In a remote corner of the East Blue...
Two ships were locked in a chase across the open sea.
At the front was a flamboyant pirate ship adorned with heart motifs and a swan-shaped figurehead, undeniably extravagant and over-the-top.
Behind it followed a Marine warship, hot on its trail in the name of justice.
"Damn it! Faster! I said faster, you useless cowards!"
The Marine officer on deck was brash and foul-mouthed, barking orders at the sailors as he scowled furiously.
"You call yourselves navigators? That pirate ship's pulling further and further ahead!"
"Reporting, sir! We're already at the ship's maximum speed!"
"Then throw out all the dead weight, you idiot!"
The officer landed a hard kick on the reporting sailor and roared again:
"Toss out all the cannonballs, leave just a few! It's not like you useless lot ever hit anything anyway!"
The crew, grumbling and reluctant, began throwing ammunition overboard.
"Damn it! If we don't catch the Alvida Pirates this time, Captain Nezumi will skin me alive!"
The thug-like officer raised his spyglass and fixed his eyes on the speeding pirate ship ahead.
This so-called Marine had once been nothing more than a local bully in a small East Blue village, a man who extorted the townsfolk and lorded over the helpless.
One day, a Marine warship docked at their tiny port. The Marines came ashore under the pretense of resupplying but ended up seizing money and supplies from the villagers.
Shockingly, the villagers didn't protest, in fact, they cheered, praising the Marines as "heroes of justice," simply because they'd just captured a no-name pirate crew.
The bully watched in awe.
Being a Marine meant you could rob without consequence, and be praised for it.
That moment changed everything.
The very next day, he joined that same warship and was taken to the 16th Marine Branch of the East Blue.
Thanks to his physical strength and shameless cunning, he quickly climbed the ranks and became an officer aboard a smaller patrol vessel.
Recently, word had spread that Captain Smoker of Loguetown had finally gotten his long-requested transfer approved, after more than a year.
This spelled opportunity for someone like Captain Nezumi, a fringe figure in the Marine ranks, who now saw a chance to rise.
Seizing the moment, Nezumi issued strict orders: Every Marine officer with rank had to capture a certain number of pirates before Smoker left his post.
Failure would result in demotion, or dismissal.
Thanks to his flattery and underhanded methods, the former village thug had earned Nezumi's trust and become one of his most relied-upon men.
The Alvida Pirates, led by the strongest female pirate in the East Blue, had been handpicked by Captain Nezumi himself.
She was his target.
And failure was not an option.
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Meanwhile, aboard Alvida's pirate ship…
Inside the vessel, just above the waterline, two rows of enormous oars extended out from the ship's sides.
Dozens of muscular pirates grunted as they rowed in sync below deck, propelling the ship at top speed.
A large, freckled woman with layers of fat beneath her round cheeks paced between the rows, wielding a spiked mace in one hand. Every so often, she would shout:
"Faster! You want the Marines to catch us?! You'll be sorry if they do!"
"Yes, Boss Alvida!"
"Call me a lady, damn it!!"
CRACK!
Alvida slammed her spiked mace into the wooden floor, punching a hole through the deck.
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought in the heat of the moment, she straightened up and turned toward the back row, where a small, awkward boy was struggling to keep up.
The boy had neatly parted pink hair, round glasses, and a still-developing body, clearly not yet grown into manhood.
She barked:
"Koby! Tell me, what is the most beautiful thing on the sea?!"
"Th-the most beautiful thing, of course…"
"Is YOU, Miss Alvida!"
Koby was drenched in sweat but still rowing with all his might as he blurted the line in panic, practically on instinct.
Months ago, Koby had decided to go on a solo sailing trip, part vacation, part fishing expedition. He found an uninhabited island to relax.
Unfortunately, that island turned out to be the hideout of the Alvida Pirates.
Alvida, sharp-eyed and cunning, immediately noticed that Koby had potential, he was nothing like her filthy, crude crew. This kid would grow into a fine-looking young man one day.
So she captured him and locked him on board.
Since then, Koby has answered this same question hundreds, maybe thousands, of times. It had become a reflex. Whenever he heard her voice, his body automatically responded with flattery.
"You got that right! A beauty like me will never get caught by some filthy Marines! Row harder! Shake them off!"
"Yes, Lady Alvida!"
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Suddenly, a panicked crewman rushed down from the deck, yelling:
"Captain Alvida! Quick! Come up to the deck, something's wrong!"
THWACK!
A spiked mace slammed into the floor right next to his foot, missing him by less than a millimeter.
"Call me a LADY!!!" Alvida roared.
Only then did she ask:
"What happened?"
"L-Lady Alvida… We… We're going to crash!"
"What?!"
BOOM!
A deafening crash echoed through the ship as it lurched violently, like a bus slamming on its brakes. The rowers, including Koby, were thrown forward by the sudden inertia.
One by one, the sweaty pirates tumbled across the floor, many of them slamming right into Alvida and covering her in sweat.
"DISGUSTING!!"
With a furious heave, she shoved them off her body and shouted:
"Everyone, outside! Be ready for a fight!"
She slung her mace over her shoulder and stormed toward the deck.
Alvida had no intention of fighting the Marines if it could be avoided. But that didn't mean she was afraid.
The truth was, the Marines had superior weapons, equipment, and tactics.
Fighting them was almost always a disaster, and the sea had no shortage of Marine reinforcements. Drive one ship off, and a stronger one would take its place.
But now, for some unknown reason, their ship had come to a full stop in the middle of the ocean.
Which meant... a battle might be unavoidable.
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"What the hell is going on!?"
Alvida's massive form swayed with each step as she stomped up to the deck.
"C-Captain Alvi, um, I mean Lady Alvida! Look, over there!"
A stunned pirate pointed ahead, trembling as he raised his arm.
Alvida followed the direction he pointed…
And her expression froze in shock.
For once, she completely forgot to demand that they call her a "lady."
Because,
Right in front of their ship… was a wall.
Not a cliff, not a mountain, an actual wall, standing in the middle of the sea.
Through the iron bars of the gate, they could clearly see a manicured lawn… a peaceful little garden pavilion… and even a luxurious mansion beyond.
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