Luffy waved his hand, cutting off Brook's words.
Maybe these matters weren't as simple as they seemed.
Still, as long as hope existed, they had something to strive for.
After all, the Hōgyoku had already shown them just how terrifying it could be.
Beyond that, things were no longer within their control.
But one thing was certain: constantly getting stronger would never be the wrong choice.
Only the strong can face any hardship without fear!
To survive in the New World, Luffy and his crew were brimming with determination!
They rolled up their sleeves and threw themselves into hard work!
===========
Meanwhile, near the Red Line of the East Blue, close to the entrance of the Grand Line,
Boom!
BOOM!!!
Flames erupted again and again!
Gunshots and cannon fire echoed across the sea!
Terrifying bursts of artillery lit up the horizon, snatching away countless lives.
The sea was torn apart by bombardments, sending up massive plumes of water that crashed back down in glittering sprays.
The lingering mist refracted the sunlight into a rainbow of colors, beautiful, almost ethereal.
But sadly, such beauty had appeared in a place it never should have.
A cannonball sliced through the air in a perfect arc and landed squarely on a Marine warship.
BOOM!!!
That seemingly small cannonball exploded with terrifying force!
The shockwave ripped through the deck, flinging every Marine aboard into the air.
Fire and chaos tore a massive hole in the once-sturdy vessel.
Seawater poured in relentlessly, swallowing the ship inch by inch.
"Move!!!"
"Everyone, abandon ship!!!"
An officer with a different rank insignia on his shoulders shouted at the top of his lungs.
The Marines obeyed instantly, lowering lifeboats one after another, or simply leaping into the sea and climbing onto nearby ships as comrades pulled them aboard.
They regrouped, reorganized, and prepared for the next confrontation.
At the center of the formation stood a massive warship, twice the size of any standard vessel.
A Marine draped in a coat emblazoned with the word "Justice" stood tall at the bow, eyes blazing with fury.
"Report!"
A messenger sprinted up, saluted sharply, and shouted,
"Lieutenant Brannew! We've just lost two more warships and countless soldiers!"
"The front-line units are requesting temporary retreat!"
"End of report!"
He dropped his salute and stood rigid, his eyes filled with admiration for the man known as the Hero of the East Blue.
"Useless fools!!!"
Lieutenant Brannew ground his teeth and cursed, then barked his orders:
"Relay my command!"
"All small and medium ships are to fall back, but not too far! Form a containment circle first!"
"Today, we are not letting that clown Buggy escape again!!!"
Then he roared:
"Main fleet, full speed ahead! Capture the Buggy Pirates at all costs!!!"
As he raised his arm, his Justice coat fluttered magnificently in the sea breeze, the very image of Marine pride and power!
In an instant, every Marine moved with precision, operating the massive warship as smaller ones cleared the way. They began their fierce pursuit of the pirate vessel disappearing on the horizon.
"Captain Buggy! The Marines up ahead are pulling back!"
"We did it!"
A lookout slid down from the mast and shouted excitedly to Buggy.
Buggy the Star Clown, once a trainee aboard the Pirate King Gol D. Roger's ship alongside Red-Haired Shanks.
After Roger's death, Buggy stayed behind in the East Blue, secretly building his own forces from the shadows.
Due to the chaos caused by Luffy and Nami's childhood adventures, the number of pirate crews in the East Blue was far fewer than before.
That allowed small, low-profile pirates like Buggy to flourish instead.
Now, the Buggy Pirates had grown into a massive crew of nearly two hundred members!
Normally, Buggy's ambitions didn't go beyond treasure and riches.
Having experienced the Grand Line's storms and seen Roger's fall, he had long since grown tired of true adventure.
After all, no matter how grand the journey, it could never bring back that feeling from the old days.
But just when Buggy had occupied a small town, planning to turn it into a long-term base,
A sudden "Anti-Smuggling and Vice Crackdown" storm swept across the East Blue!
Any group that didn't conform to the words of the region's supreme commander, Captain Nezumi, was imprisoned or beaten.
Pirate crews, crime syndicates, even common street gangs, none were spared!
Any unregistered organizations or illegal gatherings, from brothels to scam rings preying on minors, were all rounded up.
Not one escaped.
Even merchant ships with scantily dressed dancers, bodyguards carrying weapons to noble parties, crowds gathering for unsanctioned hotel celebrations, and middle-aged women posing flirtatiously in public squares,
All were detained for "re-education and reform" under the East Blue Residential Regulations.
In no time, the entire East Blue was in turmoil!
But the result? Everyone became extremely law-abiding.
No one dared to curse on the streets; even footsteps became quieter.
Under Captain Nezumi's iron-fisted, unreasonable policies, the East Blue entered an eerie "age of harmony."
Civilians stayed home day and night, never going out unless absolutely necessary.
All social disturbances ceased to exist.
And among the few remaining large-scale "dark organizations," the Buggy Pirates became the Marines' primary target.
Yet Buggy, ever cautious, had sealed off all ports around his base, forbidding any villager from escaping,
ruling the town like a local tyrant for a while.
However, he hadn't expected the Marine's crackdown this time to be so extreme.
They had mobilized almost every warship, conducting island-wide inspections across the East Blue.
Not just pirates, anyone violating the slightest rule or moral code.
So even the well-hidden Buggy Pirates couldn't escape this vast dragnet.
After killing several Marines, Buggy discovered they carried Den Den Mushi that had already reported his position.
Realizing the danger, he ordered his entire crew to evacuate immediately.
But even Buggy's swift reaction couldn't outpace the battle-hardened Marine.
Before he could find a new safe haven, a fleet of Marine warships was already closing in fast, cutting through the waves.
For three days and nights, the chase raged on, relentless and merciless.
After sinking several Marine ships and taking countless lives, Buggy's crew finally ran out of ammunition and supplies!
"Captain Buggy!!! Bad news!!!"
Before Buggy could relax from the latest retreat, another lookout slid down, panicked.
"Captain Buggy, it's bad, really bad!"
"It's… it's…"
The poor pirate was gasping for breath, too terrified to finish his sentence.
Buggy, losing patience, grabbed him by the neck and growled,
"Spit it out already!"
Then hurled him to the floor with a scowl.
Every pirate around looked at Buggy with admiration, their eyes fixed on the disembodied hand floating fiercely in midair.
=============
150+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria