BOOM—
A deafening explosion rang out.
Contrary to expectations, Orion was not sent flying.
Not only did he remain standing, but a new figure had appeared before him.
"Hmm?"
The pirate captain, who had been certain his strike would land, narrowed his eyes in shock.
His face paled as he looked up at the man who had suddenly intervened, blocking his attack.
"Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral… Momonga?!"
Before the pirate captain could recover from his shock, a Marine warship swiftly pulled alongside.
A flood of Marines emerged from its deck, rifles raised and trained on the pirates aboard the training vessel.
BANG BANG BANG—
A barrage of gunfire erupted.
Already pushed to their limits from the earlier battle with the trainee Marines, the pirates had no time to react before they fell in droves.
"Damn it!"
Never expecting Marine reinforcements to arrive so quickly, the pirate captain cursed inwardly.
The instant the Marines pulled their triggers, he launched himself backward, fleeing toward his own ship, which had collided with the training vessel.
"Can't… let him escape!"
Though Orion hadn't anticipated Vice Admiral Momonga's timely arrival either, he immediately gave chase with a sword in hand.
But the moment he took a step forward, his long-exhausted body—which had been sustained only by sheer will—finally gave out.
He lost his balance and collapsed face-first onto the deck.
Fortunately, Momonga reacted swiftly, supporting Orion's head with one hand to lay him gently atop the pile of corpses.
Before Momonga could speak, Orion grabbed his arm with a reflexive grip.
Though Orion tried to speak, exhaustion rendered him voiceless.
Yet Momonga seemed to understand, nodding solemnly.
"You've done all you could, soldier."
"Leave the rest to me."
Rising swiftly, Momonga scanned the deck.
Seeing the training ship's cadets nearly annihilated in pools of blood, his eyes reddened as he vowed.
"I swear these pirates won't survive this."
Hearing this, Orion—pushed beyond his limits—finally relaxed.
Turning his head, he saw Brian grinning at him through bloodied teeth from across the deck.
With his fears eased, Orion's eyes closed as he succumbed to unconsciousness.
******Flashback-end
"Fleet Admiral!"
"Fleet Admiral?"
The familiar voice of Gion pulled Orion from his six-year-old memories.
Turning around, he found Gion standing beside him with an umbrella with concern in her eyes.
"The rain will continue, Fleet Admiral. You should go below deck."
Collecting himself, Orion nodded silently at Morgans who held the umbrella before proceeding toward the hatchway.
Meanwhile...
Not far from the Marine fleet, a massive Island ship loomed silently within the rising sea fog.
The sudden downpour and intermittent thunder concealed its presence from the parallel Marine formation.
At first glance, the vessel—with its towering castles—could easily be mistaken for an actual island.
As the fleet receded, the central castle's gates swung open, revealing five figures emerging in succession.
Leading them was a tall, helmeted middle-aged man in an orange cape—Vinsmoke Judge, former ruler of North Blue and king of Germa Kingdom.
His dream of reconquering North Blue under the Germa banner had been thwarted by Doflamingo's expansion years prior, forcing Germa's retreat.
Yet before Judge could plan his return, Doflamingo's unexpected surrender to the Marine new Fleet Admiral changed everything.
Seizing the opportunity, Judge secretly returned to these once-dominated waters a month ago with his four children.
His eldest daughter Reiju, followed by his sons Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji.
Just as they stepped out of the castle gates onto the open area in front, Reiju, following closely behind Judge, gazed into the distance at the already departed Marine fleet and remarked softly.
"The youngest and most brutal Fleet Admiral in Marine history truly lives up to his reputation. Even from this distance, the oppressive aura he exudes is suffocating."
"Tch!"
The moment Reiju finished speaking, Niji, standing to her right, flashed a look of disdain and said arrogantly.
"Seems unimpressive to me. If you all hadn't stopped me earlier, I would've gone over to see for myself whether he's truly as invincible as the rumors claim."
Ignoring the haughty Niji, Reiju withdrew her gaze and turned to Judge standing ahead of them, frowning slightly.
"Father, why would the Fleet Admiral suddenly appear in the North Blue? Could it be that news of our return to the North Blue has leaked?"
"Impossible!"
Judge stared at the rain-shrouded sea ahead, his expression grave.
"The Kingdom of Germa is one of the World Government's member nations. The Marines have no reason to wage war against us. However, for the Fleet Admiral to personally lead a fleet, something major must have recently happened in the North Blue."
After a brief pause, Judge turned to Niji, who stood nearby with a look of contempt.
"Go. Find out why the Fleet Admiral has appeared in the North Blue. I need to know exactly what's going on."
At this, Niji reluctantly turned and strode back into the castle.
A few minutes later, Niji returned swiftly to Judge's side, holding a Den Den Mushi, his earlier arrogance replaced by a subdued tone.
"I contacted several North Blue informants, but none of them know why the Fleet Admiral has come here."
"However, while none were aware of the Fleet Admiral's arrival, they did share another piece of intelligence!"
After a slight pause, Niji looked up at Judge, his expression serious.
"Doflamingo has not only returned to the North Blue but has also traped the entire Kingdom of Orenfence with his Birdcage! As for why, no one knows that either."
"Hmm?"
Judge's pupils contracted slightly.
"Could it be that after losing the Kingdom of Dressrosa, Doflamingo now seeks to overthrow the king of Orenfence and take the throne for himself?"
At this, his eyes suddenly widened in agitation.
"No—this must be Orion's doing. He sent Doflamingo back to the North Blue because he learned of our return. He intends to use Doflamingo to counterbalance us and crush the Vinsmoke Family's ambitions of dominating the North Blue before they even take root!"
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