"What are we supposed to do?" Koza rubbed his temples, feeling like his brain was on fire.
Ever since he'd taken over this position, he hadn't slept through a single night. Every morning, his eyes opened to a mountain of problems that needed solving immediately, and they just kept piling up.
The reason was pretty straightforward. In the old system, Arabasta had been run by nobles who handled all the minor affairs themselves, only elevating the important stuff to higher authorities. There had been civil officials too, but those positions had always gone to powerful aristocrats or even members of the royal family.
Now? All those people were gone.
Which meant the entire government apparatus was basically running on fumes. The few people still working were either incompetent or overwhelmed, leaving him to handle everything himself. He was being worked to death, and his head felt ready to split in two.
And now, to top it all off, a Marine Admiral had shown up unannounced.
Kebi looked thoughtful. "He's probably here to investigate the Den Den Mushi blackout. What other reason would a Marine Admiral have for coming here? We haven't officially withdrawn from the World Government, and Crocodile has disappeared. So maybe this is just routine?"
But Igaram shook his head firmly. "If it were routine, they'd never send Aokiji. At most, we'd get a captain or maybe a rear admiral. No way they'd waste an Admiral's time on a simple inspection."
As the former captain of the royal guard, he knew how these things worked.
Koza let out a sigh. "Forget it. We'll have to meet with him eventually anyway. And an Admiral wouldn't cause trouble inside the capital, right? They represent the entire Marine organization. They can't just go around destroying things."
He stood up, preparing himself to meet Aokiji face-to-face.
But when they finally reached Katorea, their expressions froze.
The city was gone.
"What the fuck?!" Koza couldn't contain himself.
Katorea had just started recovering, transforming into a commercial hub with signs of prosperity. And now it was all wiped out in one move.
His eyes locked onto the culprit, the tall man lounging casually in the center of a group of Marines.
Rage boiled inside him. This was the first thing the Marines did upon arrival? Destroy the one thing that was helping his people recover?
The arrival of the King's Army immediately drew the Marines' attention. When the two groups faced each other, silence fell over the scene.
Koza forced down his anger, trying his best to appear calm. But the frustration of watching all his hard work get destroyed by some thoughtless bastard made his blood boil.
"Admiral Aokiji, welcome to the Republic of Arabasta. May I ask what exactly you're planning to do here?"
The Admiral looked at Koza, scratching his head. He'd known from intelligence reports that this young man was the country's new leader, but he hadn't expected to meet him so quickly.
"I'll keep this brief. The higher-ups are aware that your nation suffered under Crocodile. So we've decided to establish a permanent Marine base here. That way, you won't have to worry about pirate attacks or future interference from any Warlords."
Koza's eye twitched.
Pirate attacks? They'd been demagnetized! No pirates could even navigate here anymore. And even if by some miracle they did manage to find the island, so what? The Iron Golem Army would crush any pirate crew that wasn't overwhelmingly powerful.
Kebi and Igaram both grabbed Koza's arms, sensing he was about to lose it. They squeezed hard, trying to calm him down.
On the Grand Line, you could afford to piss off pirates, even underworld kingpins, but you could not afford to piss off the Marines.
If you crossed an underworld boss, another one might take your side. Rivalries and alliances shifted constantly in that world.
But if you crossed the Marines? You'd find every door closed to you. No port would accept you, and no merchant would trade with you. Your entire nation would be labeled as harboring criminals.
"Your proposal is interesting."
"Great, then we'll consider it settled," Aokiji replied, completely misreading Koza's tone as cooperation.
But Koza's next words shattered that assumption.
"Unfortunately, we don't need any assistance from the Marines. If possible, please take your forces and leave our country. Thank you for your visit."
His voice was firm, and left absolutely no room for negotiation.
Aokiji didn't react with anger. In fact, he barely seemed to care at all. But the Rear Admiral standing behind him.
"Don't think that just because you call yourself king now, you can do whatever you please. The Admiral is speaking to you politely, just agree and stop wasting everyone's time. You really think that once we leave, your island won't be overrun by endless waves of pirates?"
"I said what I said. Please leave."
The Rear Admiral looked ready to explode. But before he could continue his tirade, Aokiji raised one hand.
"Enough. We're leaving."
Without another word, he turned and started walking away, showing not the slightest bit of hesitation or offense.
The Rear Admiral stood there, completely stunned. Just like that? They were really leaving after being disrespected so blatantly?
What about the mission? What were they supposed to report back to headquarters?
But Aokiji clearly felt his mission was already complete.
In truth, his visit to Arabasta hadn't really been under direct Marine orders at all. This was a task from the World Government, one he couldn't refuse no matter how much he wanted to.
His real mission had been simple: freeze and destroy Katorea.
Why? Because "mere commoners" weren't supposed to enjoy such marvels. The Celestial Dragons had decided it was an affront to their superiority, so it had to be eliminated.
Petty. Even childish. Absolutely ridiculous reasoning, but there was nothing he could do about it.
As an Admiral, his orders came not from the Fleet Admiral, but from the World Government. And when the World Government gave an order, you followed it or you resigned.
Actually, there was someone more suited to this kind of destructive task, Akainu. But he was currently stationed in the New World, dealing with the more dangerous half of the Grand Line.
Aokiji's jurisdiction covered everything in the "Paradise" half, so the assignment had fallen to him instead.
He'd originally planned to freeze the waterfall temporarily, take some photos for documentation, then thaw it again afterward. A technicality that would satisfy the letter of his orders without destroying something so beneficial to innocent people. But unexpectedly, the moment he froze the water, it simply vanished completely.
Strange, but actually better this way. At least he could say he'd completed his mission without having to make excuses.
He pulled out a Visual Den Den Mushi, and took several pictures of the landscape where the waterfall had been.
Mission accomplished. Time to get out of here.
Koza stared after the departing Marines in confusion. That was it? They just... left?
The Rear Admiral following Aokiji looked equally baffled.
Unable to stop himself from overthinking, he watched as Aokiji calmly took another photo with the Visual Den Den Mushi.
What's going on?
"Admiral Aokiji," he finally asked hesitantly, "are we really just... leaving?"
"You have a problem with that?" Aokiji replied without looking back.
"No, sir."
"Oh, right. The Marine brass did assign one small task," Aokiji said, as if suddenly remembering something. "Head over to Rainbase. Check if there's anything left behind worth investigating. If not, just return to the ship. I'll be waiting there."
"Understood." The Rear Admiral didn't quite get it, but he knew better than to question an Admiral's orders.
---
News that the Marines had split up quickly reached Koza through his intelligence network.
His anger still hadn't subsided from the destruction of Katorea. If anything, the rage had only gotten worse.
When he heard the Marines were heading to Rainbase, he immediately mobilized the King's Army to follow them.
Rainbase had undergone massive changes. It was no longer just Crocodile's old base, it had been transformed into an oasis.
Unlike the Sky Pyramid's supply over Katorea, which could be refilled if needed, the Rainbase oasis had no such safeguard. If the Marines destroyed it, that was it.
He could not let that happen.
This time, Aokiji was not present to maintain order.
The Rear Admiral stood at the edge of the lush oasis, staring at the greenery in the middle of the desert.
"What is this?" he muttered. "The intel said this place was just a gambling town."
"That information's out of date," one of his subordinates reported. "Apparently this transformation happened recently."
The Rear Admiral's eyes narrowed. "Search the area. Find anything connected to Crocodile. Move!"
"Stop right there!"
Koza's voice rang out across the oasis as the King's Army emerged from behind the palm trees, surrounding the Marines.
The Rear Admiral turned. "You again? What, did you follow us here?"
"This is our country," Koza said flatly. "We don't need permission to be here. You do."
"I don't know who put these ideas in your head, but you need to understand something. The World Government has jurisdiction over all allied nations. That includes conducting investigations when we deem it necessary. So step aside and let us do our job."
Koza's hands clenched into fists. "And if I refuse?"
"Then you'll be obstructing a Marine investigation. That's a crime we take very seriously."
The two leaders stared each other down, neither willing to back off.
Then the Rear Admiral made his mistake.
He stepped forward aggressively, right into Koza's personal space, and jabbed a finger into his chest.
Koza's restraint finally snapped.
His fist connected with the Rear Admiral's face with all the pent-up frustration and rage he'd been holding back.
The punch sent the Marine officer flying backward, crashing through two palm trees before hitting the ground.
For a moment, everyone just stared in shock.
Then chaos erupted as Marines drew their weapons and the King's Army responded in kind.