Baratie.
As dish after dish crowded the table, Kouta and the others, already starving to the point of feeling hollow, wasted no time diving into the food.
And truth be told, Sanji's cooking was incredible.
Without a doubt, this was the best meal they'd had so far.
…
Let's rewind to a few hours earlier.
Not long after Kouta and his crew defeated the Krieg Pirates, something significant unfolded within the Navy.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The center of power for the entire Navy in the world of pirates. It was also home to the organization's strongest forces.
The architecture here was built for war.
From a distance, it resembled a massive military fortress.
Up close, it looked even more imposing.
At the enormous circular harbor at its front, countless naval vessels of varying sizes came and went in a steady stream.
Each ship was manned by uniformed Marines, and some of them carried pirates bound in heavy chains.
Among the captured were pirates with bounties in the tens of millions, merely a small fry here.
Some were even worth seventy or eighty million, even a hundred million—faces that usually only appeared in newspaper headlines.
Such was the daily grind for the Navy, who claimed to uphold "Absolute Justice" while policing the seas.
Their mission: capture pirates.
The sheer number of people and the unruly behavior of the captured pirates made the harbor a scene of constant noise and chaos.
In stark contrast, however, the largest building at the center of the fortress was enveloped in silence, particularly within the Admiral's office.
Inside, three figures sat quietly.
At the center was Sengoku, the Supreme Commander of the Navy, known as the "Buddha of Strategy" and "Sengoku the Tactician."
To his left sat Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Navy's "Great Strategist."
On his right was Lieutenant Commander Brannew, tasked with intelligence coordination.
Sengoku, his long beard braided neatly, frog-eyed glasses perched on his nose, and a seagull-emblazoned cap symbolizing the Navy atop his head—was hunched over, staring in deep thought at two photographs and a stack of documents on the table.
The photos clearly depicted Kouta and his crew.
The first showed all five of them standing on the railing of the dreadnought Sabre, locked in confrontation with the Krieg Pirates.
The second captured the moment their ship, the fake Going Merry, burst through the broken midsection of the Sabre.
"Brannew, give us your analysis," Sengoku said suddenly, glancing at the man to his right.
"Yes, Admiral Sengoku."
Brannew, wearing sunglasses over curly green hair, a white-and-blue striped shirt under a Marine cloak, and sporting thick lips, promptly stood up.
He approached a nearby blackboard, pointer in hand, and began, "The Krieg Pirates. Their captain carries a 17 million bounty and was once hailed as the strongest pirate crew in the East Blue."
"That's enough. Get to the point," Sengoku interrupted calmly, hands braced against the desk as a sharp glint flickered in his eyes.
He didn't care about some has-been East Blue pirate crew. He'd only taken an interest because rumors mentioned a master swordsman among the group—nothing more.
Otherwise, would a Fleet Admiral like him waste time investigating a bunch of rookies just setting out to sea?
His job wasn't that idle.
"Understood, sir."
Skipping the bounty details, Brannew directed their attention to four photos on the board. Two were the same as those on the table. The other two were close-ups—one of Kouta, one of Kuina.
Though grainy and shot from high altitude, the images were clear enough. It was a testament to the terrifying reach of Navy or rather, World Government intelligence.
By sheer coincidence, or perhaps not, a World Government surveillance gull had been circling near the location where Kouta and the others fought the Krieg Pirates.
Within two hours of receiving the images, the Navy had compiled basic intel on the group.
Pointing at Kouta's photo, Brannew began, "Kouta. Originates from Shimotsuki Village near the Kingdom of Gaia in the East Blue. A student of Isshin Dōjō. Set out to sea only a few days ago. Current objective: unknown."
Next, he pointed to Kuina. "Kuina. Also from Shimotsuki Village and Isshin Dōjō, but not a student, she's the daughter of the dojo master."
He paused, looking seriously at Sengoku and Tsuru.
"Based on current intelligence, Kuina appears to be a swordswoman of considerable skill. But Kouta… may very well be a master swordsman."
That alone demanded attention. Skilled swordsmen were common, but master-level swordsmen? They were rare even across the entire world.
"Do we know their destination?" Tsuru asked, her voice calm but probing.
The white-haired strategist wore jade green earrings and two gold bangles on her right wrist, both hands resting on the table.
Brannew nodded, pointing at a map of the East Blue.
"Based on their travel trajectory, they haven't stopped at any islands and are heading in a straight line toward Loguetown. If I had to guess, their goal is the Grand Line."
He pointed to another photo, showing their ship, the fake Merry, and added, "Also, their ship bears no pirate flag. There's a possibility they're just travelers."
"Hmm."
Sengoku turned toward Tsuru. "What's your take?"
Tsuru thought for a moment, then replied, "So far, we haven't found any indication they pose a threat. My recommendation: observe. If their destination is truly the Grand Line, their intent will become clear soon enough."
"And with their current strength, they won't go unnoticed for long once they're there."
"Alright. Let's go with that," Sengoku agreed, then turned to Brannew. "Send their photos to all East Blue branches. Make it clear: unless they commit a crime, don't engage them."
"Yes, sir."
Brannew saluted and left the room.
Now alone with Tsuru, Sengoku visibly relaxed, sinking into his chair.
"You can really feel it, can't you? More and more pirates setting sail in the last two years," he muttered.
Tsuru nodded. "Not just in the four seas—even the Grand Line is seeing a surge in pirates. And many of them are powerful. The strain on the Navy is growing."
"Enough about that," Sengoku sighed, massaging his temples. "Right now, the real headache is Garp's grandson. I hear Ace is planning to challenge Whitebeard."
"Yeah… Garp's probably already in the New World. Let's hope that doesn't blow up," Tsuru replied, equally troubled.
East Blue. Aboard a Navy ship anchored near the floating restaurant Baratie, Base 123.
Captain Last, the base commander, was rubbing his forehead, deeply vexed.
"What did you just say?" he barked at the Marines in front of him.
"Mr. Zeff has invited you to dine at the restaurant," one of them replied.
"No, the line before that!"
Another Marine thought for a moment. "The line before? Um…"
A third chimed in, cutting him off.
"There are some suspicious people in the restaurant. Four men and a woman."
"Yes! That's the one," said the first Marine. "Those four men were draped in gold jewelry, screamed 'stolen loot' if you ask me!"
He clearly had a grudge against their flashy, nouveau-riche look.
"Take a look, do you think it's them?" Last handed them a photo.
That was the reason he hadn't gone in to eat yet. Just as he was about to disembark, a fax had come through from base command.
It had been forwarded from Navy HQ to all regional branches.
When the base realized Last's patrol route aligned with the suspected group's trajectory, they immediately relayed the information and photos to his ship.
He'd been muttering about bad timing, he was about to return from patrol, and now he'd miss his chance to see this infamous group in person.
And then, just like that, they showed up.
"Yeah, that's them!"
The Marines studied the photo and nodded in unison. Despite the blurry resolution, they instantly recognized the five individuals dining inside.
Kouta's silver hair and Kuina's deep blue locks were hard to miss.
Last's expression turned serious. He thought for a moment, then finally gave the order.
"Prepare to return to Base 123. Our patrol mission is over."
"Huh? Captain Last, aren't we going to eat?" the Marines asked in confusion.
"No. Look at this," he said, handing them another sheet.
They gathered around the paper, and as they read, their expressions grew increasingly grim.
They never imagined that the silver-haired kid among the group could actually be a master swordsman.
A chill ran down their spines, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
A master swordsman, even in the Grand Line, that ranked you among the elite.
They'd actually been planning to drag their commander into some petty confrontation with him.
Thank goodness they hadn't done anything reckless.
"Captain, we'll get ready to set sail," they said hurriedly, eager to get out of there.
"Go on."
He watched them scatter like startled mice and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If HQ said not to provoke them, then he'd keep well out of their way.
Not out of fear, of course.
He just didn't want unnecessary conflict, that's all. After all, there were still plenty of real pirates in these waters who needed his attention.
Yeah… that's it.
Lying back in his chair, Last nodded to himself, as if affirming a perfectly reasonable decision.
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 100, 200, 300 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!