One Piece: It All Started When I Found Shanks' Arm

Chapter 86: Turmoil at Marine Headquarters

A few days later.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The imposing fortress stood silent, facing a magnificent, sprawling square and a massive, crescent-shaped harbor.

To the right of the fortress, within a Wano-style building resembling a castle keep, a meeting was taking place.

In a room with tatami mat floors, over a dozen figures in "Justice" coats were seated in two rows. Low tables before them held sake and grilled fish.

But no one was touching their food. The atmosphere in the room was heavy and oppressive.

Through the swirling smoke, the only sound was the smacking of lips on cigars.

"It seems everyone has already heard the news," Senior Staff Officer Brannew said as he entered the room. He walked to the whiteboard and scratched his messy, green, nest-like hair.

"That's right. A group of extremely vicious pirates has suddenly appeared in the East Blue. They're very troublesome."

"Extremely vicious?"

A white-haired Rear Admiral sneered. "Are you really going to use that term? I'm blushing with second-hand embarrassment. The internal investigation report clearly states that it was that idiot Onigumo who lost his mind and started firing on Loguetown, wasn't it?"

"Watch your words," a young Commodore said, his face impassive. "It had nothing to do with Vice Admiral Onigumo. The order came from Altai, the one with Celestial Dragon blood. A soldier's duty is to obey orders. What could he do?"

"He's not a pure-blooded Celestial Dragon. If he really didn't want to follow the order, there are plenty of ways to feign compliance. What was Altai going to do to a Vice Admiral from Headquarters?" the white-haired Rear Admiral roared, his voice rising an octave.

"Stop making excuses! It was just his old habits flaring up again! He saw a group of pirates and wanted to go on a killing spree for fun, without a thought for the safety of the civilians! But he ended up messing with the wrong people! To think that I am a comrade-in-arms with someone like him, I am deeply ashamed!!!"

"Calm down, Mr. Fawn," Brannew said, rubbing his temples with a headache. "I won't comment on Vice Admiral Onigumo's actions for now. That's not the topic of today's meeting. Let's put it aside. Can't you two argue in private after the meeting is over?"

Hmph!

Rear Admiral Fawn turned his head away, snorting loudly in response.

Brannew shook his head. As one of the most senior staff officers at Headquarters, he was used to this.

Vice Admiral Onigumo was one of the most extreme members of the hawk faction at Marine Headquarters and had always been disliked by the doves.

After the "Loguetown Incident," there had been numerous arguments in various departments at Headquarters regarding Onigumo's role in the affair.

The scene in today's staff meeting was just a small glimpse of the ongoing conflict.

"In any case, Vice Admiral Onigumo was publicly 'executed.' I don't like to use that word, but it's the most accurate description of the scene at the time," Brannew continued. "And the king he was assigned to protect, His Majesty Altai of the Peaceland Kingdom, was also killed on the warship."

"The royal family of the Peaceland Kingdom has sent numerous letters demanding an investigation, their wording increasingly harsh. They've even threatened to take the matter to the Holy Land. The fallout from this incident has been extremely severe."

"So, as I was saying, regardless of your personal opinions on Vice Admiral Onigumo, the higher-ups' stance on the Loguetown Incident is clear. We must focus on this group and eliminate them as soon as possible."

With that, he took out a large stack of wanted posters and began to stick them on the whiteboard one by one.

"First up!"

Slap. Brannew's thin pointer tapped the wanted poster on the right, showing an old man with a braided beard.

"'Red Leg' Zeff! Former captain of the Cook Pirates, with a bounty of fifty million Berries. Several years ago, he and his crew sailed the Grand Line for a year before returning to the East Blue and disappearing."

"The staff office kept an eye on him for a while, but it was generally believed that he had retired due to old age. No one expected him to humble himself and set sail again as an ordinary cook on someone else's ship."

"It's worth noting that his right leg has been replaced with a prosthesis made of an unknown metal, and he has demonstrated the ability to control fire and lightning, as well as fly."

"Furthermore, he has also mastered several of the Six Powers. His strength has greatly improved since his prime, and in the Loguetown Incident, he was able to fight the exceptionally strong Rear Admiral Hunt to a standstill."

"Rear Admiral Hunt?"

The faces in the room grew solemn. Some of them had graduated from the elite training camp at Headquarters with Hunt and knew his capabilities. He was one of the most outstanding Rear Admirals at Headquarters.

If nothing went wrong, he was a prime candidate to be one of the next generation of Vice Admirals.

And a powerful old man like that was just a cook on this new pirate crew?

"Based on this intelligence, after discussion among the staff officers, his new bounty has been set at 80 million Berries! His new epithet is 'Steel Red Leg'!"

Brannew finished and moved the pointer one to the left. "Now, let's look at this one!"

In the photo, a black-haired young woman with a high ponytail was shown in profile, staring ahead in the rain. Her clothes, like the Wado Ichimonji at her waist, were simple and unadorned.

"Kuina, a young woman of mysterious origin. Several years ago, she won a local swordsmanship tournament on Cherry Blossom Island in the East Blue, then disappeared for several years. Now, upon setting sail, this young woman has demonstrated the powerful skills of a Swordmaster!"

"And this is her first bounty: 75 million Berries! Her epithet is 'Rain-Slicer'!"

A first bounty of 75 million Berries.

For a pirate from the East Blue, this was an unbelievable amount.

But the people in the room were not surprised. Swordmasters were rare even in the first half of the Grand Line. She deserved a bounty of that level.

"The next two are 'Iron Fist' Nojiko and 'Orange-Hair' Nami. According to our investigation, they are both the sisters of the man named Shane."

Brannew pointed to the two sisters on the whiteboard, who had distinctly different styles.

"Nojiko is a formidable fighter, proficient in several martial arts and the Six Powers. Although she was at a slight disadvantage in her fight with Rear Admiral Yagi, she successfully prevented Yagi from providing support to the others."

"Therefore, her bounty has been set at 40 million Berries!"

"As for this underage girl named Nami…" Brannew frowned slightly. "She did not participate in any direct combat during the Loguetown Incident. After analysis, it is believed that she is only on the ship due to her blood relation to the captain and has little to no combat ability. However, since she was also involved in the incident, she cannot escape a bounty."

"Her tentative bounty is 8,000 Berries!"

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