
"According to intelligence reports, aside from Aoki Shiraishi and Uchiha Madara, the crew includes several other members. Among them is a sniper dressed as a shrine maiden, possessing formidable long-range precision."
"What about the rest of the crew?"
"There is another capability user suspected to possess the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit (Mera Mera no Mi). The remaining member appears to serve as both a swordsman and the ship's doctor."
After a long silence, Kong crushed the teacup in his hand. Two Mythical Zoans, a mysterious high-tier archer, and a Logia user—this lineup alone was more than enough to form a serious threat on the open seas.
"Instruct Doberman and Stainless to head for the East Blue immediately and rendezvous with Garp."
Doberman and Stainless were veteran Vice Admirals. While their raw combat prowess might not equal Garp's legendary strength, their mastery of Haki and swordsmanship made them top-tier fighters.
Coupled with the elite forces under their command, they led two of the most formidable fleets in Marine Headquarters.
Joined by Marine Hero Garp, this combined force was more than sufficient to crush a small pirate crew.
"Though the Sunagakure Pirates are mere rookies, the potential they've demonstrated means we must nip them in the bud within the East Blue. Should they manage to cross into the Grand Line and grow further, the consequences will be beyond calculation."
By instigating this series of events, the Sunagakure Pirates had poked a hornet's nest. Having slain a follower of the Red Count and alienated countless World Government-affiliated nations, they were now universally hunted like rats in the street.
Meanwhile, having secured Moyard as their official navigator, Shiraishi's group set sail toward Loguetown.
Known as the "Town of the Beginning and the End," Loguetown was situated in the East Blue right near the entrance to the Grand Line. It was the birthplace of the future Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and would eventually serve as the site of his public execution.
At present, while Loguetown had yet to achieve its eventual legendary status, it remained the mandatory gateway into the Grand Line. Shiraishi and his crew were well aware that a large-scale confrontation was likely brewing at that location.
"Vice Admiral Doberman, shall we await Vice Admiral Garp at Loguetown?"
Aboard a Marine warship, Vice Admiral Doberman stood tall. Four distinctive X-shaped scars marred his features, accompanied by a split, curled mustache and flowing brown hair that reached his shoulders. His left eye lacked a pupil, having been blinded in a bloody battle years prior.
Doberman wore his Marine coat draped over his shoulders like a cape, heavily detailed compared to standard officer uniforms, featuring zig-zag patterns across his cap's trim.
Underneath, his attire consisted of a loose-fitting shirt paired with rope-like waist wraps and trousers, reflecting a meticulous and calculating mind.
He had already established contact with Garp, who was currently steaming toward Loguetown. Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Stainless was expected to arrive within a day. With three Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals joining forces, the blockade would be virtually airtight.
Carrying a deep-seated hatred for pirates, Doberman took a slow drag from his cigarette: "Judging by their past record, the Sunagakure Pirates are an ambitious crew. Therefore, they will inevitably try to force their way through Loguetown in the near future."
Unlike the easygoing Stainless or the carefree Garp, Doberman possessed a strong drive for authority and enforced strict discipline over his subordinates. His ideology aligned closely with Sakazuki's, placing him squarely within the absolute justice faction.
"How do you plan to break through Loguetown?"
Having joined the crew following the events in the Cartier Kingdom, Moyard now served as Shiraishi's navigator. The warship—retrofitted from a captured Marine vessel—boasted excellent baseline specs, but breaking past Loguetown meant piercing right through Garp's naval blockade.
Following their previous skirmishes, Garp had never left the East Blue, pursuing Shiraishi's crew relentlessly until news of the Cartier Kingdom crisis broke, prompting him to head straight for Loguetown.
It was obvious that the Marines intended to lay an inescapable dragnet at Loguetown to capture Shiraishi's entire crew.
"We force our way straight through..."
Shiraishi continued calibrating several mechanical instruments on deck, mounting precision artillery aiming devices to maximize the vessel's broadside firepower.
Acting as both captain and shipwright, Shiraishi dedicated time every day to refining their modified warship. Beyond adding specialized structural frameworks to boost speed, he executed multiple overhauls on the hull design.
During their brief stay in the Kingdom of Cartier, Shiraishi took advantage of Little Chaikaf's hostage status and the intimidation factor of executing Philip III to overhaul the warship rapidly—optimizing it with a lower freeboard and square-rigged sails.
Furthermore, the deck cannons were relocated into enclosed broadside gun decks. Clearing out the royal armory of Cartier, Shiraishi packed the newly modified broadside bays to the brim, lining up a massive array of heavy artillery along both flanks.
Through a series of technical redesigns, Shiraishi discarded the gaudy, oversized figureheads popular on modern ships. He officially christened the overhauled warship: The Shukaku.
Next time, I'll have to get someone to build a truly perfect battleship from scratch...