Grand Line, Area 51, Sabaody Archipelago.
"Huh? This feel..."
A young man, attired in ragged clothing and sporting gray-green hair, was stealthily moving about in the vicinity.
His name was Gild Tesoro, and he found himself in Sabaody, just a stone's throw away from Marie Joie.
For Tesoro, the so-called holy land Marie Joie was a nightmare he never wanted to recall in his life. However, the individual who had just swept through the land of Sabaody seemed to be the person who had saved him in Marie Joie before.
"Forget it, we can inquire later. The primary objective now is to find a ship and get out of this cursed place."
No matter how picturesque the Sabaody Archipelago may be, Tesoro feels highly uneasy in the Celestial Dragons' backyard, a place that constantly brings back memories of his past life as a slave.
Even though he is uncertain about his next steps, his objective is crystal clear—to make money!
If only he had money! He wouldn't have allowed Stella to be purchased by the Celestial Dragons.
If only he had money! The Celestial Dragons would have to please him as well!
If only he had money! His ordeal wouldn't have been so tragic!
Money! It is the most beautiful and useful thing in the world!
Tesoro already harbors an almost obsessive desire for money. In his view, all his misfortunes can be traced back to poverty!
...
"Vice Admiral, what are you...?"
Observing the gradually nearing shoreline of Sabaody, Majors felt a bit perplexed about Atlas's actions just now.
"The Conqueror's Haki has incapacitated most of the criminals. You can lead the soldiers to apprehend those scum," Atlas added casually, "if any of them are still alive."
"Can Conqueror's... achieve something like this?"
Majors felt his throat becoming a bit dry and instinctively swallowed.
In his understanding, isn't Conqueror's Haki only effective against the weak?
In fact, it's not surprising that Majors holds such a belief. As a Marine colonel, gaining access to the level of a Conqueror's Haki wielder is a challenging feat. Often, he only has a limited understanding of Conqueror's, especially considering that some Conqueror's owners may see it merely as a symbolic qualification, lacking detailed knowledge of its true power.
"Hey, you can achieve precision in your strikes by combining it with your Observation Haki. It's quite straightforward," Atlas remarked.
In fact, this was the lesson Atlas learned the hard way after enduring two intertwined slashes from Rayleigh, the last time he faced Conqueror's Haki. Atlas's utilization of Conqueror's has since become more versatile. Otherwise, executing such a large-scale precision strike could easily result in unintended injuries.
"Yes! Vice Admiral!"
Majors promptly followed the order, paying little attention to Atlas's display of skill, and led a contingent of soldiers from the warship to disembark on Sabaody in an organized fashion.
The soldiers were filled with excitement. They had overheard the exchange between Vice Admiral Atlas and Colonel Crane Majors, and naturally, they understood that this was an opportunity for them to claim all the credit. They eagerly prepared for the upcoming mission.
"I didn't expect old man Rayleigh to be absent from Sabaody. Could he have headed to Maiden Island?" Atlas pondered aloud.
Observing the departing Marines, Atlas mused to himself. He had initially hoped for a confrontation with Rayleigh, but it seemed that finding Rayleigh was proving to be an elusive task, even with exhaustive efforts.
According to Atlas's speculations, it crossed his mind that Rayleigh might have discovered the identities of the three Boa sisters on Maiden Island and escorted them back, along with Shakky.
What a pity...
...
Lawless zones 1 to 29.
The pirates scattered around displayed similar symptoms: their eyes turned white, foam was visible at their mouths, and some even had bleeding from various orifices, suggesting severe impacts to their heads or bodies.
Upon arriving at the Sabaody Archipelago, the Marines witnessed the aftermath of the Conqueror's Haki exerted by Atlas. The powerful impact of Conqueror's Haki left the pirates in a state of shock, with many displaying visible signs of physical distress.
"This is 'Evil Ghost' Nick, boasting a bounty of 70 million, now incapacitated but still breathing!"
"Hmm, it's 'Butcher' Augustus, with a bounty of 90 million. This fellow is a bloodthirsty pirate, and a significant portion of his bounty comes from massacring innocent civilians."
"Look! This is the 'Crying Hunter' Kapani. Rumor has it that he's a bit of a psycho, with some abnormalities in his brain."
...
As the Marines meticulously identified each pirate, they recognized a significant number of notorious names. The unconscious individuals turned out to be pirates and human traffickers. This accurate strike left a profound impression on the Marines, and their admiration for the young man grew even more sincere.
"This is... really unbelievable!!!"
Majors found it hard to believe. Could a Vice Admiral truly unleash such a devastating blow? He had heard that this formidable Vice Admiral didn't seem to hold any specific title yet.
While Akainu and the other two possess broad AOE (Area of Effect) skills due to their Logia abilities, executing precise strikes covering the entire island, like what Atlas just demonstrated, is uncertain for Majors. However, the lack of certainty doesn't diminish the impact of the scene unfolding before him. The visual impression is still immensely powerful.
Actually, while Atlas might not match the strength of the three powerhouse Vice Admirals, he's more than capable of holding his own in a ten-day battle against them. The outcome remains uncertain, and securing the title isn't a simple task.
There are only two general titles for Vice Admirals. One is the elite Vice Admiral at Naval Headquarters, typically awarded to a seasoned Vice Admiral with significant merits. The other is the title of Admiral candidate.
It is almost a certainty that an Admiral candidate will eventually assume the role of an Admiral. Once they possess the required strength and accumulate sufficient military merit, becoming an Admiral is a matter of course. The title of Admiral is renowned as the pinnacle of Marine's combat prowess, and ultimately, one's strength will be the decisive factor in achieving this prestigious rank.
For instance, more than a decade later, it became evident that Gion and Tokikake possessed the necessary qualifications to ascend to the position of Marine Admirals. However, the appointment of Admirals was ultimately filled through global conscription. The reasons behind this could be attributed to either insufficient strength on their part or a deliberate move by the Five Elders to introduce individuals from outside the Marine faction in order to maintain a system of checks and balances.
According to Atlas's speculation, the more probable scenario is the former. In this world, respect is primarily accorded to the strong, and one's status is ultimately determined by the possession of ample power.
"Hurry up... someone over here is still alive!"
"What? Handcuffs aren't sufficient? Someone bring a rope over here quickly!"
"No rope left? Well, forget it... just cut off their hands and feet and bring them back!"
"...yes!"
Perhaps they didn't anticipate their commander making such a remarkable move. The handcuffs on the warship simply couldn't satisfy the requirements for these prisoners.
Majors was also a decisive man and issued a direct order to cut off the hands and feet of the remaining prisoners, ensuring they wouldn't wake up and attempt to escape.
Marine's efficiency was impressive, swiftly dragging a group of bound pirates to the coast where the warship was docked, ready for Atlas's further orders.
"It's quite bothersome~ Unexpectedly, there are quite a number of surviving pirates."
Atlas glanced at the pirates being roughly dragged by the Marines and curled his lips in disgust, clearly dissatisfied with the impact of his Conqueror's Haki.
However, this was also due to Atlas being excessively demanding. It was quite unrealistic to expect pirates with significant bounties to drop dead on the spot from his long-range Conqueror's Haki attack.
"Vice Admiral, how should we deal with these pirates?"
"Inspect them thoroughly, and then...dispose of them! No need to waste resources by sending them to Impel Down..."
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