In Loguetown, specifically inside the Marine headquarters, a white-haired man with a sturdy build and a stern face as hard as steel smoked two cigars at the same time.

This man was Captain Smoker, someone who, unlike Nezumi and Morgan, truly deserved the rank of captain due to his strength.

"How annoying..."

Smoker exhaled a cloud of smoke while two wanted posters rested on his desk, one worth thirty million and the other one hundred million.

"Seriously, don't go doing something stupid," said Captain Hina, who stood near the doorway.

She had escorted Vice Admiral Garp from the Grand Line to East Blue. Supposedly, Garp had come for a personal matter, but just a few days ago, Hina had received a call from Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral and head of the Marines.

The order had been simple:

— "Remain in Loguetown and capture Allen Walker." —

"Making the Hero of the Marines bother himself with capturing a kid worth one hundred million... especially when everyone knows that bounty is exaggerated... What nonsense"

Hina did not deny the statement. A few days ago, the World Economic Journal published the story.

"What the hell was Morgans thinking?" Smoker growled.

Publishing news like that had made the Marines look ridiculous. It wasn't about the weight of Allen's words. They were just the delusions of a rookie at sea, something very common. The problem was to whom he said it, and the fact that he had done it in front of three Vice Admirals.

"That guy has never been afraid of the Government. Hina is tired..." Hina sighed. "Even so, poor kid. He can't even be twenty years old, and he doesn't realize his journey ended before it even began."

Hina looked at Allen's wanted poster on the table, an image of him protecting a girl from an evil pirate.

Smoker frowned. "Are you actually feeling pity for a damn pirate?!"

"No..." Hina ignored Smoker's outburst. She knew he was inflexible when it came to pirates. Whether they were rookies who hadn't even committed crimes yet or cruel murderers, he treated them with the same suffocating harshness.

Smoker narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe Hina would sympathize with pirates. However, he had received troubling information. Apparently, Allen Walker's crew was made up entirely of women, and considering his appearance, Smoker had decided it was better to avoid having female Marines deal with him.

"By the way, where's Tashigi?" Hina asked.

"She should be on patrol. Why?"

"As I said, even if those are Fleet Admiral orders, I hope we can capture Allen Walker ourselves and avoid the embarrassment of sending the Hero of the Marines, a man who fought Roger as an equal, against some kid."

Smoker grunted. "Of course! I'll capture Allen Walker and that Straw Hat brat with my own hands!"

Hina blinked. "Then... that's good."

*Auge*

A distant sound interrupted the conversation. It was sharp like a cannon blast, yet somehow different.

"What was that?"

"Hina doesn't know..."

Elsewhere, Monkey D. Garp, who had been sunbathing in a beach chair, opened one eye after hearing the distant explosion as well.

"What was that?"

The one who asked wasn't Garp, but a man standing beside him. He wore a brown suit and a hat that covered his face. Curiously, he wore the same Vice Admiral coat as Garp, though beside him he looked more like an assistant.

This was none other than Vice Admiral Bogard, Garp's right-hand man and assistant for decades.

"He's already here..." Garp muttered before closing his eye again and pretending to fall asleep.

Bogard thought the same thing Hina and Smoker did. It was absurd to send a Vice Admiral after a rookie who hadn't even entered the Grand Line yet, so he hoped those two captains could handle it themselves.

"..." Bogard remained silent.

"Is something bothering you?" Garp asked, revealing he hadn't actually fallen asleep after all.

"No... well, it's just... What if that guy isn't just a naive brat with a screw loose?"

What if Allen Walker wasn't just some delusional brat? What if he wasn't simply insane? What if he truly was a future threat?

Garp opened his eyes and stared at the sky with a piercing gaze.

"In that case, it would be a shame... because he would never reach the Grand Line."

Bogard looked at Garp. This man, who often acted lazy and selfish, was a Marine to his very core. Without a doubt, he would capture Allen Walker if necessary.

....

...

....

Returning to the battlefield—or rather, the Black Pearl's hunting grounds.

The destruction caused by that weapon left everyone in shock, while Allen wore a satisfied smile.

"This thing called 'artillery' is pretty incredible."

[Well, it's the cannon of a super battleship, what did you expect?]

"Super battleship?"

[Don't ask me. I do a lot of things I don't understand... I don't even know exactly what I am.]

"Well, the important thing is that it wasn't a waste of money," Allen smiled.

This 300mm cannon had cost five million, and physically, it only looked like a very large cannon. Still, unexpectedly, its firepower was at least thirty times greater than that of a normal cannon.

It was a monster capable of penetrating the steel armor of a modern battleship, so of course it would pulverize a wooden ship into splinters.

Even so, it wasn't perfect. It could only fire once every ten minutes due to overheating. That last part had made Allen regret spending five million on it, but apparently, it had been worth it.

"What was that?!" Nami ran toward Allen and shook him. "Are you trying to scare us to death?! Couldn't you have warned us that you installed that thing on the ship?!"

"Relax, Nami. Besides, why are you complaining? You girls made me spend money on a bunch of things for yourselves, so it's only fair that I get a new toy too."

Nojiko trembled while leaning against the railing. "Calling a weapon of destruction like that a toy?"

"Well, at least we're okay..." Kaya said, but when the other girls looked at her, she was as pale as a ghost and trembling.

"Kaya, are you alright?!" Allen appeared by her side and carried her in a princess carry. "Quick, a doctor!"

[You're already holding her in your arms...]

"Damn it, how dare those bastards hurt Kaya?!" Allen cursed furiously.

"No, I'm pretty sure that was your fault," Uta said, but Allen was shameless enough to never admit it.

"Hehe~"

While Allen was making a scene, Kaya clung to his clothes while letting out a perverted little giggle... or maybe that was just the other girls' imagination. They refused to believe sweet Kaya could become anything else.

[Leaving that aside, what are we going to do about the remaining ships?]

Allen looked into the distance. Those ships had raised white sails and lowered their pirate flags, a completely cowardly act but one that clearly showed surrender and submission.

"Well, if I were in their position, I'd probably do the same thing," Nojiko said with an awkward laugh.

....

The ships surrendered, so Allen no longer destroyed them and simply sailed closer.

From the pirates' perspective, watching the Black Pearl slowly approach did not make them feel any better. They were like rabbits standing before a wolf, waiting to see who would be devoured first.

The survivors from the destroyed ships floated in the sea while clinging to pieces of wood. All they could do was watch the Black Pearl sail through the wreckage with the dignity of a ruler while they trembled in terror. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

There was no greed anymore, no mockery. They no longer saw Allen as a fool who had challenged the Marines out of ignorance of his own power. They saw a man who would reach the Grand Line not as a rookie, but as a monster.

Nami docked the Black Pearl beside the first surrendered pirate ship.

The other ship was almost twice the size of the Black Pearl, yet it felt like a paper bull that could only tremble while hoping a cannon shot from the Pearl wouldn't accidentally destroy it.

Silence spread throughout the crew of the ship, and soon they heard footsteps against the wood before someone jumped aboard.

When Allen appeared, all the pirates were stunned and held their breath.

On one hand, the young captain didn't have a monstrous body or stand three meters tall as one would expect from the captain of such a terrifying ship. On the other hand, he was handsome in a way that seemed unreal, with a masculine charm impossible to ignore and a presence that dominated the surroundings simply by existing.

Added to that was a confident smile and a piercing gaze that would undoubtedly make women fall in love just by looking into his eyes.

Allen walked toward the captain. The man was two and a half meters tall and built like a mountain of muscles similar to Morgan, yet before Allen, he hunched over and nearly dropped to his knees while sweat covered his face.

Allen carried himself with the dignity of a veteran captain, and yet they were certain this young man hadn't even set foot in the Grand Line. So why did he give off that feeling?

"Captain... there is no honor among pirates, but I believe we're civilized enough to at least have the courtesy not to attack each other like bloodthirsty beasts without reason."

"I... no... uh..."

The captain in question tried to speak. He was a feared man with a six-million bounty, someone who had killed over a hundred men and looted three villages, yet he found himself unable to speak properly to a young man three heads shorter than him.

"Let me guess, you wanted my head?" Allen smiled mischievously.

"No!" The man fell to his knees. "It's not like that! I don't want your head!"

"Oh?" Allen narrowed his eyes. "For someone who doesn't want my head, you all looked pretty happy while firing at my crew..."

The pirates also dropped to their knees.

"WE'RE VERY SORRY!"

Allen chuckled softly. "Relax. I'm a pirate too, so I understand the feeling of wanting to steal treasure and collect a bounty. However, by doing so, you accept the risk of being defeated and suffering the very thing you tried to do to someone else... You understand that, right?"

All the pirates knew it. They knew it very well. At sea, the winner takes everything, and the loser becomes fish food. Even so, no one wanted to die.

Several pirates started crying while others begged for mercy.

From aboard the Black Pearl, Kaya felt a wave of pity and wanted to say something, but Uta grabbed her shoulder.

"Kaya-san, they wouldn't have shown us any mercy..."

Nojiko sighed.

"She's right. In this world, strength decides everything. If we had possessed the strength to fight Arlong, we never would've spent years under his tyranny."

"They're scum!" Nami snorted in disgust. She was the one who had seen the most pirates. "Those bastards didn't hesitate for a second before firing at us. Without Allen's strength and the Black Pearl's firepower, we'd be the ones kneeling right now. If it were up to me, I'd tie them up and throw them into the sea!"

Hearing Nami's words, the pirates turned pale blue.

"That's true," Allen said. "I could kill all of you and no one would complain. That skull flag isn't a decoration. It isn't a toy. It's a declaration. I've gone out to sea wagering my life... however..."

Just as the pirates thought their end had come, Allen added a "but."

"Even though there are no laws or rules for pirates, I want to live by a code. One that limits me, one that keeps my feet on the ground, one that allows me to feel the weight of every life I take... I want to be a pirate. One with class, and one who is more respected than feared." Allen turned toward his crew with a gaze that pierced their souls and made them blush. "Is that strange?"

None of the four girls could answer. All of them felt as though their hearts had been pierced by an arrow.

[Hey, who are you and where's my stupid, impulsive narcissist?! Bring him back, this is bad for my heart!]

Allen chuckled before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a gold coin.

"I, Allen Walker, captain of the Black Pearl, have been offended by your crew."

"Don't kill us!" the man shouted desperately. "We'll become slaves for your crew! If you want, we'll even be a wall of flesh!"

A flash of disgust appeared in Allen's eyes.

"Debts between pirates are paid in gold and blood, nothing else. But seeing those pathetic expressions on your faces, I've decided to collect in gold instead."

"Huh?!"

The captain looked up. Allen dropped the gold coin in front of him, and at that moment the man noticed the coin carried Allen's Jolly Roger engraved on it.

"Bring me all your loot, valuables, and possessions. And you, captain, will come with me as my prisoner so I can collect your bounty in Loguetown. That's better than simply dying."

The captain looked at his crew before nodding. "Alright... you heard him, bring everything!"

"Captain!"

"Captain!"

"Shut up! This was our fault. We have to pay the price!"

Allen smiled. In the end, this guy wasn't completely rotten. Of course, that didn't mean Allen was going to forgive him. He would never forgive anyone who tried to harm his crew.

The rest was just procedure. The pirates brought out their loot, around three million in cash and gold, along with various valuables barely worth another million.

Allen tied the man up with a rope before taking him aboard his ship.

The pirate was surprised that Allen's entire crew consisted of girls, and beautiful ones at that. However, he didn't even dare stare for long and simply sat silently against the mast.

The second ship was more of the same. The captain surrendered and handed over all his gold, around three million once again. He too was tied up and brought aboard the deck of the Black Pearl.

The third ship was different. Despite surrendering, its captain refused to be handed over to the Marines.

"Just kill me!" said a man with a scar across his face. He wore classic pirate captain clothes, complete with a bicorne hat and a tattoo on his neck.

Allen remained silent as he saw that the man wasn't afraid of death. He was also one of the captains who had stayed behind to fight despite knowing they had no chance of defeating the Black Pearl.

"A captain sinks with his ship. That's admirable." Allen smiled confidently. "As recognition for that, I'll give you another option. Fight! Fight me in a duel, one against one between pirates! Win, and I promise my crew won't fire another cannonball. Lose, and at least you'll die like a true pirate captain!"

"I accept!"

The man smiled and unsheathed two rusty knives.

"Captain of the Rusty Blade Pirates, Rengo the Rusted Knife! My bounty is 4,800,000 berries! If you want my head, then take it!"

Allen laughed.

"Lenalee!"

A chest appeared on the deck, and when it opened, a sword flew straight into Allen's hand.

The captured pirates couldn't believe what they had just seen. Was this the power of a Devil Fruit?!

"I, Pirate Lord Allen Walker, captain of the Black Pearl... and future King of the World, accept your challenge, Captain Rengo!"

Everyone swallowed nervously. For the first time, Allen's declarations did not provoke mockery or ridicule.

Somehow, the man smiled. It was his death—he knew that—but for some reason, he smiled. Perhaps it was the feeling of being acknowledged by someone who normally would never even notice the existence of someone as insignificant as him.

"Take this!" Rengo attacked with both rusty knives in a cross slash. It was the fastest attack he had ever unleashed in his life, beyond the limits of his own abilities, deadlier than anything he had ever done before.

His crew was astonished. It was as if facing Allen had drawn out all the hidden potential within their captain.

"Not bad..." Allen unsheathed his sword in an instant.

The man only saw a flash before his knives shattered into pieces and a slash appeared from his shoulder to his abdomen. This wasn't a Skill, nor was it some special technique. It was simply an overwhelming difference in strength.

Rengo smiled as he fell.

"Thank you..."

Could there really be a situation where a man thanked another for killing him? Yes, because despite not needing to, this captain had taken the trouble to face someone who amounted to nothing more than an ant.

Respect among pirates and admiration toward the brave despite their weakness... something most people had forgotten in these times.

Allen sheathed his sword, approached the fallen captain, and placed a gold coin on his clothes before standing back up.

"Your debt has been paid..."

Although the pirates were saddened by their captain's death, they also felt proud, because unlike the cowards kneeling with lowered heads on the deck of the Black Pearl, their captain had faced death head-on.

"Thank you very much," said Rengo's first mate.

Allen felt that this crew, despite making the mistake of attacking him, had the potential to become true pirates, and perhaps someday even subjects of the future King of the World.

The pressure surrounding him disappeared, and his smile returned to the usual expression he always wore, the one that sometimes made people want to punch him.

"Now that the serious matters are over, I'd like to say that you've impressed me as a crew. Yes, attacking the future King of the World is an unforgivable sin, but I am a magnanimous being." Allen gave them a half-smile as he started spewing nonsense. "So if you give me one minute, I'll grant you—"

"Hold him down!" Nami shouted while grabbing Allen by the neck from behind.

"What are you doing, Nami?! I was just about to speak of my glory!"

"Shut up!" Nami had tears in her eyes. "Damn it, give me back my captain!"

"What are you talking about?! I am your captain! And you too, Nojiko! Why are you holding me instead of stopping Nami?!"

Nojiko was restraining Allen's arm with a melancholic look on her face.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want the beautiful image engraved in my mind to be ruined by some narcissistic nonsense."

"What are you talking about? And why are you crying?! Besides, Kaya, you're just hugging me. You're not even trying to stop me."

"Hehe~"

Kaya giggled. She was kneeling while hugging Allen around the waist, but just as he said, she wasn't trying to restrain him at all. Instead, she seemed to be taking advantage of the situation.

"It doesn't matter. No one will stop me from granting these poor lost souls the blessing of bathing in my perfection and absolute magnifi— mmph!"

Allen could no longer speak because Uta had covered his mouth.

He wanted to complain, but Uta was puffing out her cheeks while tears welled up in her reproachful eyes. It almost looked as though Allen had insulted her mother or something.

The young man was left speechless. These crazy girls who were supposedly his crew had picked the wrong enemy. Allen only wanted to bathe these potential future subjects in his magnificence and allow them to witness his glory. What was wrong with that?!

'Lenalee, do something!'

[That's right, girls! Hold down that stupid bastard! Don't let him spew nonsense! Don't let him talk! Don't let him say anything else! Don't let him ruin the moment!]

Allen was speechless once again.

Just a moment ago, these girls had seemed enchanted by him, yet now they were treating him with such disrespect. What kind of crew was this?!

====

A/N: I would've punched Allen to shut him up too.

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