One Piece : Marine of the Straw Hat Pirates

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Ikki's eyes caught sight of the pink-haired Marine, Hina.

Because of her close relationship with Smoker in the original story, Ikki had always found her intriguing.

At this moment, Hina sat warily at her table. She had initially thought this was just a noisy banquet, but after a quick scan of the room, she noticed something unusual—two individuals who definitely didn't belong at a Marine gathering.

Sabo of the Revolutionary Army and Fire Fist Ace, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Her gaze shifted to Smoker, who was casually eating and drinking, seemingly unbothered, while watching Luffy's antics.

"Hey, Smoker, shouldn't you be saying something about this?" Hina asked pointedly.

Smoker glanced at Ace and Sabo before replying, "Now's not the time to worry about them. Don't forget our mission."

"Mission? Since when do you care about missions?" Hina said, exasperated.

She knew Smoker well—too well to believe he'd ignore pirates just because he was on duty.

"People change," Smoker said, puffing on his cigar. "If you keep seeing me with the same old perspective, it just shows... you haven't grown, Hina."

"Hina is very unhappy with that comment," she retorted. "You've definitely changed, Smoker. You've become even more of an idiot! Sitting at the same table with such a noisy crowd—unbelievable!"

With that, she raised her wine glass and took an elegant sip.

It was then that she noticed Ikki looking at her.

Ikki smiled in response, which prompted Hina to turn back to Smoker and ask, "Who's the captain and vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates?"

Smoker didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pointed at Luffy, who was now standing on a table, and at Ikki, who was still watching them.

When she understood his gesture, Hina stood and approached Ikki. She extended her hand and introduced herself, "I'm Captain Hina of Marine Headquarters. Are you Luffy, the captain of the so-called private Marine Straw Hats?"

Ikki waved his hand dismissively and pointed at Luffy. "I'm the vice-captain, Ikki. He's Luffy."

Hina blinked, speechless as her eyes fell on Luffy, who was being carried on Chopper's back with Conan perched on his head.

She resisted the urge to say, 'This idiot is the captain? Are you kidding me?'

As if sensing her thoughts, Ikki smiled. "He's the captain, for real. Don't let his antics fool you—Luffy's a reliable leader when it matters."

Hina sighed internally. She supposed she couldn't expect much from pirates, even ones Garp seemed to favor. She vividly remembered Garp's teasing whenever they crossed paths:

"Hey! Little Hina, still single? Want me to set you up with my grandson? He's a real catch! Bwahahaha!"

Thinking of Garp's eccentricity, Hina found herself less surprised by the Straw Hats' peculiar nature. Still, her objective was clear: capture Crocodile and bring both the captain and vice-captain of these so-called private Marines back to headquarters. That was the mission.

With the lively celebration in full swing, the state banquet in Alabasta eventually came to an end.

The Straw Hats still seemed like they had unfinished business, and Luffy, in his usual carefree manner, announced that the banquet could continue tomorrow.

His reasons?

Tomorrow's banquet was to welcome Conan to the Straw Hats.

The day after tomorrow would celebrate Sabo's resurrection.

The day after that would honor Ace for reuniting with his younger brother, Luffy.

And beyond that? Ace and Sabo's long-awaited reunion as brothers.

In short, the Straw Hats could always come up with endless excuses to throw a party.

King Cobra, as the ruler of Alabasta, had no objections to extending the festivities, but the late arrival, Hina, was far less accommodating.

"Luffy, Ikki, my mission here is to take you back to Marine Headquarters to officially formalize your status as a private Marine force," Hina declared, her tone stern.

"Huh? Wasn't the appointment letter from Vice Admiral Garp enough to make us official?" Ikki asked, pulling out the document Garp had handed them, which listed their names and ranks.

Hina gave the paper a cursory glance and immediately noticed Smoker's and Tashigi's names included in the appointments. Shooting a look at Smoker, she clarified, "The appointment letter from Vice Admiral Garp was an informal acknowledgment, something of his own making. The document I'm talking about is an official appointment directly signed by the Fleet Admiral of the Marines."

Ikki thought about it for a moment before agreeing, seeing no harm in formalizing things.

When Luffy saw Ikki agree, he reluctantly followed suit. His reluctance wasn't due to a lack of interest in Marine Headquarters—on the contrary, he was curious. But the prospect of interrupting the banquet made him hesitate.

Still, Luffy had a certain excitement about visiting Marine Headquarters. After all, when he was young, Garp had constantly boasted to him about how great the Marines were—and how delicious the food in their cafeteria was.

For Luffy, the first stop at Marine Headquarters wouldn't be to see Garp but to head straight for the cafeteria for a feast.

The other Straw Hats were surprised to learn that both their captain and vice-captain were heading to Marine Headquarters.

Zoro immediately volunteered to go along. He was eager to test the strength of the swordsmen stationed at Headquarters, especially since defeating Mr. 1 had recently elevated him into the ranks of true sword masters. Sparring with skilled Marines seemed like the perfect way to solidify his progress.

Sanji, too, initially wanted to go, intrigued by the idea of exploring the Marine kitchens. However, when he found out Nami wasn't planning to go, he gave up on the idea entirely.

Conan, on the other hand, was excited to see how an official organization like the Marines operated in this world.

Seeing that some of his friends wanted to accompany him, Luffy turned to Smoker with a questioning look.

Smoker nodded. "Fine, even if the entire Straw Hat crew wants to come along, I'll allow it."

But Nami immediately declined. She had discovered a treasure trove of Grand Line navigation books in the royal library of Alabasta and wanted to stay behind to absorb as much knowledge as possible.

Chopper also chose to remain, drawn to the extensive collection of medical books in Alabasta.

In the end, the Straw Hats split into two groups. Nami, Chopper, Usopp, Sanji, and Psyduck stayed behind in Alabasta. Meanwhile, Luffy, Ikki, Zoro, and Conan set off for Marine Headquarters.

As Ace and Sabo prepared to leave Alabasta, Ace revealed his plan to depart separately. Though he was reluctant to part with Sabo again so soon, he had unfinished business of his own: tracking down and punishing Blackbeard for his betrayal of the Whitebeard Pirates.

When Ikki heard this, he immediately tried to stop Ace.

But Ace, determined, brushed him off. He was resolved to face Teach alone, regardless of the risks.

Ikki, however, knew that if Ace confronted Teach by himself, he wouldn't be coming back.