Adjusting the stiff Marine uniform as best he could, Hiro gave himself a final look in the mirror. The face staring back was still alien, though he was getting used to the sharp angles and the unblemished look of youth on this new body.
He was ready, or at least, he looked ready – to take on his new life as a Marine officer.
Taking a deep breath, Hiro stepped out of the officer's quarters, striding toward the main building at the center of the Marine outpost. His sharp gaze flickered over the layout, noting every detail and person.
'Small branch', he thought, not impressed. For an outpost overseeing more than half a dozen islands, the installation was… modest, to put it lightly.
The enlisted marines along the path straightened, saluting as he passed, their crisp "Sir!" responses sounding almost nostalgic.
It reminded him of his earlier days, back when he'd been on the right side of the law.
He paused to pull one of the seamen aside, casually returning the salute with a nod. "Show me around, would you?"
The young Marine looked taken aback but quickly complied, leading Hiro on a brief tour of the facilities.
It was a modest setup – small barracks, a mess hall, an armory, and a few office buildings. There was decent space for training grounds, and several individual houses for officers lined the edges of the property, isolated enough to allow some privacy.
All in all, the place was compact and efficient but lacked the grandeur or resources one would expect for overseeing an entire set of islands.
With a polite nod, Hiro dismissed the young Marine and entered the main building, making his way to his office. Spacious by Marine standards, the room held a large desk, a couple of simple chairs opposite it, a comfortable sofa set and a small, nearly empty bookshelf. A few folders lay on the desk, neatly stacked.
Hiro settled into the chair, eyeing the files. He flipped open the first one, skimming through. It contained a general overview of the outpost's personnel – fifty to sixty enlisted seamen, their corresponding non-commissioned officers, and a few commissioned officers.
His eyes narrowed at the names. Captain Nezumi, Commander Mogera, First Lieutenant Wogura. His new apparent comrades
The small group here managed more than 250 Marines scattered across the eight islands in the Conomi cluster. Patrol stations dotted the islands, each village under the watch of a handful of men who served as local law enforcement.
There was a gentle knock on his door, interrupting his reading.
"Come in," Hiro called out, his voice steady.
A young seaman entered, saluting. "Sir, Captain Nezumi has requested your presence in his office for a meeting."
Hiro kept his expression neutral. "Understood. Dismissed."
'Let's see what my new captain is like', he thought, tucking the files away before grabbing his cap. 'Probably a meet-and-greet, considering how they like to do things here.'
He strolled down the hall, the new boots clacking with each step. The door to Nezumi's office loomed at the end, and Hiro took a brief moment to collect himself before stepping inside.
As he entered, his eyes quickly took in the room's occupants: three men, seated in a casual semicircle around a modest desk.
The decorations around the room were sparse, almost as if Nezumi wanted to avoid drawing any attention.
The man himself sat at the center, his rank insignia gleaming on his shoulder, while his "trusted aides," Mogera and Wogura, flanked him.
Hiro clicked his heels together, offering a brief but polite salute. "Second Lieutenant Hiro Nakamura, reporting for duty," he said, keeping his tone polite but detached.
Captain Nezumi looked up, his expression shifting into a sly smile that barely reached his eyes.
"Ah, good, very good," he drawled, his gaze darting over Hiro with an evaluating glint. "Welcome to the East Blue, Lieutenant. I'm Captain Nezumi, your commanding officer here, and these are my trusted aides, Commander Mogera and First Lieutenant Wogura."
Mogera, a stocky, bulldog-faced man with a perpetually squinting gaze, gave Hiro a cursory nod. Wogura, thin as a rail with a constant sneer that suggested he'd prefer to be anywhere else, offered a tight smile.
"Pleasure to meet you," Hiro replied, returning each nod with equal politeness, though his mind was already working overtime, piecing together their personalities. The rat like glances they exchanged, the air of smug superiority – everything about them screamed corruption.
Nezumi leaned forward, resting his pudgy elbows on the desk. "You've come from the Grand Line, correct? Must be quite the change here in the East Blue."
Hiro gave a noncommittal nod, watching as Nezumi's expression turned sly. "There's not a lot going on here, to be honest," Nezumi continued, rubbing his hands together. "Our biggest issues tend to be... management related, if you catch my drift." He smirked, as though they shared some private joke.
The captain gestured to Mogera, who handed over a thin stack of papers. "We thought we'd ease you into things with a simple assignment," Nezumi explained.
"Something that a man of your experience should handle with ease. Just a little pickup job. I'd like you to pay a visit to Arlong Park and retrieve a... delivery."
The words hung heavy with meaning, and Hiro immediately sensed what they were trying to do.
They were testing him, trying to pull him into their network of dirty dealings, using an assignment that seemed routine on paper but stank of corruption.
But Hiro wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of balking. He raised an eyebrow, his face perfectly controlled. "Sure thing, Captain. When would you like it done?"
Nezumi's smirk widened. "Today, if you can manage. The sooner, the better."
The meeting ended with brief pleasantries, but Hiro could feel the weight of their watching eyes as he left. 'So that's how it's going to be', he thought with a bitter smirk. They expected him to fall in line, to become another cog in their crooked machine.
Once back in his office, he sat down, drumming his fingers on the edge of his desk, piecing together the clues. One word kept echoing in his mind – Arlong. The name was familiar, tugging at a vague memory he couldn't quite place.
The name scratched at his thoughts, nagging him. "Arlong, Arlong... where have I seen that before?" He murmured, flipping through the files scattered across his desk, hoping to find anything that might jog his memory. Nothing.
There wasn't a single note or record that mentioned "Arlong Park." Almost as if someone had erased it deliberately.
An idea struck him. He stood up, practically racing down the hall to the main entrance area, where a large bulletin board hung on the wall.
Various wanted posters were pinned up, faces of dangerous criminals plastered across the board. His gaze scanned over them, each poster a glimpse into the underworld of the East Blue.
And there, right at the top of the board, he saw it.
[WANTED]
DEAD OR ALIVE
ARLONG
฿ 20,000,000
A long-nosed fish-man with jagged teeth and a predatory grin glared out from the poster, the bounty sum prominently displayed.
Hiro took a deep breath, staring at the poster, the pieces finally clicking into place.
'This Arlong… he's not just a thug. He's someone powerful enough to have a whole damn park named after him and enough influence to have Nezumi's gang working for him.'
Realization settled in. They weren't just trying to make him an accomplice to some petty theft or minor smuggling – they were sending him to a den of pirates, to pick up dirty money from a fish-man pirate with a massive bounty on his head.
This wasn't a test. It was a trap, one they expected him to fall into without question.
A slow smile spread across his face, a dangerous gleam flickering in his eyes. 'Fine', he thought. 'If they want me to meet this Arlong, I'll go along with it.'
But he wasn't going to walk in like a fool. He'd make sure he was the one holding the cards by the end of it.
Back in his room, he locked the door, setting to work on his plan. His new allies, if he could call them that, were going to regret underestimating him.
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