Just as the naval fleet began to change course and head back to Branch 133, an unexpected incident unfolded once more.
Somehow, what had occurred at sea had already reached the ears of the Marines stationed back at the base. Shockingly, the returning fleet, now steering toward the naval port, came under fire from their own comrades stationed there.
An internal conflict within Branch 133 now seemed inevitable.
"Fire! Open fire!"
"Sink every last one of those traitorous Marines!"
"Shoot them down! NOW!"
At the naval port of Branch 133, a lieutenant captain clad in a flowing cape emblazoned with the word "Justice" roared as he brandished a long saber, barking orders at the gunners nearby. At his command, the artillery mounted along the harbor let loose with a thunderous volley—black cannonballs shrieked through the air toward the approaching ships.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Some of the cannonballs exploded in the sea, throwing up great plumes of water. Others found their mark, crashing into the hulls of the advancing vessels and erupting in fiery blasts.
Two smaller patrol ships were especially unlucky; after taking several direct hits, their engines failed and they drifted helplessly across the water, sitting ducks in the open sea.
Fires broke out in the hulls where the cannonballs had struck. Though the sailors aboard scrambled to put out the flames, the fire spread far too quickly. With no way to contain it, the dozens of crewmen aboard were forced to abandon ship, clambering into lifeboats and fleeing before the vessels sank beneath them.
On the deck of the flagship, Yoriichi Tsugikuni stood at the prow, brows furrowed as he gazed toward the harbor in the distance.
He was beginning to realize that the waters surrounding Branch 133 ran far deeper than he'd imagined.
The highest-ranking officer of the branch, Captain Cain, had only just been knocked unconscious and locked in the ship's brig by Yoriichi himself. Not only Cain, but all of the commanding officers involved in the pursuit of Yoriichi and Kyros had already been dealt with in one swift operation.
And yet, word of the incident had somehow still reached the base.
If it had only been a case of leaked information, Yoriichi wouldn't have been too surprised. But what stunned him was the response: instead of cooperating with his actions, the base Marines had chosen to bombard the returning fleet.
Judging by their aggressive posture, they intended not only to kill Yoriichi and Kyros but to sink the entire fleet and annihilate everyone aboard.
Even with fellow officers and crew still on those ships, even knowing that their own superior, Captain Cain, was among them, they had opened fire without hesitation.
"Did I underestimate just how rotten this branch really is? If there's rot here, it runs deep," Yoriichi muttered to himself.
With a calm yet resolute motion, he drew his blade from his waist, then launched several precise slashes through the air, arcing shockwaves that detonated incoming cannonballs mid-flight.
He issued his next orders swiftly and with authority:
"Alert the other ships in our fleet. Tell them to fall in behind the flagship."
"The flagship will accelerate and enter the port first. And listen carefully, do not return fire. Once we arrive, no one is to disembark without my orders."
"Kyros! You're in charge of guarding the brig. Don't let anyone near the prisoners."
Having given his commands, Yoriichi turned to Kyros beside him. Kyros gave a curt nod and dashed below deck without a word.
The sailors who heard Yoriichi's orders moved without hesitation. One rushed to the bridge and used the Den Den Mushi to alert the rest of the convoy. Meanwhile, a young staff sergeant stepped up quickly beside Yoriichi.
"Lieutenant Commander Tsugikuni, what are your orders once we dock at the port?"
The young man's name was Birch. After Yoriichi had swiftly subdued Cain and the others earlier, Birch had contacted Navy Headquarters via Den Den Mushi to verify Yoriichi's claims.
Headquarters had not only confirmed everything Yoriichi said, they had also clarified that Yoriichi was not some low-ranking private, but had been officially appointed as a Lieutenant Commander, with the express mission of auditing and investigating all officers stationed at Branch 133.
When Yoriichi first heard this from Birch, he was more than a little surprised. After all, he hadn't been aware of any such promotion himself.
But after a moment of reflection, it wasn't hard to guess what had happened. Most likely, Zephyr had vouched for him personally resulting in a rapid battlefield promotion.
After all, if he intended to arrest every officer ranked Ensign and above in the branch, it would be far too unconvincing for someone acting on such authority to hold nothing more than the rank of Seaman Third Class.
As for why his new rank was specifically Lieutenant Commander, the answer was simple: in the naval structure, a Lieutenant Commander from Headquarters automatically outranked a Captain from any branch unit by two grades—an unwritten yet widely accepted convention within the Navy.
So while it may have seemed absurd like something ripped straight from a fanciful tale that Yoriichi leapt directly from Seaman Third Class to Lieutenant Commander, the truth was that this meteoric rise barely caused a ripple at Navy HQ.
The reason was equally simple: when Zephyr approached Sengoku to report the situation regarding Yoriichi, Garp just happened to be in the room as well.
Originally, Sengoku was firmly opposed to Zephyr's blatant circumvention of standard protocol to fast-track Yoriichi's promotion. He also disapproved of Yoriichi's decision to act on mere suspicion and take such drastic action against branch officers without concrete evidence.
But Garp quietly shared a bit of information that changed everything.
"That kid... back in the Kingdom of Neil, he took down a pirate with a 200 million bounty, Captain Nuke of the Nuke Pirates. One strike. And that guy was a Logia-type."
"Kuzan was there too. He saw the whole thing and told me himself."
Upon hearing this, Sengoku's stance shifted instantly. Not only did he issue a personal order promoting Yoriichi to Lieutenant Commander, but he also officially endorsed every action Yoriichi had taken in the 133rd branch. From that moment on, it was declared that Yoriichi's decisions there were made under Sengoku's direct instruction.
All because of a single phone call.
All because Yoriichi had a hunch.
The Navy's top brass coordinated seamlessly with him, retroactively validating every step of his operation, ensuring that his authority appeared legitimate and his actions indisputably lawful.
West Blue.
Under Yoriichi's command, the warships accompanying the flagship quickly fell into formation behind it, stretching into a long serpentine line as they surged toward the naval port.
Artillery fire from the port thundered relentlessly, countless shells screaming through the sky toward the approaching fleet. But before they could land, every shell was intercepted mid-air and detonated by an unseen force—not a single one reached the ships.
Before long, the flagship reached the dock. The moment it came to a halt, a white figure flashed from its deck and landed at the harbor in a blink.
It was Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
The instant his feet touched the ground, the stationed marines raised their rifles, surrounding him in a tight circle, hundreds of them, weapons trained and ready.
"I am Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Lieutenant Commander of Navy Headquarters."
"Under orders to investigate all officers of the 133rd Naval Branch."
"Lay down your arms. All of you."
Even with hundreds of barrels pointed his way, Yoriichi remained calm and composed. His gaze locked onto the commanding officer at the front, a lieutenant captain, and his voice rang out, clear and unwavering.
*********
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