New World, in waters near the G-5 jurisdiction.
Several warships with menacing cannons escorted a lavish cruise liner as it sailed across the sea.
On the deck of the liner stood the Loan Shark King, Lu Field. Wrapped in a fur coat, his hair slicked back, a cigar clamped between his teeth, he exuded wealth and arrogance. At his side stood another man whose presence was just as imposing—the Shipping King, Umit, who had come on this voyage to meet with Ortoren.
"So this is... G-5's hunt, right in front of us?" Umit asked curiously, watching the distant scene.
In the distance, two pirate ships fled in panic, while several Marine warships gave chase. But the pursuit wasn't urgent—they occasionally fired a few shots, more to intimidate than to destroy, keeping the pirates on the run.
"Looks that way. These days, any pirate bold enough to sail through G-5's waters is either insane or just a clueless rookie," Lu Field said with a chuckle.
"There's another type too... G-5's partners. But honestly, I've been in the New World a long time, and I've never seen Marines work so openly with pirates. G-5 really is the only one," Umit said with a sigh.
"Well, their commander's position is a little... special. Even so, it's reckless. What really surprises me is that Marine Headquarters doesn't seem to care about his actions at all," Lu Field remarked, half in confusion, half in wonder.
Umit didn't answer that. Instead, he asked, "Should we give them a hand? Cut those pirates off from the front?"
"No need..." Lu Field said softly.
As his words fell, a thick cloud of white smoke suddenly poured from one of the pursuing warships. The smoke came alive, surging like a massive white dragon that shot across the sea. In just a few breaths, it slammed into one of the fleeing pirate ships.
With a deafening boom, the white smoke burst outward like an explosion, engulfing the entire vessel. Though it looked intangible, its power was crushing. Like giant ropes, the smoke coiled tightly around the ship, snapping its thick mast in an instant.
The battered pirate ship lost all momentum and came to a dead halt.
The smoke then condensed again, forming another dragon-like mass that leapt off the ship, ready to strike the second vessel.
But before it could reach its target, a wave of violet light surged outward from one of the pursuing Marine ships. In an instant, it enveloped the second pirate vessel.
The ship, which had been fleeing desperately, suddenly tilted as if dragged by an invisible force. Its bow lifted from the sea, and within moments, the entire vessel hung suspended above the waves, completely immobilized.
Not only that—if one looked closely, every pirate on deck was being crushed against the planks as though weighed down by a mountain, pinned helplessly in place.
"So this is... the ability of Issho-sama, the so-called Tiger of G-5?" Umit asked in awe, staring at the floating ship.
"I can't say for certain, but it has to be him. No one else in G-5 has the kind of power to do that," Lu Field replied after a moment's hesitation.
With one pirate ship locked down, the white smoke on the other stopped chasing and instead condensed on deck, taking on a human form that began attacking the panicked crew.
The sounds of gunfire and terrified screams filled the air for several minutes. Soon after, the pursuing Marine warship pulled up alongside the crippled vessel. By now, Lu Field's fleet was close enough that everyone aboard could clearly see the battle unfolding before them.
Within their line of sight, chaos reigned on the pirate ship's deck. A young man with three cigars clenched in his mouth, white smoke billowing from his body, stood defiantly with one foot pressed on what was clearly the pirate captain's back. The captain was bound tightly in smoke, his mouth and nose smothered, face flushed red as if on the verge of suffocation.
Clearly, no one recognized the man—just another nameless upstart pirate.
"Another Logia, right?" Umit asked, his tone carrying a hint of envy as he watched.
"Definitely Logia. The Marines really do breed talent one after another. Strange though—I don't recall ever seeing this one before," Lu Field said thoughtfully.
"From his look and demeanor, he's clearly still young. Maybe a recent recruit? But to already possess a Logia ability at his age, and to be serving under that man... as long as nothing goes wrong, he's bound to make a name for himself in the future," Umit remarked.
But before this so-called future star could show off any more, a towering figure appeared on the deck of the Marine warship. The moment he came into view, he began loudly berating the white-smoke user.
"Smoker!" Issho's voice thundered across the stretch of sea, his face twisted in anger as he glared at Smoker on the pirate ship's deck. "You bastard! How many times have I told you? Don't fight so crudely! Especially when it comes to ships—don't cause unnecessary damage! You snapped the mast again! Do you have any idea how much it costs to repair a mast? And ships with repeatedly repaired components won't fetch a decent price!"
Smoker, who had been full of swagger only moments earlier, instantly shrank back. He quickly stifled his smoke, straightened his posture, and said hastily, "My apologies, Commander Issho, I—"
Issho cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand. "Save it. I've warned you before, yet you keep making the same mistake. This time, your share of the profits and bounty is canceled. I'll distribute it to the others as compensation for the loss."
Instead of looking resentful, Smoker actually looked relieved. He immediately saluted. "Yes, sir. Thank you."
As long as there was no official punishment, he didn't care about the money. What he lived for in G-5 was the rush of being on the front lines, the righteous satisfaction of capturing pirates.
Everything else was meaningless to him. G-5's rules being completely different from Headquarters, full of blatant violations? That wasn't his problem.
He wasn't a proper, by-the-book Marine anyway—he was one of Headquarters' notorious troublemakers, the so-called "Problem Child."
Compared to the endless restrictions at Headquarters, Smoker thrived in G-5's unrestrained, reckless environment. No endless rules to frustrate him, no tedious systems to bog him down. Here, he could act freely.
At worst, they'd dock his pay—not drag him into public criticism sessions or throw him into solitary confinement like at Headquarters.
After scolding Smoker, Issho lifted his hand. The snapped mast cracked cleanly, and a two-meter section of wood broke free, floating through the air to land before him.
Stepping onto it, Issho rose steadily into the air as if standing on a flying platform. He left the warship behind and glided toward Lu Field and Umit's fleet.
Though he officially wore the rank of Rear Admiral, Issho had been a dominant force in G-5's waters for years. His reputation echoed across the New World, and many infamous pirates had fallen to his hand.
Even Shichibukai Slekemind had once suffered heavy losses against him. So regardless of his rank, Issho was not someone to treat lightly.
Lu Field and Umit straightened up, fixing polite smiles onto their faces as they stepped forward together to greet him.
As Issho approached, he wore an apologetic smile. "My apologies for the display, gentlemen. We were supposed to be here to welcome you, but happened to run into some fools along the way..."
Indeed, Issho's mission here wasn't to hunt pirates—it was to escort.
It wasn't that Lu Field and Umit were so important that G-5 bent over backward to honor them.
The real reason was the fortune Lu Field carried—the two hundred billion Berries he had borrowed from Ortoren. If something happened to him before he entered G-5 waters, it wasn't Ortoren's concern. But if someone brought that money into his territory and it was stolen, how would Ortoren save face?
That was why Issho had been dispatched to meet them here—to personally escort the two hundred billion Berries safely into G-5.