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Chapter 22
Captain Blair heard Vilin's mocking laughter.
His face flushed crimson with rage.
"Damn you! Don't you dare insult Marine Headquarters!"
Blair exploded in fury.
He swung his longsword in a frenzy, unleashing slash after slash.
"Lion's Frenzy Dance!"
Dozens of flying slashes tore through the air toward Vilin.
Using Observation Haki, Vilin easily read their trajectories and dodged with fluid grace.
Blair stared in shock as every attack missed.
"This is…?"
"Observation Haki!"
Blair cried out in disbelief.
"Congratulations—you got it right! Too bad there's no prize."
Vilin appeared in front of him in an instant.
A single fist slammed into Blair's chest.
The impact sent the Marine captain flying backward toward the port.
Onlookers hiding in the shadows—spies from various factions—watched in stunned silence.
"Rising Dragon Soar!"
Vilin pressed both hands to the ground.
A massive tree—twenty meters tall—erupted upward like a soaring dragon, crashing toward the airborne Blair.
Blair tried to evade, but terror gripped him as he realized countless vines had already sealed off every escape route around him.
The wooden dragon struck true.
Blair wrapped himself in every last ounce of Armament Haki.
But even that wasn't enough.
"No—!"
His desperate scream was cut short.
Splatter!
Blair was obliterated into a bloody mist.
Silence fell over the port.
The Marines stared in horror at their fallen captain.
The Aitrias family women watched Vilin—standing like a god who commanded the very trees—with reverence.
Rouge felt her legs weaken at the sight of his overwhelming power and dominance.
Blair's second-in-command saw his superior die.
His eyes turned lifeless.
He already knew the Navy's fate.
Vilin looked at the panicked Marines and gave a cold smile.
"Since your captain is dead… you can all join him."
At his icy words,
countless wooden hands rose from the earth, seizing every Marine by the ankles and dragging them underground.
Life Drain!
Soon their struggles weakened.
One by one, they withered into desiccated corpses, buried forever beneath the soil.
With that, the entire Marine force sent by Headquarters was annihilated.
Rouge watched Vilin effortlessly wipe out the Navy.
Pride and admiration shone in her eyes.
She ran to him and threw herself into his arms.
Vilin smiled warmly when he saw it was her.
"Rouge, let me introduce you to my crew."
With an arm around her soft waist, he walked toward the cheering Annie and the others.
Rouge greeted everyone with gentle warmth.
When she saw the adorable Annie, she immediately scooped her up, rubbing cheeks affectionately.
The Aitrias family smiled kindly at Rouge's enthusiasm.
The deck of the Flying Bird rang with joy at their victory.
Seeing the lively atmosphere,
Vilin raised his hand and laughed heartily.
"Tonight—we feast!"
"Let's welcome Rouge to the family!"
That evening, the brightly lit Flying Bird echoed with laughter.
Vilin watched a group of lightly dressed women dance provocatively around him.
His blood surged with heat.
As the celebration wound down,
Vilin stood and addressed the crew.
"Aitrias Pirates!"
"Our next destination is Reverse Mountain—the entrance to the Grand Line."
"The Grand Line is full of powerful pirates."
"Starting the day after tomorrow, everyone trains with me!"
"I won't allow a single one of you to die in front of me!"
Hearing his words,
the crew's expressions turned serious.
They had all heard tales of the Grand Line's dangers.
Seeing their resolve,
Vilin gave a confident smile.
"Don't worry. I'll protect all of you."
He said it partly to instill urgency.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In a spacious, orderly office,
Fleet Admiral Kong reviewed documents with a grim expression.
"Fleet Admiral Kong! Urgent report from South Blue scouts!"
"Captain Blair's entire fleet has been wiped out!"
Tsuru entered, holding intelligence reports, her face tense.
"What?! Blair's fleet—completely annihilated?!"
Kong stood abruptly, disbelief on his face.
He snatched the report and scanned it.
The deeper he read, the darker his expression grew.
In rage, he slammed the papers onto the desk.
Bang!
"Damn Aitrias Pirates!"
"Summon Garp immediately!"
"Yes, sir."
Tsuru left quickly.
Moments later,
she returned with Garp, justice cloak billowing.
Kong looked at him gravely.
"The Headquarters captain I sent to capture Vilin—his entire fleet is gone."
"Garp—this mission to apprehend Vilin now falls to you."
Garp's usual grin vanished.
His face turned deadly serious.
"Don't worry. I'll bring him in."
Seeing Garp's resolve,
Kong dismissed him.
Garp strode toward the port, cloak snapping behind him.
"Tsuru, raise Vilin's bounty to 80 million Berries."
"Yes, sir."
Tsuru gathered the files and left.
Alone again,
Kong sat heavily, rubbing his brow.
Since Rocks rose to power, the seas had grown more turbulent than ever.
The Rocks Pirates had already destroyed five World Government affiliate nations.
The Five Elders were furious.
They repeatedly ordered Kong to eliminate the Rocks Pirates.
But their expansion was too rapid.
Every suppression attempt failed.
The Navy lost significant forces each time.
Their influence in the New World grew weaker by the day.
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