Grand Line Calendar, Year 1517.
Location: The East Blue, within a calm sea.
A large Marine warship cut through the water, its white sails billowing in the gentle breeze. From the towering mast, a massive Justice Flag, adorned with the iconic seagull crest, fluttered proudly. Rows of cannons lined the deck, their black barrels gleaming in the sunlight, a silent warning to any would-be troublemakers.
At the center of the spacious deck, an old man with wild white hair and a broad, muscular frame reclined lazily against a wooden crate. His chest rose and fell with each steady breath, his arms folded behind his head as he dozed peacefully. Occasionally, a small bubble formed at his nose, inflating and deflating with each breath.
A sudden gust of wind from the East Blue disrupted his nap, bursting the bubble and causing him to stir.
Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp blinked sleepily, his sharp eyes surveying the tranquil seascape. With a yawn, he reached for the small wooden table beside him, grabbed a rice cracker, and shoved it into his mouth, chewing noisily.
"Smoker," he mumbled between bites, "have we reached the 16th Branch yet?"
A Marine Headquarters warship in the East Blue-considered the weakest of the four seas-was an unusual sight.
This trip served a dual purpose: to return the Hero of the Marines, Garp, to his hometown for a vacation, and to transfer Marine Headquarters Captain Smoker and a detachment of his subordinates to the Loguetown Marine Base – "the town of the beginning and the end," connecting the East Blue to the Grand Line – for a change of command.
They also needed to make a brief stop at the 16th Branch.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp," Smoker replied, standing nearby with arms crossed.
He wore a biker jacket with the word "Justice" scrawled across the back, a stark contrast to the standard Marine Justice Coat. Goggles hung loosely around his neck. His exposed chest and abdominal muscles, silver-gray crew cut, and the thick cigar clenched in his teeth gave him the air of a gang leader rather than a Marine Captain coming straight from Marineford.
Garp merely grunted in acknowledgment, swallowing the last of his snack before reclining once more. "Wake me when we get there," he said, stretching out as if he had not a care in the world.
A flicker of helplessness crossed Smoker's otherwise stern face, but he remained silent, simply shaking his head.
Smoker sighed, shaking his head. Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku couldn't keep Garp in line. 'What could a mere Marine Captain like me even do?'
With a flick of his cigar, Smoker turned his attention back to the document in his hands-an official Marine report.
---
File: Marine Captain Dante Ashford
Name: Dante Ashford
Age: 23
Birthplace: East Blue (Orphan)
Position: Marine 16th Branch Base Commander
Rank: Marine Captain
Evaluation: Once hailed as a genius swordsman from the Marine Headquarters Training Camp. Achieved the rank of Captain in just two and a half years. Demoted for insubordination. Has since become degenerate, allegedly lost motivation, his will, lost his talent and stagnated for seven years with no achievements nor any merits achieved within the last seven years..
Note: Suspected of colluding with pirates, violating Marine Justice, also suspected of embezzlement, bribery, misappropriation of public funds allocated to the 16th Branch. Under Marine Headquarters investigation.
---
To the side of the file was a photograph.
The man in the picture had sharp features, black hair, and black eyes. His expression was calm confidence.
Smoker frowned. 'This guy? A traitor?'
As he studied the photo, a voice spoke beside him.
""This is Marine Captain Dante Ashford? He doesn't look like someone who'd be colluding with pirates and betray the Marines," a female Marine remarked, leaning over curiously.
The speaker was Tashigi had neat, short black hair and wore unfashionable, square-framed glasses. She wasn't wearing a Marine uniform, opting instead for civilian clothes - checkered shirt and suit trousers.
She looked like a librarian worker than a Marine, but her serious expression, combined with the finely crafted Katana – Shigure – slung at her waist.
She pushed up her glasses and said with curiosity, "And I heard that Captain Dante Ashford was already an excellent swordsman back then. Maybe Marine Headquarters just misunderstood."
"Quiet," Smoker said expressionlessly, glancing at his second-in-command. He removed the cigar from his mouth and said, "As a Marine, never judge a book by its cover. Files like these rarely tell the full story"
He couldn't glean much from the file alone. But a Marine genius captain with no achievements in the East Blue for seven years, suddenly transferred from the 315th Branch to the 16th...
What exactly was this guy up to? And the Mock Pirates...
A supposedly fierce group that had terrorized the East Blue for years, which he had always used to demand military expenses from Marine Headquarters, really that difficult to catch?
Was Ashford truly incompetent? Or was there something more going on?
And what was the relationship between Ashford and the previous Loguetown Branch Base Commander? Why would he recommend him to take over the 16th Branch?
Just as Smoker was lost in thought, his second-in-command, Petty Officer Tashigi, spoke, pulling him back to reality.
"Captain, We're almost there."
Smoker looked up.
In the distance, the outline of the 16th Marine Branch Base, with its familiar design and the number "16" emblazoned on it, slowly emerged from the mist.
Smoker frowned, glanced at it, then lowered his head again, staring at the photograph in the file. "Dante Ashford," he muttered to himself. "What are you hiding?"
---
Conomi Archipelago – Cocoyashi Town
This region fell under the jurisdiction of the 16th Marine Branch.
At that moment, in Cocoyashi Village... or rather, Town. A loud commotion broke out at the town's pier as a Marine ship docked.
"Marine Captain Dante Ashford is here! Marine Captain Dante Ashford is here!"
"And Nami! Nami's back too!"
"Idiot, you should call her Officer Nami now. Nami's is going to make something of herself. Bellemere would be so happy. I thought she'd be a thief her whole life, after being thief for last 3 years, I still worry about her, that she'd have no future! Go get Mayor Nojiko!"
As a Marine warship docked at the newly built pier of Cocoyashi Town, a group of people disembarked. The entire town erupted in cheers.
At the head of the group walked a man in a pristine white Marine coat with black fur trim. A sheathed sword rested at his waist, and his hands were tucked into his pockets as he strode forward with effortless confidence.
Dante smiled faintly at the warm reception.
Behind him, a young woman in a white shirt and black skirt clenched her fists in frustration. Her orange hair swayed as she snapped at the crowd.
"Who said I had no future?!" Nami huffed, glaring at the villagers. "You better watch out, or I'll arrest the whole lot of you!"
Of course, her threat of arresting them was just a joke.
Still, the villagers burst into laughter, knowing full well she had only come this far because of the man in front of them.
After Nami "fiercely" threatened the villagers, she turned her head, Nami's fiery glare softened. She turned to look at Dante, taking in the changed landscape- Cocoyashi village once a dilapidated shanty village, now it's a Town, with a thriving marketplace, the repaired houses, the smiling faces.
She never expected things to change so drastically. It felt like she was in another world.
Just a year ago, she was a member of the Arlong Pirates. Now, she was a Marine Petty Officer.
And Cocoyashi Village-once under the iron grip of Arlong-was now a flourishing town.
She hesitated before speaking, her voice quieter than usual.
"Hey... thank you."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
'Why is she suddenly thanking me?' He looked at her, then at the town, and seemed to understand.
Shrugging, he said, "Being a Marine Petty Officer is nothing. The young master of Shells Town has two dogs on Marine Headquarters payroll just because his father is a Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan. If I had dogs, they'd probably get jobs too, as well as hefty salary. Maybe even get them stationed at Marineford."
It wasn't costing him anything, and he'd rather use the money to raise dogs than have Marine Headquarters use it to protect the Celestial Dragons.
Besides, Nami was quite talented. There was nothing wrong with her being a Marine Petty Officer. As for her past... what was the big deal?
In this cesspool of a world, being a thief – especially a thief who only stole from pirates – could be considered a clean and respectable background.
However, after hearing Dante's callous words, Nami's eyebrows shot up. she stared at him, dumbfounded.
'Did he just compare me to a dog?!'
She clenched her fists, her anger rising. But before she could retort, a voice called out.
"Boss, Mayor Nojiko is here!"