"Regarding the specific situation of this chaotic sea region, before Vice Admiral Gumir arrives, allow me to explain it to you, Rear Admiral Rorschach."
Vice Admiral Kadar, whose wounds had been urgently treated by Law using the power of the Ope-Ope Fruit, staggered over unsteadily.
"Vice Admiral Kadar, you should rest. Your injuries are too severe. Although Law's ability can stop the bleeding and close the wounds quickly, you've lost too much blood and your strength is greatly depleted. There's no need to rush regarding the pirates. Since we're already here, we'll definitely take care of the problem."
Rorschach quickly waved his hand. As he looked at the ordinary-looking naval officer in front of him—who didn't exude the usual authority of a rear admiral—his gaze held a trace of admiration.
In Rorschach's view, Kadar's personal strength might not be particularly outstanding.
But the way he fought desperately against the pirates, even after his abdomen was sliced open and his intestines were nearly spilling out, was incredibly brave. That left a deep impression on Rorschach.
This was a fearless and courageous Navy warrior, deserving of the utmost respect.
"Thank you for your concern, Rear Admiral Rorschach, but such minor wounds won't kill me."
Kadar forced a smile, glanced at Law, who was still busy inside the hemispherical surgical space, then looked down at his own abdomen—now with no visible wounds—and couldn't help but sigh in genuine amazement. "Lieutenant Commander Trafalgar's medical skills are truly remarkable. What a miraculous ability."
"His ability isn't that exaggerated. He just temporarily closed the wound using his powers. You mustn't exert yourself, or the wound could reopen easily."
Rorschach couldn't help but offer a reminder.
Kadar nodded, then pointed at the burning wreckage of the ships still floating on the sea. "Rear Admiral Rorschach, you must be puzzled—why is the G2 Marine Branch so incompetent? A navy base stationed to control a region can't even manage the pirate infestation, and even such outrageous things as pirates openly attacking marines are happening."
"I'm not that superficial," Rorschach shook his head. "Every marine branch faces different circumstances. Without knowing the specifics, I wouldn't jump to conclusions. What I don't understand is—if even Vice Admiral Gumir knows how bad the situation is in this chaotic sea, why hasn't he requested reinforcements from HQ?"
The "Chaotic Sea" is the name for the waters surrounding the G2 Marine Branch.
It refers to a sea area with the most chaotic ocean currents in Paradise, the most disorderly mix of pirate factions, and the most turbulent weather.
"Because inside the Chaotic Sea, there are too many intertwined factions. Shichibukai, war mercenaries, private armies of nobles, assassins, bounty hunters, and even..."
Kadar's eyes showed a trace of complexity, as if he was hesitating. But after another glance at Rorschach, he decided to speak.
"...even slave-catching ships affiliated with the World Government."
"Slave-catching ships of the World Government?" Rorschach immediately frowned.
"Although they don't fly the World Government's flag, their true identity is indeed that of slave-hunting squads tasked with capturing slaves of various races for the World Nobles. This has even been explicitly communicated to us at G2—that we must not mistakenly harm our own people. Sometimes, those disgusting bastards even ask us to help them catch slaves, but Vice Admiral Gumir refused."
Kadar's face was full of indignation, mixed with frustration and helplessness.
The Shichibukai are publicly acknowledged allies of the World Government, granted legal plundering rights on the sea.
The pirate forces under them can do whatever they want at sea, as long as they don't openly challenge the authority of the higher-ups.
The Navy, moreover, is strictly forbidden from interfering with any of the Shichibukai's activities.
For forces like war mercenaries and noble private armies—large troops that can number in the thousands and often have ties to certain member nations—when they cause trouble in the Chaotic Sea, the Navy finds it hard to intervene.
If the Navy does take action, those member nations behind them will go complain to the higher-ups and turn the tables on us.
In this chaotic, lawless era of pirates, everything may be in short supply—except war.
And wherever there's war, there's no shortage of arms smuggling and mercenaries.
The Germa Army, famous in the North Blue, is the world-renowned number one war profiteer.
People like them are already difficult enough for the G2 Marines to handle.
And those slave-catching ships secretly dispatched by the World Government? Even harder to deal with.
Adding to that, all these large and small factions are often interconnected and intertwined, forming a massive web of vested interests.
Sometimes, it might look like the Navy only took down a small pirate crew with a bounty of a few million, but what gets pulled out behind the scenes is either a Shichibukai or some official-backed force.
Because of all this, even someone like Vice Admiral Gumir—an esteemed Navy headquarters officer managing a major base in Paradise—finds himself in such a dire situation.
"So what's the deal with that fish-man pirate crew? How did they dare to deceive you outright and then launch an attack? Don't tell me their backer was Jinbei?"
Rorschach asked, pointing at the corpse of the turtle-like fish-man whose head he had crushed.
"I don't know whether Danvers and his group are under Jinbei the Sea Knight or not. But in most cases, fish-man pirate crews that appear on the seas are usually slave traders catching their own kind.
Heh, it's ironic, really. Fish-men usually live deep underwater, so it's extremely hard for humans to catch them. But if it's their own kind doing the hunting, it becomes much easier.
As for why they've grown so crazed lately, it's because our branch has recently increased its efforts to crack down on crime in the Chaotic Sea."
"The order was given by Vice Admiral Gumir. We don't know the exact reason. Maybe it's precisely because we've started tightening control over this region that these pirates are getting upset. After all, the environment pirates love most is chaos without order."
Rorschach fell silent for a moment.
From what Kadar had said, he realized something: sometimes, even if you have sufficient strength, that doesn't mean you can reshape your environment at will.
If you want to clean up this chaotic sea without any hesitation, you would need to ignore the Shichibukai, the member nations, and even the World Government itself.
But can you?
In a situation this tangled and complex, it's not just that Vice Admiral Gumir is powerless.
Even if Sengoku himself were here, he might not be able to do much better.
Rorschach and the others waited on their battered, barely floating warship for over an hour before five Navy warships, personally led by Vice Admiral Gumir, hurried over under the cover of night.
When Gumir saw the battle-ravaged ship and the rows of corpses lined up on the deck, an indescribable fury surged in him. The face of the seasoned Navy veteran, now over fifty, flushed red with rage.
"Those damn pirates! I'll make them pay!"
Despite his round belly and kindly appearance, Gumir was now seething with righteous indignation.
He looked at Rorschach and said, "Rear Admiral Rorschach, this time, I ask you to assist our G2 branch in thoroughly cleansing the chaos from the Chaotic Sea. Especially Magic Valley Town—that seemingly insignificant speck of land is the convergence point of all the most tangled and disorderly forces in this region. Now that you're here, Rear Admiral Rorschach, we'll begin the purge in a couple of days!"
"No problem. I'll follow your lead, Vice Admiral Gumir." Rorschach raised his hand in a salute.
"No! This operation will be under your full command, Rear Admiral Rorschach. Every soldier in the G2 branch will follow your orders."
(End of Chapter)
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