The bright sunshine and warm sea breeze created a tranquil climate in the Four Seas. Marine soldiers seemed somewhat lethargic here. They didn't have to worry about sudden, massive tempests, or about hail, debris, or Sea Kings falling from the sky.
To ordinary fishermen, the mysterious and dangerous sea seemed as still as a puddle to these Marine soldiers, who were accustomed to the exaggerated weather of the Grand Line.
Led by the Qilin, a fleet consisting of a full ten War Behemoths represented an invincible force in the East Blue. Rowen didn't bother with them; he was on leave, and the soldiers relaxing a bit didn't bother him.
They proceeded without incident, and Rowen inquired with the navigation team, receiving an answer that they would be able to see Marine Base 153 in just half an hour.
"After we disembark, Vice Admiral Rowen will be responsible for auditing the financial statements and other aspects of Base 153. Our mission is to gather information and confirm if there are any rampaging fierce beasts in the vicinity!"
"Now, everyone can collect their mission according to their respective teams. Pay attention to safety, whether it's your own safety or that of ordinary citizens. Understood?!"
"Understood!!"
On the deck, Vice Admiral Momonga addressed a group of junior-level commanders, each of them robust and well-trained, hands held behind their backs, responding loudly.
They were all ordinary officers with ranks ranging from Corporal to Staff Sergeant. However, due to the birth of the Thunder Device, even non-commissioned officers now possessed considerable combat power.
For ordinary people, fierce beasts were unbeatable, but for today's Marine Headquarters, they were just right for these sergeants to accumulate military merit.
Their confidence was overflowing!
Warrant officers were responsible for middle-level directives and managed several squads. Field-grade officers were directly responsible to Vice Admiral Momonga and Rowen, acting as firefighters and handling any potential tricky enemies.
So, in Rowen's eyes, this mission was indeed like a vacation, because most of the time he didn't even need to get involved.
Well, if it weren't for the prosecutor business, that would be true relaxation.
"East Blue has a total of thirty-seven bases! How many months will it take to inspect them all?"
Thinking about the mission arranged by Sengoku, Rowen gritted his teeth in frustration.
In order to keep him in the East Blue a bit longer to avoid adding fuel to the fire in the Grand Line, Sengoku really wracked his brains to come up with such a mission.
Just then, a marine guard jogged up to Rowen, saluted, and said, "Vice Admiral Soryu, we found a hidden Pirate Ship in the Western direction. Please give instructions!"
"Hmm?"
Rowen looked at him in surprise, then released his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki).
Sure enough, in the western direction, there was a cluster of rocky pillars protruding from the sea. A Pirate Ship was nestled between them, and its crew was feasting and reveling.
In this era of Marine dominance, even the Germa Kingdom of the North Blue didn't dare to provoke the Marines. The lives of pirates were getting harder day by day, and they had to hide even to have a simple feast.
These were just members of a small pirate crew. They were so weak that even under Rowen's Kenbunshoku Haki, he subconsciously treated them like fish in the sea, no different from specks of dust.
"Send someone over to deal with them... Oh, by the way, don't use cannons. There are many prisoners on board."
Prisoners?!
The marine guard's eyes lit up.
Finally, some real action!
Simply sinking the Pirate Ship wasn't as important for earning military merit now that their cannon fire had been upgraded.
Cannons couldn't solve every problem; there were times when a White Blade was needed.
The credit for rescuing prisoners and beheading the Pirate Captain remained just as valuable, even more so than before.
After being at sea for half a month and getting bored to death after firing a few shots at the enemy, they could finally let loose!
"Inform the third ship to be cautious, and turn 90 degrees!"
"Everyone, gather and prepare for battle!"
"Make sure to keep your eyes sharp, and don't accidentally kill the prisoners!"
The soldiers assigned to the mission were spirited and eager for action. Those not assigned to the mission sighed with disappointment, complaining that it was too hard to earn merit these days... and then, these complaining fellows were scolded by Vice Admiral Momonga like grandchildren.
Having no merits to fight over was the symbol of peace! That was Vice Admiral Momonga's view, and it was the same for many other Headquarters leaders.
A colossal War Behemoth, its masts towering like a mountain, slowly detached from the fleet and plowed through the Blue Sea, accelerating towards the distance. The other ships reduced their speed, allowing them to catch up after completing their quests.
Neither Rowen nor Vice Admiral Momonga paid much attention to this. It was just a small pirate crew in the East Blue. Even a random East Blue base could probably wipe them out.
And as expected...
Boom!
Bang!
Before long, the distant cacophony of cannonfire and battle cries reached their ears. The hidden pirates hadn't anticipated being discovered by the Marines, and the battle quickly escalated into a fierce confrontation.
Faced with these hungry wolves from Marine Headquarters, the pirates put up only symbolic resistance for about three minutes before being swiftly subdued by Marine forces.
Half an hour later, the third ship returned to the fleet. They also brought back a large group of prisoners.
"Thank you! Thank you, Marine sirs!"
These were a group of neatly dressed prisoners, indicating they came from affluent backgrounds before their capture. On board the Qilin, a frail old man stepped forward and knelt before Rowen.
"It is my duty, and cannot be shirked without dishonor! By the way, who are you all? Do you know how to get home?"
"In response to Marine sirs, we are merchants from the White Gull Chamber of Commerce. As long as you find a place with people to put us down, I will notify the chamber of commerce to come retrieve us."
"That's good then. It would be troublesome if it's not on your way."
Rowen nodded, instructing the soldiers to verify their identities. Once confirmed, they would be well-fed and arrangements would be made for them to be handed over to Base 153.
However, at this moment, he suddenly noticed a short, chubby kid with pink hair and glasses in the crowd, and his expression froze.
"Koby?!"
At the same time, Vice Admiral Momonga's voice thundered in anger, "You Bastards! A pirate with a bounty of 5,000,000 Belly isn't a pirate? Look at what you've done!!"
"What happened?" Feeling curious, Rowen approached, witnessing Vice Admiral Momonga, usually a kind soul, in such a state of anger was a rare sight.
"The captain of that pirate crew jumped into the sea to escape. These guys thought the opponent was just a small-time pirate with a bounty of 5,000,000, and didn't even go after him!"
Vice Admiral Momonga replied, then became furious. He shouted at the soldiers who stood in a row before him, shrinking and blushing, "Get into a small boat and set off on your own! Don't come back if you can't catch up!!"
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers blushed in embarrassment after the reprimand. As soldiers under a Vice Admiral of Headquarters, they had faced off against pirates with bounties ranging from tens of millions to even over a hundred million countless times.
Looking down on a small-time pirate in the East Blue with a mere 5,000,000 bounty was perfectly normal.
But in Vice Admiral Momonga's eyes, whether it was a 1 Billion Bounty or a 1,000,000 bounty, a pirate was still a pirate, with no distinction between high and low.
Allowing them to return to the sea was a dereliction of duty for the Marines!
It was an indelible shame!
Boom... Hua La La!
A small Battleship was released from a compartment at the tail of the War Behemoth, creating a large splash of white waves on the sea surface.
Seeing the "small boat" in Vice Admiral Momonga's mouth, which was in fact a Battleship larger than the merchant ship they were on, the merchants from the White Gull Chamber of Commerce stared in astonishment.
"A ship within a ship?!"
"Which Marine branch in the East Blue are they from?"
"Does the East Blue even have Battleships like this?"
Only now did the prisoners realize that the origins of these Marines before them seemed a bit mysterious.
After years of trading in the East Blue, the old captains could vouch that no branch in the East Blue possessed such a formidable fleet!
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(End of this chapter)