Shortly afterward, the Marine Headquarters, led by Garp himself, launched a fierce crackdown on violent criminal activity in the East Blue. With high-level attention and a determined offensive, they achieved remarkable success.
The special task force successfully rescued Smoker, a Marine officer injured in the line of duty, and apprehended the unidentified armed criminal "Garen" along with his accomplices. This greatly deterred further criminal activity and boosted public morale.
Victims of violent crime—represented by Buggy the Clown—cheered the arrest of Garen's group, while the general public's sense of safety significantly improved.
The suspect "Garen" confessed to the facts of the case, exclaiming:
"I'm really not a pirate!"
"That red-nosed guy over there is!"
Garen's expression was full of emotion as he shouted while surrounded by Marines, their rifles pointed directly at his head.
The soldiers remained silent, their aim unwavering. Following Vice Admiral Garp's direct orders, they simply escorted all the apprehended individuals back to the warship's deck.
Behind Garen, similarly detained at sword- and gunpoint, were his "criminal accomplices" Wallace and Nami.
Nami looked a bit nervous. As she walked cautiously, she clutched three tightly bound treasure chests like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
Wallace, however, remained calm. Not only was he unshaken, but he even took out his camera and started snapping photos of the massive Marine warship ahead.
As a reporter for a major legitimate media outlet, Wallace wasn't afraid of dealing with officials. As long as he presented his credentials later, he was confident the misunderstanding would be cleared up easily. In fact, this rare Marine Headquarters warship appearing in East Blue could become a major scoop for him.
Behind them, also being escorted by the Marines, were Buggy the Clown, Mohji, Cabaji, and the lion Richie.
The Marines had not only fished Smoker out of the sea but had also taken the trouble to retrieve Buggy's severed foot that had fallen into the water.
"Captain Buggy…"
Mohji glanced nervously at the stern and upright rows of Marines surrounding them and whispered,
"What do we do now? We've been arrested by the Navy!"
"So what?"
Cabaji replied casually, revealing his true feelings:
"Getting arrested by the Marines is way better than being cut down by that bounty hunter!"
"We're just small fry from the East Blue. Once we're caught, they'll lock us up for a few years and let us go."
He turned to Buggy and asked offhandedly,
"Right, Captain Buggy?"
But Buggy didn't reply. He kept his head down, as if trying to hide something.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he cautiously glanced back at the old man walking behind him—the Navy hero Garp, someone he was quite familiar with.
Garp, however, wasn't paying much attention to the criminals he had personally apprehended. Laughing heartily, he turned to the soaked and bedraggled Smoker and said,
"Hahaha! Didn't expect your first mission after being stationed in East Blue to end in such a disaster, huh?"
Smoker, completely soaked with seawater, had lost the ever-present cigar from his mouth, now soaked and extinguished. Though his strength had returned, he still looked utterly defeated.
Losing his debut battle in the so-called weakest sea—East Blue—was a blow to the confidence of the proud Marine Headquarters Captain.
"Yeah, I lost."
Smoker didn't try to make excuses, but spoke with a trace of frustration:
"That guy's strength was clearly inferior to mine, but his ability was really strange…"
As he spoke, he habitually reached into his pocket for a fresh cigar—only to find that all his reserves had been completely soaked.
Tossing aside a wet cigar in irritation, Smoker's tone grew more agitated:
"His sword wasn't made of Seastone, so it couldn't hit my logia body."
"But the moment it touched me, my Devil Fruit powers stopped working."
"I don't get it…"
"Haha."
"That young man's abilities are indeed strange," Garp replied casually, patting Smoker on the back.
"But there are many strange things in this world!"
"In the end, you lost because you underestimated your opponent."
"Never look down on any man who sails the seas!"
"Yes, sir."
Smoker nodded, genuinely convinced. His frustration gradually settled.
Unconsciously, he began to view his reassignment to East Blue in a new light.
At that moment, the massive warship's hoist began to lower a wide lift platform down to the sea surface. The group of captured criminals and accompanying Marines finally arrived at the broad deck of the ship.
The soldiers lined up Garen's group and had them wait for questioning. Meanwhile, Garp casually returned to his lounge chair, slouching back into it and munching on senbei crackers with gusto.
While snacking, Garp lazily scanned the "criminals" in front of him. His eyes lingered on Garen for a moment with interest before shifting away, finally landing on the familiar figure of Buggy the Clown—who was desperately trying to shrink into himself and avoid attention.
Buggy shivered, lowering his head even further, but Garp's gaze became more focused, his expression softening with a hint of nostalgia.
During this brief lull, Garen carefully studied the terrifying musclebound old man who had effortlessly taken him down. Based on his overwhelming strength and vaguely familiar face, Garen had a hunch about his identity—
One of the world's top combatants, known as the "Hero of the Marines," Iron Fist Garp.
Running into a top-tier final boss on his first sea voyage… Garen couldn't help but feel how absurd it all was.
As Garen scrutinized Garp, the surrounding Marines began pointing and whispering about him:
"That unknown swordsman from East Blue actually defeated Captain Smoker from Headquarters!"
"A Logia user, and a Headquarters Captain at that?"
Wallace immediately latched onto the shocking detail. His reporter instincts fired up at full throttle:
"Lord Garen actually beat such a powerful Marine officer?"
Marine Headquarters ranks were in a different league. A Marine Captain's strength and authority far exceeded the officers stationed in the four seas by several levels.
If Garen—a newly emerged knight—had managed to defeat such a powerful officer in just a few exchanges, then Wallace's long-prepared feature story 'The Knight of Justice Garen' had just gained some explosive new content.
More exciting material poured in as the Marines continued their heated discussions around him:
"That guy must have Captain-level strength if he could beat Captain Smoker!"
"Pff. You're underestimating Captain Smoker."
Another Marine scoffed.
"Captain Smoker was personally trained by Admiral Zephyr himself! He's no ordinary Marine Captain."
"I'd say that knight has at least elite Commander-level strength!"
Wallace's eyes lit up, his pen scribbling even faster. He edged closer to the soldiers, soaking up their comments like a sponge.
"You're all thinking too small!"
Another Marine chimed in, gesturing with dramatic flair:
"Captain Smoker is a rare Logia Devil Fruit user—even on the Grand Line!"
"He has the same kind of elemental powers as the Admirals!"
"And that knight took him down in three moves. It wasn't until Vice Admiral Garp personally intervened that he was subdued."
"I say he's at least Headquarters Rear Admiral level!"
Vice Admiral Garp?
That old man was the Hero of the Marines?
The legendary Iron Fist Garp had to personally step in to handle Garen?
Wallace was so excited he was nearly hyperventilating, his pen hand trembling with excitement.
He wrote even more furiously, and in between notes, he snapped several more photos of Garp.
Meanwhile, Smoker—listening to the lively discussions of his subordinates—was already fuming. His face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
(End of Chapter)