A few days later—
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The towering fortress stood silently, facing a vast open plaza and the enormous crescent-shaped bay before it.
To the right of the fortress, inside a Japanese-style building resembling a castle keep, a meeting was underway in a tatami-floored room.
Over a dozen figures in "Justice" cloaks sat in two neat rows. Small trays of sake and grilled fish sat untouched before them—the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.
Only the soft crackling sound of cigars being smoked broke the silence.
"Seems everyone's already heard the rumors."
Chief Staff Officer Brannew stepped into the room, scratching at his messy green hair as he stood before the whiteboard.
"That's right. Over in the East Blue, another group of vicious pirates has suddenly appeared. They're quite a handful."
"Vicious?"
A white-haired Rear Admiral let out a sharp laugh.
"You've got the gall to use that word? Even I'm embarrassed to hear it. The internal report made it clear—it wasn't some vicious pirates who caused trouble, it was that lunatic Onigumo firing on Loguetown for no damn reason!"
"Watch your words," said a young Rear Admiral coolly.
"It wasn't Onigumo's fault. It was King Altair—the one with Celestial Dragon lineage—who gave the order. As soldiers, we follow orders. What could he have done?"
"'Celestial Dragon lineage,' my ass!" the white-haired officer exploded, voice rising.
"He's not even a pureblood! If he didn't want to follow orders, he could've easily ignored them. What's Altai going to do—punish a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral?!"
Slamming his fist on the table, he roared,
"Stop making excuses! It's the same damn sickness—he sees pirates and can't help but slaughter them for fun, never caring about civilians! And now he's finally hit an iron wall! To think I share a uniform with that man—disgraceful!!"
"Calm down, Farn," Brannew sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Vice Admiral Onigumo's behavior isn't our main topic today. Let's set that aside. You can argue about him later, after the meeting."
"Tch!"
Farn turned away, huffing through his nose.
Brannew just shook his head. As one of the most senior staff officers, he was long used to this.
Among the Marine Headquarters' hawks, Vice Admiral Onigumo was known as one of the most extreme—despised by the doves.
After the "Loguetown Incident", debates about Onigumo's actions had flared across multiple departments.
What was happening in this room was just one small reflection of that larger conflict.
"In any case," Brannew continued, "Vice Admiral Onigumo was publicly 'executed.' I don't like that word, but it describes the scene best.
The king he was supposed to protect—King Altai of the Kingdom of Peace—was also killed aboard the warship."
"The royal family of the Kingdom of Peace has since sent multiple letters demanding an investigation—harshly worded letters, even threatening to bring the matter before the Holy Land. The diplomatic fallout from this has been extremely serious."
"So regardless of anyone's personal opinion of Onigumo, what matters is the Loguetown Incident itself. The higher-ups have made it clear: this pirate crew must be treated as a top priority—located and eliminated as soon as possible."
He then took out a thick stack of bounty posters and began pinning them to the board.
"First—this one!"
With a snap, Brannew's pointer tapped the rightmost poster—a grizzled old man with braided mustache stared back from the photo.
"'Red-Leg' Zeff! Former captain of the Cook Pirates. Bounty: 50 million Berries. Years ago, he sailed the Grand Line with his crew for a year before returning to the East Blue, then vanished."
"We continued to monitor him for a while, but assumed he'd retired due to age. No one expected him to return to the seas—serving as a cook on another man's ship, no less."
"What's noteworthy is his right leg—it's now a metallic prosthetic of unknown origin, seemingly capable of channeling fire and lightning, even allowing flight."
"He's also mastered several Rokushiki techniques. His power has increased drastically since his pirate days—during the Loguetown Incident, he fought Major General Hound to a standstill."
"Hound, huh…" murmured several officers, their faces hardening.
Some of them had trained with Hound in the Elite Marine Program—they knew exactly how strong he was.
Among all Rear Admirals, Hound was one of the most exceptional—practically guaranteed a Vice Admiral promotion in the near future.
That such a formidable man had been matched by an old pirate… who served only as a cook?
"Based on our assessment," Brannew went on, "his new bounty has been raised to 80 million Berries.
Codename: 'Steel-Red Leg.'"
He moved the pointer leftward.
"Next!"
The next bounty showed a black-haired young woman with a high ponytail, standing in the rain—her expression calm, her attire plain, just like the Wadō Ichimonji sword at her waist.
"Kuina—a mysterious young woman. Years ago, she won the swordsmanship championship on East Blue's Shallow Sakura Island, then disappeared. Now she's reemerged—and already displays swordmaster-level combat ability!"
"This is her first bounty—75 million Berries.
Codename: 'Rain-Cutting Swordmaster.'"
A first bounty of 75 million—for a pirate from the East Blue, that was unheard of.
But none of the officers looked surprised.
The title of swordmaster was rare even in the first half of the Grand Line—it justified the price.
"Next two—'Iron Fist' Nojiko, and 'Orange-Haired' Nami. According to investigation, both are sisters of the man named Shanu, the crew's captain."
Brannew gestured toward their posters—two women of completely different styles.
"Nojiko possesses notable combat ability, skilled in multiple martial arts and Rokushiki techniques. Though she lost narrowly to Major General Yaki, she successfully disrupted his support efforts singlehandedly."
"Bounty set at 40 million Berries!"
"As for the younger one, Nami—a minor…" Brannew frowned slightly.
"During the Loguetown Incident, she didn't take part in combat. Based on analysis, she likely joined only because of her blood relation to the captain. Combat ability: negligible. However, since she participated in the event, a bounty is still warranted."
"Tentative bounty—8,000 Berries."