In Keen Village, with Orion's imminent arrival, Dunn led the soldiers of Branch 135 in formation at the docks, each of them brimming with excitement at the prospect of meeting the man they revered as their king.
Standing to the side were Fujitora, Luna, Joanna and Aqua.
Unlike Dunn and the fervent soldiers of Branch 135, Aqua and Luna appeared visibly nervous—especially Luna, who had never expected the Fleet Admiral, a man of such immense authority, to place such importance on Aqua.
Not only had he dispatched Dunn and a contingent of Marines, but he was also coming in person.
Of course, Aqua was just as tense.
Because the events that had occurred in the village earlier had completely surpassed her current understanding, in her view, if this Uncle Orion had received her letter, at most he would have sent someone to take her away.
Even if he wanted to stand up for her, it would only mean teaching a lesson to those bad people who had wronged her.
But the reality was that not only were all the villains from the royal city executed, but not a single villager from Keen Village remained.
Although she knew all of this was for her sake, her young heart couldn't yet accept this level of indulgence.
Moreover, in all the years she had lived in Keen Village, she had always been cautious and utterly humble.
The sudden arrival of such overwhelming affection was something she couldn't adjust to right away.
"Sister Joanna, is Uncle Orion... very fierce?"
Seeing everyone maintaining their silence and even gazing devoutly toward the sea, Aqua, feeling somewhat stifled, rolled her eyes and then leaned close to Joanna's ear while whispering softly.
"Aqua has never met Uncle Orion before. Aqua is a little scared."
Joanna blinked and, mimicking Aqua's tone and whispered back.
"When dealing with bad people, Fleet Admiral is very, very fierce. But for those in need of help, Fleet Admiral is the kindest person in the world."
"Really?" Aqua's eyes brightened, her expression shifting from initial timidity to a glimmer of anticipation.
Just then, one warship after another swiftly sailed over from the other side of the sea, soon becoming clearly visible to the crowd at the dock.
In no time, the lead large warship slowly docked, stopping just outside the birdcage that enveloped the entire Orenfence Kingdom.
Standing on the deck were none other than Orion, cloaked in the Fleet Admiral's coat and a group of Marine Headquarters officers led by Gion.
"Attention, all!"
As soon as the warship docked, Dunn immediately stepped forward, standing at attention toward the young Fleet Admiral's figure on the deck and shouted.
"Salute the Fleet Admiral!"
All the Marines, including Fujitora and Joanna, straightened up and raised their hands in salute, shouting in unison.
"Loyalty!"
Orion, standing on the deck, returned the salute with a raised hand, then fixed his gaze on Aqua, who was being held in Luna's arms.
Aqua also curiously looked at Orion at that moment.
Before Aqua could react, Orion's body suddenly floated up, like a thin sheet of paper slipping through the gaps of the birdcage threads that covered the entire Orenfence Kingdom and landed in front of Luna.
"Aqua?"
Looking at the little one in Luna's arms, Orion called out softly, his eyes slightly reddening, his voice trembling faintly.
Though it was their first meeting, Aqua felt an instant familiarity upon hearing Orion's gentle call.
The moment their eyes met, her own eyes welled up with tears.
Then, no longer as nervous as she had been before seeing Orion, she choked out.
"Uncle Orion, I'm Aqua..."
Before she could finish, Aqua burst into loud sobs, as if she had found the last relative in the world.
Aqua's sudden outburst of sorrowful crying inexplicably made Fujitora who's standing nearby, tense up.
Before Orion even arrived, the marines had already combed through the village of Keen inside and out due to Aqua's plight.
Some of the marine soldiers went so far as to deem even an egg guilty if they found one, smashing it to pieces.
Now that Orion had come to Keen Village and seen Aqua's tearful distress, it would be a miracle if the Kingdom of Orenfence didn't fall.
******
An hour later.
The skies above the royal capital of the Kingdom of Orenfence finally welcomed the long-awaited storm.
Accompanied by a group of imposing Marine soldiers charging through the city gates, the already scared citizens of the royal capital, startled by the sudden appearance of the birdcage, scattered in terror to both sides of the street, then watched the gates with trepidation.
More Marine soldiers filed through the gates in an orderly manner, lining up neatly on either side of the street.
Then, without warning, Orion appeared in the citizens' line of sight, flanked by Gion, Morgans, Fujitora, Aramaki and others.
"Citizens of the Orenfence Kingdom, the Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters has arrived!"
Before the people could react, Morgans, the Fleet Admiral's personal guard, suddenly quickened his pace and strode ahead, shouting loudly as he moved forward.
"No one is to block the path! Everyone must maintain order and retreat to the sides of the street!"
As Morgans' voice echoed, pedestrians ahead hurriedly moved aside, then turned their curious gazes toward the Fleet Admiral entering the city surrounded by Marine officers.
Orion did not stop Morgans' somewhat disruptive behavior.
With one hand holding Aqua and the other resting on the hilt of his supreme-grade sword, he exuded an air of natural authority.
Thanks to the Marines maintaining order ahead and Morgans' announcement of the "Fleet Admiral's arrival," the citizens who had immediately cleared the street dared not voice any complaints.
Their eyes held a mix of admiration, curiosity, and suppressed resentment as they watched Orion and his entourage.
Just then, a luxurious carriage suddenly emerged from a street corner, unexpectedly crossing paths with Morgans and the others who had just arrived there.
Spotting the approaching carriage, Morgans immediately stepped into the middle of the street and raised his hand to halt it, pointing to an open space by the roadside as he commanded curtly.
"Pull over."
The carriage driver swiftly reined in the horses.
The abrupt stop nearly sent the two passengers—a man and a woman—tumbling forward inside the carriage.
The aristocratic-looking man promptly lifted his head and cursed.
"Damn it, why did we stop so suddenly?!"
The driver didn't dare hide the truth.
"Young lord, there are Marines blocking the way outside!"
"Marines?"
The nobleman's eyes lit up as he pulled aside the curtain and leaned out, shouting at Morgans standing in the middle of the road.
"Hey, Marines! You couldn't have arrived at a better time! See that giant birdcage over the royal capital? A pirate did this—not only has he trapped us under that cage, but he's also taken over the palace!"
Hearing this, Morgans frowned slightly and said sternly.
"I told you to pull the carriage over. Didn't you hear me?"
"What kind of attitude is that?!"
The nobleman straightened up abruptly and yelled at Morgans.
"Do you know who I am? I'm a noble of the Orenfence Kingdom! My father is a minister of the palace! Hurry up and follow me to the palace to save the king!"
"A noble? A palace minister?"
A bloodthirsty grin crept onto Morgans' lips.
"The palace is already under Doflamingo's control, and you spoiled brats are still swaggering around outside?! Men, smash the carriage—with them inside!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Fleet Admiral's personal guards surrounding Morgans surged forward.
By the time Orion and his group reached this street, the wreckage of the shattered carriage had already been cleared away.
The haughty nobleman, now on his knees under the guard of two soldiers by the roadside, had blood dripping steadily from his face.
As Orion stepped onto the street, the bloodied nobleman suddenly raised his head and roared furiously.
"Fleet Admiral of the Marines, you stop right there!"
"This is the Kingdom of Orenfence and you actually allowed your marines to publicly assault a noble. I'll have my father file a complaint to the Holy Land."
The sudden turn of events made the officers flanking Orion all turn their heads in unison toward the noble man, each wearing expressions of shock.
Dunn couldn't hold back and blurted out.
"Captain Morgans, who is this guy? He's got some nerve."
-----------------------------
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