The heavy artillery barrage came from none other than the War Pirates.
The Marine base being destroyed was Branch 16, the base responsible for the Cocoyasi Village region.
From top to bottom, this Marine branch had long since rotted away. Otherwise, it never could have collaborated with the Arlong Pirates.
On the second day after the banquet, Kaito led the fleet to settle this final matter after Nami and Nojiko officially joined the crew.
"Thank you!"
"Captain... thank you so much."
Nami and Nojiko stood at the bow of the ship, watching the Marine base collapse beneath the relentless bombardment.
Their eyes were filled with gratitude as they looked at Kaito.
Before opening fire, Kaito had already sent people into the base to capture several Marines alive.
Then Lafitte used hypnosis to force them to reveal their secret dealings with the Arlong Pirates.
When Nami and Nojiko learned that the Marines had secretly cooperated with Arlong all along, the two sisters were both furious and horrified.
At last—
They finally understood.
Why had the arrogant Arlong Pirates been able to oppress them for so many years?
It wasn't just because Arlong and his Fish-Men were strong.
It was because Marine had been protecting them.
After learning the truth, the sisters' last bit of hesitation about joining the War Pirates vanished completely.
At the same time—
Their hatred for Marine surpassed even their hatred of Arlong.
Of course—
Kaito was a true careerist.
Bringing Nami and Nojiko here wasn't really because he cared so deeply about Cocoyasi Village's safety.
He was simply winning people's hearts.
Although Conqueror's Haki was enough to ensure Nami and Nojiko's loyalty—
Just like how he generously rewarded his subordinates—
Kaito had never intended to rely solely on Conqueror's Haki.
He would use the power of Conqueror's Haki.
But he would also use the methods of a conqueror.
After successfully winning over the sisters, Kaito once again led the fleet onward in search of his next target.
"Hmm..."
"It worked."
Standing outside the prison cells beneath the ship, Kaito withdrew his Conqueror's Haki.
Then he shifted his talents and used Observation Haki to read the changes within Smoker's heart.
Smoker looked miserable.
His body was suspended in midair by chains.
His skin was covered in wounds and whip marks.
He looked as if he had endured brutal torture.
And in fact—
That was exactly what had happened.
Ever since the last experiment—
Kaito had begun treating Smoker as a test subject.
Lafitte had taken charge.
He regularly subjected Smoker to hypnosis and physical torture.
The purpose was simple.
Kaito wanted to know—
Could a person's beliefs truly never change?
Now—
The answer had finally appeared.
No.
Beliefs—
Just like willpower—
Could be shaken.
At least, Smoker's could.
Under the repeated torture of both body and mind—
Smoker's unwavering belief in "justice" had begun to crack.
And now—
Using Observation Haki to read his thoughts—
Kaito could clearly sense it.
Smoker's heart had started to react to his Conqueror's Haki.
Tiny signs of submission had begun to appear.
Kaito smiled faintly.
"Heh."
"It won't be long before I gain a Logia user under my command."
"Captain."
Just then—
Lafitte approached.
"Shimotsuki Village is almost in sight."
"Oh?"
Kaito's eyes lit up.
"We've finally found it."
He immediately stopped what he was doing and turned to Lafitte with a smile.
It was currently the year 1517 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
In other words—
Zoro was only sixteen years old.
He had yet to leave Shimotsuki Village and become a pirate hunter.
Which meant—
Finding him was as easy as finding Nami had been.
All Kaito needed to do—
Was go directly to Shimotsuki Village.
"It's bad!"
"Pirates are invading our village!"
"What pirate crew is this?!"
"Why are there so many ships?!"
"Hurry!"
"Go get Mr. Koshiro from Isshin Dojo!"
"Only he can stop so many pirates!"
Chaos erupted around Shimotsuki Village's seaside port.
Some villagers stared fearfully at the massive fleet approaching from the horizon.
Others rang the village alarm bell desperately.
Many ran frantically toward the village, shouting warnings.
Shimotsuki Village was much like Cocoyasi Village.
A peaceful countryside village in East Blue.
A place like this—
Forget a massive pirate fleet—
Even a single pirate ship would cause panic.
And the fleet currently approaching the village—
Was naturally the War Pirates.
There were no defenses at the port.
As a result—
The War Pirates docked smoothly.
Of course—
The harbor itself was small.
Only the No. 1 flagship entered the port.
The remaining ships anchored farther offshore.
The moment the ship docked—
Kaito stepped onto the pier.
Robin, Lafitte, Nami, Nojiko, and the other officers followed closely behind him.
At almost the same time—
On the main road connecting the village to the harbor—
A large crowd rushed toward them.
"Whoa..."
"There are really that many ships!"
Among the crowd—
A green-haired boy stared at the fleet with a shocked expression.
Roronoa Zoro.
The villagers around him wore matching gray training uniforms.
They were all disciples of Isshin Dojo.
Zoro's expression changed dramatically as he looked at the enormous pirate fleet.
Just how many pirates were there?
The others reacted similarly.
Including—
Koshiro.
Walking at the very front of the crowd—
Koshiro's expression grew solemn.
"This is..."
"The War Pirates?"
His eyes swept across the ships.
Then he immediately noticed the skull emblem painted on every sail—
A golden skull crossed with twin swords.
He was no stranger to that symbol.
As someone who regularly read newspapers—
Koshiro instantly recognized it.
The pirate crew that had defeated the Eight Treasures Navy.
The pirate crew that had recently caused a sensation throughout the world.
The War Pirates.
His brows furrowed.
The vigilance in his heart instantly rose to the highest level.
Most of the workers who had been at the port earlier had already fled.
This allowed Kaito and the others to immediately spot the group rushing over from the village.
Likewise—
Koshiro and the dojo disciples clearly saw Kaito's group standing on the pier.
Before reaching the harbor—
Koshiro raised his hand.
Everyone behind him immediately stopped.
His gaze swept over Robin.
Over Lafitte.
Over Nami and Nojiko.
Then over the other officers.
Finally—
His eyes locked tightly onto Kaito.
The atmosphere at the harbor suddenly became tense.
The sea breeze blew quietly between the two groups.
Neither side spoke first.
Yet everyone could feel it—
An invisible pressure was slowly spreading across the entire port.
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