Two hours later.
Inside the Marine G-51 Branch, the banquet was drawing to a close.
Most of the Marines with low alcohol tolerance had already passed out on the floor, while the remaining ones were mostly half-drunk.
“That Headquarters Lieutenant today, what was his name…
Roy?
*Hic*…
He really doesn’t know what’s good for him.” At this moment, however, Steward Mantal, sitting at the center of the banquet, was not yet drunk.
He was talking in a loud, boisterous voice.
“Yeah!
A mere Custody Unit grunt dares to talk to us like that!” In front of him, Captain Ast drained his massive goblet in one gulp and slammed it heavily onto the table.
“If I hadn’t been transferred to a branch, I definitely would’ve taught him a lesson today!” he muttered, lowering his voice.
According to Marine regulations, while officers transferred to a branch held immense authority within their jurisdiction, Headquarters officers were outside their command.
Every Headquarters Marine answered directly to their own superior officers at Marine Headquarters, maintaining independent chains of command.
For instance, as a Lieutenant in the Custody Unit, Roy’s direct superior was Headquarters Vice Admiral Bilos.
Thus, although Captain Ast was deeply displeased by Roy’s cold, rigid attitude today, there was nothing he could do about it.
“Don’t fret, Captain Ast.” Hearing this, Steward Mantal grinned.
Lowering his voice, he said, “The treasure you escorted for us this time is part of the Heavenly Tribute.
That’s a massive achievement…
I will personally report your contributions to His Majesty the King.” “When the Reverie comes around in three years, His Majesty will surely be glad to put in a good word for you with the high-ranking officials of the World Government.
You might even get promoted to a Headquarters Admiral by then.” Perhaps he had drunk too much, making the promises he painted far grander than usual.
“Really?” At the very least, Captain Ast was deeply tempted.
“Of course it’s true.
You have to understand, the Heavenly Tribute we prepared this time is a whopping five billion Berries, including a Devil Fruit.
That’s over one billion Berries more than what the Government demanded of us.” “This extra billion is meant to grease the palms of the nobles in the Government,” Steward Mantal chuckled.
Captain Ast quickly poured himself another full cup.
“Then I’ll leave it to you, Steward, to speak highly of me before His Majesty…
Bottoms up!” “Don’t mention it!
We’ll be relying on your care for our Kingdom of Nismail in the future, Commodore Ast!” For a moment, host and guest were in high spirits.
But right at that moment— *Beep!
Beep!* *Beep!
Beep!* A sharp, piercing alarm echoed throughout the entire G-51 Branch.
“Huh?!
What’s going on?!” Captain Ast immediately frowned and glared at a nearby Marine who hadn’t passed out yet.
“Go check it out immediately…
Did some drunk idiot trigger the alarm by mistake?” “Yes, sir!” The Marine hurried off to carry out the order, returning shortly after.
However, his face was filled with sheer panic.
“Commander…
it’s the harbor!
Something happened to the ship at the harbor!” he gasped in panic.
“The Akyon has left port!
And all of the ship’s guards have been killed…
Their bodies were dumped right on the docks!” “What?!” both of them cried out in unison.
Hearing this, Captain Ast and Steward Mantal instantly sobered up.
“That pirate…
does he have accomplices?!” The possibility immediately crossed Captain Ast’s mind.
Steward Mantal, meanwhile, went deathly pale.
The Akyon was a royal merchant vessel worth two hundred million Berries, and the guards were royal retainers.
If the guards were all dead and the ship was lost…
forget any rewards, he’d be lucky to escape with his life!
“Mobilize everyone to pursue them!
Dispatch all warships, we must retrieve that ship!” Realizing the gravity of the situation, Captain Ast barked out orders immediately.
“But Commander…” The Marine looked hesitantly at the sea of unconscious, drunken Marines scattered around them.
Captain Ast’s expression grew incredibly dark.
“…Leave a few behind to wake them up.
Everyone else, move out and pursue!
Now!” Seeing his expression, the Marine dared not say another word and scrambled away.
As soon as they left, Steward Mantal seemed to suddenly realize something.
He locked eyes with Captain Ast.
In the next second, both of them hurriedly rushed out of the banquet hall.
“Captain Ast, do you think they’re after the treasure…” Steward Mantal’s plump face was entirely devoid of color.
Indeed.
This was his absolute greatest fear.
The theft of the Akyon and the deaths of the guards were deeply concerning, but not enough to throw him into utter despair.
But if the treasure hidden within the Marine branch—part of the Heavenly Tribute—was stolen, his best-case scenario upon returning to the Kingdom of Nismail would be execution.
“Don’t worry, they won’t.” Captain Ast was also clearly anxious, but he forced himself to remain calm.
“Only we know the location of the vault, and you hold the keys.
The attackers sailed the Akyon away likely because they mistakenly believed the treasure was still on board.” Hearing this, Steward Mantal clutched at the explanation like a drowning man grasping a straw.
“Right!
You’re absolutely right!
It must be!” As they spoke, they reached the basement of G-51 Branch.
This area contained numerous storage rooms used for keeping the branch’s supplies.
Eventually, they stopped before a massive weapon rack.
Captain Ast lightly tapped a specific wooden plank on the rack.
Then— *Thud!* With a heavy rumble, the weapon rack slid aside, revealing a hidden vault behind it, stacked high with mountains of treasure chests.
Seeing the treasure intact, Steward Mantal finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness, it’s still here…” He seemed to regain his composure.
“Captain Ast, I must trouble you to ensure the Akyon…” Before he could finish his sentence, Captain Ast’s expression suddenly twisted.
Behind them, a thunderous crash erupted.
*Boom!* As if a giant rhino were charging them from behind, the deafening sound made Captain Ast’s entire body tense up instantly.
“Watch out…” He turned, attempting to warn Steward Mantal, but before the words could leave his mouth, a monstrous force slammed into his back.
Steward Mantal fared no better.
Captain Ast watched in horror as a fist punched clean into the steward’s bloated back, the immense impact instantly folding his body in half.
*Crack.* He could clearly hear the sound of bones shattering into dust.
In the next instant, both of them were sent flying simultaneously.
*Boom!* They crashed heavily into the thick stone wall of the vault, instantly forming a massive crater in the masonry.
As dust billowed through the air, a lone figure stepped slowly into the vault.
“When people panic, they subconsciously run to ensure the safety of their most precious belongings.
It’s basic human nature.” Wearing his rooster mask, Roy stepped into the vault.
“Thank you for leading the way.” As he spoke, he eyed the stacked piles of treasure with a look of satisfaction.
However, he did not immediately move to touch the chests.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward the settling dust.
“I must say, Captain Ast…
you’re a bit tougher than I expected.” Sure enough, Captain Ast stumbled out of the dust cloud.
The Marine Captain’s uniform had been shredded to pieces, exposing his heavily muscled torso.
His muscles bulged and flexed, gleaming like plates of solid steel.
In a raspy voice, Captain Ast muttered, “Iron Body: Hardwood.” His eyes flickered toward Steward Mantal, who lay nearby, his body folded unnaturally in three.
It was obvious he was dead.
“You…
how dare you murder a royal steward of a World Government affiliated nation?” He gritted his teeth, trembling with rage.
Roy simply shook his head.
“First of all, I don’t get this obsession you guys have with shouting your technique names before a fight.” “Secondly, ‘royal steward’?
I merely cleaned up some trash.” He scoffed.
Then, his gaze locked onto the captain.
“And you’re trash too.
You need to be swept away as well.” “Hmph!” Captain Ast sneered.
With a sweep of his beefy arms, he blew away the remaining dust.
“Who do you think I am?
I am Ast Campbell—Marine Captain and the commander of G-51 Branch!” Stepping out of the rubble, he draped his Marine coat over his shoulders.
“Through brutal, unrelenting training, I mastered the Six Powers—martial arts that transcend human limits!” “You think a nobody like you can kill me?!” His voice burned with battle intent.
Roy took a slightly more serious stance.
In truth, Captain Ast’s strength was somewhat beyond his expectations.
In Marine Headquarters, methods to learn the Six Powers weren’t hard to come by.
The real limiting factor was physical capability—one needed a power level of at least 500 Doriki to even begin, and the stronger the body, the easier the training.
An officer who could master the Six Powers was undoubtedly above average among his peers.
Thus, Roy hadn’t expected a man like Captain Ast to have actually mastered Iron Body.
Still, as a commander of a Marine branch in the Grand Line, it made sense for him to possess some capability.
“I guess I’ll have to try a little harder, then.” Seeing his opponent’s burning fighting spirit, Roy cracked his knuckles, preparing to warm up.
Right at that moment— “Are you ready, intruder?
I’ll show you the true power of the Marine Six Powers!
Take this…
Tempest Kick: Gale Slash!” With a low shout, Captain Ast stamped his right foot against the ground.
Then— *Boom!* To Roy’s utter bewilderment, the captain shot toward the vault’s exit like an arrow released from a bow!
“Fleeing?!” Only then did Roy realize what was happening.
Tempest Kick my foot—he was obviously running away!
And indeed, he was.
The fleeing Captain Ast had absolutely no intention of fighting.
In fact, if one looked closely, there was a ghastly fist imprint embedded in his back, which he had deliberately concealed beneath his coat.
*That guy is a monster…
Fighting him is suicide, I have to run!* he screamed in his mind as he fled through the pain.
*My Iron Body couldn’t even block his punch!* This was the source of his deepest terror.
He had indeed mastered Iron Body, which was his greatest pride and the primary reason he was promoted to Captain.
Yet, under that single punch, countless bones in his body had shattered around the impact zone.
This led him to a decisive conclusion: fighting meant death, and fleeing was his only hope of survival.
Hurriedly making his escape, Captain Ast glanced back.
He saw Roy still standing in the vault.
*He didn’t chase me…
I made it!* Ecstasy filled his heart.
But in the next split second…
“As expected…
a piece of trash who associates with slavers could never be a brave warrior.” Roy’s calm voice echoed in his ears.
“Didn’t you say you’d show me the strength of the Six Powers?” “Though, it seems you don’t really know how to use Tempest Kick.” Then, Captain Ast saw the intruder slowly raise his right leg.
Silently, the man’s leg seemed to swell and grow thicker.
[Rabbit-Rabbit Fruit: Snow Rabbit Form – Leg Enhancement] [Ox-Ox Fruit: Giant Rhino Form – Leg Enhancement] “Since that’s the case…
watch closely.
I’m only showing you once.” With those words, Roy whipped his leg forward.
“Tempest Kick: Gale Slash!” He called out the exact same technique name.
In the next instant, Captain Ast’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief…
The ground instantly shattered and cracked, a massive trench carving itself into the earth as a flying slash erupted forward.
The stone bricks of the vault disintegrated instantly.
What flew from Roy’s foot was a gargantuan crescent of compressed air, spanning over five meters in length!
That was the final sight of his life.