Opinions on the matter varied.
Some believed the Mad Blade Pirates were a righteous crew.
Others saw them as lawless, bloodthirsty pirates.
But these words meant nothing to the Mad Blade Pirates.
After slaughtering the nobles and Royal Guard of the Totteneys Kingdom, they set sail for Reverse Mountain immediately.
Given the Marines' speed, it would be very difficult to catch up to them.
Moreover, the 127th Marine Branch had no intention of dispatching troops.
They only sent a small warship to put on a show of chasing.
They hadn't even issued a bounty for the Mad Blade Pirates, nor had they notified the Marine branch guarding Reverse Mountain to intercept them.
...
Standing on the deck of the warship, Bell-mère's gaze drifted into the distance.
"Was this your doing, Rear Admiral Raleigh?" she wondered.
Bell-mère recalled the handsome Marine Rear Admiral, his cold face making it impossible for anyone to see what was in his heart.
But she believed he must have been the one behind this; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked whether the Marines had the ability to resist pirates.
Bell-mère clenched her fists, remembering his advice.
'The power of justice should not be so weak... Bell-mère, you need to become stronger...'
She opened the notebook Raleigh had handed her.
It read:
[Principles and Practice of the Marine Six Styles]
Looking at the detailed handwriting, Bell-mère was astonished.
If a Marine soldier from one of the Four Seas branches hadn't attended a training camp at Headquarters, it was almost impossible for them to come into contact with the Marine Six Styles.
This was an invisible shackle set by the World Government to prevent the Marines' power from becoming too strong.
As Bell-mère flipped through, her eyes grew brighter.
The notes indicated this version of the Marine Six Styles had been simplified by Raleigh.
Although its power was only two-thirds of the original, the difficulty had plummeted to just one-fourth.
With only one-fourth of the effort, one could achieve two-thirds of the power.
This book would be highly sought after.
However, Bell-mère had no intention of sharing it.
This was entrusted to her by Raleigh.
"Don't worry, Raleigh-san. The next time we meet, I will be a completely new Bell-mère."
She encouraged herself and threw herself into intense training.
...
Far away, Raleigh had no idea that a training notebook he had casually given away would turn Bell-mère into the most formidable Marine branch chief of the 127th Branch.
He had no time to dwell on these matters, as the situation before him was particularly troublesome.
Indeed, earlier that morning, while Raleigh was catching up on sleep, Gion's famous blade had sliced clean through his sun lounger.
If it weren't for his Observation Haki, he might have been cut in half.
"Gi... Gion."
Raleigh was at a loss for words.
He couldn't reveal the truth.
As a Marine, colluding with pirates was a serious crime, but colluding with pirates to assassinate the nobles of a World Government-affiliated nation was a capital offense.
He still wanted to slack off in the Marines.
The difficult part now was explaining this.
A raging fire burned in Gion's heart.
Yesterday, Raleigh had knocked her out and left the territory of the Totteneys Kingdom.
The warship had sailed through the entire night, and they were only a few days away from Reverse Mountain.
There was no turning back now, which, of course, was part of Raleigh's plan.
However, this plan hadn't accounted for Gion's fury.
Right now, her only thought was to cut down the bastard in front of her.
Since she couldn't actually harm him, she might as well vent.
Gion remained silent, but her famous sword gleamed, slashing relentlessly toward Raleigh.
Raleigh felt frustrated.
He missed Momonga.
No matter how unorthodox his actions were, Momonga trusted him unconditionally.
If Momonga were here, he wouldn't have uttered a single word of doubt.
Clang!
Gion's strength posed no threat to Raleigh, but he didn't want to knock her out again.
He knew she was holding back a storm of anger, and letting it out would be better.
On this warship, Raleigh was the only person she could vent her rage on without worrying about injuring. She held nothing back.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Konpira struck repeatedly against Raleigh's right arm, hardened with Armament Haki, sending sparks flying.
Raleigh stared in surprise at his palm.
A faint scratch had appeared.
'She actually broke through my defense!'
Gion truly lived up to her reputation.
In just a few days of training at sea, she had already grasped the essence of "cutting steel."
Given a little more time, she might even achieve the level of a master swordsman and unleash flying sword slashes.
Raleigh dodged while pondering.
Indeed, Tokikake had also demonstrated the use of the Marine Six Styles' Shave yesterday.
It just went to show that the Marines who made a name for themselves after the Summit War were all prodigies.
Gion grew even angrier as she watched Raleigh dodge.
She was furious at his inaction and at her own powerlessness.
She could see the essence of the problem, yet she could do nothing.
That was why she was so angry with herself.
"Raleigh, can't you fight like a real man? Stop running away!"
"One Sword Style: Cherry Blossom Fall!"
Gion's blade moved with incredible speed.
A gust of wind swept toward Raleigh, tousling his hair.
Suddenly, Raleigh's Observation Haki sensed something.
He swung his arm toward the distance.
Noticing his strange movement, Gion halted her attack.
Soon, a News Coo landed beside Raleigh.
Raleigh took out fifty Berries, placed them in the bird's pouch, and retrieved a newspaper.
The most prominent headline on it read:
'Mad Blade Pirates Raid Totteneys Kingdom, King and Guard Captain Hanged on City Gates!'