The communications officer ran up, panting, and reported, "Rear Admiral Ryu, we've connected with Rear Admiral Smoker!"
Ryu took a deep breath, barely containing his anger. "Tell me, who committed this heinous crime?"
Through the Den Den Mushi, Smoker's voice came through in a low tone. "The Krieg Pirates. I don't know the specifics, but when I took over Loguetown's affairs, I received word that the island had been attacked. By the time I arrived, this was all that was left."
Ryu's face twisted in a grim smile. "The Krieg Pirates, huh? Fine. Smoker, I didn't find many bodies on the island—what about the villagers?"
Smoker replied calmly, "Some villagers were killed, but most survived by hiding in a cave. I've relocated them to a small island near Loguetown where they can start over."
Ryu's anger subsided a bit as he exhaled, "I see… Thank you, Smoker."
Smoker's voice rose in response, "I didn't do it for you; it was my duty as a Marine!" His tone made it clear he didn't care for Ryu's gratitude.
"Regardless, thanks," Ryu chuckled, then continued with a sharper edge, "But why did you, the head of Loguetown, have to intervene yourself? Wasn't there a local Marine branch nearby? If they'd responded immediately, maybe the island wouldn't have fallen so easily."
Smoker went silent.
"I see…" Ryu ended the call with a smirk.
On the other end, Smoker stared at the cut line, fuming. "That punk actually hung up on me! What does he think he knows? The branch leader wasn't even at the station, he was on patrol… does he think I wanted it to end up like that?"
Ryu, meanwhile, turned to the sergeant beside him. "Where's the nearest branch? Who's in command?"
The sergeant hesitated before answering, "The nearest branch is the Sixteenth, under Captain Nezumi's command, sir."
"Captain Nezumi? Sounds familiar…" Ryu muttered, rubbing his chin.
Closing his eyes, Ryu visualized the East Blue map he had studied extensively. His hometown was a small island near the Red Line, and it was only by drifting on a small boat that he eventually reached Loguetown.
In fact, his hometown was close to Cocoyasi Village, a large landmass with over twenty villages dominated by the fish-man Arlong, and Nami's village was one of them.
"Set course for the Sixteenth Branch!" Ryu ordered with a determined look.
Since it was Captain Nezumi—a notoriously greedy and cowardly officer—the solution to this problem seemed obvious.
"Aye, sir!" The warship surged forward toward the Sixteenth Branch.
Meanwhile, Garp had also set sail. Upon reaching Foosha Village, he discovered that Luffy had already gone to sea, prompting a scolding from the mayor. Realizing he'd missed his grandson's birthday, Garp quickly set off in an attempt to catch up with Luffy.
Around this time, Luffy and Koby had landed in Shells Town, where Luffy encountered his first crewmate—the pirate hunter Zoro.
The two caused an uproar in the Marine base there, taking down the corrupt Captain Morgan, who had turned Shells Town's Marine 153 Branch into his personal fiefdom. Once a driven Marine, Morgan's encounter with "Captain" Kuro left him mentally manipulated and altered by hypnosis, making him power-obsessed and ruthless.
After Morgan's defeat, Luffy pretended to cut ties with Koby to avoid complications, allowing Koby to pursue his dream of joining the Marines. Meanwhile, Morgan's son, Helmeppo, and Koby remained at the base as low-ranking recruits.
The next day, Garp, still pursuing Luffy, also landed in Shells Town, where he received a request from Loguetown to take Captain Axe-Hand Morgan for trial.
This day also marked the rise of "Axe God" Morgan, as jokingly referred to by Earth's One Piece fans. Garp deliberately let Morgan land a hit on him to test Koby and Helmeppo's reaction. If pirates in the Grand Line or New World saw this, they might indeed respect Morgan as a force to reckon with, as Garp's "Fist of Love" was no small title.
Aboard his dog-headed ship with Koby and Helmeppo, Garp set course for Loguetown, anticipating that Luffy would inevitably pass through there.
Meanwhile, after meeting Nami through their encounter with Buggy, Luffy's crew continued their journey, adding Usopp to their ranks after a battle with Kuro in Usopp's hometown. Not long after, they saved Zoro's friends Johnny and Yosaku, who were sick with scurvy, and redirected to the Baratie at their suggestion.
Upon reaching the Sixteenth Branch, Ryu found that Captain Nezumi was out at sea. Wanting to avoid alerting anyone, he refrained from having Nezumi contacted and quietly returned to his warship to plan his next move.
After some thought, Ryu decided to seek out the Krieg Pirates. Calling Smoker, he confirmed, "The Krieg Pirates, you say? I heard they entered the Grand Line a few days ago, so you'll have to go there to pursue them. By the way, Ryu, where are you? Captain Nezumi of the Sixteenth Branch wasn't even at his post, so he couldn't provide immediate support," Smoker warned, worried that Ryu might act recklessly.
Ignoring Smoker's concern, Ryu asked, "Do you know the location of the famous floating restaurant in East Blue?"
"Baratie? Why are you asking about that?" Smoker replied, puzzled. Normally, he would simply give Ryu the coordinates, but under these circumstances, he was concerned about Ryu's intentions.
"Just tell me where it is," Ryu pressed. Knowing Krieg would soon encounter Mihawk and retreat back to East Blue, he wanted to reach Baratie in time to intercept the remnants of Krieg's crew before Luffy complicated matters.
After a brief pause, Smoker advised Ryu to ask the sergeant onboard, who knew the coordinates to Baratie. With that, Ryu immediately gave the command to head for the restaurant.
Frustrated by yet another abrupt hang-up, Smoker contacted the Sixteenth Branch to make sure Ryu hadn't caused trouble. Relieved to hear that Ryu had left without incident, he nonetheless decided to inform Garp for added security.
Meanwhile, at Baratie, the owner, Red-Leg Zeff, felt a strange sense of foreboding as he gazed out the window. His intuition proved accurate when a stray cannonball burst through his room, injuring him slightly. This was courtesy of Luffy's clash with the Marine Lieutenant Fullbody, whose retaliation sent a cannonball straight toward Zeff's quarters.
Following this, Fullbody's altercation with Sanji disrupted the restaurant, as Luffy's group watched Sanji deal with a beaten-down pirate, Gin, who had been turned away for lack of money. Ever compassionate, Sanji quietly provided Gin with a meal and a boat, earning Luffy's admiration and prompting an invitation to join his crew.
Little did Sanji know, Gin was actually an officer in the Krieg Pirates. Following a disastrous encounter with Mihawk on the Grand Line, the Krieg Pirates had retreated to East Blue. Desperate and starving, they soon returned to Baratie, where Krieg revealed his plan to seize the floating restaurant instead of merely buying food.
In the ensuing conflict, Zeff emerged, and Krieg recognized him as the legendary pirate Red-Leg Zeff, who had once braved the Grand Line himself.
..............
Started editing the chapters now ^^
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