"Town of Beginnings and Ends" is the nickname for Loguetown.
This is because the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was born here and ultimately executed here. The World Government uses this nickname to remind people that no matter how mighty a pirate may be, even the Pirate King, they will ultimately fall at the hands of the World Government.
It's akin to how some countries produce crime dramas: despite how formidable and arrogant the villains are, the authorities don't care about their bravado; breaking the law eventually means jail time.
As the last island in the East Blue before entering the Grand Line, Loguetown is a necessary stop for almost every pirate.
To establish themselves here, Marines need fundamental skills or, like Colonel Hill, play the part of a zealous but incompetent officer while secretly colluding with the underworld of the East Blue.
Colonel Hill takes care of the cleanup as long as the money is sufficient.
But Hill isn't short-sighted. He knows that others give others give him everything he has now. A person must rely on themselves.
This is why, despite his naturally lazy nature, Colonel Hill fought for the position of Loguetown's colonel. He could only receive the "Six Styles" training manual by becoming a headquarters colonel.
Only by improving his strength could he earn more influence.
Hill had been the colonel of Loguetown for almost three years. He secretly made countless efforts to practice the Six Styles.
But today, after witnessing a monster from headquarters, he helplessly realized that some gaps between people cannot be bridged by effort alone.
This Major Hailan claimed he hadn't used the Six Styles tonight. Yet, he managed to tie up Lieutenant Wagner right at Hill's door without Hill noticing a thing.
Hill couldn't afford to offend this major if he wasn't bluffing.
"What's wrong? Afraid I'm deceiving you?" Hailan pulled Kong Ming's appointment letter from his pocket, finally putting Hill and Wagner at ease.
"Salute!" After untying Wagner, Hill led the salute to Hailan.
Although Hill's rank as a headquarters colonel was two levels higher than Hailan's, he dared not put on airs before a superior fighter. It was better to play it safe.
Hailan returned the salute and ordered, "Go untie the other soldiers and assemble on the training field."
Wagner was surprised, "Assemble now? It's around 1 a.m."
Hailan's tone turned stern, "If they can sleep while tied up like this, I suggest you recruit new soldiers for the base."
"Yes, sir!" Wagner was pleased; instead, he was excited to have a skilled leader from headquarters.
While Hill's physical actions were no slower than Wagner's, his mind was busy analyzing Hailan's character from these brief interactions to avoid making mistakes around this major.
"Wagner, we've been attacked!" Belle-mère shouted when her gag was removed, not even taking time to rub her mouth.
As Wagner untied her hands, he casually explained, "Of course, I can see that we've been attacked."
Belle-mère asked, confused, "Then why aren't you worried?"
Wagner explained again, "The one who attacked us isn't an enemy; it's Major Hailan from headquarters."
"Hailan?"
Wagner's tone carried a hint of admiration, "Yes, even though he came alone, he's truly impressive. He managed to subdue all of us by himself. I think we misunderstood headquarters earlier; Major Hailan alone is worth all our soldiers combined."
"Hmph, what's so great about that?" Belle-mère rubbed her sore wrists. This damn guy, not knowing how to be gentle with girls, "It was just a sneak attack. I could take out all the soldiers in this base too."
Wagner didn't bother arguing with Belle-mère, "See for yourself; Major Hailan is assembling the soldiers now."
One by one, the soldiers of Loguetown Marine Base gathered on the training field.
"Reporting to Major Hailan, the soldiers are assembled. Awaiting orders!"
The one delivering the report was Lieutenant Wagner.
Although Hill was a headquarters colonel, it wasn't appropriate for him to give orders when Hailan was in charge.
"Lieutenant, join the ranks."
"Yes, sir!"
Hailan walked up to Hill and asked with a smile, "Colonel Hill, I'll be taking charge of your soldiers for the next few days. Any objections?"
"Of course not. Since headquarters has assigned you as the commanding officer for this operation, I have no objections." Hill responded solemnly, internally thinking, Do you think I dare have objections?
Hailan turned to the soldiers on the training field.
The night was dark, making it hard to see each other's faces, but their movements were visible. The soldiers of Loguetown were more like a ragtag militia, severely lacking discipline.
Only two stood out with proper military posture.
One was Lieutenant Wagner, inspired by Hailan's display of strength.
The other was Lieutenant Belle-mère, a rebellious girl who wouldn't show weakness in front of an appointed superior.
But Hailan didn't intend to be as easygoing as he was at the Naval Academy. This time, he planned to play the bad guy, a strict superior.
There's a saying, "Good men are often overlooked, bad boys get the girls."
It applies to men, too.
In criminal psychology, this is known as Stockholm Syndrome or the hostage syndrome. It describes how hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors, seeing them as saviors for showing even a shred of kindness.
This innate human trait is well-utilized not only in psychology but also in marketing. The corresponding term is "hunger marketing."
An author who updates steadily with two or three chapters a day might not get votes from readers. But if they update only one chapter daily, saving the rest for occasional bursts, readers will see them as hardworking and shower them with votes.
They might even snag a top supporter.