OP: The Flame Pillar Of Justice

East Blue, Syrup Village.

After a rather long voyage, Rengoku's warship arrived at a small village in East Blue called Syrup Village.

"Vice Admiral, your navy coat..."

A marine handed Rengoku his coat.

But Rengoku declined.

"That's fine! It might actually be better not to draw attention to the fact that we're marines. For now, only Lieutenant Tashigi and I will go!"

"Ah... Understood!"

Having served as a marine in the New World, Rengoku understood well what the presence of the navy often meant to local villages.

Perhaps they would have to squeeze out what little money they had to entertain them as honored guests. Or maybe they would simply be seen as free labor.

Rengoku disliked both ideas.

There was no reason whatsoever for marines to demand special treatment just because of their rank.

Those who treated marines like free labor didn't deserve their help.

Rengoku was a marine and a seeker of justice, but he was by no means a pushover or a servant.

With swords at their sides and dressed in civilian clothing, Rengoku and Tashigi landed at Syrup Village.

He had ordered his crew to discreetly anchor their warship somewhere hidden.

Perhaps it was because it was such a small village on a tiny island, but Syrup Village exuded a sense of peace and calm.

"Excuse me, elder! Would you happen to know where the local authority resides?"

Rengoku approached an elderly man and asked.

Whether good or bad, power and influence always gathered where the money was. His plan was to visit the local authority, assess the situation, and leave if everything seemed fine.

"Local authority? That would be Miss Kaya's residence."

"Miss Kaya?"

"Yes, if you head down that way, you'll see a lavish mansion that doesn't quite match this village. Miss Kaya lives there."

"Ah, I see! Thank you very much!"

Tashigi expressed her gratitude repeatedly to the elderly man.

"By the way, who are you two?"

The old man looked them over with a hint of suspicion.

"Oh, we're just travelers. We used to serve as police officers on Chirolo Island," Rengoku replied smoothly, producing a pre-prepared fake police ID from Chirolo Island.

Hearing that they were former officers from a nearby island, the old man nodded in understanding.

After exchanging farewells, Rengoku and Tashigi headed straight for Miss Kaya's mansion.

"It's a relief, though, that the police on Chirolo Island were so cooperative."

When word spread on Chirolo Island that a Vice Admiral from the Navy Headquarters had arrived from the distant New World, they spared no effort in providing exceptional hospitality.

Even this police ID card was an authentic one, crafted on the spot during that visit.

Carrying the title of Vice Admiral from Navy Headquarters while moving across the islands of East Blue would inevitably cause pirates to catch wind and make themselves scarce in advance.

"We owe a lot of gratitude to the Chirolo Police Department!"

...

After walking for quite a while, a grand mansion finally came into view.

Though not overly extravagant, the size and material of the house made it clear that it was a residence befitting a local authority.

"That must be it!"

"Pirates! Pirates!!"

Just as Rengoku and Tashigi were about to approach the mansion, a young boy came running from afar, shouting frantically about pirates.

"Pirates?"

Rengoku perked up at the boy's alarmed cries.

However, despite the boy's urgent warnings, the bodyguards watching over the mansion didn't even flinch.

"Excuse me, may I ask you something?"

Rengoku approached one of the bodyguards and posed a question.

"Huh? What do you want?"

The bodyguard, looking rather smug, responded dismissively.

"That kid is yelling about pirates, but why aren't any of you reacting?"

Rengoku pointed toward the boy, who had glasses and a distinctive onion-shaped haircut.

The bodyguard glanced at the boy and let out a derisive snort before replying.

"That kid is a follower of the notorious liar in this village. Usually, it's that liar shouting about pirates every day, but it seems today the kid took over."

Hmm... A liar, huh?

"Thank you for your answer!"

Despite the bodyguard's unfriendly attitude, Rengoku thanked him and headed toward the boy.

"Vice Admiral, do you think pirates have really shown up?"

Tashigi asked with a tone of doubt.

"If they have, we'll catch them. If not, that's even better!"

Rengoku, unconcerned either way, approached the boy and asked him about the pirates.

"Hey, kid, can you tell me more about the pirates?"

...

The boy, who had the peculiar name "Tamanegi," explained the situation as follows:

Two small boats had landed on the opposite shore.

One of the boats bore a skull emblem, the symbol of pirates.

The skull emblem was identified as the Jolly Roger of "Buggy the Clown," and there were three people aboard the ship.

After sending the boy on his way, Rengoku turned to Tashigi and asked:

"Lieutenant Tashigi, what are the chances that they are genuinely part of Buggy the Clown's crew?"

"It's questionable whether Buggy the Clown, with a bounty of 15 million Berries, would send just three crew members. Also, the fact that only one of the two boats bears the Jolly Roger is odd," Tashigi replied thoughtfully.

Rengoku nodded in agreement and added:

"Most pirates are weak! That's why they prefer to move in groups, and the Jolly Roger itself is designed to instill fear.

However, having just three pirates and only one of two boats bearing the Jolly Roger suggests a possible defection from Buggy's crew.

In any case, there's a high likelihood they're real pirates. Even if the information comes from a kid following a notorious liar, we can't ignore it!"

Without hesitation, Rengoku took off running in the direction the boy, Tamanegi, had pointed.

"Ah, Vice Admiral, wait for me!"

Lieutenant Tashigi used Soru, one of the techniques of the Rokushiki, to follow closely behind Rengoku.

...

Meanwhile, at a small diner in Syrup Village.

"Really? My dad joined Shanks' crew?"

"Of course! Your dad's shooting skills were top-notch~ shi shi shi!"

"Gulp, gulp!"

"Do these guys even have any sense of money... Ah, Zoro! Stop spilling your drink!"

A boy with a long nose and a boy wearing a straw hat chatted warmly, as if they had been old friends for years.

Meanwhile, a green-haired heavy drinker and a short-haired girl with orange hair quietly focused on their meals.

"Vice Admiral, do you really think they could be part of Buggy the Clown's crew?"

Tashigi, standing outside the diner, observed the boys and girls enjoying their meal with a puzzled look.

"They might be smiling like clowns because they're part of Buggy's crew," Rengoku replied.

Still, Rengoku could sense that they weren't particularly strong.

However, the straw-hat-wearing boy laughing inside and the green-haired drinker seemed out of place for the general level of strength found in East Blue.

Ding-a-ling.

The bell above the diner's door rang as Rengoku and Tashigi stepped inside to observe more closely.

"Welcome," greeted the elderly owner, who was engrossed in a newspaper.

"Owner, I'll have the same meat and drink those kids are having!"

"Sure, just a moment."

"Much appreciated!"

After placing their order, Rengoku and Tashigi chose a table close to the group of boys and girls. Their plan was to eavesdrop from nearby.

"By the way, Usopp, is there any way we can find a large ship and someone who knows how to handle it here?"

It was the girl with short orange hair who broke the silence.

"A large ship? Sorry, but this is a small farming village where people live off the land. We don't have any large ships, and even if we wanted to build one, we don't have any craftsmen," replied the long-nosed boy.

"But Nami, there's a large mansion up the hill. It looks like it belongs to someone important. Why not ask them for a loan?"

The green-haired drinker pointed toward Kaya's mansion as he spoke, his tone casual.

At that, the boy with the long nose, Usopp, reacted quite strongly.

"No! Not there! Absolutely not! No matter what, you must never go to that place!"

"What's the deal? Is it someone you know? Your reaction's way too intense," Nami said, looking puzzled at Usopp's outburst.

"Whatever the case, just don't go there. Anyway, just keep eating. My name carries weight here, so eat as much as you want!"

With that, Usopp quickly excused himself and dashed out of the diner.

"What's with him…?"

"No idea..."

"Who cares? Let's just eat for now!"

While the group suspected of being Buggy the Clown's crew continued their meal, Rengoku and Tashigi's order arrived as well.

"Alright, let's eat first," Rengoku said casually.

"Yes! Uh, Rengoku-san!" Tashigi responded, narrowly avoiding calling him "Vice Admiral" in public.

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