Within the Marine branch system, there are five distinct tiers.
Three of these are standard branches, ranging from First Class to Third Class. Beyond these standard tiers, there are two unconventional types of installations.
The first is the outpost. These typically consist of a small squad of twelve Marines. Strictly speaking, these aren't even branches; they are more like sentry posts.
The second type is the military stronghold, known as the G-series branches.
These G-series branches are generally constructed along the first half of the Grand Line or within the New World, guarding critical strategic locations. Examples include the G8 Branch commanded by Vice Admiral Jonathan, as well as the G1 and G5 branches in the New World.
Each is built like a fortress, operating on an entirely different level than a standard Marine branch. Some of the most important G-series branches even maintain a permanent garrison of ten thousand Marines.
Among these, the G1 Branch is unique; because it sits on the front lines against the Four Emperors, it is guarded by a rotating roster of Admirals. The commanders of all other G-series branches are invariably Vice Admirals of exceptional ability.
In truth, these G-series branches are the true pillars of the Marine's strength.
And then there was the 16th Branch...
As the warship slowly left the harbor, Sean glanced back at the branch and let out a soft sigh.
A Third Class branch!
The absolute bottom of the Marine branch hierarchy!
'Well, there are still outposts below that, so a Third Class branch isn't technically the bottom,' he thought, finding a small sliver of comfort in that realization.
Regardless, Sean had his own goals. To achieve them, he needed a platform that would allow him to operate with total freedom.
The East Blue wouldn't cut it, and neither would Headquarters. The best solution was to seize or establish a G-series branch of his own—ideally located in the New World.
Of course, such a goal was currently impossible. For one, Sean had no military merits to his name, nor did he have the seniority required to attain such a position. He didn't even have his own core team yet. Furthermore, his current strength wasn't yet at a level where he could handle everything the New World could throw at him.
Sean needed time, and he needed a stepping stone.
Naturally, the branch at the Sabaody Archipelago was out of the question. While gaining merit there was relatively easy—making it known as the best springboard for Marine promotions—it wasn't suitable for Sean.
To thrive at Sabaody, one first had to learn how to be a lapdog.
That was something Sean simply could not do.
By comparison, staying in the East Blue was far more appropriate. As for the problem of there being fewer pirates in the East Blue—and even fewer powerful ones—meaning fewer opportunities for merit? Sean wasn't worried about that.
He figured that if he occasionally took his men out for "training" and happened to travel a bit too far—accidentally crossing the Calm Belt, for instance—old man Sengoku probably wouldn't hold it against him too much.
Besides, the East Blue was home to a legendary pirate whose influence, from certain perspectives, wasn't much different from that of the Four Emperors. That had been a primary reason why Sean chose the East Blue branch in the first place.
'''
"Commodore, we estimate we will reach the target location in another half day!"
On the deck of the warship, Lucci walked up to Sean to report.
They had been at sea for two days. Aside from one rookie pirate crew, they hadn't encountered anyone. Even among the four seas, the density of pirates in the East Blue was the lowest—and significantly so.
However, the purpose of Sean's trip was clear. His target was...
The wealthiest pirate crew in the East Blue: the Don Krieg Pirates!
Why call them the wealthiest?
One only had to look at the original story to see Krieg commanding a fleet of fifty large pirate ships to understand just how rich the man was. His personal equipment alone likely cost over a hundred million Belly to craft. As for those fifty ships, it would be unrealistic to assemble such a fleet without several billion Belly.
Not to mention his flagship; when the Going Merry first sailed beside it, the Merry looked like an ant in comparison. It was the size of a Marine super-warship.
Sean even suspected that the man possessed assets totaling tens of billions. Otherwise, how could he maintain such a massive fleet and a crew of thousands?
After all, if you relied solely on plundering to amass that much wealth, you would have to commit crimes so loud and sensational that Headquarters would have dispatched high-level combatants to eliminate you long ago. There would have been no "fifty ships invading the Grand Line" later on.
He remembered someone saying in his previous life that in terms of raw wealth, Krieg could probably go toe-to-toe with the Four Emperors of the New World. The Emperors at least had vast territories to tax, but what did Krieg have?
Where all that wealth came from was truly a mystery.
Of course, the most likely explanation was that Oda hadn't considered these logistical details when first designing the Don Krieg Pirates.
Currently, it was still over three years before the start of the original story, and Krieg had not yet assembled his massive armada. According to Marine intelligence, Krieg's current bounty was 12 million Belly, and he commanded five pirate ships and approximately 600 men.
It was a far cry from the original story.
Interestingly, the intelligence reports noted that Krieg had attacked two villages and plundered several merchant ships. However, if one looked closely, the combined losses of those villages and ships totaled only about 80 million Belly.
Moreover, when Krieg first appeared on the radar, he already had five ships.
So, where did the Belly come from?
Either he had possessed vast wealth before becoming a pirate, or he had discovered a treasure—a massive hoard worth billions or even tens of billions of Belly.
Regardless, after reviewing the intel from Headquarters yesterday, Sean had confirmed one thing.
The current Don Krieg was rich. Very rich.
"Commodore! 13 o'clock, seven miles out! I've spotted a Marine warship engaging pirates!"
Suddenly, a Marine in the crow's nest shouted down to Sean on the deck.
"Can you confirm which branch it is?"
"Confirming now!"
The Marine peered through his telescope. A moment later...
"Commodore, it's the 153rd Branch from Shells Town! Based on the flag, the pirates are the Black Cat Pirates!"
'The Black Cat Pirates?' Sean was momentarily stunned.
Beside him, Lucci immediately spoke up.
"The Black Cat Pirates. Their captain is Kuro, known as 'The Man of a Hundred Plans.' He is rumored to have an extremely high IQ. His current bounty is 16 million Belly, making him one of the highest-bounty pirates in the East Blue."
'As expected of you, Lucci!'
As expected, Lucci was incredibly diligent; he had likely memorized every single piece of data on the pirates of the East Blue.
"Lucci, tell the navigator to close in. Now that we've come across them, we can't just leave them be!"
"Yes, Commodore!"
'''
Seven miles away.
A pirate ship and a Marine warship were locked together. The air was thick with battle cries and intermittent screams, keeping everyone on edge. From the looks of it, the Marines were in a desperate situation.
Over eighty percent of the Marines lay dead in pools of blood. The remaining dozen or so were huddled in a corner, continuing their resistance under the command of a Lieutenant Commander. They were fighting a pirate force that outnumbered them seven or eight to one!
Meanwhile, that terrifying man had yet to lift a finger, content to simply stand back and watch. He seemed quite dissatisfied with the efficiency of his crew.
This was precisely what terrified the Lieutenant Commander the most.
"Captain, another warship is approaching!"
"Reinforcements from the 153rd Branch?"
"No, judging by the colors, it looks like the 16th Branch!"
"Hmm, the 16th Branch? Perfect. Syrup Village is quite close to that branch. There's no harm in planting another mole while we're at it."
"You mean...?"
"Handle them the same way we handled the 153rd Branch!"
"Understood!"
Upon hearing this, Zango nodded.