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When bases around the world are working overtime to replicate, the Marines are not idle.
You must understand that pirates won't stop their plundering just because the Marines are perfecting their plans.
Civilians everywhere are still waiting for the Marines' rescue.
The high-ranking officers at headquarters are busy replicating powerful individuals, leaving them unable to lead ships on missions.
Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals stationed at various bases must guard the factories to prevent pirates or criminals from raiding them.
So, it's up to Commodores, Captains, and Commanders to lead the ships and suppress the bandits.
"Go, Captain Flo, I believe you'll successfully complete this rescue mission."
Somewhere in the base, a Rear Admiral firmly patted the Captain on the shoulder.
The Captain , looking serious, nodded without hesitation and responded with a salute: "Rest assured, sir, I'll do my best to complete the task."
"Well, after all, you've been with the Marines for nearly ten years. This is a transformation leaf for you. Use it wisely."
"Fleet Admiral Akira said not to worry about saving them; these are just objects he can conjure at will."
The Rear Admiral took out a dozen leaves from his coat and handed them to the Captain, saying, "The life of a soldier is priceless, understand?"
"I understand, sir."
The Captain carefully placed the transformation leaf with a name on it into his inner pocket as if holding a precious treasure.
Without further words, he gathered nearly a hundred soldiers and set sail on the warship.
On deck, after issuing all orders, the Captain gently took out the transformation leaf and looked at the names written on it.
[Borsalino]
[Explosion Buddy]
[Samurai Cyril]
"I've never faced such a formidable lineup."
The Captain was stunned and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
The average person might only recognize one-third of the names on these transformation leaves.
But as a veteran, he knew them all.
Borsalino, one of the three Marine Admirals, is a monster with invincible strength.
Explosion Buddy was a notorious pirate with a bounty over 100 million berries a few years ago. He's a Paramecia-type user who ate the Explosion-Explosion Fruit, making his powers both practical and formidable.
Samurai Cyril, a pure swordsman, gained a great reputation with just one sword. However, after entering the second half of the Grand Line and fighting Whitebeard, he disappeared without a trace. But there's no doubt he was incredibly powerful.
As for the others, anyone worthy of being written on a transformation leaf is not weak.
Honestly, any one of these transformation leaves could dominate the first half of the Grand Line.
The Captain's heart surged with excitement.
Once these are all summoned, this lineup could not only navigate the second half of the Grand Line with ease, but even if they encountered major pirates, there'd be no need to worry.
Even if they couldn't win, they wouldn't be left behind.
"Sir, the location has been confirmed, and I've spoken to the locals."
At that moment, a young recruit in uniform rushed over, saluted, and said seriously, "The pirates are still in the town, waiting for the Log Pose to set."
"Good Vergo! Understood."
The Captain snapped back to reality, subconsciously smiled, and patted the young man's head.
This boy was one of the new recruits who joined the base recently.
Since joining, he's consistently exceeded expectations in both following orders and fighting bravely, far surpassing the average soldier.
Even seasoned soldiers with years of experience couldn't match him.
And his strength is impressive. The Captain suspected that even he couldn't defeat the boy.
But he didn't feel jealous. With age, he had come to appreciate such talent the most.
"Follow closely and study hard! You're the genius in our base most likely to catch the attention of headquarters."
"In the future, justice will rest in the hands of you young ones."
Vergo smiled back, scratching his head, but his eyes briefly flickered as he glanced at the transformation leaf out of the corner of his eye, quickly dismissing it.
The weather outside was bustling, and the warship, catching the wind, sailed swiftly.
In just two hours, they arrived at their destination.
Coincidentally, the pirate ship docked at the port had just finished resupplying and was preparing to set sail.
"Huh? Marines are here already? That was fast!"
"Hahaha, good timing! It's their bad luck to run into us."
"They're blocking our way—it looks like we're in for a fight."
"Brothers, we couldn't beat the Donquixote Family, but Marines? Let's get ready for battle!"
As soon as the pirates spotted the warship, they stopped moving their loot and pulled out their weapons, ready for the approaching fight.
Vergo stood beside the Colonel, his eyes cold and his body tense, ready to spring into action.
'Is this the opportunity Doflamingo set up for me?'
'I can't let him down. I need to make a name for myself today and catch the attention of headquarters.'
He thought to himself.
Being sent to the Marines as an undercover agent wasn't just to waste time in a small branch base. Both he and Doflamingo were eager to enter headquarters to gather intelligence from the higher-ups.
"Captain, the pirates have spotted us. Allow me to take the lead."
Vergo whispered to the Captain, already prepared to jump into action as soon as the two ships exchanged cannon fire.
Typically, encounters with pirates at sea start this way—warships leverage their superior firepower, hoping to sink the pirates' ship. If successful, it's a clean victory. If not, close combat is inevitable.
Leading the charge is dangerous, but it's also where the most credit is earned.
Vergo wasn't boasting—there was no one stronger than him on this warship, or even in the entire branch base. As long as the Captain wasn't foolish, the frontline position would definitely be his.
The soldiers in the distance were already preparing their cannons and weapons, ready to fire at any moment.
"No, we're going to change our approach this time."
With a relaxed smile, the Captain shook his head, stopping Vergo.
Under the puzzled gazes of everyone, he pulled out a leaf with "Samurai Cyril" written on it from the transformation leaves and flicked it forward.
With a bang, a man with a long sword at his waist and a cold demeanor appeared.
"There are pirates ahead."
It was the Captain's first time using a transformation leaf. Seeing the once-famous pirate appear before him, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous. But years of combat experience had hardened his resolve.
He pointed towards the pirate ship not far away and gave the order.
Cyril didn't respond, merely glancing at the target. After a brief perception, his expression showed disappointment.
Clang.
His sword was unsheathed, and a blinding flash of light streaked across the air with incredible speed.
Everyone instinctively shut their eyes.
Only when the sting in their eyes faded did they dare to open them again.
But to their shock, Cyril was no longer on the deck—only a leaf with a browned edge lay quietly where he had stood.
All the soldiers quickly turned their heads toward the port in town.
What they saw left them utterly speechless.
They saw that there were no pirate ships or pirates left.
Only the broken ship, now split into more than a dozen pieces, was slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea.
The pirates, who had been alive and ready to fight just moments before, now lay in pools of blood, their eyes wide open in death.
Vergo's mouth hung slightly open.
This…
His heart was a mix of emotions as he subconsciously walked straight towards the cabin.
Passing by his stunned colleagues, who were still trying to process what had just happened, Vergo entered the room.
He closed the door behind him and took out a Den Den Mushi from a hidden corner.
Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~.
The Den Den Mushi, resembling someone wearing sunglasses and a pink cape, connected.
Vergo said, "Doffy, the glory you sent me has been stolen."
Doflamingo: "???"
The second half of the Grand Line.
A warship was sailing.
"Hahahahaha, I never thought I'd be leading a mission on a warship myself."
A burly Commodore with a rough appearance laughed heartily, his hands in his pockets.
The first half of the Grand Line is very different from the Four Seas, with danger levels significantly higher here.
As a result, only Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals are usually allowed to lead warships into these waters.
For a Commodore, it's uncommon to take a fleet to sea alone, unless they're returning to the first half of the Grand Line.
"My lord, we've got trouble!"
Suddenly, a soldier stationed on the watchtower poked his head out, shouting in fear.
All the soldiers tensed up.
Even the Commodore stopped laughing and asked, "What's wrong?"
"There's a pirate ship ahead—the fleet of the legendary pirate Ochoku."
...
As soon as the soldier spoke, everyone on board gasped.
"Ochoku? That's the overlord of Beehive Island."
"Commodore, give the order to retreat! We can't win this fight."
"Yeah, even if our Vice Admiral from G-5 were leading the team, we wouldn't stand a chance."
"We're doomed. We can't escape without orders."
Just the name "Ochoku" struck fear into the soldiers, even before the enemy had shown their face.
They crowded around the Commodore, repeatedly urging him to retreat.
The Commodore himself felt a pang of fear upon hearing that Ochoku was on the other side.
But seeing his soldiers so frightened only fueled his anger.
Boom.
A powerful aura erupted from him, silencing the soldiers' chatter.
The Commodore pointed at them with his index finger and roared angrily, "You cowards, look at yourselves!
"Is Ochoku really that fearsome?"
"If we run away without even trying to fight, how can I ever lead you out again?"
"Soldier..."
The Commodore looked past the others and focused on the soldier at the helm: "Steer the ship toward them."
"But sir, that's Ochoku!"
"I don't care! Do you think Vice Admiral would let me lead you out here if we weren't prepared?"
The Commodore knew he had to persuade them. These men were tough, and only the Vice Admiral had the authority to command their respect.
As for himself, a mere Commodore, they might or might not listen.
After all, these soldiers were sent to this dangerous sea because they had tried to rescue Roger and set sail with him as pirates.
"See this?"
The Commodore pulled out a large stack of transformation leaves from his coat and held them up high.
Under the sunlight, the top one read "Sakazuki" in bold, lifelike characters.
The panic on the warship began to subside.
"This is the second half of the Grand Line, the most dangerous sea in the world. Do you think headquarters would leave us unprepared?"
"Let me tell you, among these transformation leaves, there are six with the same fighting power as Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."
"Now tell me, are you still afraid?"
Six Sakazuki-class leaves!!!
Hearing this, the soldiers were left speechless.
During the Marineford War, some people had recorded the scene with Den Den Mushi.
Many had seen it, and even those who hadn't read about it in detailed newspaper reports.
The cloned Sakazuki was nearly as strong as the original. Even if there was a physical limit, having six of these leaves more than compensated, potentially exceeding the original's strength.
Not to mention, the Commodore also had other transformation leaves with powerful clones.
In just a single breath, the panic on the soldiers' faces disappeared, replaced by calm determination and a readiness to fight.
The Commodore grinned in satisfaction.
"Don't fire! Let the warship close in!" he ordered, pointing towards Ochoku's pirate fleet.
"Roar!"
The warship, which had previously slowed down, now surged forward with renewed speed.
On the opposite side, the pirates watched this unexpected move with confusion.
"These Marines must have a death wish, charging at us alone."
"Did they lose their minds? I was ready to cut down some cannonballs, but they didn't fire a single shot."
"Looks like they've been brainwashed by that 'justice' nonsense again."
"Let them come. It's been days since I last killed a Marine."
Under everyone's gaze, the warship finally drew close, and the Marines and pirates were now face to face.
"Ochoku, your reign of terror ends today!" the Commodore declared loudly, locking eyes with the pirate, who wore a long, colorful robe and had a beard that reached his legs. "Remember this face, so when you get to hell, you can tell them who sent you there!"
Ochoku narrowed his eyes, the sunlight glinting off them.
"Little Commodore, how ridiculous! You don't even know how—"
He was cut off, his words stuck in his throat. Not just Ochoku, but every pirate around him was now staring ahead, dumbfounded.
The Commodore, not wasting a moment after his bold declaration, had waved his hand and summoned all the transformation leaves.
Bang bang bang bang...
In an instant, thick smoke enveloped the warship. When the sea breeze cleared it away, dozens of imposing figures stood tall.
Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, Norton, Tokikake...
Ochoku recognized every one of them, and a wave of suffocation hit him.
He pointed at the Commodore with a pale face, unable to find the words to express his utter disbelief.
How could this many monsters all target him at once?
The Commodore, full of energy, waved his hand again and ordered, "Gentlemen, they're all pirates—don't let a single one escape."
"Meteor Volcano!"
"Ice Age!"
A barrage of powerful attacks rained down, completely overwhelming everyone's field of vision.
Ochoku and the pirates could only scream, "Bastards!"
Rumble.
The sea trembled as massive waves surged.
Two hours later, the Commodore sat atop a mountain of corpses, piled high with the bodies of Ochoku and his crew. He stared at the transformation leaves, which had once been bright green but were now mostly yellowed and withered.
He wanted to cry but had no tears left.
"My lord, none of Ochoku's pirates survived! All their treasures have been moved onto the warship," a soldier reported, running up with a mix of shock and joy on his face. "The transformation leaves given by Fleet Admiral Akira are so powerful! Who could possibly stand against us on the seas now?"
"Let's go take on Whitebeard!" the soldier added, excitedly.
The Commodore shot him a glare and raised his hand.
Smack!
The soldier rubbed the back of his head, looking at the Commodore in confusion.
"Idiot! The transformation leaves are all out of energy!" the Commodore snapped as he quickly got to his feet, turning to the assembled soldiers.
"Hurry up and get us back to base! We need to wait for the new batch of transformation leaves to arrive!"
"If we stay here, we're sitting ducks for any passing pirates."
At this, the previously confident soldier's face fell. Without another word, everyone rushed back to the warship, scrambling to set sail at full speed.
Behind them, Ochoku's fleet burned, slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea.