East Blue, Loguetown, port center.
Smoker, having swiftly arrested a rowdy pirate crew, wiped sweat from his face and sat to read the latest newspaper.
His mind drifted to the scene at Raven Port half a month ago.
Civilians shielding pirates by confronting Marines? Unheard of, not just in the East Blue but worldwide.
The man at the center, Knight Gawain, haunted Smoker's thoughts like a nightmare.
"Who are you?" he muttered. "A pirate, yet you fought for civilians with no gain?"
"No such pirate exists!"
Smoker took a deep drag on his cigars, his confusion growing.
He gave up pondering, turning to another matter. "Still no reply to Mouse's report?"
Tashigi gritted her teeth, shaking her head. "None."
"I suspect it never left the East Blue—intercepted."
"Colonel Smoker, this is wrong! How can the Marines tolerate someone like Mouse?"
"It's a disgrace to justice!"
"Hmph," Smoker sneered. "To some, money and status are justice."
"I had Raven Port's extortion investigated, but the trail stopped at a certain Vice Admiral. Even my men were detained."
"There's a bigger force at play. To resolve it, we'd need the Marine Criminal Investigation Service, but their rules would investigate us too."
"What?" Tashigi looked at Smoker, who flushed.
"I'll rise and dismantle that corrupt department," he said.
Smoker had bent rules before, though never his principles. An investigation would bring trouble.
Tashigi changed the subject. "Headquarters responded about Knight Gawain. His bounty's going up again."
Smoker nodded, unsurprised. "Twice in a month—unprecedented in history."
"Tashigi."
"Yes!"
"My gut says if he reaches the Grand Line, the East Blue will birth a monster pirate."
Smoker clenched his jaw. "We must keep him here, even at the cost of our lives!"
"Yes, sir!"
They fell silent.
In the sky, messenger birds dropped a newspaper and flew off.
Smoker picked it up, opening it to a familiar face. "Knight Gawain, bounty… This number in the East Blue? Vice Admiral Garp won't sit still."
"How much?"
"85 million Berries!"
…
New World, a barren island.
The Red Force anchored in a bay, its skull flag unmistakable, scaring off nearby pirates even from miles away.
It belonged to the youngest of the Four Emperors, the unrivaled master of Haki on the seas: Red-Haired Shanks.
Once a contender for the world's greatest swordsman alongside Hawkeye, his ambitions ended when he lost his arm in the East Blue.
By the beach, a fire flickered, casting shadows on the crew's faces.
Roasted meat, fruits, and countless drinks littered the sand, the air thick with liquor even the sea breeze couldn't clear.
"You've been drinking for three days straight! There's a limit to hangovers!" Beckman chided, only to be grabbed by Shanks.
The crew pinned him down, pouring a massive jug of beer into his mouth.
"Hahaha!" they roared with laughter.
Beckman, breaking free, had a tipsy flush. "Bastards, none of you are escaping!"
"Hahaha!"
Shanks slapped his thigh, but his expression froze.
On the horizon, a crude raft of logs, barely a ship, sailed toward the island under a familiar flag.
The man aboard was unmistakable to Shanks.
His unrestrained, sky-piercing sword intent carried the absolute confidence of the world's greatest.
The world's top swordsman: Hawkeye Mihawk!
"Hey, Mihawk! Over here!" Shanks called.
Mihawk paused, recognizing Shanks, and docked his raft.
Before he could approach, Shanks shoved a jug of beer into his hands, slinging an arm around him. "Drink, drink!"
Mihawk frowned at Shanks. "Hungover again?"
"It's a banquet!"
Jesus Burgess, Lucky Roux, and others joined in, egging him on. Mihawk, resigned, downed the beer.
His arrival sparked a new wave of revelry, lasting into the night.
Only Shanks, Mihawk, and Beckman remained sober, the rest sprawled drunk, snoring.
Mihawk, clear-eyed, pulled a wanted poster from his coat and handed it to Shanks. "An interesting pirate in the East Blue."
"Luffy?" Shanks perked up, but seeing an unfamiliar face, his interest waned.
Mihawk continued, undeterred. "Knight Gawain, 48 million Berries."
"From his eyes, I can tell he's a swordsman."
"One with absolute, almost arrogant confidence."
"I don't know the source of that confidence, but it might bear satisfying fruit."
Mihawk glanced at Shanks' missing arm. "Since you lost it, I've lacked worthy opponents."
"If you want a fight, I'm game."
"You don't interest me anymore," Mihawk said flatly.
Beckman grabbed the poster, studied it, and grinned at Mihawk. "Your info's outdated. His bounty's been updated."
He pulled a fresh newspaper from a stack of posters, handing one to Mihawk.
Mihawk's eyes lit up. "85 million Berries?"
"Interesting."
"I'm heading to the East Blue next!"
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