Surrounded by roughly five hundred armed criminals, both Captain Caron and the hundred or so Marines behind him felt crushing pressure settle over the deck.
Every soldier was tense.
At least Caron still had one source of reassurance.
The image of a certain monster remained fixed in his mind.
Caron might not be capable of resolving the crisis himself, but the young man who wielded Conqueror’s Haki surely could.
“Captain Caron, what should we do?”
The Marines looked toward him for guidance.
“We’ll try negotiating first.”
Unless there was no other choice, Caron had no desire to fight.
Both groups represented forces the Marines could not afford to offend lightly.
The Vinsmoke family was one of the most dangerous powers in the North Blue, while the Donquixote Family was equally troublesome.
Provoking either organization would create serious consequences.
After considering the situation, Caron spoke in a low voice.
“I’m willing to pretend we never saw what happened here.”
“In exchange, leave these waters immediately.”
As a Marine who genuinely believed in justice, being forced to compromise with criminals left Caron humiliated.
But his force was badly outnumbered, and he had no intention of recklessly throwing away everyone’s lives.
He was responsible for the safety of his subordinates.
More than half the Marines aboard were inexperienced recruits.
Against hundreds of hardened criminals, Caron could not expect them to contribute much.
He would be fortunate if they avoided becoming liabilities.
“IIs Captain Caron really backing down before a group of criminals?”
Larmi burst into loud laughter.
Caron’s expression darkened, but he remained silent.
“We would rather avoid provoking the Marines as well.”
Larmi’s smile turned cold.
“Unfortunately, you witnessed our arms transaction.”
“If we allow you to leave, word of this meeting could spread and cause us all kinds of trouble.”
“So I’m afraid none of you can leave.”
“Don’t get carried away.”
Caron stared coldly at him.
“Do you really intend to kill everyone aboard this ship?”
“You may outnumber us, but that doesn’t mean you can wipe us out without paying a heavy price.”
The atmosphere immediately became hostile.
Tension spread across the three vessels, and the confrontation looked ready to erupt into battle at any moment.
Jerick, the Donquixote Family representative responsible for the transaction, turned toward Larmi.
Their eyes met.
No words were needed.
The moment Caron noticed the exchange, his heart sank.
This was bad.
The two men had clearly decided to silence every witness and prevent news of the arms deal from leaking.
Had he been alone, he believed he might have had a reasonable chance of escaping.
But he was not alone.
More than a hundred Marines stood behind him, over half of them recruits.
Abandoning them was not an option.
“Listen up!”
Jerick’s voice boomed across the water.
“For years, the Marines have interfered with the Donquixote Family’s businesses and cost us one operation after another.”
“If not for these pests, our organization’s influence would already stretch across the entire Grand Line and all four Blues.”
“The Marines raid our properties, seize our ships, and destroy our revenue.”
“Over the years, they have cost the family well over a billion Berries.”
“And tonight…”
Jerick pointed toward Caron’s warship.
“These Marines sailed straight into our arms transaction.”
“Shouldn’t we repay them for everything they’ve done?”
“Shouldn’t we teach them what happens to people who interfere with the Donquixote Family?”
The hundreds of criminals behind him erupted in cheers.
“Brother Jerick is right!”
“The Marines destroyed one of the family’s largest casinos on Long Ring Long Land!”
“They also sank several of our slave ships!”
“Those losses may mean little to an organization as wealthy as ours, but we finally have a chance to settle the score.”
The Donquixote Family was a notorious criminal syndicate.
Under Doflamingo, its operations extended throughout the underworld, so conflict with the Marines was inevitable.
Over the years, Marine raids had disrupted many of its illegal businesses.
The resentment between the two sides ran deep.
The Vinsmoke family, by contrast, rarely clashed directly with the Marines in the North Blue because of Germa’s overwhelming regional influence.
Even so, Larmi seemed perfectly happy to stand back and watch the conflict unfold.
Then Jerick made him an offer.
“Larmi, help me kill every Marine aboard that ship.”
“If you do, I’ll authorize a ten-percent increase in the price we pay for this shipment.”
“What do you say?”
Larmi’s eyes lit up.
“You’re offering more money just for killing a few Marines?”
He grinned.
“I’ve never liked them anyway.”
“If you’re willing to raise the price, I have no reason to refuse.”
With that, the Vinsmoke force and the Donquixote Family formally work together.
Together, they intended to annihilate the Marine warship.
Caron and his men looked even grimmer.
“Prepare for battle.”
Negotiations had failed.
With both enemy forces working together, the Marines had been driven into the worst possible position.
At that moment, Leon emerged from the cabin, yawning.
His eyelids were half-closed, and he looked thoroughly exhausted.
Bart hurriedly led him onto the deck.
The instant Caron saw Leon, much of the tension left his body.
The panic that had been building inside him faded almost immediately.
Leon simply inspired that much confidence.
“Mr.
Leon!”
Caron hurried forward to greet him.
The surrounding Marines also turned toward Leon with reverence in their eyes.
After watching him incapacitate the Sea King, nearly everyone aboard had reached the same conclusion.
Leon was far stronger than Captain Caron.
“What happened?”
Leon asked.
He casually glanced at the two vessels and already had a rough idea of the situation.
Caron quickly explained everything that had happened.
“Mr.
Leon, please deal with these criminals.”
“They are openly trading weapons and have made it clear that they intend to murder every Marine aboard this ship.”
“This is an unforgivable insult to justice!”
Caron’s voice burned with righteous indignation.
In his mind, Leon was Kizaru’s nephew.
Surely the Admiral had raised him to despise vicious pirates like these.
Leon gave him a strange look.
“Are you serious?”
Caron froze.
“I only just joined the Marines.”
“At most, I’m an ordinary enlisted man.”
“How much do I even earn each month?”
Leon gestured toward the enemy ships.
“And you expect me to risk my life against hundreds of armed criminals?”
“They look pretty dangerous.”
“Even you, a Marine captain, don’t know what to do with them.”
He paused before adding:
“Besides, it’s already late.”
“My shift ended hours ago.”
“Justice can wait until working hours.”
“Dealing with these pirates is clearly overtime, so I’ll have to decline.”
Caron fell silent.
The Marines fell silent with him.