Grand Line, on the route to Alabasta.
A rchant ship traveling between major nations in the first half of the Grand Line was currently sailing steadily along this route.
Ever since the mass purge on Sabaody Archipelago, the smuggling trade had been largely eradicated.
As a result, legitimate guilds and rchant associations began organizing manpower and ard forces to seize the markets previously dominated by smugglers.
After the ergence of the Cross Guild, the World Governnt officials who had once colluded with smugglers and frequently accepted bribes from them gradually disappeared.
At least in the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line, without the suppression by World Governnt officials or the price manipulation by smugglers, comrce flourished at an astonishing pace.
Initially, the ruthless pirates thought these rchant ships were easy prey.
But these vessels were typically well-ard, often with multiple ships traveling together.
Every crew mber carried weapons.
The outco was that major pirate crews had no interest in such ships, while smaller crews lacked the strength to take them down.
So rchant associations even hired highly skilled guards who would, in a twist of fate, capture bounty-bearing pirates along the way.
It was a complete reversal—rchant ships robbing pirates instead!
For a ti, weaker pirates began avoiding rchant ships altogether, fearing they'd be captured like cargo and handed over to the nearest marine branch.
On this particular rchant ship, a woman with peach-colored hair leaned against the railing, elbows propped, idly watching the water part beneath the ship's hull.
"Hey, Bellere, so this is where you've been?" The ship's manager, a robust woman in her thirties, approached. "You're really slacking off, huh? Nami and Nojiko have been staying in their room this whole ti."
"Ugh, Sister Sohan, I never knew raising kids could be this exhausting…" Bellere sighed, stretching her arms.
"I'm only twenty-one and I never even got married or had kids—just beca a mom overnight… Well, not exactly pain-free, considering the injuries I got on the battlefield… You know how bad it was, right?"
Sohan, the ship's manager whom Bellere called "Sister," let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
A year ago, before the rchant association assigned her ship to the Grand Line, they had been operating in the Four Seas.
Back then, in the East Blue, they had passed by the Kingdom of Oykot, which was embroiled in a fierce battle with pirates.
That was when Sohan had found Bellere.
At first, she hadn't planned to intervene.
But upon closer inspection, she noticed Bellere's tattered clothes were a marine uniform and beneath the gri-covered coat were two small children.
So, she took Bellere aboard.
Under Sohan's careful nursing, Bellere's injuries gradually healed.
To repay Sohan, Bellere chose not to return to the Marines and instead beca a security officer for the rchant ship.
After all, she had once been soone who could earn a coat and cape in a Marine branch—at the very least, a branch captain—making her stand out like a crane among chickens among the ship's security personnel.
"Honestly even now, I think you should have gone back to the Marines" Sohan said with regret.
"Given your military rits at the ti, you could've been transferred to Loguetown or even sent directly to Marine Headquarters for training!"
As a core elite of a major trading company, Sohan had deep knowledge of various factions.
And in her opinion, the latter was even the more likely outco.
"You're wasting a brilliant future, you know. The gap between Marine Headquarters and a rchant ship's security captain isn't small."
"Ahaha, Big Sis Sohan, you make it sound so serious" Bellere laughed, her face showing no trace of regret. "If I really had gone to Headquarters for training, who would've taken care of Nojiko and Nami? At least your company's pay is way better than the Marines'. Raising two kids isn't cheap, you know."
Hearing this, Sohan could only sigh.
Bellere…
If only the regret in her eyes wasn't so obvious when she said things like that.
"Alright, break ti's over! Ti to go back to the hell of parenting!"
Bellere turned to head back into the ship's cabin.
However, the next mont, several cannonballs struck the deck, smashing straight through it, followed by a violent tremor!
"Big Sis Sohan! We're under attack!"
"No explosions! They're solid shots—pirates aiming for the cargo!"
Sohan barely steadied herself amids the shaking when Bellere's voice reached her.
"Didn't they say this route to Alabasta had especially few pirates!?"
"Few doesn't an none!" Bellere rushed forward, supporting Sohan. "Enough talk! You go take care of Nami and Nojiko in the cabin. Leave the rest to !"
"Got it! Be careful!" Sohan didn't hesitate.
Though she looked strong, she cant fight at all.
"Focus on defense! We're already close to Alabasta! I heard they loosened restrictions a couple of years ago and allowed the Marines to set up a branch there! At this distance, they should notice and co to help!"
With that, she hunched over and dashed towards the cabin—only to trip over her own feet in a spectacular display, tumbling straight inside.
Bellere shook her head with a wry smile.
Such a strong body paired with the worst coordination…
Was this contrast really not just for codic effect?
But jokes aside, she didn't hesitate for a second, sprinting towards the security room where the weapons were stored.
"Bellere, boss!"
"Everyone, arm yourselves! The bombardnt's stopped! They'll close in and board soon!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Though young, Bellere commanded great respect on the rchant ship.
Even the burliest n followed her orders without question.
"This is our first attack in the Grand Line! Stay sharp!"
"After all… this isn't the Four Seas."
For those living in the four seas, the Grand Line had always been a source of fear.
After all, just the dangers of Reverse Mountain alone were enough to leave a lasting impression.
After giving her instructions, Bellere rushed out of the security room with everyone else.
But...
There were no enemies in sight.
Instead, a winged figure descended from the sky.
And the uniform he wore was...
A Marine uniform!?
"Hello, I'm Michael, the commander of the Alabasta Marine branch."
"The raiders have been subdued by our forces. Is anyone injured?"
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