Smoker

"Arlong Pirates Annihilated!"

News of the Arlong Pirates' annihilation spread like wildfire with the newspapers, reaching every corner of the East Blue and quickly making its way to other seas.

But what shocked the world wasn't the demise of Arlong and his group, but the Logue Town Branch Marines' fearless sacrifice.

Out of over 1,200 Marines, only a little over 500 survived.

Such staggering losses were unprecedented in the East Blue's naval history, and a major incident even for Marine Headquarters.

Roya, the Major who turned the tide of the war and slayed Arlong, once again became world-famous. Even pirates in the New World began to take notice of Roya.

----

Marine Headquarters, Conference Room!

The Marine Executives, including the Admirals, were all present!

Thwack!

Roya's photo was slammed onto the wall!

"This man is Major Roya, known as 'Black Hair' Roya!"

Buranu explained the details of the incident. After the war, Logue Town proactively contacted Headquarters and reported the entire process of the Arlong Pirates' subjugation.

Roya hadn't intended to hide anything. He'd caused too much commotion; it was impossible to conceal. A little investigation would reveal the truth.

The hundreds of Marines who experienced the war wouldn't all be of one mind with him, of course. Still, he could embellish things a bit.

"In summary, Commodore Murak planned this subjugation operation and dispatched Major Roya to execute it!"

"Slaying pirates is commendable, but such a great sacrifice to subjugate the Arlong Pirates raises the question of whether the achievements justify the cost!"

"Furthermore, the Arlong Pirates are affiliated with the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Jinbe!"

"Although the Logue Town Branch provided evidence of the Arlong Pirates' villainy and collusion with Rat Colonel (of the 16th Branch), further verification is needed."

"Before that, we must consider the possibility of a fractured relationship with the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Jinbe, and prepare accordingly!"

"There's also the matter of the Logue Town's dozen or so Colonels and Lieutenant Commanders all being killed, which is highly unusual. According to gathered intelligence, the Logue Town officers, led by Murak, had a history of conflict with Major Roya!"

"In short, there are many points of suspicion surrounding this entire incident!"

The Logue Town incident raised numerous complex issues.

Firstly, there was the question of merits and demerits.

Subjugating pirates was commendable, but sacrificing so many Marines to achieve that goal was difficult for many Marine officers to accept.

Such heavy casualties warranted accountability!

The problem was that the Supreme Commander, Commodore Murak, had already died, leaving Major Roya as the only officer of Colonel rank or higher in the entire Branch.

Clearly, all the blame couldn't be placed on Major Roya.

Normally, Roya, as the hero who slew Arlong, would surely receive commendation. However, this incident had too many suspicious points.

Though unstated, few of the officers present were fools. Combining the bizarre circumstances of Commodore Murak's death, it wasn't hard to guess that Roya was the mastermind behind the whole thing.

Second was the matter of Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Jinbe's condition for becoming a Warlord was the release of his comrade, Arlong. Now that Arlong and his group had been wiped out, they couldn't help but worry about Jinbe's reaction.

Finally, there was the collective death of Commodore Murak and the other officers. If Roya was truly responsible, the nature of the incident...

"Black Hair" Roya!

A shadow fell over the eyes of all the officers, and they took Roya's name to heart. His ruthless methods filled them with unease.

Kizaru leisurely filed his nails, slowly quipping, "Young people these days are really scary, aren't they? Like monsters."

"Ara ara, even so, he did go a bit overboard."

Aokiji frowned, looking very uncomfortable.

"Hmph!"

Akainu snorted coldly, "Evil should be eradicated without leaving a trace. For Justice, necessary sacrifices are worthwhile. Turning a blind eye to pirate atrocities is the greatest dereliction of duty!"

The other officers remained silent.

No matter how ruthless Roya's methods, no matter how many people were sacrificed, the Logue Town incident itself wasn't wrong.

Subjugating pirates was the Marines' responsibility!

They couldn't compromise with pirates for fear of casualties.

If the intelligence about the Arlong Pirates' villainy was all true, then Headquarters also bore an undeniable responsibility for negligence.

----

The meeting ended anticlimactically.

This incident had a huge impact, but until the truth was uncovered, they still had to follow procedure, such as commending Roya!

Ten minutes later, in the Marshal's Office.

A silver-haired man with a menacing face, two cigars in his mouth, appeared at the office door and walked in without permission.

"Marshal Sengoku!"

"Smoker?"

Sengoku looked up and saw Smoker. His head, already throbbing because of Roya, immediately swelled another size.

This kid was also a handful, often disobeying orders, and he'd even beaten up his superior not long ago.

Sengoku frowned.

"What is it?"

"Marshal, I want a transfer to Logue Town!"

Smoker's face was full of impatience.

Staying at Headquarters, the complicated interpersonal relationships infuriated him, especially since his colleagues were all utter garbage. They had no real skills but wanted to order him around.

He wanted to work alone!

He'd happened to attend the meeting today, and that kid named Roya had piqued his interest. Coincidentally, the place he wanted to go was also Logue Town.

Smoker slammed his hands on the desk. "Marshal, the Logue Town incident needs to be investigated, and I want to lead the investigation."

"..."

Marshal Sengoku's frustration was evident. He wanted to ask Smoker what he was going to take responsibility with. This headstrong nature of his had caused so much trouble.

But...

Sengoku seriously considered it.

Letting Smoker go wasn't necessarily a bad idea.

That Roya was unusual. Not only was his personal strength high, but he was also skilled in calculation. Whether it was Kuro and Buggy, or Arlong, Roya had grasped their fatal weaknesses.

But at the same time, Roya was too ruthless, even scheming to kill his colleagues.

Sengoku didn't know if there were extenuating circumstances because, according to intelligence from the 153rd Branch, Roya valued his comrades very much and would never kill his own people to climb the ranks.

In any case, ordinary officers might not be able to keep Roya in check in Logue Town. Smoker's personal strength and assertive personality were just right to suppress Roya, keeping that kid from going too far.

If Roya really crossed the line, Smoker could also sanction him!

"Smoker."

Sengoku nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice, "You can go to Logue Town, but let me be clear, Logue Town is an East Blue Branch. According to regulations, the Base Commander position will be given priority to officers from the Branch."

"No problem!"

Smoker understood that he couldn't directly become the boss upon arriving in Logue Town.

Firstly, when vacancies arose in the Four Seas Branches, internal candidates would be given priority, especially for the important position of Base Commander.

For one, internal officers were more familiar with the Branch's situation and could quickly take over the work. For another, installing an outside Base Commander would inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the Branch's officers.

If Headquarters dispatched an officer, they would usually serve within the Branch for a period of time before considering taking over the position.

"Roya!"

Smoker's eyes burned.

He would uncover that guy's true colors!

Was he the kind of person who would carry out Justice to the end, as he hoped, or was he just another piece of trash vying for power and profit?!