Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
…
Early in the morning, a staggeringly luxurious ship sailed across the sunlit sea, cutting through the waves, while a Marine warship followed closely beside it.
The ship belonged to the beautiful Goa Kingdom of East Blue.
Just an hour earlier, they had left East Blue, crossed Reverse Mountain, and entered the Grand Line.
Their destination was the Mary Geoise Holy Land at the end of the first half of the Grand Line, where they would attend this World Conference held by the World Government.
On the deck, surrounded by attendants, stood a lavishly dressed man and woman with ugly features. They were the man now known as King Outlook II and his queen, Carly Strand.
Beside them was Vice Admiral Dalmatian, wearing a Vice Admiral's cape and possessing the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Dalmatian.
Unlike the arrogant, defiant looks they had worn when they first entered the Grand Line, King Outlook II and Queen Carly Strand were now pale with terror. Their thick makeup had begun to twist from fear, and the guards beside them were no better, their legs practically shaking beneath them.
Because just an hour ago, the moment they entered the Grand Line, three pirate ships had appeared in front of them.
Their goal was simple: kidnap King Outlook II and Queen Carly Strand, then demand a massive ransom.
The thunder of cannon fire and the sounds of slaughter had given these canaries raised in gilded cages their first true glimpse of the sea's horrors.
The vicious pirates closing in and the blood splattering nearby had even made the king collapse to the deck.
Fortunately, the Marines arrived in time to save them, and the three pirate ships were completely destroyed.
Even so, when facing those vicious pirates, the king and queen had thrown away every trace of their former grace for the first time and ended up in a humiliatingly wretched state. They had never felt so disgraced in their lives. But they did not dare vent their anger on the Marines around them, so the servants nearby became their targets, beaten and kicked by the two of them instead.
Dalmatian stood to the side, watching it all with cold eyes.
By then, King Outlook II and Queen Carly Strand had finished fixing their makeup and once again restored their usual air of elegance and nobility. Still somewhat uneasy, they approached Dalmatian and asked,
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian, when will we reach Mary Geoise? It's far too dangerous here!"
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, Your Highness. As a Marine, I will protect you."
After offering that cold reassurance, Dalmatian slowly continued,
"Next, we need to make a detour to the Kingdom of Alabasta. Once we pick up King Nafirutali, we'll proceed to Mary Geoise. It should take about fourteen days."
"Why!?"
The moment he heard they still had to go to the Kingdom of Alabasta, Outlook II grew anxious. To him, staying even one more day on such dangerous seas meant another day of risk. Who knew what terrifying pirates they might run into next?
Beside him, the sharp-featured Queen Carly Strand shouted in fury,
"Absolutely not. You Marines were sent to protect us. I order you to head for the Mary Geoise Holy Land immediately. Not another moment of delay is allowed."
Dalmatian merely gave the two of them a cold look.
"My apologies, but this is an order from Marine Headquarters. And as a Vice Admiral, I am not under your command. If you are dissatisfied, you may head to Mary Geoise on your own right now..."
Outlook II and Queen Carly Strand were instantly left speechless.
Go to the Mary Geoise Holy Land by themselves? Even with ten times the courage, they would never dare.
Seeing this, Dalmatian no longer paid them any mind and said,
"My apologies, but I'm returning to the warship. From here on, please do not do anything that will cause trouble."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dalmatian stepped forward and leapt back onto the warship sailing alongside them, leaving King Outlook II and Queen Carly Strand behind, cursing him as a bastard under their breath.
…
On the Marine warship, the aftermath of the battle was being cleared away.
No war was without bloodshed, and battles between Marines and pirates were no exception.
Although the Marines aboard this warship were elites from Headquarters, expecting them to take down three pirate crews without spilling a drop of blood was impossible, especially on the Grand Line.
As the highest-ranking officer present, Dalmatian walked around the ship, checking on the wounded soldiers. His concern lifted everyone's spirits.
At that moment, Dalmatian seemed to notice something and walked toward a corner of the warship's deck.
There, a woman with deep red hair, wearing a Marine Justice cape, was bandaging her own arm. Judging by her rank, she was a second lieutenant.
When she saw Dalmatian approach, the woman instinctively tried to stand and salute, but Dalmatian pressed her back down.
"That's enough. Don't worry about formalities at a time like this."
Only then did Dalmatian look at the injured woman and ask,
"How's your wound? Do you need to see the ship's doctor?"
Dalmatian valued this woman enough to come and check on her personally because, in the male-dominated world of the Marines, outstanding women were far too rare. Especially one who had become a second lieutenant at Headquarters before turning twenty. Her future could be said to be limitless.
"Reporting to Vice Admiral Dalmatian, it's nothing serious. I was just unlucky and got grazed by a bullet..."
"Mm."
Only then did Dalmatian nod and ask the question he cared about most.
"I heard you applied to leave Headquarters and go to East Blue. Why? You clearly still have room to rise further..."
The woman froze for a moment. Then, with a faint trace of unwillingness on her face, she smiled and said,
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian, thank you for your concern, but I know myself. Second lieutenant is already my limit. My strength can't be of much help at Headquarters, especially since I'm a woman. Rather than stay like this, I'd rather go to East Blue and keep fighting pirates there."
Dalmatian frowned when he heard that, but then he sighed.
"If a combat post won't work, there are still administrative positions..."
"No... that isn't what I want. I don't want to sit in an office all day."
"I understand. I'll see what I can do for you. With your past record, once you arrive in East Blue, being promoted to Major shouldn't be a problem."
"Thank you very much."
"No need to thank me. Keep bandaging your wound. I'll go check on the others."
Just then, a lookout's shout rang out from the warship's watchtower.
"A ship has appeared behind us... That emblem belongs to the Kingdom of Flevance from North Blue..."