"Your Highness, can you take responsibility for everything you've just said?"
Fujitora took a step forward, his cane sword striking the ground with a thud.
With a resounding 'boom', an invisible pressure instantly radiated outward from the cane sword, like a mountain suddenly descending upon all the royal soldiers and the prince present.
Before the prince and his men could react, Fujitora's voice rang out again.
"Since the Fleet Admiral has decided to intervene in the affairs of a member nation, he will see it through to the end. What Your Highness needs to do now is carefully consider the stakes and choose your words and actions wisely!"
"At this moment, on behalf of the Fleet Admiral, I present you with the following two demands!"
"First, immediately withdraw your men from Keen Village!"
"Second, return every cent of the taxes collected twenty years in advance to each and every villager!"
"If you comply with these two demands, the Kingdom of Orenfence may yet survive. But if you persist in your old ways, relying on your royal status to act with impunity, I hope you have the courage to face the Fleet Admiral's wrath!"
Feeling the sudden weight of the invisible pressure, the prince expression shifted slightly.
However, upon hearing Fujitora's two demands, he burst into laughter as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke.
"How absurd! The Kingdom of Orenfence is a member of the World Government. Even if the Marine Fleet Admiral now holds absolute authority, that authority is limited to the Marine. He has no right to meddle in the affairs of World Government member nations—especially the Kingdom of Orenfence! All the Marine has to do is take the money and do its job: assist us in maintaining order on the seas!"
With that, the princr pulled a money pouch from his pocket and tossed it at Fujitora's feet.
"Since you've gone to the trouble of coming here, consider this bag of gold leaves compensation for your efforts. I hope you won't be ungrateful!"
As his words faded, the scene fell into dead silence.
Just then, another warship came charging across the sea, heading straight for Keen Village's dock.
Before the ship could even come to a stop, a naval officer wearing a captain's cloak leaped from the deck onto the dock.
Without slowing down, he sprinted towards the village while shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Aqua! Aqua!"
"Captain, don't rush ahead!"
"Wait for us! Wait for us!"
Seeing their captain dash towards the village alone, the soldiers on deck couldn't wait for the ship to dock properly.
One after another, they jumped off and hurried after him.
Leading the charge was Dunn, the captain of the North Blue's 135th Branch, who had received Gion's orders.
Upon learning that Aqua was the orphaned child of a comrade from the Fleet Admiral's early days as a recruit, Dunn—who had long harbored regrets for not joining Orion in the coup—immediately set sail from his base with his warship.
Like many branch captains in the North Blue, Dunn had once joined the Marines with a burning passion, eager to fulfill his ambitions and uphold the Marine's justice to the end.
Yet, no matter how much he accomplished, he found himself sidelined due to various circumstances, eventually becoming little more than a forgotten figure in the 135th Branch.
Just as he was losing hope, a young vice admiral from headquarters sought him out.
Based on the internal corruption evidence he provided about Branch 135, this vice admiral conducted a thorough top-down overhaul of the branch.
Witnessing the young vice admiral's methods reignited his faith in the Marines.
What surprised him most was that immediately after completely purging and reorganizing North Blue's Branch 135, this vice admiral proposed to headquarters that he be recommended as the new branch captain.
After becoming Branch 135's captain, the young vice admiral repeatedly protected him during crises.
Because his first action upon taking command wasn't hunting pirates, but investigating corruption across all North Blue Marine branches—a move that earned him many enemies.
His investigations even reached some headquarters higher-ups, nearly getting him framed and imprisoned.
Not only did the young vice admiral repeatedly override objections to shield him, but he also strongly supported his anti-corruption campaign throughout North Blue.
With this vice admiral's backing, he quickly established himself in North Blue, becoming the most prominent base captain in the region.
Later, he heard the shocking news—that same young vice admiral had been arrested for corruption.
He knew the truth: those funds the vice admiral had been redirecting weren't embezzled, but used to support officers and soldiers in need, and to fund branch reforms!
Immediately, he placed his base on lockdown, preparing to lead all Branch 135 personnel to headquarters—to save their king.
Yes, their king.
Because that young vice admiral had become their faith, the undisputed king in their hearts!
But before they could depart, news arrived of a coup at headquarters.
In just one night, through this military uprising, their young vice admiral became the new Fleet Admiral and signed the Mariejois Treaty with the World Goverment, setting the Marines on a path to greatness.
Not being able to participate in this coup to support their King left Dunn with lasting regret.
Now, unexpectedly, an order from Admiral Gion presented him with his chance to 'repay his king kindness.
As Dunn charged into the village, he froze mid-step.
At the village's far end, hundreds of villagers had gathered, surrounded by dozens of fully armed royal soldiers.
After only a two-second pause, Dunn collected himself and led his troops charging toward the crowd.
"Hmm?"
Reaching the gathering, Dunn's pupils contracted slightly at the scene before him.
Without hesitation, he announced, "Everyone, whatever business you're handling, please pause it!"
He strode past Fujitora—who wore a rear admiral's coat—ignored the prince presence, and positioned himself before the villagers, scanning the crowd.
Before anyone, including Fujitora, could react, Dunn took a deep breath and continued speaking in calm tone.
"Don't be afraid, good people. I'm Dunn, captain of North Blue Branch 135. I've come to Keen Village seeking a child!"
"Her name is Aqua!"
As these words rang out, every villager's gaze simultaneously turned towards Aqua, who stood beside a young woman.
The young woman, unaware of the reason for Dunn's arrival, instinctively shielded Aqua behind her.
Noticing this subtle movement, Dunn's face lit up with joy.
Gazing at the small head peeking out from behind the young woman, he exclaimed excitedly.
"Are you Aqua?"
"I'm Aqua. Who are you?" Aqua blinked, her large eyes filled with wariness toward the stranger.
"Perfect!"
Dunn didn't expect to find Aqua the moment he entered the village.
Unable to contain his excitement, he quickly stepped forward and crouched down to her level, softening his voice to appear as kind as possible.
"Can I ask you a few questions?"
"What questions?" Aqua blinked in confusion.
Dunn got straight to the point. "Is your father's name Brian? And did you send a letter to the Fleet Admiral? Inside the envelope, there was a photo of your father with Fleet Admiral Orion?"
At these words, Aqua's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
Choking back sobs, she asked, "Are... are you the Marine Uncle Orion sent to pick me up?"
Before she could finish, Aqua could no longer hold back and burst into loud, wailing cries.
Now certain that this dirty little girl before him was the Aqua whom Admiral Gion had ordered them to find at all costs, Dunn finally let out a long sigh of relief.
However, he didn't comfort her.
Instead, he slowly stood up, shedding his earlier gentle demeanor as his sharp gaze swept over the royal soldiers surrounding the villagers.
"Whatever you're doing here, stop it immediately. From this moment onward, the Kingdom of Orenfence is under lockdown!"
"No one—no matter who they are—is permitted to leave before the Fleet Admiral arrives!"
"Violators will be executed!"
Before his words even faded, Dunn suddenly raised his voice.
"Now, I have a question for all of you!"
"Who made our princess cry?!"