The impact of the artillery cannon mounted on the Black Pearl echoed throughout Nanohara. At first, people thought it was thunder; it was far too powerful to be a cannon shot. However, that wasn't the case.
The people at the port witnessed the impact in the sea, which rose high into the sky along with wooden debris from what, only moments ago, had been a 45-meter brigantine.
The sharpest eyes turned toward the sea, where a black dot was approaching the coast.
Normally, ordinary people in the Grand Line did not panic when they saw pirates. This was because pirates were very common, and they rarely attacked ports. Most cities and towns near the sea had Marine bases.
So seeing pirate ships in port and their crews disembarking was neither unusual nor scandalous, but this time was different.
"No way..." a man gasped, dropping a crate.
Allen didn't know it.
He had left Loguetown and immediately headed for Reverse Mountain. After crossing it, he encountered a giant whale, and then Vivi. From that point on, the only people he had run into were members of the massive organization known as Baroque Works.
As a result, he didn't know. He didn't know how famous he had become. He didn't know how far his name had traveled throughout the Grand Line, and of course, he didn't know about the countless rumors that had started to spread.
– White Hair is a madman who dared challenge the Marines and fight Garp.
– He's a lunatic who destroyed part of Loguetown before entering the Grand Line.
– He's a monster who kidnaps beautiful women wherever he goes, a lustful pervert!
The rumors were exaggerated and distorted as they spread, giving Allen the image of a dangerous madman. However, the truth was that this narrative had also been encouraged by the World Government itself. They didn't want people thinking Allen was a good person after the corruption scandal in the Marines was exposed.
Of course, Allen couldn't care less about any of that.
The winners always control the narrative. To the world, Allen was the monster, while the Marines and the World Government represented justice. That would remain true as long as they controlled the world. It had always been that way. The same thing had happened with Robin, with Ohara, and it must have happened with the Void Century as well.
Allen was prepared to be turned into a demon in the eyes of the world. However, as mentioned before, the victors control the narrative. Once he sat upon the throne, no blatant lie would be able to remain hidden.
With that in mind, Allen wasn't worried about his image. Sooner or later, everyone would be bathed in his glory and see the truth.
...
"It's him! The White-Haired Demon!"
"Is he attacking merchant ships?!"
The Baroque Works ships didn't even carry pirate flags, nor did they have suspicious-looking crews, except for Bon Clay's ship, so people assumed they were civilian vessels.
Panic spread through the crowd, and people began fleeing the harbor.
At the same time, the Baroque Works ships began moving in panic. Even if they wanted to counterattack, the Black Pearl was far too far away. Its firing range turned naval battles into a joke, a completely one-sided beating.
Fortunately, there was no second shot. The Black Pearl continued drawing closer.
"Don't tell me... it can't fire repeatedly?!" Bon Clay exclaimed.
His shout caused his crew to fall silent. If they thought about it, it made sense. Such a massive cannon had to use ridiculously large shells. Something like that couldn't be reloaded easily, so Bon Clay assumed that was the reason for the lack of follow-up fire.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves!" Bon Clay shouted.
All the ships stopped fleeing and formed up. At the same time, they revealed their Baroque Works flags.
To ordinary people, Baroque Works wasn't an evil organization but rather a group of bounty hunters. Seeing bounty hunters fighting pirates caused the panic to lessen. At the very least, Allen Walker wasn't attacking civilians.
Bon Clay gritted his teeth. His original plan had been to disguise themselves as ordinary ships and allow Allen to approach the harbor. Once there, they would unleash a coordinated barrage and eliminate him.
"It doesn't matter. Now we can only fight head-on like true Okama!"
When the jet-black ship got close enough, they attacked with their cannons. The four remaining ships unleashed multiple detonations.
Dozens of cannonballs flew through the sky toward the Black Pearl.
...
"That was a good tactic!" Allen mocked.
He raised two fingers and pointed them toward the sky like pistols.
"Higan Lv. 3..."
A barrage of fire bullets shot from his fingers like an incandescent rainstorm. They intercepted every cannonball with precision, causing them to explode before they could reach the ship.
Bon Clay didn't stop the attack. He couldn't. It was like watching a rhinoceros charge toward you and knowing your pistol wouldn't stop it, yet continuing to fire anyway. It was the only thing you could do to keep from falling into despair.
The Black Pearl, dignified, majestic, and arrogant, didn't even slow down. Thanks to its captain's power, it continued forward without a single scratch.
Once it got close enough, Allen smirked. He stopped aiming with two fingers on each hand and switched to only one.
Then a yellow flash of light appeared on his fingertip, accompanied by the faint sound of gathering energy.
"That...!" Hina paled.
"Captain?" Tashigi looked at Hina with concern.
"That's the power of the Light Logia! Admiral Kizaru's power!"
Tashigi and the girls listened in disbelief.
Allen smiled.
"Amaterasu Lv. 3."
Two laser beams shot from his fingertips. Their speed was instantaneous. They struck two ships and created massive explosions that blasted them to pieces.
The girls were left in shock.
The firepower of those lasers was comparable to the Black Pearl's main cannon!
"Incredible for a basic ability," Allen said as he watched the ships slowly sink.
Amaterasu was one of Admiral Kizaru's simplest attacks. However, just like Whitebeard's Gura Gura power, it was capable of causing massive destruction with a casual shot.
"Now then..."
Allen turned toward one of the two ships he hadn't destroyed. It had a peculiar appearance, so he had deliberately spared it.
"Hie Hie Lv. 3..."
A bridge of ice began forming from the Black Pearl toward Bon Clay's ship. Without saying a word, Allen walked across the bridge toward it.
Three ships and over a hundred men had been eliminated in the blink of an eye!
Bon Clay fell to his knees at the sight. This wasn't a war. It was a one-sided annihilation.
Vivi, Mikita, and Robin, who had not yet fully witnessed Allen's strength, held their breath.
"How scary," Mikita said, her expression caught between admiration and fear.
She had realized that when Allen fought against them, he hadn't even been trying. She had been naive. Being part of Allen's crew was a blessing. This display of power alone was enough for Mikita to understand that Allen was destined to become one of the strongest pirates in the world.
Mikita no longer looked at Allen as someone who could provide benefits. Instead, she worried about being useful enough to remain in his crew. She didn't even consider the possibility of returning to Crocodile, not only because they would kill her as a traitor, but because, in the end, she had always been a disposable pawn.
Mikita wasn't a good person. Ever since she chose this life, she knew her end might be tragic. Having a strong boss and captain who valued her would be a dream.
'I need to prove my worth to my captain!'
Mikita's eyes sparkled with newfound admiration. How could she not feel it after watching her captain crush everything in his path and dominate his enemies without hesitation?
"Amazing..." Vivi gasped.
Her eyes shone, and her heart raced. While Allen's power might seem terrifying, to her it represented hope. Besides, she had already confirmed that despite being a pirate, Allen lacked the cruelty of an ordinary pirate.
– Vivi, be mine. Join my crew, and I will grant your wish. –
She blushed. Her lips tightened, and her eyes became misty. Those weren't empty words. Allen had come to reclaim her country for her. After suffering in silence for so long, this feeling of being protected filled her chest with warmth.
"So this is the power of the Fire Logia, the Light Logia, and the Ice Logia?!" Robin said while staring at Allen's back.
It was impressive, incredible, and yet Robin knew that despite possessing abilities from some of the strongest Devil Fruits, these were merely scraps. Allen was still far from the level of their original users.
She remembered the image of her little brother trapped inside a cage. Despite all his courage, he was still an ordinary child, someone whose strength wasn't even enough to protect his own life.
– I won't let anyone take anything from you ever again! –
Robin felt like crying, but she didn't. She held herself back and strengthened her resolve. She didn't want to be separated again. She was tired of losing things, tired of being unable to stay with the people she loved, tired of being a fugitive.
Robin still feared the World Government, its power, and its reach, but this time she would fight to protect her brother. If they failed, then at least they would die together.
'If he knew I was thinking that, he'd get angry,' Robin smiled weakly. 'No, we have to do better than that.'
Robin already knew about Lenalee. She knew how Allen had become strong, and of course, she knew that if they wanted to stay together, they would need wealth—enough wealth to bring Allen to a level where the World Government could no longer threaten them.
All of this happened while the Marines watched in horror from afar.
They had to inform Headquarters that Allen Walker and Crocodile had begun a war!
...
Meanwhile...
Elsewhere in the Grand Line, a vessel with a sheep figurehead sailed slowly across the sea.
This caravel was none other than the Going Merry, the ship of Monkey D. Luffy's crew.
Its crew members were resting after an exhausting day. They had barely survived a blizzard that appeared out of nowhere, followed by a heat wave that made no sense.
Like Allen, they had fallen victim to the Grand Line's unpredictable climate.
That wasn't their only bad luck. Before that, they had been swallowed by a giant whale—the very same whale Allen had encountered upon arriving. Fortunately, they survived and met a legend in the process.
The whale's name was Laboon. He had spent fifty years waiting for a crew that never returned, and in his frustration, he had tried to smash through the Red Line to search for them himself.
Luffy had terrible luck, and his ship was swallowed. However, he didn't die. The whale was so enormous that they were able to sail inside it and discover someone living there. That person was Crocus, the doctor of the legendary Gold D. Roger.
He told Luffy about Laboon. After hearing the story, Luffy couldn't ignore it, and after confronting the whale, he promised that he would find Laboon's friends. This was enough to calm the giant whale.
Afterward, they prepared to depart. However, they found a drifting boat with someone aboard. It was Mr. 9, who asked for their help in rescuing Princess Vivi from the evil monster known as Allen Walker.
Upon hearing this, Zoro and Luffy didn't believe Allen would do such a thing, but Sanji and Usopp burned with rage, since the bastard supposedly had a habit of kidnapping women wherever he went—or so the rumors claimed.
In truth, half of Sanji's motivation was jealousy. As for Usopp, he had already decided to save Kaya.
For some reason, he was completely convinced that Allen had kidnapped Kaya.
As captain, Luffy didn't believe Allen had done it, but he chose to support his crew. Besides, he also felt a sense of rivalry toward Allen, and as a result, the Straw Hat Pirates made it their goal to kick Allen's ass.
Without realizing it, Allen had become the target of the future Pirate King's crew, as if he didn't already have enough enemies.
"Look, an island!" Usopp exclaimed.
Karina looked at the Log Pose in her hand and saw that it was pointing there.
"That must be Little Garden..." said the purple-haired girl who, in this timeline, had become the Straw Hats' navigator.
Fortunately for the Straw Hats, Karina knew the Grand Line, so they might avoid a few extra problems.
"Is that the dinosaur island?!" Luffy exclaimed, drool dripping from his mouth. "I want to eat them!"
The crew was speechless. Was that really the first thing their captain thought of when seeing a prehistoric island? Eating the dinosaurs?!
Zoro smacked his forehead. Maybe he should have accepted Allen's invitation back then.
...
(Marine Headquarters)
At Marine Headquarters, an imposing woman walked down the hallway leading to Sengoku's office, accompanied by two commodores.
She was a tall, beautiful, voluptuous woman with a rough, rock-and-roll aura. She was Vice Admiral Doll.
Doll had dark, short, slightly curly hair, along with tattoos on her forearms. She wore dark lipstick, hoop earrings, a spiked necklace, a dark jacket, and black pants.
"Tsk, right now?" Doll grumbled.
She was about to depart for the New World, having been assigned as the commander of G-14, an extremely important Marine base since it was the closest to Egghead, where the World Government's most important scientist, Vegapunk, was stationed.
However, all available Vice Admirals had been summoned by Sengoku, and unfortunately for her, she happened to be available. No matter what they were doing, they were required to report.
On her way to Sengoku's office, she met Vice Admiral Gion. After greeting one another, they walked together toward the office.
"Do you know what's going on, Gion?" Doll asked.
Like Doll, Gion was a Vice Admiral known for both her strength and beauty.
She was a woman with an hourglass figure and a large bust. Her hair was long and dark. She wore red lipstick, a pink sleeveless low-cut shirt, the classic white Marine coat over it, short pants, and high heels. Her distinctive feature was a spider tattoo on her left thigh.
Gion smiled.
"I don't know, but if I had to guess, it has something to do with that young pirate."
Gion had a fairly positive impression of Allen, all things considered. Even though he was a pirate, the event that started his conflict with the Marines had been the elimination of two corrupt captains.
Doll frowned.
"Tsk, that little pervert?"
Doll was the complete opposite of Gion. She hated perverts. Because of her beauty, people had tried to spy on her in the bath more than once, and someone had even stolen her underwear once. Being a woman in the Marines wasn't easy, and while difficulties were expected, those experiences had made her distrustful of men in general and completely intolerant of perverts.
To her, someone like Allen, who had a crew full of beautiful women and had even kidnapped Captain Hina and Smoker's lieutenant, was unacceptable.
Gion scratched her cheek. It was true that this alone was enough to earn the hatred of the entire Marine force. However, despite not speaking with him much, the impression Allen had left on her wasn't that of a bastard who would abuse Hina and Tashigi. Still, she wasn't about to waste time trying to convince Doll.
When they arrived at Sengoku's office, only the two of them entered, and to their surprise, both Sengoku and Tsuru were already there.
"Fleet Admiral!" Gion greeted.
Doll did the same without speaking.
"Thank you for coming. You're the only available Vice Admirals. To be honest, I wanted to avoid involving the two of you in this, but Tsuru-san convinced me otherwise."
"Sengoku, do you doubt Gion and Doll?" Tsuru growled.
Doll and Gion exchanged glances. Neither of them knew what was happening.
"Of course not." Sengoku cleared his throat. "It's White Hair. He's in Alabasta. Not only that, he's started a war against Crocodile!"
Both Gion and Doll were surprised.
"Seriously? He just arrived in the Grand Line and already tried to take down a Warlord? What a brat," Doll mocked.
A stern look from the elderly woman immediately silenced her.
"We still don't know what caused the conflict. However, something has changed the situation. Nico Robin betrayed Crocodile and joined Allen Walker's crew."
"The Devil Child?!" Gion exclaimed.
For twenty years, the World Government had tried to capture her across all four seas and, more recently, in the Grand Line, yet they had failed every time.
"That's right," Sengoku said. "Nico Robin always kept a low profile. In most organizations, she concealed her identity and rarely interacted with others. That made it difficult to find her. However, this time was different. She openly revealed herself in Alabasta."
Doll, Gion, and Tsuru fell silent, especially Doll, whose expression became gloomy. No one knew what she was thinking, but both Sengoku and Tsuru could guess. After all, Doll's past had a certain connection to Nico Robin.
"When this reached the ears of the Five Elders, they pressured us to take action," Sengoku leaned forward and continued. "We are sending two Vice Admirals after Allen Walker!"
The announcement left everyone speechless.
Two Vice Admirals for a brat worth only 300 million?!
====
A/N: Poor Sengoku—of all the vice admirals, he could only send two beauties. Let's hope he doesn't regret it. 🗿
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