Marine Headquarters, Marineford Plaza.
"Stand up straight, all of you!"
"The Fleet Admiral will be returning to headquarters soon!"
"And that includes your former captains, presidents, or young masters—whatever titles you used to have!"
With a long sword strapped to his waist and a Vice Admiral's coat draped over his shoulders, Noah paced back and forth in front of the assembled crowd. His sharp gaze swept across the individuals before him. "I don't care who you used to be, how strong you are, or what status you held. Now that you're at Marine Headquarters, there are only three things you need to do!"
As he spoke, Noah raised three fingers, his voice rising in pitch. "Obey, obey, and for the love of justice, OBEY!"
The moment Noah finished speaking, a burst of laughter rang out from the crowd.
"Horo-horo-horo~"
The laughter came from a girl with pink twin-tails, a crown on her head, and a red umbrella in her hand. She sauntered out from the group, her tone haughty as she declared, "You're not cute at all! Why should we obey you just because you said so? And why do you have to curse when giving orders?"
Hearing this, Noah turned his head to look at her.
The speaker was none other than Perona, also known as the "Ghost Princess." She was a member of the Thriller Bark Pirates and a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user with the power of the Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit).
Noah, who had already reviewed the files of everyone present in the plaza, frowned slightly. If it had been anyone else speaking up, he would have barked at them to shut up without hesitation.
But Perona... she was a headache for him.
First, her record was surprisingly clean. Raised by Gecko Moria as if she were his own daughter, Perona had been pampered like a princess. She had rarely, if ever, participated in the burning, looting, or pillaging typical of pirates. Even when she did fight, it was usually against other pirates on the open sea. Among the group before Noah, she was one of the few with a relatively untainted history.
Second, her Devil Fruit ability was downright terrifying.
Noah vividly remembered an incident when she first arrived at Marine Headquarters. A few soldiers, deemed "not cute" by Perona, had been subjected to her powers. They ended up kneeling in unison, muttering things like, "I don't deserve to live," "Breathing is a waste of air," and "I've achieved nothing since joining the Marines; please end me now."
Thankfully, those affected were just a few rookie soldiers eager for glory. If it had been an officer reacting that way, their career at Marine Headquarters would have been over!
Noah had been present during that incident, and he had firmly committed the seemingly harmless yet incredibly dangerous girl to memory.
Now, seeing Perona step forward, he swallowed hard. Though his tone was less domineering than before, he still waved her off with a stern expression. "Fine, you're the cutest, alright? Now go back to your spot!"
Before he could finish, Noah felt something was off. He was a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, handpicked by Fleet Admiral Xayuki as part of the new generation of Marine leaders. How could he let a little girl undermine his authority?
Resolving to reassert himself, Noah strode past Perona and grabbed the rotund man standing behind her by the collar. His voice turned cold as he demanded, "Hogback, what are you laughing at?"
Hogback!
One of the "Three Freaks" of the Thriller Bark Pirates.
"I... I wasn't laughing," Hogback stammered, blinking innocently as he patted his round belly.
"You'd better not be!" Noah slapped Hogback's stomach with a resounding thud. "You're too fat! You should lose some weight. Trust me, you'll slim down soon enough!"
Turning his attention to another figure nearby, Noah's gaze landed on the third "Freak" of the Thriller Bark Pirates, Absalom.
"You there! Look up!"
"???"
Absalom, who had been standing perfectly still with his eyes downcast, was suddenly filled with confusion. He cautiously replied, "I didn't say anything!"
"Don't think that just because you're quiet, I don't know what you're thinking!"
Noah took a step forward, glaring at Absalom as if he were a mortal enemy. His voice was laced with menace. "Absalom, one of the Three Freaks of the Thriller Bark Pirates and a Suke Suke no Mi (Clear-Clear Fruit) user!"
"Here's a small warning: using your Devil Fruit powers is strictly forbidden at Marine Headquarters. If I catch you using them, even if you've done nothing wrong, I'll beat you senseless for 'peeping on female soldiers' and slap a harassment charge on you before tossing you into Impel Down with the okama inmates!"
"What?!" Absalom's eyes widened in shock.
To be fair, he had been thinking about sneaking into the women's bathhouse once things settled down at Headquarters. Maybe, if he got lucky, he'd even find a wife among the female officers.
"What are you 'what-ing' about?!" Noah's eyes bulged like copper bells as he roared, "I despise scum like you with weird Devil Fruit abilities! Don't think I didn't notice you ogling those female soldiers just now. Now, go! Run laps around Marineford Plaza while carrying a thousand pounds, and don't stop until the Fleet Admiral returns!"
Hearing this, Hogback let out an involuntary snicker, his laughter sounding like a wheezing hiss.
"Hmm?"
Noah immediately turned his head, causing Hogback to straighten up in terror and clamp his mouth shut.
"Hogback, you seem to have plenty of energy!"
Noah's lips curled into a smile that seemed eerily reminiscent of the Fleet Admiral's. His tone was deceptively kind as he said, "Since you're so full of spirit, why don't you join Absalom?"
Before anyone could react, Noah raised his voice to a commanding shout. "What are you two waiting for? Start running!"
Not far from the Thriller Bark Pirates, the members of Baroque Works watched as Hogback and Absalom were thoroughly humiliated. Even the members of the Donquixote Family, standing on the other side of the plaza, quickly averted their gazes, not daring to watch the spectacle any longer.
Compared to the Donquixote Family, the Baroque Works group was relatively small, consisting of only eight or nine people.
At the forefront was a tall woman wearing a cowboy hat.
This was Miss All Sunday, the Vice President of Baroque Works.
Of course, "Miss All Sunday" was just an alias. Her real name was Nico Robin, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user with the power of the Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit). She was the sole survivor of the Ohara Incident and had been relentlessly pursued by the World Government for her ability to decipher ancient texts.
Standing at the head of the Baroque Works group, Robin didn't pay much attention to Noah's disciplining of Hogback and Absalom. Instead, her gaze remained fixed on the port of Marineford.
She had long since learned about the recent events at Marine Headquarters through her own channels and various newspapers.
She had thought these events wouldn't concern her, but to her surprise, not only had their leader been captured, but they had also been "invited" to Marine Headquarters.
Like Robin, the other members of Baroque Works turned their attention to the port. Some were nervous, while others were merely curious.
"Fleet Admiral Xayuki has returned!"
Suddenly, an excited voice rang out from the high walls near Marineford's port.
Moments later, the massive gates at the port's entrance swung open with a thunderous boom. A large Marine warship slowly sailed in.
Standing at the bow of the ship, draped in the Fleet Admiral's coat, was Xayuki, his figure clearly visible to everyone in the plaza.
Before the crowd could fully process his arrival, the warship docked at the shore.
To be continued...
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