Calm Belt—
A fleet of Marine warships departed from Marine Headquarters, sailing side by side in silence. They cut through the Calm Belt, a region teeming with Sea Kings, moving steadily toward the East Blue.
Soon, the warships exited the Calm Belt and abruptly accelerated as they entered the East Blue.
The moment they crossed into the East Blue, the sea breeze swept across the fleet, stirring up waves and causing the seagull-emblazoned Marine flags to flutter and snap in the wind.
As the fleet sped through the East Blue, news of the Marine Headquarters' fleet entering the region quickly reached Loguetown.
Loguetown, near the entrance to the Grand Line, known as the "Town of Beginnings and Endings."
In the chaotic red-light district of the town, a group of gang members marched aggressively down the street, led by a young man with spiky, grass-green hair.
"Boss Bartolomeo, are we really going to seize territory right now?"
One of the delinquent youths following the green-haired boy glanced nervously around before speaking, his face full of worry. "Maybe we should wait until nightfall? Even though the sheriff is on our side, the new commanding officer of Loguetown doesn't tolerate this kind of behavior. I heard he's from Marine Headquarters and even a Devil Fruit user. Ever since he arrived, even pirates have been avoiding Loguetown!"
"Hey, hahahaha, don't worry about it!"
The green-haired youth, Bartolomeo, waved dismissively, his enthusiasm undampened. "Captain Smoker has taken his warship out to hunt pirates! Now's the perfect time to take down our rivals and claim their territory!"
"Listen up, boys! Stay sharp and make sure we've taken over before Smoker gets back!"
"Don't worry, Boss Bartolomeo, we'll win for sure!"
"Charge!"
With Bartolomeo's shout, the group of delinquents surged forward, armed with various weapons, rushing toward a bar just up ahead.
But before they could storm inside, the bar's doors burst open.
A group of panicked pirates came rushing out, colliding head-on with Bartolomeo's gang.
The lead pirate wasted no time, pulling out a pistol and pressing it against the forehead of one of the delinquent youths. His expression was fierce as he growled, "If you don't want to die, get the hell out of my way!"
"Captain, who are you talking to?!"
Before the pirate captain could act, a frantic voice came from the Den Den Mushi in his hand. "Stop wasting time! Something big is about to happen in the East Blue! A merchant ship that just docked reported seeing a fleet crossing the Calm Belt, led by none other than the new Marine Fleet Admiral, Xayuki, who publicly executed Whitebeard Jr. during a live broadcast!"
The pirate captain's face turned pale. "Damn it, why is the Fleet Admiral coming to the East Blue?"
"Captain, are you serious? Don't you know? That damn Arlong Pirates attacked and killed a Marine colonel from the 16th Branch. Rumor has it that the colonel was one of the Fleet Admiral's closest subordinates!"
"We need to leave, Captain! The East Blue is about to erupt into chaos! According to the merchant ship's report, the Fleet Admiral isn't coming alone—he's bringing a new admiral and several vice admirals with him!"
"If they were only here to deal with the Arlong Pirates, they wouldn't need such a massive force. The only explanation is that they're planning a large-scale retaliation in the East Blue, and all pirates in the region could get caught in the crossfire!"
Hearing this, the pirate captain didn't dare linger. Not wanting to be delayed by the gang of delinquents, he quickly tossed a bag of Belly at Bartolomeo's feet and fled without looking back.
Bartolomeo blinked in confusion, scratching his head. "What just happened? Am I that famous now? Did I scare a pirate into paying me off? Hahaha, I guess I really do have what it takes to be the boss of Loguetown!"
Meanwhile, at the floating restaurant Baratie.
The usually lively restaurant was suddenly filled with murmurs and commotion.
One by one, diners put down their utensils and wine glasses, rushing out to the deck to see what was happening.
"What's going on?"
"Why are there so many warships in this area all of a sudden?"
"Wait a minute... the figure standing on the deck of the lead warship looks familiar!"
"Are you kidding me? That's the new Marine Fleet Admiral, Xayuki! He's the one who spoke during the live broadcast of Whitebeard Jr.'s execution!"
"He's so impressive, so handsome... Do you think he'd go on a date with me?"
"Handsome? That's the least of it! He became Fleet Admiral at such a young age—he's an inspiration to us all!"
"Why would the Fleet Admiral suddenly come to the East Blue?"
"Not just the Fleet Admiral—did you see the female officer standing next to him? She's wearing an admiral's coat!"
"Oh my goodness, an admiral is here too... Wait, aren't all three admirals supposed to be men?"
"I don't know, but she's definitely wearing an admiral's coat. And the people standing near her are all vice admirals from Marine Headquarters!"
"What could possibly be happening in the East Blue to warrant such a massive deployment? The Fleet Admiral, an admiral, and multiple vice admirals all coming here?"
More and more diners abandoned their meals to crowd onto the deck or press against the windows, their voices rising in a cacophony of speculation. All eyes were fixed on the same point.
Just a hundred meters away from the Baratie, a fleet of warships advanced in a fan-shaped formation.
On the deck of the lead warship stood Xayuki, clad in the Fleet Admiral's coat. He stood at the bow of the ship, his sharp gaze exuding a quiet but overwhelming killing intent.
Even from a hundred meters away, the oppressive aura radiating from him was palpable, sending a chill down the spines of the Baratie's diners and even the chefs watching from the kitchen corridor.
"Hey, old man Zeff."
In the kitchen corridor, a young boy around thirteen or fourteen years old with blond hair and distinctive spiral eyebrows stared at the imposing fleet passing by. His gaze lingered on the young Fleet Admiral at the bow, curiosity filling his eyes.
"Is that really the Marine Fleet Admiral, Xayuki? The one who executed Whitebeard Jr. on live broadcast and made the Seven Warlords bow to him?"
"He's so impressive! Way cooler than he looked in the newspapers!"
The boy turned to the man beside him, who wore a tall chef's hat and had his golden mustache braided into a twist. This was Zeff, the owner and head chef of the Baratie.
Zeff nodded slightly, his eyes never leaving the massive warship. His expression was grave as he said, "How could he not be impressive? At just twenty-something years old, he dared to stage a coup and rise to the rank of Fleet Admiral. He even forced the Holy Land to sign the Marijoa Treaty. In the past five hundred years, there's been no one else like him!"
Suddenly, as the lead warship passed the Baratie, Xayuki turned his head slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the floating restaurant. His eyes locked onto Zeff and the young boy beside him—Sanji.
In that brief moment, Zeff felt a bone-chilling cold rise from the depths of his soul. He shuddered involuntarily and instinctively looked away, unable to meet Xayuki's gaze.
It wasn't until the fleet had sailed far into the distance that Zeff finally raised his head again. Still shaken, he muttered, "An aura like that... The East Blue is in for a storm."
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