Early the next morning, when Yoriichi Tsugikuni woke from his sleep, dressed, and stepped onto the deck, Kyros came to report a piece of news.
It was about the pirate ship they had seized, there was no large amount of treasure or supplies on board.
"Hm? Such a large pirate ship, and there's nothing in the storage?" Yoriichi raised his head and glanced at the enormous ship docked at the port, scratching his hair in mild confusion.
"Yeah, we've searched the entire ship, and there's nothing valuable at all," Kyros replied, standing beside Yoriichi with a bitter expression on his face. He seemed to have stayed up all night, dark circles hung under his eyes.
"And this morning, when the civilians who suffered during the pirate attack heard that we'd taken down the pirate ship, many of them gathered at the port. They're hoping we Marines will return their stolen belongings."
"But… we didn't recover anything."
"Vice Admiral, what should we do?"
Yoriichi looked at Kyros, not quite understanding at first what he was distressed about.
"Well, if we didn't retrieve anything from the pirate ship, then just tell the civilians the truth. I can't just conjure treasure out of thin air."
Under Kyros' guidance, Yoriichi walked over to the ship's rail and looked toward the pier. A large crowd had already gathered, many of them staring expectantly at the warship. When they saw Yoriichi lean out over the rail, cries rang out:
"That red-haired guy is the Vice Admiral from Marine HQ!"
"Vice Admiral, please, we beg you! Return what was taken from us!"
"That was my father's keepsake! I can't lose it!"
The desperate voices stirred the crowd, and within moments, a cacophony of pleas filled the port.
Kyros stepped up beside Yoriichi and explained, "Vice Admiral, I already tried explaining, but it's no use. The civilians don't believe we found nothing. They think we're hiding the loot and don't want to return it."
"This morning, even the Dressrosa army commander personally came to our ship and tried to explain on our behalf."
"But it still didn't help. Some people even believe we're colluding with the army commander to embezzle the treasure…"
Hearing that, Yoriichi pulled his head back in and turned to look at Kyros, stunned at first—then his face became deeply solemn.
"A crisis of trust, huh... That's a big deal."
Even in the extraordinary world of One Piece, where the strong could face armies alone, no one could truly separate themselves from society. And for the Marines, that was doubly true.
If the Marines wanted to establish a presence in Dressrosa, they had to earn the trust of the majority. Only then could they recruit soldiers, acquire supplies, and gather intelligence efficiently in the future.
Without trust, Marine influence would be limited to wherever they could physically patrol.
The people of the District had long taught Yoriichi one truth—the strength of the masses is immense.
This early in the branch's foundation, they absolutely could not afford a crisis of trust. If a bad impression was left now, correcting it would be exponentially harder later.
"A serious crisis indeed…"
"Vice Admiral."
Just then, Fujitora's voice came from behind. Yoriichi and Kyros turned to see Issho, Mihawk, and Koshiro approaching.
Fujitora let out a heavy sigh. Whether it was over the Marines' current predicament or the dark nature of humanity was unclear.
Were all those civilians truly convinced the Marines were lying? Probably not.
The power of the masses is great, but their collective reasoning is often blind.
Even those who believed the Marines might still join the crowd in protest. In the face of collective demands, people often cast aside their own convictions to follow the group—especially when there was personal benefit involved.
It wasn't that they didn't understand what was right, but rather, they understood all too well what was profitable.
"People like this can't be swayed by persuasion," Fujitora said, gazing at Yoriichi. "Vice Admiral, you'll need to consider another approach."
Unlike the still-green Kyros, Fujitora had seen the worst the seas had to offer. He knew how crowds could think—and how quickly they turned.
Yoriichi nodded. "I understand."
Once more, he leaned over the rail and observed the swelling crowd on the dock. After a moment, he turned and asked Kyros, "Do we have an estimate of the total losses these civilians suffered?"
Kyros quickly pulled a file from his coat and handed it to Yoriichi. "This is what the army commander compiled with his men. Right after the pirate raid, they began collecting this data to assist those most affected—especially those who couldn't survive on their own."
"It includes casualty numbers, stolen property—though it's mostly just the port-side residents. A lot still hasn't been accounted for."
Yoriichi skimmed the report. Just the property damage near the port—excluding stolen goods or compensation for the dead—amounted to 70 million Beli in real estate losses alone.
"A hefty sum…"
"Kyros," Yoriichi said, "get in touch with the army commander. Tell him that we, the Marines, will assist in the civilian compensation efforts."
"Of course, we didn't recover any of their stolen belongings—but out of compassion for the victims, we will offer humanitarian aid."
"The funding won't come from our branch's startup capital. Instead, we'll use the bounties from those pirates' heads."
"The pirates we eliminated should include many wanted men. No ordinary pirate crew could afford such a vessel."
Yoriichi glanced at the massive pirate ship again. Even in broad daylight, it was impressive—nearly as large as their warship, and even wider.
While not worth nearly as much, a ship of this size likely cost close to 100 million Beli to build.
"Pirates' heads?"
"You mean… hand over the bodies to the army commander so he can claim the bounties?" Kyros asked. "Their total bounty value is nearly 1 billion Beli."
"But… if we give the heads to them, we won't be able to report the capture to HQ as our own merit! A crew like this could get all our lower-ranking officers promoted!"
Yoriichi's plan startled Kyros. Not because he was stingy—but because it just seemed unfair. The Marines had gained nothing themselves, yet were expected to compensate the civilians.
This felt like sacrificing their own interests for the people's benefit.
"Kyros, that's final," Yoriichi said. "As for military merit… don't worry about it. We're in the New World now—there will be plenty of merit to earn later."
"What matters most is establishing ourselves in Dressrosa. This isn't charity—it's a transaction. We're trading merit now for long-term advantage."
"Work with the army commander. He'll accept the bodies on behalf of Dressrosa's people."
With that, Yoriichi stopped leaning on the rail and walked to the center of the deck, bamboo sword in hand. Passing Mihawk, he said, "Come on, Mihawk. Let's get in some training before breakfast."
Kyros understood then—Yoriichi wouldn't change his mind. After all, the kills were his. He had every right to decide how the heads were handled. And as Vice Admiral, his orders were final.
Kyros saluted and took two messengers with him, quickly heading ashore.
When he found Tank Lepante and delivered Yoriichi's message, the veteran army commander was stunned.
He hadn't expected the Marines to offer assistance to Dressrosa's civilians—especially without gaining anything themselves.
1 billion Beli in bounties.
While Dressrosa could technically afford the payout, it was no small sum. King Riku's original relief plan only covered orphans, the elderly, and those unable to work. For able-bodied civilians, he focused on employment—not rebuilding homes.
But with the Marines' contribution, King Riku could expand his aid to many more.
Tank Lepante quickly brought the news to the palace. King Riku, already grateful that the Marines had defeated the pirates and defended the harbor, was overwhelmed by their generosity.
He arranged a banquet and sent Tank to invite Yoriichi and his officers to the royal palace.
Yoriichi declined.
As a Marine, it was better to keep some distance from the nobles. In case he ever had to deal with them in the future, he didn't want emotional baggage clouding his judgment.
The king didn't mind the rejection. In fact, Yoriichi's professionalism and sense of duty left an even stronger impression on him.
When the news broke that the Marines were helping civilians rebuild, morale soared. The dead were gone—but the living had to carry on. The Marines' aid gave them hope and a sense of security.
Later, when Kyros began buying land for the branch, things went very smoothly.
Within a week, the Marines had purchased 100 mu (about 16 acres) of land by the port, and construction officially began.
Thanks to King Riku's support, land acquisition was easy. And when civilians heard the Marines were buying at full price, they were overjoyed.
Even those who had hesitated sold willingly, grateful for the Marines' efforts in revenge and recovery.
The branch also hired local craftsmen. Even unskilled survivors were offered work, helping them move on instead of wallowing in grief.
"BOOM!!"
"BOOM!!"
At the shore, construction roared ahead. And on the beach, Yoriichi—dressed in a thin black training uniform—was punching the side of the pirate ship.
No blade. No Haki. Just pure fists.
Each blow echoed with a thunderous crack, punching deep holes into the hull.
Rather than waste resources dismantling the ship, Yoriichi had repurposed it as a training dummy—absorbing its usefulness into his own growth.
His routine now was full: physical training, sword practice, Haki refinement. Every day was immersed in self-discipline.
Kyros and Koshiro handled all the construction logistics. Yoriichi only managed the direction and budgeting. Everything else, he left to them.
As for Fujitora and Mihawk? Yoriichi dragged them into training as well.
In his eyes, one man's strength wasn't enough to survive in the New World.
Year 1500, August. After five months of construction, the Dawn Marine Branch in Dressrosa was finally nearing completion.
Yoriichi and his officers had kept a low profile. Apart from the occasional clueless pirate who wandered into town and got wiped out, they made no active moves.
But merchants who passed through began spreading the word of Dressrosa's peace—and the one man responsible: Yoriichi Tsugikuni and his Dawn Branch.
Before long, their reputation had reached far across the New World.
They had finally established a foothold.
"…So that's where that brat ended up, huh? Dressrosa…"
"Guess I'll go see him."
On a tiny boat adrift in the vast sea, a middle-aged man sat on a stool, a long sword leaning beside him. He glanced down at a newspaper, murmuring to himself.
The headline read:
["Billion-Beli Pirate Falls in Dressrosa!"]
["A New Marine Era Rises — Vice Admiral Yoriichi Tsugikuni Brings Order to the New World!"]
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