At the Marine Branch headquarters.
Before the main gate, a full twelve hundred elite Marine s stood assembled. Each of them wore the standard naval uniform, rifles and sabers gleaming in hand.
They were lined up in perfect order,
their collective aura surging skyward.
Led by Colonel Miz, the commanding officer stationed at the local Marine Branch, the twelve hundred Marine s were ready for battle.
At the front,
Kai stood beside Aokiji, calmly observing the troops before him.
Perhaps it was the relentless pressure brought by the Demon Pirates over these past days—these Marine s had trained harder than ever, without a hint of slack.
Thus,
Kai's first impression of them was a favorable one.
These were true naval elites,
not a bunch of drunken layabouts.
Even with only twelve hundred in number,
their discipline and combat quality would easily allow them to face off against a pirate crew twice their size—
perhaps two thousand men strong.
Of course,
against the Demon Pirates, who numbered over three thousand,
these Marine s were still at a clear disadvantage—
in both manpower and raw power.
After all,
among the Demon Pirates were countless ruthless killers,
each one a vicious outlaw with blood on his hands.
In comparison, these Marine s still seemed a little green..
But to seal off the street where the Demon Pirates had made camp,
and to eliminate any who tried to flee—
for that, they were more than enough.
"Vice Vice Admiral Aokiji! All twelve hundred Marine s are assembled and standing by!"
"Awaiting your orders!"
Colonel Miz stood straight as a rod, his eyes full of respect for Aokiji.
"All units, listen up…"
"Follow me! We're moving out to surround the Demon Pirates!"
"Seal off every exit on that street—no one escapes alive!"
"You hear me? Your only task is to handle those who try to run. Leave the rest—"
"—to me."
Aokiji's voice carried calm authority, yet his presence alone inspired awe.
"What are you waiting for, are you all deaf?"
Seeing the Marine s hesitate, Colonel Miz's face darkened.
"You didn't hear the Vice Admiral's command?" he barked.
"Let me remind you—this man is a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters!"
"A Logia-type Devil Fruit user—one of the Marine s' top-tier combat forces!"
"The so-called Demon Pirates? In front of Vice Vice Admiral Aokiji, they're nothing but ants!"
At those words, the twelve hundred Marine s immediately straightened,
their eyes burning with reverence and excitement.
A Headquarters Vice Admiral was personally taking command—
what was there to fear?
There was no way this campaign against the Demon Pirates could end in failure.
"Move out."
Aokiji didn't waste words.
He turned and began striding southeast.
Kai followed, eyes full of quiet anticipation.
Behind them,
Colonel Miz led the twelve hundred elites,
forming squads with practiced precision as they marched after Aokiji,
drums of war echoing faintly with every synchronized step.
But when the Marine s noticed the small figure walking beside Aokiji,
a ripple of confusion spread through their ranks.
"Wait—why is Vice Vice Admiral Aokiji bringing a kid to this operation?"
"We're going up against the Demon Pirates!"
"Every one of those bastards is a blood-soaked murderer—some are powerful captains with massive bounties!"
"And he's bringing along a child who looks barely four years old? This has to be a joke!"
"No matter how strong the Vice Admiral is, isn't this going a bit too far?"
"What if that kid gets captured and used against us?"
"…"
"Silence!"
Colonel Miz's roar silenced the murmurs at once.
"Since when do you question the Vice Admiral's orders?"
"Mind your tongues!"
The atmosphere immediately tightened.
But even as Miz barked at his men,
he couldn't help turning to glance at Kai's small frame,
his brow furrowed in confusion.
What on earth was Vice Vice Admiral Aokiji thinking?
Bringing a child to a battle like this?
It made absolutely no sense.
"I don't get it at all…"
Miz sighed inwardly.
Still, he made up his mind—
once the battle began, he'd assign men to protect the boy,
no matter what.
Though Aokiji hadn't introduced Kai,
Miz could tell from their brief interactions—
from the way the boy spoke to the Vice Admiral so casually—
that this child's background had to be extraordinary.
Ordinary people couldn't even breathe easily in front of a Headquarters Vice Admiral,
let alone speak to one so calmly.
That alone told Miz everything he needed to know—
This boy was no ordinary child.
——
Meanwhile, as the Marine s began their full mobilization, twelve hundred elite Marine s marched through the streets toward the Demon Pirates' base—the entire Flowstream Island was thrown into an uproar.
For months, the island's residents had lived under the Demon Pirates' rule—
too terrified to resist,
too weak to fight back.
But now,
word spread that the Marine s were moving out in force,
intent on wiping the pirates out for good.
Excitement rippled through the island like wildfire.
Tens of thousands of residents clapped and cheered openly.
Flowstream Island had a permanent population of nearly one hundred thousand, and with merchants, travelers, and passersby, the total headcount easily exceeded three hundred thousand.
Every one of them lived in constant fear of slaughter and chaos.
And now—finally—
they saw a glimmer of hope.
"The Marine s are coming, huh?"
"I thought they'd given up, that even they couldn't handle those Demon bastards!"
"Thank goodness—they didn't let us down!"
"Those pirates deserve to die!"
"This time, the Marine s must wipe them out completely!"
"Only then can we have peace again!"
Tens of thousands of eyes turned toward the direction of the advancing Marine s.
Every heart was tied to the coming battle.
Would the Marine s triumph?
Would Flowstream Island finally be free?
"But the Marine s only sent twelve hundred men… can they really pull it off?"
"The Demon Pirates have over three thousand fighters!"
"That's almost triple the numbers!"
"I've got a bad feeling—they might all be wiped out…"
"No way. The Marine s wouldn't go to war unless they were confident."
"We'll see soon enough."
"If even the Marine s lose, then this island's doomed."
Across the island, all eyes remained fixed on the unfolding storm.
And, of course,
The news that the Marine s were moving with full force soon reached the Demon Pirates themselves.
Inside their stronghold,
over three thousand brutal pirates heard the reports one after another.
Even their captain, Demon Oren,
a man with a bounty of sixty million Berries,
received the news almost immediately.
"The Marine s are coming, huh?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"Then let them come!"
"I was just thinking about when I'd tear that Marine Branch to the ground myself—"
"—but it looks like they couldn't wait to die first!"
"Good! Very good!"
"This time, we'll crush every last one of them!"
"After today, Flowstream Island will belong entirely to the Demon Pirates!"
Oren's laughter boomed through the hall,
his expression full of savage confidence.
He didn't take the Marine s' move seriously at all.
His subordinates, the Demon Pirates' captains, were equally eager,
grinning in anticipation of the bloodbath to come.
The battle that would soon erupt—
set every pirate's blood on fire.
——
Half an hour later.
Under Aokiji's command,
Kai, Colonel Miz, and the twelve hundred elite Marine s
finally arrived at their destination—
the main base of the Demon Pirates.
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