Several weeks had passed since the attempted theft of the Op-Op Fruit by Doflamingo. The ship of the "Red Seagull" Marine Unit, led by Krieg, was currently charting a course toward Faus Island.
"Well, for now, Doflamingo is captured and bound for Impel Down. That should settle the Dressrosa issue... right?"
Words like Impel Down, Blackbeard, and Mass Breakout floated through Krieg's mind, but he shook them off, telling himself it would be fine for now.
However, those thoughts inevitably triggered a memory of Douglas Bullet's parting words:
"Then swear it. I will survive this place and appear before you again. When that time comes, you will fight me once more."
Krieg clutched his head at the looming headache of future plot points while trying to organize his plans in the captain's quarters of the Charlotte Ange.
In another part of the ship, Gin was likely busy acting as an instructor for their newest recruit, Diez Drake, showing him the ropes of the vessel.
First priority: Return to Faus Island. Commander Rosinante needed to be seen by the specialists there. After that, Nico Robin had to be escorted to the West Blue.
Initially, Krieg considered sending her to the East Blue—the sea with the lowest average bounties and the highest level of peace—but Robin insisted on the West Blue.
She argued that creating fresh sightings of herself there, without her disguise, would better throw off the World Government's long-term tracking.
Once Robin was independent, the next steps were clear. The Amber Lead Syndrome was finally treatable, so that crisis was averted.
Since no urgent orders had come from Marineford, the unit would focus on mobile patrols across the various seas.
Gin will remain my right hand. As for Monet... depending on her medical progress, I might take her to Marineford for formal training.
Sugar is still too young, and Olga... well, despite her true age, her appearance is still a child's.
He decided he would have those two join the children of Flevance to focus on general education and basic physical conditioning.
Assessing the State of the World (Pre-Canon Timeline)
Krieg then turned his mind to the broader movements of the world based on his "original knowledge":
The Red-Haired Pirates: Rumors suggested that Shanks, now a formidable pirate with a bounty exceeding 200 million, had moved from the Grand Line back into the East Blue. This meant he had likely already met, or was about to meet, the future protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy.
Zoro and Usopp: No immediate concerns there. As for Captain Kuro, there was no word yet on the formation of the Black Cat Pirates.
The Baratie: Word was spreading that "Red-Leg" Zeff, captain of the Cook Pirates, was preparing to enter the Grand Line.
Arlong: Currently, Arlong was still a member of the Sun Pirates under Fisher Tiger. Since Tiger was still alive and Jinbe hadn't joined the Warlords yet, Arlong hadn't yet been released to terrorize the East Blue. Furthermore, Belle-mere had been strengthened by her training at Marineford, so she wouldn't be easily defeated by Fish-men.
Drum Kingdom: Wapol hadn't yet enacted his "Doctor Hunt." If he did, Krieg planned to step in and provide asylum for the exiled doctors.
Alabasta: Sir Crocodile, the young genius recently appointed as a Warlord, had established his base there a few years ago. Krieg noted that he needed to visit Alabasta soon to scout the situation.
Water 7: The Sea Train tests were reportedly a success according to the News Coo. Spandam's CP9 interference was still a few years away.
Brook: Gekko Moriah was currently occupied in the New World, clashing with Kaido of the Beast Pirates in Wano. Krieg decided to leave the Florian Triangle alone for now.
Krieg stood up to pour himself a coffee, adding plenty of sugar and milk. He took a slow, relaxing sip when a voice boomed through the voice pipe from the bridge:
"Rear Admiral! It's Germa! The 'Seafaring Kingdom,' Germa Kingdom, is off the port bow!!"
Krieg sputtered, coughing violently as coffee went flying. "What?! How did we not notice them until now!?"
Meeting the "Warmongers"
The Germa Kingdom. A nation ruled by the Vinsmoke family, who once conquered the North Blue by force.
It was the world's only seafaring nation without a fixed landmass, composed of dozens of interconnected giant ships.
While the public often viewed "Germa 66" as a fictional organization from comic books, they were a very real mercenary army with ties to the World Government.
"Hmph. We can't just ignore them if we've been spotted," Krieg muttered. The giant "Island Snails" that formed the foundation of the kingdom were definitely watching his ship.
"All right, I'll go give them a greeting. Stop the ship! The rest of you stay on standby; I'm going alone."
Krieg signaled to the massive eyes of the kingdom and used Geppo to leap across the water, landing on the outer docks.
He was met by a soldier in a black uniform and a mask covering the upper half of his face. After a brief explanation of his rank and intent, he was escorted to a massive hall.
The decor screamed "evil secret society"—eagle motifs, black cross banners with white lines, and a throne shaped like a black skull.
Seated on that throne was Vinsmoke Judge, the "Garuda." He wore a helm that covered his eyes and possessed a distinctively upturned beard. Beside him stood five golden-haired children, all around ten years old or younger.
So, those are the modified humans... Krieg thought. He vaguely remembered they possessed diverse abilities—poison, electricity, invisibility—despite not being Devil Fruit users.
Wait... five of them? So the 'failure' hasn't died yet.
In the original timeline, Sanji was eventually declared dead and imprisoned before escaping to the Orbit.
Based on the timeline (roughly 11.5 years before the start of the series), Sanji hadn't been locked in the Cage yet. Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, Sanji, and Yonji were all present.
Krieg briefly considered intervening but decided against it for now. Getting involved with the Vinsmokes' internal "bloodline factor" drama was a hornet's nest he wasn't ready to kick while on a mission to save Rosinante.
He straightened his posture and addressed the King of Germa.
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