East Blue Prosperity Zone.
At this moment, a cruise ship was desperately trying to flee, with a fully armed pirate ship in hot pursuit.
Cannonballs…
...rained down without pause.
The cruise ship had only a batch of muskets on board.
The crew fought back with all their might. After all…
Their pursuer was none other than the notorious Alvida Pirates, a group that had risen to infamy in the East Blue over the past two years.
Rumors had it that Alvida left no survivors during her raids.
Worse still, she was particularly fond of using her signature weapon — a massive spiked mace — to smash people into pulp.
Brutal.
Unfortunately, the muskets in this world were far from effective. Their range and power were limited, with an effective distance of only a few dozen meters.
Their counterattack…
...was meaningless.
It did nothing to threaten the pirates.
In contrast, their own ship had already been hit by three cannonballs — one of which struck the mainmast.
The mast now showed visible cracks, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
> "Damn it! What's the situation with Navy Branch 153?"
> "They said… they're making preparations. We just need to wait for reinforcements!"
> "Bullshit preparations! It's already been an hour!"
The captain cursed loudly.
They had first encountered the Alvida Pirates less than 20 nautical miles from Branch 153.
They had been fleeing toward the base for over an hour.
Now, they were less than 10 nautical miles away.
And yet...
The navy claimed they were still preparing to set sail?
Lies.
> "Call Navy Headquarters directly. Report Branch 153 for dereliction of duty!"
> "Yes, the transmi—"
BOOM!!!
Before the words finished, a cannonball landed on the stern deck, blasting the captain, the first mate, and several crew members wielding muskets.
They fell to the deck, groaning in agony.
Worse still...
The transponder snail — the first mate had just been using — tumbled to the captain's feet.
But...
It was no longer responsive.
Had it been knocked unconscious? Or was it dead?
After all, transponder snails were living creatures.
This was the end.
In the world of pirates, transponder snails were expensive and rare.
They didn't have a backup on board.
Now, they were completely cut off from the outside world.
---
Twenty minutes later…
The cruise ship was taken by Alvida and her crew. All passengers and crew were dragged out and forced to kneel on deck.
One chest after another filled with valuables was hauled onto the pirate ship.
For Alvida, this was a major haul.
The cruise had been full of rich passengers.
Though the loot hadn't been counted yet, it was easily over 100 million Berries.
---
Inside the command bridge of the Danaan.
The main screen displayed footage from the periscope — a live feed of the Alvida Pirates looting the cruise ship.
> "What's going on with Branch 153? How could they allow pirates to raid so close to their own doorstep?"
Luo Lan frowned in disbelief.
In the original timeline, Morgan (Axe-Hand Morgan) might've been a bad guy, but he wasn't a coward.
He would never have sat idly by while pirates raided this close.
The guy even had the guts to challenge Garp, after all.
Wait a minute…
Based on the timeline...
Morgan should've just recently been hypnotized — it hadn't even been a full year yet.
Though he was promoted to Captain after claiming credit for catching "Kuro," his rank didn't match his strength.
Morgan used to be just an ordinary marine, and hadn't yet reached the strength he would gain in the coming years.
As Luo Lan pondered all this—
Hina had finished preparing for action.
> "First and Second Squads ready for combat!"
> "Surface the Danaan! First Squad, prepare the rubber boats! Second Squad, set up for fire support!"
> "Yes, Captain!"
A moment later, water was expelled from the sub, and its massive form surfaced.
Marines poured out.
Some prepared rubber boats; others set up firing positions on the sub's back, rifles aimed and ready.
In under a minute, fifty marines paddled hard toward the pirate ship, just 100 meters away.
Alvida noticed nothing.
And by the time one of her pirates did spot the approaching boat...
It was too late.
The second squad opened fire, suppressing the pirates with overwhelming force.
Many were shot down on the spot. The rest couldn't even lift their heads.
Meanwhile, the first squad used netting to board the pirate ship.
Like wolves among sheep.
These marines weren't cyborgs — they were well-trained elites, each with over 100 Doriki.
They'd spent the past ten days eating Sea King meat, enhancing their bodies.
Even if the effect had diminished by now, their strength still far surpassed these pirates.
Before Alvida could return to her ship, the twenty pirates she had left behind were already eliminated.
She was stunned.
> "Were my pirates always this weak…?"
> "And who the hell are these people?"
Uniformed in black, animal masks covering their faces.
No known group in the East Blue fit that description.
But no matter who they were, attacking her meant death!
> "Boys! Kill them!!"
She raised her massive mace, and the thirty-plus pirates who had followed her onto the cruise ship charged back.
They leapt over the railing, one after another.
But as a volley of gunfire rang out—
Every pirate in mid-air froze, then dropped into the sea like stones.
Eventually...
One lone pirate, clutching a sword, managed to land on the ship.
> "CHARGE!!"
He roared confidently.
But then...
He realized something was wrong.
It was too quiet.
He turned around. Wait…
Hadn't thirty others jumped with him?
Why was he the only one here?
He turned back slowly — like a machine — only to see dozens of black-uniformed figures aiming rifles directly at him.
> "I surrender!!!"
He dropped his sword and fell to his knees, hands raised high.
But the next moment—
A bullet pierced his forehead.
The reason?
His sword was still stained with fresh blood.
And per Luo Lan's standing orders:
> "Any pirate who has harmed civilians or marines — no exceptions — is to be executed on the spot."
No jail. No mercy.
Thus, in the end…
Only Alvida was left standing.
Well — not quite.
There was one more:
A certain pink-haired boy, trembling below deck in the pirate ship's hold.
Terrified.
---
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