Two years later (17 years before luffy set sail)
Somewhere near the Calm Belt in the Grand Line.
A heavily armed galleon raced across the sea.
After narrowly escaping the Calm Belt, they hoisted their sails, instantly picking up speed.
"Whew! Finally! We made it out of that treacherous Calm Belt!"
"This time, we racked our brains for this plan! High risk, but the rewards… well, they'd better be worth it!"
"That's right, human trafficking is now completely banned on Sabaody Archipelago! And this time, while searching for treasure, not only did we find gold and silver, but we also captured three exceptionally beautiful kids! With looks like these, plus the current circumstances..."
"If we sell them all to the Celestial Dragons... their value might not be any less than this batch of gold and silver we've found!"
A group of ruthless pirates celebrated their lucky escape from the Calm Belt while calculating their potential profits.
But their captain wasn't so intoxicated by the high profits that he lost his rationality.
Instead, he coldly scanned his surrounding crew.
"Don't celebrate too soon, you idiots!"
"Haven't you heard? Over the past two years, a mysterious marine unit has emerged in the Grand Line!"
"They don't just target pirates like us—they're dedicated to eliminating anyone who commits serious crimes. Those they mark don't live to tell the tale!"
"And according to the World Government officials we bribed, even the World Government and Celestial Dragons want details about this unit, but the marine higher-ups have stonewalled them."
"So if we want to offload our goods... it's complicated! At the very least, we absolutely cannot go to Sabaody Archipelago!"
"Of course, this also presents a huge opportunity. If we can find a way to connect with the Celestial Dragons or their lackeys, the high-quality merchandise we have could fetch an even more impressive price!"
As he spoke, the pirate captain pointed to a small island on the nautical chart.
"Recently, the Donquixote Family has been making waves in the underworld."
"And there are rumors that their leader was once a Celestial Dragon who lived in Holy Land Mary Geoise!"
"Through them, we should be able to reach the Celestial Dragons!"
"As for this gold and silver, we could even trade it directly to the Donquixote Family for Berries."
"I've already contacted them. This time, we'll make the deal on this island!"
A nearby underling immediately began showering his boss with praise.
"Captain Baruka, you truly live up to being our leader! So farsighted! So cunning! Such a perfect partner in crime! So utterly heartless!"
"Throw him into the sea to feed the fish!"
After tossing the stupid underling overboard, the pirate captain known as "Baruka" was about to continue when the entire ship suddenly lurched violently...
The pirates inside the cabin were instantly thrown into disarray, tumbling over each other in a daze.
"Damn it! Can't you idiots steer properly!?" Baruka's barely suppressed anger flared up again.
"We're on the Grand Line! Everything requires extreme caution! Even without the marines, this sea will swallow us whole!"
"Captain Baruka! We were hit by another ship!"
"A ship? What ship!?"
"Looks like... a marine vessel?"
"What do you mean 'looks like'?"
Struggling to his feet, Baruka grabbed the longsword from the table and strode towards the deck.
At the same time, a bloodthirsty grin spread across his face.
If it really was the marines blocking their way, then too bad for them!
He was a genuine swordsman capable of cutting steel!
Ordinary marines stood no chance against him!
The dazed subordinates were of no use now, he had to take matters into his own hands.
With that thought, Baruka forcefully pushed open the cabin door and stepped onto the deck.
Looking around, he saw his men sprawled in every direction, their blood pooling beneath them, staining the deck in a dark crimson color.
Baruka's expression froze—this was bad!
Just as he was about to leap into the sea, the smoke in the air suddenly came alive, rushing towards him with startling speed.
As it neared him, the smoke coalesced into the form of a person—a white-haired young man carrying a large jutte on his back.
Though his youth was unmistakable, his face bore a fierce, almost sinister expression.
Even Baruka, a seasoned pirate who had roamed the seas for years, felt his breath hitch.
Draped over his shoulders was a pristine white cloak, the word "Justice" fluttering loudly in the sea breeze.
"Tsk tsk, finally decided to crawl out of your cabin, huh? Trash of the sea."
With that, the white-haired youth flashed a wicked grin.
Baruka gaped at the young Marine before him.
Even someone as ignorant as him could tell—this was a Logia Devil Fruit user.
With that realization, he instinctively glanced around.
Earlier, his attention had been entirely consumed by the corpses of his crew.
Only now did he notice the numerous other figures clad in Justice cloaks scattered across the deck.
Near the ship's railing, a row of black railings had inexplicably appeared.
Seated atop them was a beautiful young woman with long pink hair—though her expression was anything but pleasant.
Meanwhile, on the Marine ship that had rammed into his vessel stood a tall, scary man who resembled a zombie!
He was brandishing an unmistakably high-quality greatsword, gesturing towards the pirate ship.
Beside him, a masked man chimed in casually.
"First I do this, then this—think I can cut this ship in half while sitting down?"
By the mast stood a smiling blonde woman.
Even in this life-or-death situation, Baruka couldn't help but admire her beauty.
Tiny clouds danced around her fingertips as she swayed them playfully.
This stunning woman seemed to be the leader of the young group.
The white-haired youth dissolved into smoke again, slipping into the cabin behind Baruka.
Moments later, all surviving pirates were dragged onto the deck.
Baruka swallowed hard, his voice hoarse as he croaked.
"Pleading won't help. We've already gathered irrefutable evidence against you."
"This isn't an arrest. This is the SWORD Special Forces carrying out your execution—and confiscating all your ill-gotten gains."
"Swift Blade Baruka, bounty of 76 million berries… not bad for a small fry."
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