Holy Land Mary Geoise, World Government Headquarters Building.
Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the World Goverment.
Kong paced back and forth in front of his desk with a grave expression. On the other side of the desk, several intelligence officers each held a Den Den Mushi, nervously communicating with various departments under the World Government.
"Report!" Suddenly, one officer put down his Den Den Mushi and looked at Kong with a troubled expression.
"Commander Kong, we cannot reach the Navy Science Unit!"
"Report, the Navy Secret Special Forces are unreachable!"
"The Navy Special Science Unit is unreachable—"
"Report, we've received word from Enies Lobby that they cannot contact Chief Justice Basskervile!"
"Report, we've successfully contacted Impel Down!"
Hearing one report after another, Kong immediately returned to his seat and said in a deep voice.
"Stop trying to contact Navy Headquarters and its related units. Immediately reach out to the branch bases in the Grand Line and the Four Seas."
One officer cautiously asked. "Commander Kong, what... what exactly is going on? Why has the Navy Headquarters suddenly lost contact with Mari Geoise?"
Kong didn't answer but instead glared at the officer.
Seeing this, the officer didn't dare to ask further and picked up the Den Den Mushi to start contacting the various branch bases outside of Navy Headquarters.
...
...
East Blue, Shells Town Navy Base 153.
A group of over a dozen soldiers, holding confidential documents sent from Navy Headquarters, quickly rushed into a dormitory.
With a loud 'bang,' the tightly shut dormitory door was forcefully pushed open. Several officers resting inside the dormitory quickly stood up, all looking at the dozen or so soldiers who had barged in.
The leading soldier didn't hesitate and promptly raised the document in his hand.
"Headquarters appointment! Commander Morgan, step forward!"
As the soldier spoke, a tall and burly officer immediately stepped forward—Commander Morgan of Base 153.
"By the order of the new Fleet Admiral Orion, from now on Commander Morgan is promoted to Captain and will immediately take command of Base 153!"
Hearing this, Morgan eyes blazed with determination as he stepped forward, raised his right hand, and shouted.
"LOYALTY!"
"Great!"
"Are we finally going to make a big move?"
"Long live Lord Orion!" As Morgan had just received his appointment letter, several officers standing beside him jumped up in excitement.
At the same time, another soldier quickly stepped forward and handed a brand-new Captain uniform to Morgan.
"Captain Morgan, from now on, you are in charge of the 153rd Branch. Please give your orders!"
Looking at the captain uniform presented before him, Morgan eyes reddened with emotion, and his hands trembled slightly as he took the uniform.
When he first joined the 153rd Branch in his youth, he was filled with fervor, hoping to one day eradicate all the evils on the sea.
However, because there was always someone above him, even though he charged at the forefront every time they captured pirates and took on the most dangerous tasks, his efforts were always in vain.
The credit he earned was always snatched away, leaving him as a mere Liteunant even in his middle age.
That was until two years ago, when a high-ranking official arrived from headquarters.
He didn't know this official, but he was singled out by him.
At the time, he thought he had made some mistake and didn't dare to lift his head when he met the official. To his surprise, this official was not only young but also exceptionally gentle.
What shocked him the most was that this official seemed to know him very well, as if they had been acquainted for years. If it weren't for the official's higher rank and his origin from headquarters, Morgan would have immediately pulled him aside to drown their sorrows and vent his years of bitterness and frustration.
This official was none other than Marshal Orion, who had now appointed him as the captain of the 153rd Branch.
When Orion left the 153rd Branch back then, he had asked Morgan one question.
Was he willing to pledge his loyalty?
Of course, he was willing!
In his middle age, Morgan had come to understand many things. To climb higher, he needed someone to back him up. In the two years that followed, although he had no direct contact with Orion, he would occasionally receive astonishing amounts of Beli sent by Orion, with instructions to distribute it to those who truly needed help.
Over the two years, the Beli he received accumulated to over 100 million. However, he didn't keep a single Beli for himself, distributing all of it to soldiers and colleagues in need.
Because deep down, he knew this was undoubtedly a test from Lord Orion. The appearance of this appointment letter now meant that he had not only passed the test but also gained Lord Orion recognition.
"Captain Morgan!" At that moment, a soldier holding a Den Den Mushi ran over, stammering.
"The... the Holy Land Commander's Office is calling..."
"HUH?"
Morgan sharply turned his head to look at the soldier and said in a deep voice.
"What Holy Land Commander's Office? From now on, the 153rd Branch only follows the orders of Marshal Orion of the Navy Headquarters. No one else, no matter who they are, deserves our attention!"
With that, Morgan flung the captain coat over his shoulders and strode out of the barracks.
"Pass on my orders! All officers and soldiers of the 153rd Branch, assemble on the training ground!"
At the Same Time, East Blue, Navy 16th Branch Base.
A young man draped in a brand-new captain coat, surrounded by seven or eight soldiers, marched aggressively toward the captain office.
Bang—
With a dull thud, the tightly shut door of the captain office was slammed open by a soldier who had rushed ahead of the young man. Before the captain office could react, a group of seven or eight people armed with guns stormed in and immediately subdued the two aides standing in front of the desk.
"What are you doing?" Seated at the desk was an officer also clad in a captain coat, his face dotted with sparse stubble. On the desk in front of him were stacks of thick bundles of Berries, most of which had already been opened.
Nezumi, the captain of the East Blue Navy 16th Branch, a disgrace to the Navy who had been abusing his authority to commit atrocities within his jurisdiction.
"Captain Nezumi!" A young man wearing a brand-new captain coat strode up to the desk, looking down at Captain Nezumi and delivered his verdict.
"For your long-standing collusion with pirates to oppress innocent civilians within your jurisdiction, I as the newly appointed captain of the 16th Branch, sentence you to death. Execution will be carried out immediately!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Hearing that this young man claimed to be the new captain of the 16th Branch and was even sentencing him to death, Captain Nezumi abruptly stood up and shouted.
"I AM THE CAPTAIN OF THE 16TH BRANCH! GUARDS, ARREST THIS MAN—"
"Stop shouting, you damn Rat!" The young man waved his hand dismissively.
"The 16th Branch is now under my control. You can die now!"
As soon as the young man finished speaking, the eight soldiers beside him showed no hesitation and almost simultaneously pulled the triggers.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A barrage of gunfire erupted, and in an instant, before Nezumi could fully comprehend what was happening, he was riddled with bullets as the soldiers emptied their magazines.
The young man walked over and kicked Nezumi corpse aside, then turned to face his subordinates, who stood at attention with their guns holstered, and declared loudly.
"By the order of Fleet Admiral Orion, our only mission now is to purge all pirates from the waters under the jurisdiction of the 16th Branch. We will eradicate every last one of them, leaving none Alive!"
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