[OP Marine Officer Luffy] Chapter 561 - 565

Chapter 561: Queen Viola I

Twenty-eight days had passed since Luffy officially entered North Blue.

During these four weeks, he had visited a total of six member states, both large and small, and had been received by each of their royal families. Now, they were on their way to the seventh nation. They were expected to reach their destination by noon today and meet with the renowned royal family of this North Blue kingdom.

However, this morning, Luffy had been so shocked by the contents of the newspaper that he had little interest in thinking about such routine matters.

"What the hell? How did she suddenly become a queen while we're out here on a diplomatic mission? She could have at least told us about this, or waited until we returned," Nami complained loudly, her voice filled with disappointment.

She had never witnessed a royal coronation in her life. The fact that Viola hadn't even invited her to such a momentous event—and that she hadn't received any prior information about it—immediately soured Nami's mood.

Growing increasingly frustrated, she pulled out her transponder snail and called Viola directly to express her dissatisfaction.

While Nami vented her feelings, Vivi also frowned as she examined the newspaper.

Looking at the mature woman featured on the front page, wearing a crown and displaying a bright, charming smile, Vivi couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Her brows furrowed even deeper.

"Is this one of Luffy's... woman?" she asked hesitantly. "She looks quite impressive, but Dressrosa is a fairly average country, nothing special."

Staring at the photo with the eye-catching crown adorning Viola's head, Vivi tried to appear indifferent.

In response, Ain merely smiled.

"Although Dressrosa certainly doesn't match Alabasta in terms of military strength and resources, she has at least ascended to the throne and become a queen. As a princess, you would have to bow when meeting her."

"Bow? To her?!" Vivi looked at Ain with an expression that screamed "are you kidding me" and immediately retorted:

"Why should I? If we're ranking by status, I'm fourth in the family. She's just the eldest sister, and she'd normally let it slide if I forgot to greet her properly. Now she expects me to bow to her? Is that even legally required?"

Looking at the agitated princess, Ain's expression turned mischievous.

"Are you dreaming? It's customary for a princess without sovereign power to formally greet the monarch of an allied nation. Besides, who said that family ranking is based on how long someone has known Luffy?

"Apart from me, the undisputed eldest sister ranked first, everyone's position is determined by actual achievements. Otherwise, do you expect Hancock to bow to you? Aren't you afraid she'd turn you to stone and toss you into the sea?"

At the mention of Hancock's name, Vivi's breathing slowed, and a hint of disbelief appeared in her eyes as she stared at Ain.

Far away in Wano Country, Hancock had no idea she had become a convenient threat used to intimidate newcomers.

"What are you staring at? Did you actually believe that?" Ain asked with exaggerated concern before breaking into unrestrained laughter.

Hearing Ain's undisguised mockery, Vivi suddenly became flustered.

"But... but I... she... how could you do this!"

The young princess was on the verge of a mental breakdown. They had been living together for over a month, yet Ain and Nami had never shared this information with her. Combined with Ain's meaningful smile at this moment, Vivi had every reason to suspect they had withheld details deliberately—just to laugh at her expense.

And Vivi had guessed correctly. Ain had indeed picked up some playful habits. The once mature and reliable eldest sister of the household had begun playing pranks on newcomers.

While Luffy continued to read the newspaper intently, Ain teased Vivi intermittently.

After finishing her call, Nami returned, dropped back into her chair, and reported with a pout:

"That girl said she wanted to give us a surprise, which is why she kept it secret from Hina and the others. Also, she didn't go back just to inherit the throne—she's also fulfilling her promise."

"It's for the reforms, right?" Luffy suddenly put down the newspaper and interjected.

Nami paused briefly before nodding in confirmation.

"It seems Amazon Lily's progress has been impressive. So Viola also wanted to strengthen Dressrosa and prepare for the relocation of the kingdom."

Hearing this, Vivi asked curiously, "Relocation? What's being relocated?"

Without waiting for Nami to answer, Luffy took the initiative to explain:

"That's one of my plans. I'm going to use my abilities to move the entire island where Dressrosa is located to the vicinity of Onigashima."

"What? Where?!"

Chapter 562: The Reform Plan

"Did I hear you correctly? You want to move an island from one place to another? Are you sure it's the island, not just the residents on it?!"

Vivi asked in disbelief. While relocating an entire country's population sounded outrageous, it still seemed far more realistic than moving the actual landmass itself.

To her shock, Luffy nodded with complete seriousness. Yes, he meant the entire island, not just the people living on it.

Vivi was dumbfounded. Though she was a princess of a powerful nation, her worldview still had its limits. It was simply impossible for her to imagine how such a feat could be accomplished by human means.

Yet she didn't doubt Luffy was telling the truth. Rather than assuming he was joking, Vivi chose to trust in his experience and authority as a Marine admiral. If he said it could be done, then he must be capable of doing it.

But how on earth could such a thing be possible? The princess couldn't help but start to daydream, even looking forward to witnessing such an extraordinary event.

Luffy glanced at Vivi, whose thoughts were clearly drifting away. He frowned slightly, handed the newspaper to Ain beside him, and began to analyze systematically:

"Apart from Viola's ascension to the throne and some meaningless gossip, the newspaper only mentioned two other significant developments. First, Dressrosa has implemented military reforms and increased defense spending in an effort to build a more formidable army. Second, Viola plans to gather refugees and displaced people from nearby countries to boost her nation's population."

As Ain listened, she quickly scanned through the newspaper, efficiently filtering out irrelevant information. After finishing, she spread the paper on the table, pointed to a substantial section reporting on refugee initiatives, and commented with a smile:

"The journalist who wrote this report is quite skilled. First, they used celebrity gossip—the topics ordinary people find most interesting—to capture the attention of casual readers. Then, in the latter half, they quietly inserted extensive content promoting Dressrosa's virtues. Through this strategy, news about the kingdom actively recruiting refugees spread without seeming like propaganda. I suspect Viola paid Morgans handsomely to achieve this effect."

Luffy snorted disdainfully. "That bird-man will work for anyone with enough money. This demonstrates the importance of controlling media narratives—without it, maintaining good relations with someone like him becomes impossible, and many of our operations become much more difficult to execute."

Speaking on this topic made Luffy visibly irritated. During recent months, Morgans had fabricated stories about him being the "youngest general in Marine history," and now whenever any disturbance occurred anywhere in the world, the newspaper somehow implicated Luffy as playing a role in it.

It had reached such an extreme that when a king—whom Luffy had never even heard of—was allegedly betrayed by his wife, the newspaper blamed Luffy's "promiscuous lifestyle" for setting a bad example for people worldwide.

Luffy had been so enraged that he made several calls, cursing every member of Morgans' family tree until the publisher finally agreed to run three free promotional pieces for Wano Country.

These complaints weren't simply to express Luffy's personal hatred for Morgans, but rather to highlight the immense influence wielded by the World Economic News. Its reach was so vast that people across the globe had come to label Luffy as "flirtatious."

Throughout their diplomatic journey, several royal families had already expressed willingness to marry their beautiful princesses to him in hopes of forming political alliances. The more aggressive ones had even sent various beauties to his room in the middle of the night.

Luffy had been so frustrated that he'd resorted to sharing a bed with Ain—a move that quickly dispelled such unwelcome advances.

"Morgans may be annoying," Nami interjected, "but he delivers results when properly compensated. I believe that with this newspaper publicity, large numbers of impoverished people and refugees will soon begin voluntarily migrating to Dressrosa. The kingdom will likely send representatives to assist in this process, trying to welcome as many new residents as possible before the relocation occurs."

As Nami elaborated on Viola's strategy, Vivi emerged from her daydream and listened attentively, learning from others' experiences. She was determined to absorb these lessons so that when her time came to rule, she would be prepared to govern effectively.

"What about the military reforms?" Vivi asked, blinking her large, expressive eyes. "I remember that Dressrosa's population was only around 100,000. How is she going to transform their military with so few people? Is reform even necessary for a country that size?"

Her innocent question contained enough dismissiveness to drive Viola mad if she'd been present to hear it.

Chapter 563: Alabasta's Future Development

"Hey, hey, don't be so arrogant! Do you think every kingdom is like Alabasta? In this world, small nations like Dressrosa are actually the norm. Among the more than 170 member states of the World Government, Dressrosa ranks in the upper-middle tier of power!"

Nami couldn't tolerate Vivi's condescension and called her out on it irritably.

After hearing this, Vivi first blinked with feigned innocence, then covered her mouth in mock surprise and replied:

"Eh? That's considered a powerful country? Then what does that make Alabasta—a super super super powerful country?"

Nami's expression darkened completely, the corners of her mouth twitching with annoyance.

Ain rested her chin on her hand and shook her head helplessly. "She's still a child after all. I hope she can show more restraint when she eventually meets Viola, otherwise..."

Luffy also found Vivi's pretentiousness grating and couldn't help but criticize her:

"Listen, don't be so prideful. Yes, Dressrosa may be smaller with fewer citizens, but they have an excellent environment and valuable resources. Combined with their unique, free-spirited culture, they attract countless tourists every year. Economically speaking, under similar circumstances, they completely outperform Alabasta."

At the mention of economics, Vivi's haughty demeanor instantly deflated. She pouted her lips in disappointment and grumbled:

"What can we do? Alabasta's conditions are what they are. Even if we want to develop our economy, we're limited by our environment."

"That's exactly why you shouldn't be so proud," Luffy replied. "Alabasta's potential is unquestionable, but if you want to look down on others, you'd better wait until you've solved your nation's water shortage problem."

Having said that, Luffy paused and glanced at Nami. Noticing his gaze, she returned a questioning look.

"Nami, remember before we left, I promised King Cobra we'd help solve Alabasta's water shortage issue?"

Nami nodded with slight confusion. "I remember. What about it?"

"Do you think it would be possible to create a device that could store your rain clouds and release them when needed to create artificial rainfall?"

"I'm not sure... but it should be possible," Nami replied thoughtfully.

Her answer instantly brightened Vivi's eyes. The princess quickly grabbed Nami's hand, looking at her with such hope and admiration that she seemed ready to kneel down and worship her as a savior.

Being stared at so intensely by those bright, expectant eyes, Nami couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. She instinctively tried to withdraw her hand from Vivi's grip, but the princess held on too tightly, and several attempts to free herself proved futile.

"L-look," Nami stammered, "it's no use looking at me like that. I'm not a scientist—at best I could only collaborate on the research. I can't guarantee it will work."

Despite her disclaimer, Vivi's expression remained hopeful. Whether it was Luffy's assurance or Nami's impressive weather-controlling abilities, both gave the princess reason to believe that Alabasta's greatest challenge could be overcome.

Seeing that Vivi wasn't going to let go, Nami resigned herself and changed the subject to Dressrosa's military reforms.

"If Dressrosa wants to strengthen its military, they obviously can't rely on sheer numbers like Alabasta does. So, invoking her authority as Queen, Viola has requested that the G66 branch send a team of instructors. Led by Hina, they plan to implement Marine Headquarters training methods to build an elite fighting force."

"Marine Headquarters?" Vivi pinched her chin thoughtfully.

She had been traveling with Luffy for a month and had observed the military discipline and capabilities of the sailors on his ship. Although these Marines belonged to the G66 branch, most had received formal training from Marine Headquarters. Their strength and military discipline far surpassed those of ordinary branches, and the gap between them and Alabasta's Royal Army was substantial.

After hearing about Viola's initiative, Vivi couldn't help but consider similar possibilities for her own kingdom.

"Well, if Alabasta also wanted to request Marine assistance in training our army, would that be possible?"

Hearing the princess's question, Luffy and Ain exchanged glances. Ain frowned slightly, nodded, then shook her head.

"Of course it's possible, but you would need to apply directly to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. The G66 branch is too far from Alabasta, and it would be impractical for them to travel such a distance just to train your troops."

"But it's not entirely out of the question," Luffy added as soon as Ain finished speaking. "When we return, we could bring some people from Alabasta to train at G66. After they've mastered the techniques, they can go back and teach others. The effect would be essentially the same."

Chapter 564: A Past Better Left Forgotten

Viola's sudden ascension to the throne had truly given Luffy and his companions a significant surprise.

Afterward, Viola had called personally to explain her motives. Although she claimed it was all for Luffy's sake—to help share his burdens—Luffy wasn't foolish enough to believe her transparent excuse. Nevertheless, he didn't particularly mind her decision.

Long before their current journey, King Riku had revealed his intention to abdicate. It was merely a matter of timing, so Luffy simply advised Viola to be careful and offered some words of encouragement. The new queen had hung up the transponder snail with evident happiness.

After this series of events, midday had arrived. According to their predetermined schedule, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they were about to reach their next destination—the seventh nation they would visit in North Blue.

Having traveled to more than a dozen countries since departing from Marine Headquarters, the Marines accompanying them should have grown accustomed to these diplomatic visits. For the most part, this was true.

However, there was one person who displayed obvious anxiety and unease at this particular moment.

Inside the ship, most of the Marines had already assembled in formation, prepared to accompany Luffy for the royal welcome. At the front of the formation stood Zoro and Sanji, both recently promoted to Major at headquarters, along with Usopp, who held the rank of Captain.

As some of the highest-ranking officers aboard besides Luffy and Ain, they were all qualified to attend the royal banquets with Luffy. Logically, having seen much of the world by now, they shouldn't appear particularly tense about another diplomatic function.

Yet among the three, Sanji alone leaned against the wall, chain-smoking one cigarette after another without pause. Observing his demeanor, anyone with basic perception could guess that something was troubling him deeply.

"Hey, Sanji, what's going on with you?" Usopp asked directly. "You've seemed on edge ever since we entered North Blue. Today you've been distracted all day—are you feeling sick?"

Even Zoro, who typically maintained a contentious relationship with Sanji, paused his meditation with closed eyes to glance surreptitiously at his rival, clearly noting his unusual behavior.

Logically, Sanji shouldn't keep secrets from Usopp, who had journeyed with him from East Blue and had become practically inseparable. Yet regardless of how close their friendship had grown, Sanji couldn't bring himself to vocalize the painful history he had buried for years, nor did he know how to explain it to them.

The conversation between the three officers attracted the attention of the assembled Marines. Seeing Captain Sanji visibly troubled, the squad members in the front rows exchanged curious glances. Those standing further back perked up their ears, sensing that something significant was unfolding.

Ignoring his nosy subordinates, Sanji lit another cigarette and took a deep drag. He gazed at the ceiling for a long moment before speaking slowly in a somber voice:

"I should have mentioned before that I'm actually from North Blue. When I was very young, I only wanted to become a chef."

Usopp nodded. "I know that—I saw it when you joined the Marines and filled out your personnel file. I was quite surprised at the time."

As he spoke, his puzzlement only grew. "But what does that have to do with your current mood? Are you perhaps too emotional about returning to your homeland?"

Sanji responded to Usopp's guess with a disdainful snort. Turning toward the window to gaze at the sparkling sea outside, his expression darkened, and a flash of pain crossed his eyes.

"Stop joking. If I had my way, I'd rather never return here for the rest of my life—especially not to that particular kingdom or to face that bastard!"

His words caused both Usopp and Zoro to frown with concern.

The nearby Marines immediately perked up, sensing that significant revelations were imminent. They concentrated intently, listening carefully to every word.

Before Usopp could press further, footsteps suddenly sounded behind the group. Simultaneously, a familiar voice reached Sanji's ears.

"Yet you decided to come anyway, didn't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have agreed when I first asked if you wanted to join this mission."

Hearing the voice, everyone turned quickly. Several eavesdropping Marines startled visibly, immediately straightening their posture to attention.

"Boss!"

"Admiral!"

"Commander!"

Amid these varied greetings, Luffy, Ain, Nami, and Vivi walked through the formation and approached the front of the group.

Chapter 565: Sora, Warrior of the Sea

Sanji turned to face the newcomers as Luffy approached him. For some reason, Sanji suddenly felt as though his long-kept secret had been exposed.

"Luffy, are you..."

Before he could finish, Luffy nodded in confirmation.

"I've known for a long time. Don't forget that you joined the Marines. You must be aware of how thorough the Marines' intelligence system is. Not to mention your features are rather... distinctive."

Sanji subconsciously raised his hand to touch his curly eyebrow. Indeed, he had overlooked this obvious detail.

The main reason was that he had lived too comfortably in recent years, selectively forgetting his childhood. If he hadn't accompanied Luffy to North Blue, those memories might have gradually faded as time passed.

Seeing Sanji fall silent after Luffy's remarks, Usopp's curiosity only intensified.

"What are you two talking about? Can't you just explain what's going on?"

Luffy glanced at Sanji upon hearing this. Seeing that the cook had no intention of either explaining or stopping him, Luffy decided to speak on his behalf.

"It's nothing complicated. The country we're about to visit—the Germa Kingdom—is Sanji's homeland. The ruler of this nation, Vinsmoke Judge, is Sanji's father."

"....WHAT?!!!"

At this revelation, not only did Usopp react with shock, but Ain and Nami—who were learning this information for the first time—along with the eavesdropping Marines, all exclaimed in surprise.

Vivi also cast a curious, questioning look at Sanji. She was puzzled why someone who was a prince would join the Marines and become Luffy's subordinate.

Zoro maintained his frown as he studied Sanji, sensing that the situation was more complex than it appeared.

Sure enough, before the collective surprise had subsided, Sanji vehemently retorted:

"That man is NOT my father. There is no relationship between us anymore!"

Sanji clenched his fists, trembling with anger.

"That man doesn't deserve to be called a father. In his eyes, I was just a disgrace to the Vinsmoke family. And to me—I'm not a prince. I'm just an ordinary chef, nothing more."

After this outburst, Sanji lowered his head again and lit another cigarette, no longer willing to elaborate further on the subject.

Although no one understood why he harbored such hostility toward his family and father, they recognized this wasn't the time to press for details.

Seeing Sanji's distress, Luffy refrained from further comment. He simply placed a supportive hand on Sanji's shoulder and added gently:

"Besides being a chef, you're also an excellent soldier under my command and a qualified officer in the Marines."

With that, Luffy had no intention of pushing the matter further and simply walked toward the hatch.

Usopp stammered a few times, but lacking insight into Sanji's family situation, he didn't know how to offer comfort.

Zoro was even more direct—after determining these were merely personal matters, he simply closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.

For a moment, silence enveloped Sanji. This brief respite gave him space to calm his thoughts and regain his composure.

Just then, from the corner of his eye, Sanji noticed a hand extending toward him, holding what appeared to be an old comic book.

Looking at the title, Sanji read it aloud instinctively:

"Sora, Warrior of the Sea?"

Bill—the owner of the comic, Sanji's deputy since joining the Marines, and the assistant chef of the G66 branch—grinned and nodded with excitement.

"Yes, Captain! I never imagined we'd be from the same homeland. For a fan like me, would you mind giving me your autograph?"

A massive question mark appeared above Sanji's head. Having left North Blue at a very young age, he had never read this apparently famous comic book despite being a native of the region.

Faced with Bill's unexpected request, Sanji appeared utterly confused.

Instinctively, he opened the comic and flipped through a few pages. As he did so, his expression predictably darkened.

Meanwhile, the clueless Bill continued grinning broadly.

"Hehehe, I never would have guessed that you, Captain, are actually a member of the evil Germa 66! Even though I've been a devoted fan of Sora since childhood, getting the signature of a genuine Germa 66 warrior is quite an honor. I'm just curious—are you Sparking Red or Electric Blue? You definitely can't be Poison Pink, hahaha~"

Sanji: ...