One Piece : Prince of Charlotte Family

Clatter...

The sky was clear, and the sea was calm.

A small pirate ship sailed slowly across the water.

"Jane, are we almost there?"

On the ship's bow deck, a large parasol stood open.

Three sisters—Snamon, Smoothie, and Stronge—were sitting under it, playing poker.

Stronge, the fifteenth daughter of the Charlotte Family, looked bored. She tossed a card onto the tea table in front of her and complained, "We've been sailing for days without running into a single pirate with the guts to cross our path. I'm so bored, I feel like I'm going to rot!"

Traveling on the sea could definitely be dull.

Day after day, all they saw were endless waves and the occasional seagull circling overhead.

For several days now, their ship hadn't encountered a single pirate—or even the shadow of another vessel.

"I'm very sorry, Lady Snamon," said Jayne, their navigator.

He held a sea chart and a permanent Log Pose pointing toward Jaya Island. Estimating their position, he replied, "I think it'll take about two more days to reach Gaya Island."

As he spoke, he glanced toward the other side of the deck.

There, Wilhelm stood upside down, balancing on one finger. Using his legs, he lifted a pair of massive dumbbells up and down with ease. He looked completely relaxed and unfazed.

Master Wilhelm, you're amazing!

Born with the monstrous strength of his mother, Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin, Wilhelm had steel-like skin, was immune to swords and bullets, and possessed natural brute strength. Yet, he still pushed himself with intense training and incredible discipline.

"Don't be so impatient, Sister Stronge," Wilhelm said, his voice steady and calm despite his workout.

He added, "On this sea, only those who can endure the loneliness will make it to the end and laugh last. Those who can't handle it will end up buried in the waves."

He spoke with a steady resolve, showing no arrogance or frustration.

Wilhelm had grown used to the monotony of sailing. His intense self-discipline and harsh training from a young age had built a willpower as strong as steel.

He could endure anything.

"Forgive me, Sister. I can't compare to you," Stronge replied with a smile, shrugging her shoulders.

"By the way, Wilhelm," Smoothie said, laying down an ace of hearts on the table. She turned her gaze toward Wilhelm's serious and determined figure.

"Aren't you going to join us and play cards with your sisters?"

"That's true, but do you really need to push yourself so hard?"

Looking at her less-than-ideal hand of cards, Snamon curled her lips in frustration and added, "Isn't it okay to relax once in a while?"

"It's fine to relax when the time is right, but discipline is just as important when it's needed," Wilhelm replied without looking up. "Don't I spend time with you all every day?"

Balancing upside down with his right hand behind his back, Wilhelm effortlessly supported an enormous dumbbell with his feet—larger than his entire body. His left index finger, bent and pressed against the deck, lifted his entire weight.

With a sudden movement, his whole body bounced upward, and when he landed again, the index finger had been swapped for his middle finger, continuing to hold the immense weight.

Even though Wilhelm was dedicated to his training, he didn't spend every waking moment on it. Aside from sleeping and eating, he balanced his life by following a strict training schedule while also allowing time to relax his muscles and mind.

At that moment—

From the lookout platform above the mast, a pirate on watch called out:

"Master Wilhelm! Lady Smoothie! There's something in the water!"

He continued, "At three o'clock! About eight or nine nautical miles away—it's a Marine warship!"

"Oh?"

The three sisters—Smoothie, Snamon, and Stronge—perked up immediately.

Their boredom vanished as they abandoned their poker game and headed to the bow of the ship. Smoothie borrowed a spyglass from a Homie soldier and observed the growing "black spots" in the distance.

Snamon licked her lips eagerly, her excitement visible. "A large battleship and two medium-sized cruisers acting as escorts… So, three warships in total?"

"Don't get reckless," Smoothie warned, frowning. "That leading battleship looks like the flagship of the Marine Headquarters. Only high-ranking officers, like Vice Admirals or above, are qualified to command a ship like that!"

It was clear.

This Marine fleet likely had a Vice Admiral on board.

In the Marine hierarchy, Vice Admirals were second only to the Admirals and the Fleet Admiral in authority. Even with their vast resources, the Marines had only a limited number of such officers.

Aside from the few in administrative roles, any Vice Admiral was a master of both Observation Haki and Armament Haki, with exceptional strength and a well-known reputation.

"Oh?" Wilhelm, still in the middle of his training, looked intrigued.

Meanwhile, on the distant sea:

Three warships flew the flags of the World Government and the Marines, sailing in a tight "pin" formation and approaching swiftly.

At the head of the fleet was a massive battleship.

Standing at the bow of this ship was a middle-aged man dressed in a gray suit, wearing a Marine coat over his shoulders.

A cigarette hung from his mouth, and his face bore a menacing expression—one that clashed sharply with the image of "justice" that the Marines were meant to uphold.

As the pirate ship drew closer, the Vice Admiral barked out orders:

"Everyone, go to first-level alert! Prepare all combat equipment!"

"All artillery units, aim at that pirate ship. As soon as the target is within range, fire immediately!"

"Vice Admiral Onigumo..."

A Marine officer, a lieutenant commander, stepped forward cautiously and whispered, "That ship belongs to the BIG MOM Pirates, one of the major crews of the New World. Are you sure we should attack?"

Since the start of the Great Pirate Era, the seas had become more chaotic than ever before.

Countless ambitious and restless individuals had rushed out to sea, flooding the Grand Line with pirates. In just a few years, the situation spiraled out of control.

The sheer number of pirates overwhelmed Marine forces. Branches and bases in the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line struggled to suppress the criminals who wreaked havoc and fled.

The leaders of Marine Headquarters had been under constant pressure for years, working tirelessly to restore order.

Now, just as things were beginning to stabilize, provoking a major pirate crew like the BIG MOM Pirates, led by a Yonko, would be far from ideal.

BIG MOM and her crew had entrenched themselves in the New World, dominating the Totto Land sea and controlling numerous islands like an emperor.

Starting a conflict with them would be dangerous.

"Useless coward..."

Onigumo's cold expression grew even darker.

He stared at the lieutenant commander with piercing, menacing eyes and said in an icy voice:

"Just because they fly the flag of the BIG MOM Pirates, you think we should run away? Even if Charlotte Linlin herself were on that ship, so what?"

"Do you want me to order a retreat and disgrace the justice of the Marines?"

"We are Marines! We stand for justice!"

The Vice Admiral's face, twisted with hostility, looked more like that of a pirate than a defender of justice.

The lieutenant commander paled and broke into a cold sweat. "Y-Yes, Vice Admiral Onigumo!"

"Good. I'll let it slide this time, but don't forget it."

Onigumo crushed his cigarette underfoot and turned to face the other Marines.

His stern eyes swept over the group, and he shouted:

"Listen up, all of you! Justice is absolute, and so are my orders! No one is allowed to question them! Your job is to obey, nothing more!"

The Marines, trembling with fear, snapped to attention and saluted in unison: "Yes, Vice Admiral Onigumo!"

"Vice Admiral!" a Marine shouted. "The pirate ship has entered range! The artillery is ready. Do we fire?"

Onigumo's cold expression didn't waver.

"What are you waiting for?" he snapped. "Fire! Sink that ship!"

"Yes, sir!"