OP: The Flame Pillar Of Justice

It only took 3 minutes to wipe out the Arlong Pirates.

About 2 minutes of that was taken up by Arlong's begging and talking.

So the actual combat lasted around 1 minute.

For a Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, that was either long or short—depending on how you look at it.

Bzzzzzzzt.

Click.

"Justice!"

"Brigadier Prinprin! Deploy your troops immediately. Arrest all the fallen pirates!"

"Yes, sir! Understood!"

As soon as the Den Den Mushi transmission ended, dozens of marines descended from the warship to check the fish-men's conditions and begin sorting them for capture.

Splash—

"Nyuu? Wh-what happened here?"

Hatchan, who had gone to close the floodgate, returned to Arlong Park and was stunned by the sight of his comrades laid out unconscious—and the group of marines now occupying the place.

"Oh! So there were still remnants left, huh?"

Rengoku turned his eyes toward Hatchan, who was still up and moving.

Though simple-minded, Hatchan wasn't a complete idiot.

Seeing the devastation, the broken Kuuroobi, and Arlong lying half-dead, his upper body torn open, he quickly raised all six arms in surrender.

"Surrendering without resistance? That's good to see! There are a few things I'd like to ask you, so let's move to the ship's office."

Rengoku remembered how Arlong's power suddenly spiked after consuming something. It seemed to be a type of drug or stimulant—but its strength boost couldn't be ignored.

A certain rumor came to mind—of the mythical enhancement pills said to exist on Fish-Man Island.

And since Arlong had called himself the "Dark King of the Underworld" from Fish-Man Island, it was something worth considering.

'Once this patrol is over, I should make a trip to FishMan Island soon…'

"B-big trouble!!"

Just as the Marines were securing Arlong Park, a villager from Cocoyasi Village came running in.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"A—a pirate is attacking the Navy!!"

The villagers of Cocoyasi, who were still gathered near Arlong Park, were horrified.

The only pirates they could think of right now were the Straw Hat crew—Nami's friends.

They had just seen Rengoku's power firsthand.

Publicly, they should be supporting the Navy's arrest of pirates.

But privately, they didn't want Nami's crew to get caught.

Unfortunately, the report had already reached the ears of a Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters.

"A pirate daring to assault a marine? Where?"

Rengoku asked with a sharp tone.

The panicked villager pointed in a direction and replied:

"Th-that way."

"Understood. Brigadier Prinprin! I'm placing you in charge of cleanup and command here. Can you handle it?"

In response to Rengoku's question, Prinprin snapped a perfect salute and shouted with determination.

"Yes, sir! I'll see this mission through to the end!"

"Then let's go check out the site where a pirate attacked a marine!"

Without hesitation, Rengoku hoisted the reporting villager over his shoulder and leapt into the sky.

"Geppo (Moonwalk)!"

As Rengoku vanished into the air, some villagers turned to a blue-haired girl.

"Nojiko, what should we do? That direction… isn't that where Bellemere's tangerine grove is? Could it be Nami's crewmates?"

"Ugh… Let's head there too. We'll see for ourselves!"

...

Thwack! Thwack!

At Bellemere's orchard, it was a one-sided beatdown.

The twenty elite marines had long been knocked out cold by Luffy's barrage, and their commander, Captain Nezumi, was panicking.

"A damn pirate teaming up with this thieving girl… Do you even know who I am!?"

"Don't care."

"Ugh! I'm a Captain of the Navy! What you're doing is attacking a marine! You want a bounty on your head!?"

"I already accepted that the moment I decided to become a pirate."

Luffy charged Nezumi and launched a punch.

"Gomu Gomu no... Pistol!"

Smack!

"Graaaagh!!"

Luffy's fist sank deep into Nezumi's gut.

"Tch, here we go again… Nice going, Captain."

"Oi, Zoro! Are you insane? He's Navy! That's not some common thug!"

Usopp couldn't hold back anymore. His only real impressions of the Navy were of Rengoku and Fullbody—but even he, with no battle sense, could tell how dangerous Rengoku was.

"Didn't you hear what Luffy said, Usopp?" Zoro replied. "Once we chose to be pirates, we were bound to clash with the Navy sooner or later."

Sanji flicked his cigarette away and approached Nami, who was still collapsed on the ground.

"Come on, Nami-san. Let's get you up."

Helping her to her feet, Sanji steadied Nami—still shaken.

She knew about the treasure buried in the grove.

She knew it was a full 100 million Berries.

It could only mean one thing—Arlong had betrayed her.

No matter how strong Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were, Nami still didn't believe they could take on Arlong's entire crew.

Especially since Arlong was in bed with the Navy.

"Damn… things just keep getting worse..."

Even Genzo, the village police officer, had no idea what to make of this situation anymore.

"Uwaaaah!"

"Huh? What was that scream from the sky?"

Thud.

From right behind Genzo, a scream rang out—followed by a heavy thud.

One of the villagers, Jacques, was so shocked he collapsed to the ground. And beside him stood…

"A-A marine officer?!"

The coat draped over the man's shoulders was unmistakably a Navy officer's. Jacques had seen the same kind worn by his longtime friend, Bellemere.

"What!?"

The moment Luffy heard the words "marine officer", his expression turned furious, and he immediately turned toward the voice.

The man who entered his view was none other than the marine officer he had once seen back in Syrup Village.

"You bastard! I thought you were a good guy, and now you're making your men do this?!"

Luffy began spinning his right arm, extending it as he charged toward the man.

"Gomu Gomu no... Rifle!"

A fierce punch—charged with powerful rotation.

But it was blocked effortlessly.

"Hm! Your spirit's admirable—but that's your limit."

With just one hand.

Luffy's eyes widened. He hadn't expected his strongest blow—one he took pride in—to be stopped so easily.

"Oho! We're saved! The Navy's reinforcements are finally here! Squeak squeak!"

From the ground, a battered Nezumi grinned at the mysterious officer.

"That guy... He's a Vice Admiral from Marine HQ. Name's Rengoku," Zoro added, the only one familiar with his identity.

"What?! A Vice Admiral from HQ?!"

"We're screwed! This is it—we're all dead!"

Sanji and Usopp were both shocked. No one expected they'd run into one of the Navy's top brass already—especially here in the East Blue.

"Ohhh! You must be Vice Admiral Rengoku! Squeak! I'm Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch!"

Nezumi had heard of Rengoku before, of course. But he never had the chance to meet him—until now. He finally laid eyes on the legendary officer.

But what happened next was far beyond Nezumi's expectations.

Upon hearing his name, Rengoku flung Luffy aside with a single motion and walked straight toward Nezumi.

"So you're Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch?"

"Y-Yes! That's me! I was just fighting these pirates for the sake of justice!"

Everyone—Luffy, Nami, and the rest—bristled with anger.

Justice? What a joke.

If it were really for justice, Nezumi should've either fought Arlong when he first came to Cocoyasi Village, or reported it to HQ.

But instead, Nezumi had colluded with Arlong—extorting the villagers together for eight whole years.

Nami worried whether Rengoku might actually believe a fellow marine's blatant lies.

But what Rengoku said next stunned everyone.

"Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch, you are hereby placed under arrest for collusion with pirates, extortion of civilians, complicity in murder, and abuse of authority!"

"M-Me!?"

"Correct. Your crimes have already been fully confessed by Arlong Pirates officer Chew. You've accepted over 100 million Berries in bribes over the past eight years. The total amount and nature of your crimes are currently under investigation by Branch Brigadier Prinprin of the East Blue HQ. The military court at Marine HQ will explain everything further—so I suggest you come quietly!"

-------------

Want to read 20 advance chapters ahead?

Go to my patreon: patreon.com/Kinglass