"The Loguetown Incident"
"Admiral Defeated—Buggy the Clown Hides a Secret"
"The Disappearance of Loguetown: Great Good or Great Evil?"
"Humanoid Ancient Weapon: Artoria Pendragon"
"The World's Strongest Female Swordsman—Rival to the World's Greatest Swordsman"
"The Strongest Marines in History—The End of New World Pirates"
"The Strongest Pirate in History, Buggy the Clown—Fate Unknown"
Under the direct supervision of Morgans—
The World Economic Journal, the most widely circulated newspaper in the pirate world, released multiple special editions.
The news spread across the entire world.
One day after the great battle—
Smoker was still aboard the warship.
He spent 100 Beli to buy a copy of the paper.
Every headline was more outrageous than the last.
That "bird-man" was the biggest sensationalist in the world—
Fanning the flames behind the scenes and putting the Marines on the spot.
The paper also included several large close-up photos:
Buggy laughing triumphantly after defeating Admiral Akainu
Artoria unleashing a massive island-destroying attack, forming a thousand-meter-long blade of light
The aftermath of Loguetown disappearing into the sea
It had to be said—
Their reporters were professionals.
Every photo looked better than anything the Marines had captured.
Even though the Five Elders possessed Zoan-type bird Devil Fruits—
The quality of their publications still couldn't compare to Morgans'.
As for truthfulness—
They lagged even further behind.
The World Government had tried many times, both openly and secretly, to deal with the World Economic Journal.
Investigations into Morgans never stopped.
Attempts to assassinate him—
Or force him into submission—
Were common.
Yet he still thrived.
As the king of the underworld—
He always appeared in his beast form.
With the most widely sold newspaper in the world firmly controlling public opinion—
And serving as a major intelligence hub—
No one could truly deal with him.
Between the lines—
The article subtly belittled the Marines,
While exaggerating Buggy's influence—
And endlessly praising Artoria's strength.
Two previously unknown figures—
Were turned into household names overnight.
"People really can't be judged by appearances…"
Smoker glanced at Artoria—
The beautiful "noble girl" was currently devouring food at an astonishing pace.
A mountain of empty bowls had already piled up in front of her—
All eaten by her alone.
"Another bowl, please."
Artoria handed over an empty bowl.
Her appetite alone rivaled that of more than ten grown men.
Now—
All the cooks on the warship were focused solely on feeding her.
Despite her small frame—
She had a bottomless stomach.
Tashigi sat beside her,
Constantly pouring tea and water.
This level of attentiveness—
Was something she had never shown even to her superior, Smoker.
As a sword enthusiast—
Tashigi couldn't take her eyes off Artoria's blade.
After hesitating for a long time—
She finally asked:
"Artoria… may I ask…"
"I've never seen that sword before."
"Is it one of the Supreme Grade swords?"
"Don't call me 'my lady.' Just call me Artoria."
"This sword isn't one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades."
"It's called the Sword of Promised Victory."
"I obtained it from a great lake."
After answering—
She noticed a grain of rice at the corner of her mouth,
Licked it off—
And continued eating.
Having been summoned to this world for only a few days—
This was the first time she had eaten her fill.
And—
The Marines' food was surprisingly good.
"Your cooking is amazing. Another bowl, please."
"Of course, Lady Artoria… just give us a moment."
"You've already finished that entire pot—we'll make more right away!"
The ship's cooks held no resentment.
Sure, she ate a lot—
But she was powerful.
If she hadn't stepped in—
Who knew how many Marines would have died?
Pirates showed no mercy—
Especially to non-combatants like cooks.
Between Marines and pirates—
Only pirates ever surrendered.
Marines who surrendered rarely met good ends.
After the battle at Loguetown—
Only two warships remained.
One—
Led by Admiral Akainu—
Carried the bodies of fallen Marines back to headquarters, along with Artoria.
The other—
Led by Admiral Kizaru—
Remained behind to conduct a large-scale search of the sea.
Their goal:
To find any trace of Buggy's pirate crew—
Even a single plank from their ship would suffice as evidence.
But under that terrifying, island-destroying slash—
All traces had been erased.
The Buggy Pirates—
Had vanished completely.
Had Buggy truly died in that attack?
Surrounded by military doctors,
Akainu was having his wounds treated—
When Fleet Admiral Sengoku called.
First—
To check on his condition.
Second—
To ask about Artoria.
"She has agreed to join the Marines."
"You should consider what position to give her."
The question was handed to Sengoku—
And it gave the wise commander a headache.
At this time—
It wasn't yet the era of mass Marine conscription.
Promoting someone with no Marine background—
Directly to Admiral—
Had never happened before.
The Marines were a military force under the World Government.
Their funding came from it.
Adding a new Admiral—
Would require significant budget approval.
This decision—
Would need to be discussed with the Five Elders.
Even the Fleet Admiral—
Did not have absolute authority.
"I've discussed this with Tsuru."
"For now, we'll give her the position of Admiral Candidate."
"We'll create an additional Admiral seat."
"I'll need to speak with Kong about it."
Money was a minor issue.
The real significance—
Was that the Marines had gained such a powerful ally.
For the entire Marine force—
This was a massive boost in morale.
In future battles against pirates—
They would no longer need to hesitate.
The Marines never lacked lower-ranking soldiers—
What they lacked—
Was top-tier combat power.
Their strongest fighters were spread too thin—
Forced to defend too many places.
Unable to gather their full strength—
To completely eliminate piracy.
Especially in the New World—
The latter half of the Grand Line—
A paradise for pirates.
Marine influence there—
Was barely enough to maintain balance.
But with Artoria's addition—
That might finally change.
After eating her fill—
Artoria was assigned a private room.
On a warship—
Such rooms were rare.
Only officers of Rear Admiral rank or higher—
Had the privilege of using them.
Two female Marines stood guard outside—
Ready to serve at any moment.
The treatment she received—
Was extremely high.
Inside the room—
The blonde girl took out a device resembling a Bluetooth earpiece.
She placed it in her left ear—
And pressed the switch.
A man's voice came through:
"Artoria, you've done well."
"Continue to infiltrate the Marines."
"Report any new intelligence immediately."
"Understood… my lord."
Who could have imagined—
That behind the Loguetown Incident—
There was a hidden hand in the shadows—
Manipulating everything…
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