November 5, 1496, Age of the Sea Circle
Today, the marines came to Pacific Town to conduct an investigation.
They were looking for any woman who might have given birth to the Pirate King's child, or who was still pregnant.
Apparently, the Marines had some information on this, but it wasn't very precise. Therefore, they were conducting an exhaustive global search. No island or town on the world government's radar would be left unchecked. That's how dangerous they considered the Pirate King's offspring.
A single Marine vessel arrived in Pacific Town and conducted a routine, non-aggressive investigation. They had no information that Roger might have been in this town, and there were no pregnant women or women with small babies, so the marines simply withdrew after conducting a few brief, routine interrogations. They still had many islands to check.
Orion sighed in relief when he saw the large vessel moving away from the island. He had already used the new item he had obtained from the system, the mystical fog, to block the entrance to the bay, so this Marine ship could never have entered if he hadn't granted permission through the system interface.
When the notification informing them that a Marine ship had entered the fog, and requesting his decision on whether to grant them permission to pass through it, appeared on the system screen, Orion was tempted to prohibit the Marines from arriving at Pacific Town.
If the marines didn't enter, there wouldn't be any risk to Rouge of being discovered.
However, he ultimately decided that wasn't the best course of action.
The mystical fog wasn't an insurmountable barrier. If the Marines couldn't successfully enter the bay to search the town, they might begin to suspect that something strange was there, which could end up endangering Rouge.
If the fog were completely impenetrable, Orion wouldn't have worried too much; he would simply have sealed the entrance to anyone outside the town, and there wouldn't have been any problem. The problem was that the fog wasn't infallible, and if they sent someone powerful and proficient in Haki, there would be no way to prevent their entry. And suspicion would have already been raised among the Marines, which would then conduct the investigation into Roger's offspring much more strictly.
Finally, his gamble had paid off. The Marines had conducted its investigation without finding anything unusual and had withdrawn to search elsewhere. At least for now, Rouge and her baby were safe.
Now that the Marines had withdrawn, Orion had greater freedom to act.
With the fog covering the entrance to the bay, he wouldn't have to worry about pirate attacks in the area.
After all, the bay was the only safe entrance to the town; if pirates tried to venture in from another part of the island, they would likely be slaughtered by the powerful beasts roaming the gigantic island.
Orion checked the system screen and saw the information on the treasure map he had obtained. If it had been money, Orion wouldn't have risked going out to find it during this tumultuous time in history, but the treasure description on the system screen clearly stated that in addition to money, there was a Devil Fruit in this hidden treasure!
The temptation of a Devil Fruit was too great to pass up. Orion didn't plan to consume it personally, and he didn't know if the system could absorb it as it had with the Toshi Toshi no Mi. However, he believed it was worth securing any Devil Fruit that crossed his path.
After all, fruits represented superpowers! Even if he didn't consume them, he could give them to his subordinates and allies. It was definitely better to have them than not to have them.
Orion prepared his small sailboat, said goodbye to Giolla, entrusting her with the protection of his family and Rouge, and set sail in search of the hidden treasure.
According to the map that appeared on the screen of the new "treasure hunt" feature, the place he needed to go wasn't that far away; he could probably get there and back in about 20 days.
.................
November 9, 1496, Age of the Sea Circle
South Blue, Algaramán Kingdom.
The Marines spent days searching the different villages in this kingdom. Finally, they captured 12 pregnant women and another 25 with newborn babies, intending to take them to the Corimba military base for further interrogation.
King Gorreau III shook hands with Commodore Sebastian, who had conducted the investigation in this kingdom.
"Commodore, thank you for your work. I hope you will accept this small gift as a token of our appreciation," the king said with a smile, and signaled to his subordinates, who immediately brought a large chest and placed it in front of the Marine.
"Your Majesty, I appreciate your intention, but you know I cannot accept valuable gifts," Sebastian said, attempting to decline the king's gift.
The king opened the large chest, revealing its contents, and said with a smile.
"Don't worry, Commodore. These are just some of our traditional clothes and blankets; their value is mostly symbolic. Please accept them."
Inside the large chest were some blankets with beautiful patterns and colorful designs.
"In that case, it would be impolite of me to continue refusing," Sebastian said, and ordered his subordinates to load the large chest onto the Marine vessel.
"My men and I will withdraw now, Your Majesty. Please be careful; there are many pirates in the surrounding area," Sebastian said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
The Marine ship sailed without further ado, and King Gorreau stopped smiling.
"Damn Sebastian, he keeps asking for more and more money to act! Especially since he was promoted to commodore, he has his nose in the air! Doesn't he know he's dealing with a king?!" Gorreau said exasperatedly.
"Your Majesty, don't worry about a person of such low status. He's a mere Marine dog, who has been lucky enough to be able to abuse his power," one of the king's subordinates said in a flattering manner.
Gorreau III calmed down immediately and nodded, agreeing with his subordinate's words.
"It's true, after all, he's still a dog who will do what I tell him as long I throw him a bone.
I hope the pirates I send will do their job this time. Last time things got worse!" said the king, turned around, and began the return trip to the royal palace.
For some time now, a revolution had been brewing in this kingdom.
The tyrannical reign of Gorreau III was unbearable by the common people, who were brutally exploited. For this reason, the people began to organize with the intention of overthrowing their king.
When Gorreau learned of this, he immediately flew into a state of complete rage and wanted to send his army to suppress the common people, so that their stupid ideas of rebellion would end there.
However, his advisors managed to convince him that this would only make the situation worse, provoking a bloody battle, the outcome of which could not be determined in advance.
It was then that the corrupt Marine captain Sebastian offered his help. For a certain sum of money, he promised to send groups of pirates working for him to assist him in eliminating the rebels without the royal army having to lift a finger.
This way, the king would ensure that the people wouldn't resent him, and he could also take advantage of the situation to repel the pirates at the last minute and earn the gratitude of the common people.
It was simply killing two birds with one stone.
However, the pirates Sebastian had sent were trash, and they hadn't even been able to confront the rebels.
As if that weren't enough, after the victory against the pirates, the rebels gained confidence and began to plan the coup more openly.
The situation was rapidly deteriorating in Algaramán, and if nothing was done soon, the rebels would march to the royal palace.
With no other options, Gorreau had to turn again to Sebastian, who was now a commodore, and after a large payment, the Marine assured him that this time he would send a pirate powerful enough to finish the job without a hitch.
The people of this kingdom didn't know it yet, but their king had sentenced them to death. The destruction the pirates would leave in their wake was not something the people of this place could easily recover from in the future, and Gorreau III's position as monarch would be assured for many years to come.
On the Marines' ship, Commodore Sebastian saw the large amount of gold in the chest under the blankets and nodded in agreement with the king's generosity.
He looked at one of his trusted subordinates and said,
"Call "Scarlet Blaze" Blake. It's time for him to get to work. Also, I want the area cleared; no Marines' ships are to approach this island until this matter is completed. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir!" The Marine said, and proceeded to carry out the Commodore's orders.
.................
November 12, 1496, Age of the Sea Circle
The little girl, barely five years old, was helping with the fruit harvest. Her family were simple farmers and had spent their entire lives working in the fields.
She was the youngest of four siblings and the only girl in the family, so she had always been very spoiled and loved.
Her mother, half of whose hair was white due to graying, approached and took the large basket Ina was holding.
"Ina, the sun is very strong today, so go home. You don't need to help with the harvest," her mother said with great affection in her eyes.
Her little daughter was her favorite among her children, although she knew it wasn't right to have favorites, but she couldn't help herself when she looked at the girl's adorable smile.
"No, Mom! I want to help like my brothers do! I can help too. I'm grown up now!" Ina responded indignantly.
Everyone in her house treated her like a princess, but she only wanted to participate in the activities with the rest of her family; otherwise, she felt excluded.
"Ina, I need your help with something. I forgot to feed the chickens at home this morning. Could you do it for me? You'd save me if you could," said her brother, who was also harvesting the small fruits nearby.
"Of course, brother, I'll be right there!" Ina said happily, and ran off in the direction of the dilapidated house where they lived.
Once the little girl disappeared, her mother sighed heavily.
"Living is becoming increasingly difficult in this kingdom. I hope the situation improves soon, and that Ina can have a better future," the woman said bitterly.
"Change won't come if we don't fight for it!" The robust young man said firmly.
"Son… Please don't get involved in anything dangerous. I know you're angry with the king about the taxes, but I have a bad feeling about that group you've joined. What if the king gets angry and decides to eliminate them?"
"Ha! Do you think that coward has enough guts? All he knows how to do is stay in his castle drinking wine and exploiting his subjects!"
Another young man appeared from among the plants of the fruit plantation. It was another of Ina's brothers, Carlo.
"Mom, brother, why are you arguing now?" asked the newly arrived young man.
"It's your brother, who won't stop getting involved with that dangerous group… You know… The rebels," his mother said, lowering her voice.
The young man looked at his mother with a complicated look, sighed, and said:
"Mom, I know you're worried, but there's no turning back now. The king is exploiting us to such an extent that we can barely survive. If we don't do something soon, what kind of future will Ina have?"
Hearing her little daughter's name, the woman's eyes filled with tears.
"But is it really necessary for you to get involved?! Can't you leave it to others to handle it? We've already lost your father to the pirate attack last time, and now I have to sit and wait for news of my own children's deaths?!"
Seeing their mother's agitation, the two brothers lowered their heads and said nothing.
They were part of the rebels planning an attack to overthrow King Gorreau III.
This kingdom was famous for its exquisite wines, and they were simple farmers who worked as slaves on the plantations their entire lives.
It had been this way for generations, and it would have continued if the greed of the new king, Gorreau III, hadn't pushed the people to the limits of what they could bear.
Now there was only one path ahead of them. Rebellion was inevitable.
"It's what Dad would have wanted," Carlo said without raising his head. He didn't want to provoke his mother's emotions too much, but he didn't want to back down either. Like all the young men of the revolution, he was completely committed to the cause.
"You—"
The woman was about to say something, but her words caught in her mouth. In the distance, a column of fire had appeared, and it was consuming the fruit plantations!
The town bells began to ring, and screams filled the air.
"Pirates! Pirates!"
Hearing the desperate cries, the expressions of the woman and her two sons changed completely. Carlo took his mother's hand and said,
"Mom, let's go home and find Ina. Brother, you go find Ben and meet us at the entrance to the town."
The younger brother nodded, while Carlo and his mother ran off in the direction of their house.
The town was small, and it didn't take them long to get there. However, what they saw upon arrival was a sea of fire. All the houses were in the process of being reduced to ashes.
"Ina!" the woman screamed, horrified by the situation, and tried to run toward the fire.
However, her son stopped her.
"Do you want to burn to death?!" Carlo said, exasperated. He, too, was desperate about the situation, but he tried to remain calm.
The fire that had been engulfing the streets disappeared as if by magic, and only the houses remained ablaze.
A group of grim-looking men suddenly appeared.
At the head of the group was a man with an excited expression, as if the scene around him was very pleasurable. At first glance, he looked like a depraved man.
The man saw that several people had come to the village, attracted by the sudden fire, and gave his orders in a voice thick with excitement.
"You know what to do, boys. Kill all the men, capture the women. We'll end this quickly."
The voice echoed throughout the surrounding area, and the peasants showed expressions of horror.
"Mom, go find Ina and flee to the royal castle. You'll be safe behind the walls," Carlo said solemnly.
"No! What are you planning to do? Let's go, don't try to be a hero," the woman said desperately.
"Mom, the chances of escaping are slim. Don't waste time, think of Ina! I'll be fine!" the young man said firmly.
The woman finally obeyed her son and ran off in the direction of her home, while Carlo stayed to confront the group of pirates.
"Captain, the plan is proceeding smoothly. Divisions Two and Three have already razed their assigned villages," said one of the degenerate man's subordinates. He had just received a call through the den den mushi, reporting the situation in other locations within the kingdom.
The "Scarlet Blaze" Blake pirate crew consisted of 26 ships and had more than 3,000 men under their command. It was one of the largest pirate crews in the South Blue.
This time, they had been commissioned by Commodore Sebastian to eliminate the rebellion in this kingdom, but he considered it too much work and simply decided to raze half of the villages in this kingdom.
That way, everything would be simpler. All they had to do was turn any man they saw into ash and capture all the women.
Surely the king would be pleased with that outcome, right?
After all, the rebellion couldn't do anything if it didn't have people.
Carlo, along with other young men from the village, attempted to confront the pirates. But they could only hold out for a few minutes, before ending up as a corpse on the side of the road.
On the other hand, Ina had been reunited with her mother, and they were running at full speed toward the gates of the great capital city. If they managed to take refuge behind its walls, they could survive the pirates' attack.
However, upon reaching the gates, they found a large crowd gathered at the entrance to the city, screaming and crying.
King Gorreau III had given the order to close the city gates, and no one was allowed to enter.
The desperate people begged for mercy, receiving no response from the soldiers guarding the city.
Finally, the group of pirates, led by Blake, appeared on the horizon.
The flames burning on Blake's body, and his depraved gaze as he saw the people huddled against the wall, were things little Ina would never forget. Nor would she forget the king's abandonment, or her mother holding her tightly, while the fire rained down on the innocent people, like an apocalypse.