"Kuzan, navy salaries must be sky-high!"
Yoriichi, clutching a drink in one hand and a food box in the other, chewed on a handful of local candies. He glanced at Aokiji beside him and teased, "You didn't even blink when buying all that food. For you, this must be just pocket change."
Aokiji strolled casually, holding his own food box in one hand and a bottle of deep red wine in the other. The wine, made from the Nier Kingdom's unique grapes, carried a fragrance unlike anything found elsewhere in the New World. Though Aokiji wasn't much of a drinker, he did enjoy the quiet warmth of being tipsy now and then.
"How could it be that easy?" he chuckled. "Buying this much has already drained me. Still… if it were you, I'd probably eat my way back at your expense someday, haha."
It was rare to see Aokiji so carefree, bantering with Yoriichi as they wandered the bustling snack street.
"Eat your way back from me? You'll be waiting a long time," Yoriichi said with a grin. "Teacher Zefa wants me to join the navy once I come of age. Just be patient, Kuzan."
But before Aokiji could reply, a disturbance rippled through the street ahead. Shouts rose as people craned their necks toward a commotion. Faintly, beneath the noise, Yoriichi heard it—someone crying out for help.
"Kuzan," he said quickly, "I think someone's in trouble."
"I heard it too." Aokiji's expression hardened. "Let's check it out."
They pushed their way through the gathering crowd. "Make way! Move aside!" Aokiji called, clearing a path until finally the source came into view.
At the center, a girl no older than sixteen sat trembling. Her once-elegant dress had been torn to shreds, the tatters barely covering her skin. Her eyes were wide and glassy with fear. A kind woman rushed forward, stripping off her apron to wrap it around the girl's shoulders.
"Child, what happened to you?!" the woman asked urgently, her voice full of concern.
The girl trembled, lips quivering. She managed only a whisper: "Help me…" Nothing more.
Yoriichi and Aokiji exchanged a grave look.
Aokiji crouched before her, lowering his voice. "Miss, don't be afraid. I'm with the navy. We'll protect you." He pointed to the emblem on his chest.
At that word—navy—her eyes lit up. Tears spilled as hope flickered back into her face.
"Are you truly the navy? Then please, save me… save my family!" she sobbed. "Pirates—pirates stormed the palace! My father was killed!"
The crowd erupted in shocked murmurs. Even Aokiji froze, momentarily stunned.
"The palace? Pirates?"
The Nier Kingdom was no weak nation. Its king was a seasoned ruler of over a decade, backed by a strong army and even Whitebeard's protection. No petty pirate crew should have been capable of overwhelming them—let alone in broad daylight.
Reckless madness… or something far worse, Aokiji thought grimly. But the fear in the girl's eyes left little room for doubt.
"Kuzan, what do you think?" Yoriichi asked from behind, his hand already twitching toward his sword. To him, the solution was simple: find the pirates and cut them down. But Aokiji, soon to be a major general, had the greater authority.
"Do I even need to think?" Aokiji's tone was sharp. He turned back to the girl. "Where is the palace? I'll go at once."
The girl clutched the apron tightly, panic flashing again. "No—you can't go alone! The palace is surrounded. So many pirates, all powerful. The royal guard was slaughtered. I only escaped through a hidden passage. Please, call your comrades first!"
Before Aokiji could answer, Yoriichi stepped forward. "He's not alone. I may not be much, but I'm his companion. We'll go together. If it's as bad as you say, reinforcements will already be on their way." His tone was steady, his resolve firm.
The girl hesitated, but an older woman in the crowd pointed quickly to the north. "Go straight! You'll reach the King's Avenue—it's paved in bluestone. From there, you'll see the palace."
Without another word, Aokiji and Yoriichi exchanged a look, then sprinted down the street.
Before long, the wide stretch of King's Avenue opened before them. But instead of the palace, their eyes were drawn to an enormous mud fortress rising in the distance, towering tens of meters high and spanning a hundred meters across. Gasps of disbelief spread among the townsfolk who had followed.
"That must be it," Aokiji muttered, his expression dark. "A Devil Fruit ability… and not an ordinary one. That's Logia-class."
Logia fruits were rare—and their wielders terrifyingly strong. What he had thought might be a reckless band of pirates now revealed itself as something far more dangerous.
"Yoriichi," Aokiji said sharply, "go to the branch office. Call Vice Admiral Garp and Major General Roca. I'll scout ahead."
But Yoriichi shook his head. "No need. With this much noise, someone must've already gone. I won't turn back now. Even if I can't match a Logia user, I won't drag you down." He drew his sword, the sunlight glinting off the blade.
Seeing his resolve, Aokiji said nothing more. Together, they rushed to the base of the mud fortress.
Circling its walls, Aokiji searched for an entrance but found none. He was preparing to force a way in when Yoriichi stepped forward.
"Sun Breathing, First Form—Round Dance!"
His blade carved a sweeping arc through the air. A slash of compressed force shot forward, tearing into the fortress. Mud exploded outward as a gaping wound opened from bottom to top.
Without hesitation, Aokiji and Yoriichi darted inside.
Behind them, the mud shifted. Slowly, silently, the wound sealed, the fortress knitting itself whole once more. Within seconds, it stood untouched, the palace swallowed whole by its earthen walls.
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(End of Chapter)