"I imagine you have a Marine chasing you?" Alistair asked tentatively, receiving an affirmative response.
Masked Deuce nodded. "That's right. A female Marine named Isuka is relentlessly pursuing us, and she seems to have a thing for Ace."
"Ah, Isuka, is she here?" Ace suddenly sat up from his rice bowl, rice and meat clinging to his face, looking around while clutching his hat.
"No, we just happened to be talking about her." Masked Deuce turned, smiling at the slightly nervous Ace. "Alistair is about to explain the relationship between the Marines and us."
"What?" Ace asked curiously.
"Let's use a simple example." Alistair glanced at Ace; the following words would be profound and unforgettable.
"Marine Vice Admiral, Marine Hero 'Iron Fist' Garp, and Pirate King Roger spent their lives in a love-hate relationship. They were enemies, rivals, friends, and respected each other."
"You should know this best, Garp's grandson." Ace's face changed. He hadn't expected Alistair to know this, but considering he knew who his father was, it wasn't surprising that he knew he was raised by Garp.
"Don't you find it strange that your father, with so many friends, former subordinates, and old comrades, would entrust you and your mother to a Marine? A Marine who had been entangled with him his entire life?"
"They were spiritual friends, ideological enemies, and had unconditional trust in each other's character."
"This is related to a Marine policy."
The gossip about Roger and Marine Hero Garp had everyone's ears perked up, both the Spade Pirates and the nearby Kuja Pirates.
Using them as an example didn't represent universality, but using Gol D. Roger, or other well-known figures, would make them listen attentively, purely out of curiosity.
"Pirate King Roger and Iron Fist Garp are probably the most famous examples of people who grew to this level of strength under the Marines' watchful eyes. Did Garp make Roger, or did Roger make Garp? No one knows for sure, but was this a coincidence?"
"Actually, it wasn't."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Whitebeard, Shiki and Marine Chief of Staff Tsuru. The Marines and pirates always grow together, intertwined by fate."
"After discovering this, the Marines even developed a complete theory to test it."
"First, the Marines are always the victors."
"—Even if they lose, they can escape and regroup. So the Marines have enough resources and time to test this theory."
"Second, powerful pirates always stimulate the Marines' growth."
"Then, they use ordinary cases to experiment."
"They'll lose many Marines, of course, but isn't it natural for Marines to die chasing pirates? This is considered a war loss. But if these Marines don't die, they'll be stimulated by the pirates and grow stronger."
"The final outcome? Of course, after the Marine 'seed' grows stronger, several powerful Marines will jointly suppress that promising pirate and capture him." Alistair smiled slightly, placing a few apples on the table.
This theory was deduced logically by Alistair without evidence, but upon closer examination, it was indeed systematic—Isuka and Ace, Smoker and Luffy, Garp and Roger, Sengoku and Whitebeard... these were all traceable.
If the Marines could easily abandon their posts to chase pirates, the entire Marine force would have long since fallen into chaos.
Like G1-G9 branches, each branch controls a key route or fortress. If each commander abandons their post, the Marines might as well close up shop.
Did Smoker have privileges? Yes. As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user and a Colonel dispatched from Marine Headquarters, he certainly had certain privileges. But abandoning his entire branch to chase the Straw Hats with a ship was absurd.
The higher-ups of the Marines readily agreed, probably because of some reason.
For example, the dejected Smoker suddenly became invigorated, or he was a promising candidate, or having a promising candidate responsible for a very promising pirate crew was a Marine tradition...
These are all plausible explanations.
The reason the Marines weren't afraid of pirates growing stronger was because they had the backing of the organization.
The Marines, with a large, cross-sea organization, could call in higher-ranking officers for help if they couldn't win. Those Rear Admirals with Haki and Life Return would easily defeat pirates who had just entered the Grand Line.
The most classic example was the scene where Caribou, the Swamp-Swamp Fruit user, was knocked down with one punch by Pekoms, one of Big Mom's fighters.
This was probably why the Eleven Supernovas later had to work under the Yonko.
The pressure from the Marines was too great. Wasn't secretly developing under the Yonko more appealing?
Of course, forming an alliance was also an option, but if everyone's strength, reputation, and ruthlessness were similar, would you dare to trust your back to your allies? They would probably crush your pirate crew first, absorbing your crew members.
This is how the overall situation was formed.
The Spade Pirates touched their necks, feeling that the adult world was too treacherous.
"Hey, Ace, are all Marines this insidious?"
"No... probably only the top guys who play with schemes are like that." Thinking of his grandfather's straightforward personality, Ace denied their statement.
Alistair smiled slightly, not correcting him. But in his opinion, the true strategists weren't Sengoku or Tsuru, but Garp, the true Marine Hero!
"So, Isuka is the Marine seed that keeps getting stronger by chasing us?" Mihar frowned, pondering Alistair's words, finding more and more sense in them.
"Who knows? Even if it's an ordinary Marine, the Marines can afford the loss. After all, they have the backing of the entire world, with countless people with a sense of justice wanting to join them."
"Whether they'll be disappointed after seeing the true World Government is another matter." Alistair chuckled.
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