If he remembered correctly, it should have been the daimyo of Wano Country, Kozuki Oden.
Overall, Kozuki Oden was a fool.
Though he possessed top-tier strength, he was utterly incompetent in political struggles.
Not to mention his son—if Raleigh ever ran into him, forget everything else, he'd chop off that brat's head first.
(Whether the world would be overturned or not, Momonosuke had to die.)
Donquixote Doflamingo killed his own father last year, only to be humiliated by the Celestial Dragons and leave Mary Geoise.
By his calculations, Doflamingo should have already met his future executives.
From what he recalled, Doflamingo made his start in the North Blue.
A mysterious smile curled on Raleigh's lips—Doflamingo was a useful pawn.
...
On the seas of the East Blue, the sun shone brightly.
Outside the cabin, Marine soldiers stood guard, meticulously inspecting the ship's firearms and cannons.
On the spacious deck, Gion and Tokikake were seizing every moment to train.
Tokikake was doing push-ups with a massive dumbbell resting on his back, sweat dripping onto the deck, his arms trembling slightly but persisting nonetheless.
Gion, meanwhile, gripped her renowned sword, calmly swinging the blade.
The sharp edge sliced through the air, emitting sharp whistling sounds.
Raleigh's training, however, was quite different.
He sat with his eyes closed, body relaxed—if only one could ignore the drool at the corner of his mouth.
[Slacking off during work hours: Slack Off Points +100]
[Slacking off during work hours: Slack Off Points +100]
"Captain Raleigh, there's a situation in the distance!" the messenger on the lookout platform shouted.
Gion and Tokikake stopped their training, and Raleigh awoke from his slumber.
"Hmm, what's happening?"
"Reporting, we've spotted an island off our course that's engulfed in flames. We can't determine yet whether it's a pirate attack or an accidental fire."
Raleigh nodded.
They had already left the jurisdiction of Branch 133, making the likelihood of encountering pirates attacking villages much higher.
After a moment's consideration, he decided to investigate.
"Target: the burning island ahead. All soldiers, prepare for combat. Full speed ahead."
With Raleigh's command, the warship accelerated.
The marines on deck, seasoned veterans from Headquarters, were already prepared for battle, their tactical competence far superior to that of a typical branch.
Gion and Tokikake approached. "Raleigh, what place is that?"
Raleigh picked up his nautical chart. "The Kingdom of Totteneys, one of the World Government's member nations. But it's far inferior to a place like the Goa Kingdom."
"Due to being off the main shipping routes, this country's economy is extremely low. The civilians survive solely through farming. Because of this poverty, the World Government pays little attention to it. This has made the Kingdom of Totteneys a weak point in marine defense and a favorite target for pirate raids."
After hearing Raleigh's explanation, Gion tightened her grip on her famous sword.
"Damn pirates!"
Then she looked at Raleigh with determined eyes. "Raleigh, we must hurry. We have to eliminate all of them."
Raleigh nodded imperceptibly.
'Eliminating pirates is fine,' he thought, 'but you'll be the ones doing it. I won't be taking action.'
Of course, he didn't dare say this aloud, fearing Gion might report him.
With the warship at full speed, Raleigh soon spotted the island's outline.
Through his telescope, he ruled out an accidental fire.
At the island's port lay various corpses—civilians who had been shot or hacked to death.
In the distance, wooden houses and thatched huts crackled loudly in the massive fire.
A scene of utter devastation.
"We... seem to have arrived too late."
Raleigh silently handed the telescope to Gion.
It no longer mattered who was responsible; the people were dead, and no power could bring them back.
After Gion and Tokikake looked, they too fell silent.
As the warship docked, Raleigh turned his head—his Observation Haki detected a living presence.
Passing through the burning huts, he discovered a thin, small girl at the edge of the fire.
She was about five or six years old, with two clear tear trails on her face, vigorously waving a flag much taller than herself.
She stared silently at the sea of flames.
Raleigh quietly approached her. "Sorry, we're too late."
The little girl didn't know how long she had persisted.
The moment Raleigh touched her, she fell unconscious from exhaustion.
Her body went limp, though her hands still tightly clutched the flag.
Gion, Tokikake, and the marine soldiers fell silent as they witnessed the hellish scene.
The raging flames seemed as though they would never extinguish, devouring dwellings and corpses alike.
Raleigh carried the little girl's unconscious form back to the ranks and sighed.
"The tools civilians create with all their might for survival, the dwellings they live in—all are easily destroyed by violence."
It was the norm for civilians in this world: chaos, slaughter, and living in constant fear.
Even when struggling desperately to survive, they could still become targets in someone's deadly game.
Gion angrily cursed, "These damned pirates, acting wantonly and inflicting violence upon civilians—I will never let them off lightly!"
Just as Gion's words fell, a panting voice sounded.
"N-Not pirates... it's... this country's Royal Guard."
Raleigh turned to see a young female marine running over, wearing the uniform of a recruit.
She appeared to be only sixteen, with her hair cut in a very short, practical style.
"Reporting, sir! I am Marine Third Class Bell-mère from Branch 127, stationed in the Kingdom of Totteneys."
Bell-mère seemed to have run from very far away, explaining while panting heavily.
Her eyes flickered with sympathy as she looked at the girl in Raleigh's arms.
"Was she the only one who survived? What a pitiful child."
Hearing Bell-mère's explanation, Gion and Tokikake widened their eyes, as if hearing something unbelievable.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Gion demanded, furious.
"Say that again! What do you mean by Royal Guard?"