"Are all the pirates secured in the brig?"
Captain Corvus's voice carried clear tension.
"I don't want a single pirate escaping."
He turned once again toward the Marine sergeant responsible for guarding the prisoners.
The sergeant sighed inwardly.
"Captain, please relax," he said with forced patience. "You don't trust me to do my job?"
"I've locked them up properly. Not a single pirate will escape from the brig."
The man had served on Marine ships for years. Guarding captured pirates was routine work for him.
Still, he could not help feeling slightly annoyed that Captain Corvus kept asking the same question again and again.
Corvus, however, remained serious.
"Never lower your guard."
"Even the weakest pirate can cause disaster if given the opportunity."
His tone became slightly stern.
"If you become careless, the consequences will be severe."
Corvus had just begun lecturing the younger Marine when suddenly a shout came from the crow's nest above the deck.
"Captain!"
"Something's wrong!"
The lookout's voice carried panic.
"A ship has been spotted ahead!"
The Marines on deck instantly tensed.
"What kind of ship?" Corvus asked sharply.
The lookout continued.
"It's flying a pirate flag!"
At those words, the entire deck became uneasy.
Corvus immediately gave another order.
"Identify the pirate crew."
The lookout hurriedly flipped through the pirate bounty registry, searching for the matching emblem.
Moments later, his confused voice echoed down.
"Captain!"
"I can't find any record of this pirate flag!"
"It doesn't appear in the bounty registry at all!"
One of the Marine officers beside Corvus frowned.
"If the flag isn't recorded, then it may be a newly formed pirate crew."
"Rookie pirates."
Several Marines nodded at that explanation.
New pirate crews appeared on the seas every year. Most of them were weak and short-lived.
But Corvus did not feel reassured.
Instead, his expression grew more serious.
"Then why aren't they turning away?" he murmured.
Normally, rookie pirates fled the moment they spotted a Marine warship.
But this ship was sailing closer.
Closer.
And closer still.
The sergeant beside Corvus suddenly spoke up.
"Captain… something about this feels wrong."
Corvus glanced at him.
The sergeant lowered his voice.
"You know we're transporting captured pirates right now."
"What if this ship isn't approaching by coincidence?"
"What if they're here to seize the prisoners… or the ship itself?"
Corvus's expression darkened.
That possibility had crossed his mind as well.
"Signal them immediately," Corvus ordered.
"Warn them to halt their approach."
He hesitated briefly before giving the command to fire.
If the approaching vessel belonged to civilians or merchants, opening fire would be a serious mistake.
Better to drive them away first.
Signal flags were raised.
Warning cannons fired into the sea.
Across the water, the mysterious ship slowed.
On the pirate vessel, a young navigator observed the signals carefully.
"Boss," he called out.
"That Marine warship is ordering us to stop."
A deep laugh echoed across the deck.
"Hahahahaha!"
The source of the laughter was a tall fish-man with jagged shark-like teeth and a long saw-shaped nose. His presence alone made the surrounding pirates uneasy.
The fish-man grinned viciously.
"Then stop the ship."
"We'll swim over."
The pirates around him roared with laughter.
The man was none other than Arlong.
Leader of the Arlong Pirates.
Arlong looked toward the distant Marine warship with contempt.
"Brothers," he said loudly.
"These inferior humans actually think they can command us."
His voice grew colder.
"Shouldn't we remind them of the superiority of the Fish-Man race?"
The crew responded with excited shouts.
"Yeah!"
"Captain Arlong!"
"Let's crush them!"
"We'll kill every Marine!"
All the pirates gathered there were fish-men.
This was no ordinary pirate crew.
This was a crew formed entirely of warriors from Fish-Man Island.
Arlong raised his hand.
"Let's go."
Moments later, dozens of powerful figures leapt from the pirate ship.
Their bodies splashed into the sea.
From the Marine warship, the crew watched in shock as the shapes approached through the water with terrifying speed.
Then several figures shot out of the sea and landed on the deck.
Their bodies were humanoid but clearly aquatic.
Some had gills.
Some had fins.
Some possessed webbed hands and sharp teeth.
The Marines gasped.
"Fish-Men!"
Arlong stepped forward arrogantly.
"Greetings, worthless Marines."
His eyes gleamed with cruel amusement.
"From this moment on, this warship belongs to me."
"You humans will become my slaves."
The fish-men behind him roared with laughter.
Corvus stepped forward, gripping his sword.
"Who are you?"
His voice was steady, but his heart pounded.
Arlong grinned.
"Remember this name well."
"I am Arlong."
The moment he finished speaking, he moved.
His fist shot forward with terrifying speed.
"Fish-Man Karate!"
The punch struck the sergeant beside Corvus.
BOOM!
The Marine was blasted across the deck like a cannonball.
Corvus's eyes widened.
"So strong!"
Without hesitation, he drew his sword and rushed forward.
His blade slashed toward Arlong with all his strength.
CLANG!
But something impossible happened.
Arlong caught the blade with his teeth.
His powerful jaws clamped down.
CRACK!
The sword shattered.
Corvus staggered backward in shock.
But he refused to retreat.
With a shout, he threw a punch.
Arlong easily grabbed the attack with his webbed hand.
Corvus struggled.
But the fish-man's grip was like iron.
Arlong flicked his arm.
Corvus was hurled across the deck like a rag doll.
The impact knocked the air from his lungs.
Arlong sneered.
Pathetic.
To him, humans were nothing more than fragile insects.
But he did not kill Corvus immediately.
Bugs were more entertaining when they struggled.
Corvus forced himself back onto his feet.
Every attack he launched was effortlessly neutralized.
To him, Arlong felt like an immovable mountain.
Too strong.
Far too strong.
For the first time, despair crept into Corvus's heart.
No.
He still had one thing to do.
Send the warning.
If the Marines learned of this threat, reinforcements could be dispatched.
But who could respond quickly enough?
Suddenly a name appeared in his mind.
Saint Roselith Seraphina.
She was currently acting as a special envoy for the East Blue Marine forces.
If anyone could mobilize help quickly, it was her.
Corvus grabbed a Den Den Mushi.
Before the operator could speak, he shouted urgently.
"Thirty nautical miles east of Cocoyasi Village!"
"Report to Marine Headquarters immediately!"
"The enemy is extremely—"
His voice suddenly stopped.
A massive hand grabbed him by the throat.
"You've got nerve."
Arlong lifted Corvus into the air.
"You're still making phone calls while fighting us?"
He glanced at the Den Den Mushi.
"The person on the other end is another Marine, right?"
The snail continued speaking.
"Hello? Hello?"
"Captain Corvus, do you copy?"
Arlong laughed.
"Your captain is in my hands."
"Come rescue him if you can."
"If you're too late…"
"I'll kill him."
He tossed the Den Den Mushi aside.
Then he kicked Corvus across the deck.
The Marine captain crashed heavily onto the wooden boards.
Arlong jumped high.
CRASH!
He stomped down on Corvus's body.
The impact shook the entire deck.
Every Marine and pirate froze.
Corvus felt his bones breaking.
Blood covered his face.
His vision blurred.
In his fading consciousness, a memory appeared.
A younger version of himself stood beneath the Marine flag.
"I swear…"
"I will defend justice with my life!"
The eighteen-year-old recruit had made that oath proudly.
He had wanted to protect the East Blue.
Protect the people of his homeland.
Even if it meant sacrificing everything.
How could he fall here?
How could a Marine fall before pirates?
It didn't matter how terrifying the enemy was.
He was a Marine.
Arlong turned away.
But suddenly he noticed something strange.
The Marines and pirates were staring behind him.
Arlong frowned and turned back.
Corvus was standing again.
His body trembled violently.
Blood soaked his uniform.
But somehow he was still standing.
Arlong's expression darkened.
Feeling mocked, his anger rose.
He kicked Corvus again.
CRASH!
The Marine captain slammed into the deck.
Moments later, his fingers moved.
"Captain!"
"Please stop!"
"Don't stand up again!"
Several Marines shouted desperately.
Corvus slowly smiled.
His face was so covered in blood that his expression was barely visible.
"I…"
"…am a Marine."
Using what remained of his strength, he stood again.
"Marines!"
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Never fall before pirates!"
"Counterattack!"
"Coun—"
A fist struck him in the stomach.
The impact silenced his words.
Corvus collapsed to the deck once more.
Blood spread across the wood beneath him.
This time, he did not move again.