One Piece: Rising to Fleet Admiral Through a Coup

East Blue, Loguetown Marine Base

Captain Smoker, recently appointed as Loguetown's commanding officer, glared at the mountain of paperwork before him, his brow furrowed into deep creases. The scowl on his face deepened with each passing second.

As a Marine Headquarters Captain and possessor of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, a Logia-type Devil Fruit that granted him extraordinary powers, being reassigned to command a small East Blue base felt like a demotion. Discovering the administrative disaster left by his predecessor only soured his mood further.

"Captain Smoker! Urgent dispatch from Headquarters!"

The office door burst open as a young woman—barely out of her teens—rushed in clutching a sealed envelope marked with the Marine Headquarters insignia. Her movements were hurried, almost frantic as she approached his desk.

"Headquarters dispatch?" Smoker raised an eyebrow, accepting the document and breaking the seal without ceremony.

Seeing this, the young woman quickly averted her gaze.

"Tashigi? What are you doing?" Smoker looked up at his adjutant, irritation evident in his voice. "You're my second-in-command. Am I expected to process all these files by myself?"

"Eh?" Tashigi blinked owlishly behind her glasses, her expression endearingly clueless. "But... it's confidential... I shouldn't..."

"I'm not talking about this one!" Smoker snapped, veins visibly throbbing at his temple as he gestured toward the precarious tower of documents on his desk. "You have thirty minutes to sort through this mess and identify anything requiring immediate attention!"

Without waiting for her response, Smoker turned his attention to the confidential dispatch, scanning its contents. His eyes widened suddenly, and he shot to his feet.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku is indisposed due to health concerns... Vice Admiral Xayuki temporarily assuming full authority as Acting Fleet Admiral?" he read aloud, disbelief evident in every syllable.

"URGENT REPORT!"

Before Smoker could fully process this information, another Marine burst through the doorway, his uniform disheveled from haste. "Sir! We've just received word that Captain Nezumi of Base 16 has been summarily executed by a newly appointed captain! The charges were corruption and collusion with pirates!" The messenger paused to catch his breath before continuing. "Additionally, Base 153 has undergone leadership restructuring. A Marine officer named Monka has been installed as the new commanding officer!"

Smoker's head snapped toward the messenger, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "The name of Base 16's new captain—what is it?"

"I believe... it's Captain Stoke, sir. Dispatched directly from Headquarters!"

"Damn it all!" Smoker slammed his fist onto the desk with enough force to make the wood groan in protest. "I know Stoke—he's one of Xayuki's most devoted loyalists. And this Monka from Base 153—he's also Xayuki's man!"

After a moment's contemplation, Smoker tossed the document onto his desk, his expression grim. "Something catastrophic has happened at Headquarters. This document wasn't issued with Sengoku's genuine consent—Headquarters has likely fallen completely under Xayuki's control! If my assessment is correct, as we speak, command structures throughout the Four Blues and possibly even the Grand Line are being systematically replaced with Xayuki's handpicked loyalists."

"What... what does that mean?" Tashigi tilted her head, struggling to keep pace with the implications. "Isn't Vice Admiral Xayuki renowned for his integrity? How could he possibly seize control from Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"

Smoker fixed her with an unflinching stare, his voice dropping to a grave tone: "A coup d'état, Tashigi. Xayuki has orchestrated a military takeover of Marine Headquarters."

"WHAT?!" Tashigi's glasses nearly slid off her nose in shock. Fumbling to adjust them, she stammered, "That's... that's impossible! Vice Admiral Xayuki is widely respected! I've heard countless stories about his generosity—how he's personally assisted Marine families struggling with financial hardships!"

Smoker struck his desk again, harder this time. "That was merely groundwork—strategic philanthropy to cultivate loyalty!"

Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru...

The Den Den Mushi on Smoker's desk suddenly came to life, its expression shifting to mirror the caller's stern countenance.

Before Smoker could reach for the receiver, a commanding voice resonated through the snail's mouth: "Captain Smoker, are you present? This is the Supreme Commander's office in Mariejois. Commander Kong has direct orders."

Hearing this, Smoker immediately straightened to attention, his tone shifting to one of formal respect: "Commander Kong, sir."

"Smoker, thank the heavens you're reachable!" The snail's expression reflected Kong's evident relief. "I'll be brief: Headquarters has completely severed communication with Mariejois. We believe it has fallen entirely under Xayuki's control. The situation extends beyond Headquarters—numerous bases throughout the East Blue are non-responsive. We must assume these facilities have been commandeered by Xayuki's operatives. Your immediate priority is to establish contact with any bases still outside his influence and stabilize East Blue operations!"

Before Smoker could acknowledge the orders, the connection abruptly terminated.

Tashigi stood frozen, her mind visibly struggling to process the rapid developments. "Captain Smoker, how... how could this happen? What would drive Vice Admiral Xayuki to such drastic action?"

Smoker remained silent, his gaze fixed on the now-dormant Den Den Mushi. What had begun as mere suspicion was now confirmed reality following Kong's direct communication.

The truly perplexing aspect wasn't that a coup had occurred—it was how Xayuki, a Vice Admiral, had managed to execute such an audacious takeover. Marine Headquarters wasn't merely under Sengoku's leadership; it housed the Three Admirals—the Marines' ultimate military assets—along with numerous Vice Admirals and thousands of elite troops. Even with years of cultivating loyalty, Xayuki's success should have been impossible unless...

"Tashigi, the balance of power at Headquarters has irrevocably shifted," Smoker finally spoke, sinking back into his chair with uncharacteristic weariness. "For Xayuki to seize control so swiftly and completely, at least two of the Three Admirals must have aligned with him. Vice Admiral Gion has maintained close ties with Xayuki for years—she and several other Vice Admirals undoubtedly facilitated this coup."

Tashigi, still struggling to grasp the magnitude of the situation, asked hesitantly, "What... what course of action should we take, sir?"

Smoker turned toward the window, his expression contemplative as he gazed out at Loguetown's harbor. "Xayuki dispatched Stoke to eliminate the corrupt Nezumi and installed Monka at Base 153. Yet Loguetown remains untouched..." His voice trailed off momentarily. "Our new Fleet Admiral is clearly offering me a choice."

"Captain Smoker?" Tashigi prompted, her uncertainty evident. "What will we do?"

"We wait."

Smoker's posture straightened as resolution crystallized in his eyes. "If Xayuki has seized power merely to satisfy personal ambition, I'll oppose him with everything I have in defense of true Marine justice. However, if he continues to uphold our core principles after consolidating his authority, I'll remain here in Loguetown and fulfill my duties. Power struggles and political maneuvering hold no interest for me—only justice does."

Just as Smoker had surmised, simultaneous with his receipt of the confidential dispatch, more than half of the branch commanders across the West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue were abruptly replaced.

The curtain had risen on a comprehensive, top-down purge within the Marines' ranks.

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