East Blue, Orange town.
This locale rests on the periphery of the Marine branch and is renowned for its exceptional orange cultivation. However, owing to frequent incursions by pirates, the town's residents are not particularly affluent and can only manage to eke out a modest living.
"Mayor! Oh no, another pirate ship has appeared in the port!"
Mayor Boodle, who had been occupied all morning, was prepared to take a break. However, the breathless young man at the door, bearing news, made him disregard his physical weariness. Snatching up the coat he had just removed, he hurriedly headed for the town entrance.
"Wait a moment, you go ahead." Suddenly recalling something, Boodle halted. "I'll go seek assistance from the Marines first!"
"But..."
The young man hesitated.
"There's no 'but'; reporting to the Marines at this moment adds one more option."
Boodle also recognized deep down that even if the Marines responded promptly, they would probably not arrive until after the pirates had already seized control of the entire town. Orange Town's secluded location meant that the Marines, responsible for the town's jurisdiction, struggled to provide timely support.
"Alright, Mayor, please go quickly..."
The young man gritted his teeth and could only comply.
In truth, the town did have security personnel—youths who were part of the security team. However, while it was sufficient for maintaining order and handling local gangsters, facing actual pirates was a different matter. A mere few lives wouldn't be enough if it came down to a clash with pirates.
...
The town wasn't very large. Its entrance was in proximity to the port, easing the export of oranges—a vital source of income for the town's residents.
At this moment, a sizable crowd of townspeople had congregated at the port, primarily composed of young and middle-aged individuals. Leading them was an older man exhibiting a composed demeanor.
Confronting them stood a group of pirates brandishing weapons, engaged in conversation and laughter, frequently spewing sweet talk. They were well-versed in raiding small towns lacking their own armed forces. Even if met with minimal resistance, it would only delay them slightly, so they paid little heed to the inhabitants of the small town.
The town hadn't been established for an extended period. The elderly man was among the earliest founders and had become accustomed to numerous challenges. He recognized that the vigor of the youth, yet he also understood that provoking these pirates could lead to the erasure of this small town from the map of East Blue.
"Captain, you look familiar."
While he felt a profound fear, it wasn't for his own life. His anxiety stemmed from bearing the lives of the entire town on his shoulders. To be candid, at his age, he had lived a full life, yet he was unwilling to witness the destruction of the town he had painstakingly constructed.
"Hahaha, old man, you've got a good memory. I was just here last month!"
This portly man possessed a towering physique. Years spent at sea had weathered his skin, leaving it cracked and sallow, bestowing upon him a ferocious and sinister appearance.
"Given that this captain has visited Orange Town before, he ought to comprehend our predicament. We truly have no surplus funds to offer as tribute to you, sir!"
The elderly man pleaded with a wry smile, acknowledging even to himself that this was a futile endeavor.
As expected.
"Hahaha! I am a pirate. If you dare to haggle with me, it truly puts me in an awkward position!"
The fat pirate paid no mind to this. He refrained from slaughtering everyone in the town outright during his previous visit, as he considered the possibility of future exploitation. However, he hadn't anticipated spending so much. If his demands weren't met this time, then...
"Go! Let's confront him..."
"Damn it, the worst that could happen is death. What are you afraid of!"
"That's right, these blasted pirates. Do they truly believe we're fools?"
Hearing the pirates' insults, a group of young individuals suddenly flushed with anger and desired to step forward and cut these pirates to pieces.
"Hey, hey..."
The fat pirate remained unperturbed. If he couldn't extort enough money to satiate his desires later, he didn't mind slaughtering the entire town. There would always be something to gain by scraping the ground.
"Shut up!"
Boodle hurried over, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. From a distance, he could hear the heated admonishments of the young townspeople, intensifying his anxiety. He feared that arriving even a step too late might lead to a larger conflict.
"What are you doing! If you don't comply, your family will pay the price with their lives!"
"Mayor, you..."
Ignoring the objections of others, Boodle turned around with a conciliatory smile and addressed the rotund pirate, "Could you please grant us some time? We were already struggling to make ends meet after your last visit to our town."
"Huh? You mean its my fault!"
"No, No..."
Boodle quickly explained. His current intention was to stall for time and do his utmost to delay Marine's support. However, the next words from the fat pirate in front of him left him horrified.
"I think you informed the Marines! You want to delay..."
"Absolutely not..."
A hint of panic flickered across Boodle's face when the crucial point was probed, and he was on the verge of offering an explanation.
However, how could pirates tolerate such talk? For individuals like them, accustomed to tasting blood on their blades, even the slightest inkling of suspicion warranted action. Otherwise, a moment of inattention could cost them their heads.
He swung the machete in this hand.
Just when everyone thought Boodle would meet his end in the next moment, a gentle voice cut through the tension.
"I'm terribly sorry. You're will have an unfortunate day..."
Before the fat pirate could react, his entire body was instantaneously incinerated to ashes, drifting away in the wind.
"Gulp~"
The pirates who were reveling suddenly fell silent, their previous air of relaxation dissipating. They were evidently unnerved by the eerie spectacle before them.
Without any more nonsense, Conqueror's Haki swept through the area. These pirates were all low-level, and within the entire group, only the rotund pirate from earlier had a meager bounty. Thus, they were overwhelmed by Atlas' Conqueror's Haki. One by one, they dropped to the ground, bleeding from their orifices.
"Marines? Backup arrived so quickly?"
Boodle, having survived the turmoil, gazed at the perplexing figure of Atlas before him. Clad in a pristine white suit, the peculiar epaulettes on his attire seemed unfamiliar to him.
"I'm truly sorry. Justice should never be absent, let alone late. This lapse is on our Marine's part."
Atlas was well aware that, despite Marine's jurisdiction over the four seas, their forces and military expenditures were genuinely constrained. With the surge in the number of pirates, Marine's reinforcements were not arriving promptly.
"Huh? No need to apologize. It was thanks to Marine-sama's prompt response that we survived this time."
Boodle quickly waved his hands. While it would be false to say that he didn't express dissatisfaction with Marine's delayed support, he simultaneously grasped the predicament they were in.
In the today's world, the survival of civilians has become increasingly challenging. Without Marine's protection, hope would be scarce.
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