"Marine, you have made me angry!"
"I am Bali the Tiger Shark, worth twenty seven million berries! Taste my suffering!"
Bali roared at the calm Monkey D. Dragon, his voice thunderous with rage.
When his eyes landed on the young officer's crisp uniform and the lieutenant insignia, his fury only burned hotter.
A mere Marine lieutenant had not fled at the sight of him. Not only that, he had dared to bombard his ship.
Did this brat not know that every inch of Bali's body was honed through countless battles, tough enough to shrug off blades and bullets alike?
Behind him, his crew was still struggling in the sea. Bali swore he would tear this Marine apart and wash away his humiliation in blood.
"Hiss!"
The Marines beside Dragon sucked in sharp breaths, staring at him in awe.
First voyage out, and already they had run into real prey. With a casual gesture, their commander had led them straight to a notorious pirate.
That kind of foresight was almost unbelievable.
"Hahaha! Afraid now, are you?"
Bali grinned savagely, savoring the shock on the sailors' faces.
Dragon moved.
He surged forward ten meters in an instant, his leg coming down in a brutal, overhead axe kick.
The force split the air with a piercing sonic crack.
Bali did not even have time to focus before his vision went white.
Boom!
His skull was driven deep into the sand, grit filling his mouth, a regulation size forty two boot crushing down on the back of his head.
"Hiss!"
All fifty elite Marines inhaled sharply, like a nest of silver cobras.
He really was that strong.
A pirate worth twenty seven million berries could not withstand a single blow.
Every Marine stared at Dragon as if seeing him for the first time.
Veterans from Garp's ship and Headquarters recruits alike now understood that this young officer was no ordinary newcomer.
Who else would arrive with his own warship, carry himself with such confidence, and actually have the strength to back it up?
They simply had not expected his power to be this overwhelming. One strike to crush a pirate worth millions. That was the realm of generals.
"All units, capture every survivor! No one escapes to plague these seas again!"
Dragon barked the order, grinding his heel down harder on the massive fool beneath him.
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood, Lieutenant!"
Fifty elite Marines answered in unison.
Like wolves spotting lambs, they launched small boats and surged toward the pirates flailing in the water.
Their commander had shown absolute strength. They would not fall behind.
They would never allow that young officer to look down on them.
At the same time.
The pirates who had managed to crawl out of the waves froze in disbelief.
Moments earlier, they had been sneering as they closed in on the shore, ready to follow Bali's lead and teach the Marines a lesson.
But now.
"Boss Bali was defeated!"
"One hit!"
"He was worth twenty seven million berries!"
Panic seized them.
They had crashed headfirst into a ghost ship of the North Blue.
In an instant, they spun around and fled toward the open sea, thrashing wildly as if praying for extra limbs.
Ten minutes later.
Every Marine dragged back at least one pirate. They stood in neat rows on the beach before Dragon.
All pirates had been captured. Those who resisted had stood no chance against Headquarters' finest.
"Report, Lieutenant. Aside from the bodies in the water, we have fifty seven pirates alive. Awaiting orders."
Lieutenant Karl saluted and reported.
"Well done."
Dragon swept the sea with Observation Haki, confirming there were no stragglers.
From the speed and precision of the pursuit, these men truly deserved the title of elite.
"Thank you, Lieutenant!"
The fifty Marines snapped to attention.
Earning recognition from someone like Dragon filled them with pride.
Loyalty surged.
Loyalty plus three. Loyalty plus four. Loyalty plus two.
A total of one hundred eighty nine points. A remarkable gain.
Dragon was thoroughly satisfied. Leadership mattered.
Once strength was displayed, subordinates saw a future under him and felt instinctive respect. Loyalty followed naturally.
At that moment.
Bali, still pinned beneath Dragon's boot, finally shook off the worst of his concussion.
As awareness returned, shock and humiliation flooded him.
He, a feared pirate, had been flattened by a single blow from a green officer and was now face down in the sand.
How could his pride endure this?
Bali thrashed wildly, limbs digging into the beach, trying to kick away the foot crushing his head.
But the strength that once shattered skulls was gone.
All he achieved was carving four pits into the sand.
The watching Marines nearly burst out laughing. The mighty pirate's flailing looked almost like frantic dog paddling.
The captured pirates turned pale.
Their brutal captain had been reduced to nothing beneath a lieutenant's boot.
If even Bali was powerless, how terrifying was this officer?
"Tch. Tough body."
Dragon muttered with distaste and lifted his foot.
Bali jerked his head up, sand still between his teeth, and roared, "Throw me into Impel Down! When I escape, I will drown the entire North Blue in blood!"
He knew the Marines' duty. Capture pirates and lock them away.
Impel Down was said to be the worst prison in the world, yet he was one of the rare few who had escaped once before.
Next time, this brat would pay. Today was nothing but a stumble.
Every so called great pirate had thought the same way before him.
"All units. Execute on the spot. Collect the bounties."
Dragon gave the order without even glancing at Bali.
He had spared him earlier only because he needed a footrest.
Now this idiot still dared to posture.
"Huh?"
Both pirates and Marines froze.
Was he not supposed to claim the bounty and send them to prison?
Beheading was the work of bounty hunters, not Marines.
"Huh?"
"Order received!"
The Marines were confused.
The process felt wrong.
But a soldier's duty was obedience. Dragon's words were law.
Understood.
Dragon nodded in approval.
His right leg lifted, then slammed down.
Whoosh!
A pale crescent blade shot from his toe.
As Bali struggled to rise, it struck his neck.
The arc was clean and precise, carving a deep trench through the sand as it passed.
A terrified head hit the ground, and a column of red surged skyward.
Dragon glanced at the severed head and let out a cold laugh.
What made you think you were worthy of Impel Down?
Did you eat a Devil Fruit?
Even if you had, he would have killed you without hesitation.
The World Government feared the chaos of Devil Fruits reincarnating. He did not.
If it reappeared in friendly hands, good. If it fell to pirates, he would simply kill them again. It was that simple.
The fifty Marines felt an indescribable satisfaction as their enemy lost his leader.
Executing this scum on the spot felt far better than locking him away.
Besides, had their commander not just used Six Powers, Tempest Kick?
Such mastery. Such elegance.
Gulp.
The fifty seven pirates watched their captain's execution, throats turning ice cold.
Then.
Chop. Chop. Chop.
Though still in awe of their commander's power, the Marines did not forget his order.
Blades flashed. Fifty seven heads fell into the sand.
In less than half an hour, the Tiger Shark Pirates, who had terrorized the North Blue, were completely wiped out.