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Two hours later.
Inside the Marine G-51 Branch, the banquet had reached its end.
Most of the Marines with low alcohol tolerance had already collapsed on the ground, and the remaining Marines were mostly half-drunk.
"Today that Captain from Headquarters… that guy named Roy… Hic… What an ungrateful bastard."
But at this moment, the Chief Steward Mantall in the center of the banquet still hadn't fallen over drunk.
He was loudly speaking.
"Yeah… he is just a small fry from the Marine Detention Unit, and he actually dared to talk to us like that!"
In front of him, Colonel Aster drained the massive wine cup in his hand in one gulp and slammed it heavily on the table.
"If I hadn't already been reassigned to a branch, I'd have beaten him up today!"
He lowered his voice as he spoke.
According to Marine regulations, Marine officers who are reassigned to local branches hold high authority within the branch's jurisdiction.
However, officers from Marine Headquarters do not fall under their jurisdiction, because every Marine soldier from Headquarters is directly under the command of a superior officer of Headquarters, managed independently from local branches.
For example, Roy, as the Captain of the Marine Detention Unit, is directly under the command of Headquarters Vice Admiral Biros.
Thus, although Colonel Aster was very displeased with Roy's cold and hard attitude today, he had no way to do anything about it.
"Don't worry, Colonel Aster." Hearing this, Chief Steward Mantall grinned.
Lowering his voice, he said: "The Treasures you helped us transport this time is part of the Heavenly Tribute and that's a huge achievement. I'll explain your contribution clearly to His Majesty the King."
"When the World Conference happens three years from now, His Majesty will definitely be happy to speak highly of you to the top brass of the World Government. You might even be promoted to a Headquarters Rear Admiral by then."
Perhaps due to the alcohol, the future he spoke of seemed even grander than usual.
"Really?"
At least to Colonel Aster, it sounded very tempting.
"Of course it's real, you should know, the Heavenly Tribute we prepared this time totals 5 Billion Beli, and even includes a Devil Fruit. That's more than 1 Billion Beli above what the government required us to submit."
"That extra Billion is meant for… smoothing things over with important people in the government."
Mantall said with a smile.
Colonel Aster quickly poured another cup of wine: "Then I'll leave it to you, Chief Steward. Please speak well of me to His Majesty the King. I'll drink to that!"
"Not at all… we still need your continued support for our Nismail Kingdom, future Rear Admiral Aster!"
For a while, both host and guest were cheerful and delighted.
But at that very moment…
"Dī! Dī! Dī! Dī!"
A sharp alarm suddenly echoed throughout the entire G-51 branch.
"Hmm!? What's going on!?" Colonel Aster immediately furrowed his brow and looked toward a Marine who hadn't yet passed out: "Go at once and check whether someone got drunk and triggered the alarm by accident!"
"Yes sir!" The Marine rushed out and quickly returned.
But when he came back, his expression was already filled with panic.
"Sir! It's the port… something has happened to the ships in the harbor!" He spoke anxiously: "The Eikjoen has already left the harbor… and all of its guards were killed! Their corpses were thrown on the dock!"
"What!?" ×2
Hearing this, both Colonel Aster and Chief Steward Mantall instantly sobered up.
"That pirate… don't tell me he has accomplices!?" Colonel Aster immediately thought of that possibility.
Mantall's face went completely pale.
The Eikjoen was a Royal Merchant Ship worth 200 Million Beli, and its guards were all royal guards.
Now all of the guards were dead, and if the ship was also lost, then forget about earning credit, he would be lucky not to be punished when he returned!
"Gather men to pursue immediately! Send out every Battleship, we must take the ship back!" Colonel Aster clearly understood the situation as well, so he gave the order without hesitation.
"But sir…" The Marine looked helplessly toward the drunken soldiers lying all around.
Colonel Aster's expression grew even more gloomy: "Leave a few people to sober them up, everyone else goes after them! Move, now!"
Seeing his expression, the Marine no longer dared say anything more.
After he led men away…
Mantall suddenly looked toward Colonel Aster, as though realizing something. Their eyes met.
In the next moment, both of them hurried out of the banquet hall.
"Colonel Aster… do you think they might be after the treasure?" Mantall's fat face had already turned deathly white as he sspoke.
Yes.
That was the thing he feared most.
The Eikjoen being taken, the guards being killed, these things worried him, but would not make him panic. But if those Treasure, the portions of the Heavenly Tribute he had hidden inside the Marine branch, were stolen…
Then when he returned to the Nismail Kingdom, the best ending for him would be death.
"Don't worry, they won't be."
Colonel Aster was clearly anxious as well, but forced himself to remain calm.
"The location of the Hidden Treasure Room is known only to us, and the key to the chest is with you. The attackers took the Eikjoen so they must have assumed that the Treasure was still on the ship."
Hearing this, Chief Steward Mantall clutched at it like a drowning man grabbing driftwood.
"Yes! You're right! That must be it!"
As they spoke, they arrived in the underground level of the G-51 branch.
Here, countless storage rooms were arranged densely, all used to store supplies belonging to the base. The two moved before a massive iron-maul storage cabinet.
Colonel Aster tapped lightly on a wooden panel embedded in the cabinet.
Then…
"Boom!"
With a heavy sound, the iron cabinet slowly shifted aside… Revealing the hidden storage room behind it, and the mountainous piles of treasure chests inside.
Seeing that the treasure was still there, Chief Steward Mantall finally let out a long breath of relief.
"Thank goodness… still intact…" His spirit seemed to return: "Colonel Aster, next I must rely on you, you must bring the Eikjoen back…"
As his words reached that point, Colonel Aster's expression suddenly changed. Because at that moment, he heard a massive noise from behind.
"Boom!"
It was as if a giant rhinoceros had rammed into them from the rear, the piercing sound made Colonel Aster's entire body tense instantly.
"Care…!"
He turned his head, wanting to warn Chief Steward Mantall, but before he could even speak, he felt an immense force slam into his back.
Mantall suffered the same fate, Colonel Aster even saw the man's huge, fat back crushed by a single fist, the overwhelming force visibly distorting his body.
"Crack."
He actually heard the sound of bones shattering completely and in the next instant, both men were sent flying through the air at the same time.
"Bang!"
They slammed heavily into the thick wall of the storage room, instantly leaving a deep crater in the stone.
Amid rising clouds of dust, a figure slowly walked into the storage chamber.
"When people panic, they instinctively rush to secure their most valuable possessions. That's just common sense."
Wearing a rooster mask, Roy stepped into the storage room.
"Thanks for leading the way."
As he spoke, he looked toward the mountain of treasure, his gaze containing clear satisfaction. However, he did not immediately reach out to touch the treasure chests.
Instead, he turned toward the dust cloud.
"I must admit, Colonel Aster… you're tougher than I expected."
As he spoke, Colonel Aster indeed emerged from the smoke. At this moment, the Marine Colonel's uniform had been torn to shreds, revealing his densely muscular upper body. His muscles were swelling and bulging continuously… looking like they were forged from steel.
His voice rasped as he spoke:
"Tekkai."
As he spoke, his gaze briefly shifted to Chief Steward Mantall beside him, the latter's body was now folded unnaturally into three segments, making him clearly beyond saving.
"You bastard… how dare you kill the royal steward of a World Government–Affiliated Nation!?"
He gritted his teeth, rage filling his voice.
Roy simply shook his head.
"First, I really don't understand why you people must yell your techniques out loud every time you fight."
"Second, 'royal steward'? I merely cleaned up a piece of trash."
He let out a cold laugh. Then his gaze focused on Colonel Aster.
"And you, you're trash too. So you need to be cleaned up."
"Hmph!"
Hearing that, Colonel Aster sneered. He swung his arms, the dense muscles dispersing the dust with brute force.
"Do you know who I am? I am Aster Kampel, Marine Colonel, Warden-class Officer of G-51 Branch!"
He stepped out of the rubble, lifting and draping his Marine Justice Coat across his shoulders.
"I trained through hell to master the Marine's ultimate physical techniques-- Rokushiki! You unknown gutter rat, you really think you can kill me!?"
His voice overflowed with battle intent as he spoke. Hearing this, Roy's expression grew slightly more serious.
In truth, Colonel Aster's strength was somewhat beyond Roy's expectations.
Within Marine Headquarters, obtaining access to Rokushiki training was not particularly difficult.
What made it truly hard to learn was the physical requirement, one needed a body strength of over 500 Doriki to even begin learning Rokushiki, and the stronger the physique, the easier it was to master.
Therefore, any Marine field officer capable of using Rokushiki was already considered above-average in strength among his peers.
So Roy hadn't expected that someone like Colonel Aster had actually mastered Tekkai.
Though considering the man was a Warden-class Officer of a Marine branch in the Grand Line, possessing such ability wasn't unreasonable.
"Then I suppose I'll get a little serious."
Watching the man's overflowing battle intent, Roy cracked his knuckles, intending to warm up a little.
And at that moment…
"Are you ready, intruder!? I'll show you the power of Marine Rokushiki! Take this… Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) · Wind Cutter!"
Colonel Aster shouted lowly and stomped his right foot against the ground.
Then…
"Boom!"
Roy stared in shock as Aster shot toward the exit like an arrow released from a bowstring!
"Running!?"
Only then did Roy finally realize it.
'To hell with Rankyaku, the man was obviously trying to escape!'
And indeed, that was exactly the case. At that moment, Colonel Aster had no intention of fighting at all. In fact, if observed closely, one would see a hideous fist-shaped imprint on his back, only hidden earlier by his Marine Justice Coat.
"That guy is a monster… Fighting him is suicide. I have to escape…"
He forced himself to run despite the agony, roaring internally.
"My Tekkai couldn't defend against his blow at all!"
That was what terrified him the most. He had mastered Tekkai, one of the Rokushiki techniques, his greatest pride, and the key reason he had ever become a Colonel. Yet from that single punch earlier, he could feel countless bones shattering around the fist imprint.
That made his judgment immediate, fighting meant certain death. Escape was the only chance.
As he fled in panic, Colonel Aster twisted his head around…
And saw Roy still standing where he had been.
"He's not chasing, I made it!"
Wild joy surged through him.
But then…
"Just as I thought… Trash who mingle with slave traders have no warrior's spirit." Aster heard Roy's calm voice.
"Weren't you going to show me the might of Rokushiki? But it seems you're not very good at Rankyaku."
Then…
Aster saw Roy slowly raise his right leg. Silently, he watched the leg grow thicker and stronger.
[Rabbit-Rabbit Fruit · Snow Rabbit Form – Leg Enhancement]
[Ox-Ox Fruit · Giant Rhino Form – Leg Enhancement]
"Since that's the case… watch closely. I'll only teach this once."
As those words fell, Roy kicked forward.
"Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) · Wind Cutter!"
The very same name Aster had shouted earlier.
In the next moment, Colonel Aster saw the ground instantly rupture apart, massive ravines carved across the stone floor by the flying slash.
The stone walls of the storage chamber shattered violently.
Yes…
What erupted from Roy's kick was a massive flying blade of wind over five meters long. And that was the last thing Colonel Aster ever saw.
(End of Chapter)