Colonel Jess's voice hung in the air.
Saint Seraphina Roselith did not acknowledge it.
Whether he had mistaken Fran for her or not was irrelevant. Rank was displayed clearly on the coat; blindness was a choice.
She turned slightly toward Fran instead.
"Finish the reconnaissance," she said calmly.
Fran did not hesitate. He saluted and moved.
He had witnessed her last pirate-hunt personally. The battle against the remnants of Bluejam's network had been overwhelming Seraphina's blade work precise, her Kenbunshoku Haki reading movements before they formed. The rest of the branch had simply secured prisoners and extinguished flames afterward.
If she could not resolve a situation, their presence would not change the outcome.
Official duty came first.
Behind her, Jess felt cold sweat gather at his temples.
She had not even looked at him.
That indifference frightened him more than hostility would have.
Was it backing? Was it raw strength?
Either possibility was dangerous.
He had heard the rumors spreading through the East Blue: a young Marine Colonel from Branch 18 whose Haki perception bordered on unnatural, whose swordsmanship cut through steel like damp parchment.
Jess was not a fool.
He knew when to retreat.
The matter with Goa Kingdom could burn without him.
But the noble standing nearby was far less perceptive.
The aristocrat stepped forward, his powdered face tight with displeasure.
"Colonel Jess, you have long enjoyed mutually beneficial relations with our kingdom."
The implication was unmistakable.
Merchant vessels from Goa passed safely through Branch 17 waters. Inspections were… light. Escorts were conveniently available.
Silver flowed quietly.
"You would not abandon us now," the noble pressed.
Jess swallowed.
He had children.
He had a wife accustomed to comfort.
He forced himself forward again.
"Colonel Seraphina Roselith… perhaps we can resolve this amicably."
His tone lost its edge.
"If you withdraw, I will pretend none of this occurred. I will not file any report to Marine Headquarters."
A plea disguised as compromise.
Seraphina's lips curved faintly.
"So Colonel Jess would prefer I ignore pirates?" she asked evenly.
"Or is it that Colonel Jess is acquainted with them?"
Her gaze sharpened.
"Are they your friends?"
Jess stiffened.
The accusation was subtle but lethal.
Collusion with pirates was not something even a corrupt Marine could survive publicly.
He glanced instinctively toward the noble.
The noble turned his head away.
Handle it yourself.
The silence stretched.
Yet Seraphina had never ceased her vigilance.
Her Kenbunshoku Haki flowed across the capital like invisible mist.
Footsteps quickened.
Heartbeats spiked.
A soldier ran to the noble and whispered urgently into his ear.
The noble's complexion drained of color.
"Withdraw! All of you, withdraw immediately!"
Soldiers scattered in confusion.
Then, astonishingly, the noble approached Seraphina with exaggerated humility.
"Colonel Roselith… my deepest apologies. This unworthy servant failed to recognize your distinguished status."
"I beg forgiveness for offending the World Government's East Blue Special Envoy."
Seraphina's expression did not change.
Special Envoy?
She had received no such appointment.
Her only orders were pursuit and suppression of pirate activity under Marine jurisdiction.
Jess blinked, equally stunned.
But the noble continued bowing.
Clearly, something had changed.
Another procession approached from the inner road.
A tall man wearing a black tailcoat and a high silk hat strode forward with soldiers in tow. His curled moustache framed a thin smile that did not reach his eyes.
"I am Aotluk III," he announced crisply.
The soldiers behind him seized the previous noble without ceremony.
"Mister II, by royal decree, you are stripped of noble status and relieved of your command of the Goa Kingdom Guard Corps. Effective immediately, you are a commoner."
The disgraced man paled.
"For slander and obstruction of a World Government representative, you will stand trial."
"Impossible! The King ordered"
"Enough."
Aotluk's tone snapped like a whip.
"Take him."
As the former noble was dragged away, Aotluk turned smoothly toward Seraphina and executed a polished bow.
"Colonel Roselith, please accept Goa Kingdom's sincerest apologies. We value our relationship with the World Government deeply."
Seraphina studied him.
She had seen this before.
When power loomed, arrogance bent.
"When did I become a Special Envoy?" she asked calmly.
Aotluk's smile flickered.
"It is… an understanding recently clarified."
Which meant someone above had intervened.
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
Title Temporarily Assigned: World Government Special Observer – East Blue
Note: Political leverage increasing.
Warning: Visibility to higher authorities raised.
Seraphina's eyes narrowed imperceptibly.
So that was it.
Someone had pulled a string.
Whether to shield her or to monitor her remained uncertain.
She did not like invisible hands.
"Is the Brujme Pirate Crew within your territory?" she asked directly.
The name stiffened several nearby soldiers.
Aotluk responded swiftly.
"If such criminals have infiltrated Goa Kingdom, we assure you they will be eradicated immediately."
Half-truth.
Her Haki brushed against his emotional rhythm.
Fear.
Calculation.
Deception layered with pragmatism.
They would discard the pirates to protect their image. That much was genuine.
Honor the face of the World Government.
Sacrifice expendables.
Simple arithmetic.
Meanwhile, beyond the capital
In the rugged slopes near Mount Colubo, inside a cavern carved by time and tide
The Brujme Pirates gathered in uneasy silence.
A fire crackled at the cave's center.
Brujme sat apart from the others.
Tall. Scarred. Cloaked in a captain's coat looted from a fallen Marine years prior.
Suspenders stretched over a white shirt stained with soot. A Western saber rested at his hip; twin flintlocks gleamed in the firelight.
The scars along his cheek twisted as he clenched his jaw.
A year ago
Flames.
Smoke choking the sky above Gray Terminal.
Screams swallowed by inferno.
He had survived.
Not by luck.
By rage.
His men shifted nervously.
"Captain… the Marines are in the capital."
Brujme's gaze remained fixed on the flames.
"And the nobles?" he asked quietly.
"They're mobilizing troops too."
A slow, bitter laugh escaped him.
"Of course they are."
Discarded once.
To be discarded again.
His fingers tightened around the hilt of his saber.
Back then, the fire had not been an accident.
He knew it.
He had seen the ships preparing before dawn.
He had heard whispers of a visit from the Celestial Dragons.
The slums had been cleansed to preserve beauty.
And pirates like him?
Convenient scapegoats.
Now the Marines hunted him.
And the kingdom prepared to silence him.
But this time
He would not run into flames.
He would drag the truth out with blood if necessary.
Back in the capital, Seraphina Roselith turned her gaze toward the distant mountains.
Kenbunshoku Haki extended.
She felt it faintly.
Anger.
Survival.
A will not yet extinguished.
Her hand rested lightly on her sword.
This would not be a simple arrest.
And she sensed
When the clash came, it would test more than just steel.