One Piece: Lost in the Tutorial #57

Standing tall on the bow of his ship, Vice Admiral Onigumo's eyes were fixed on the islet ahead, his expression inscrutable to his subordinates. With a stern countenance and perpetual frown, he exuded an aura of authority. 

His unkempt hair swayed in the wind, partially concealed by his ancient helmet as he lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around him in the sea breeze.

"Something's amiss... the marine base should be more active," he muttered to himself, observing the lack of activity on the small islet as his ship approached with only a handful of marine soldiers awaiting their arrival. 

Resting his hand on his saber, Onigumo made his way to the docks as the sailors began to anchor the ship.

Surveying the soldiers who greeted them, he identified their leader—a tall, muscular young man adorned in the uniform of an ensign carrying a small wooden chest—and approached him with purpose. 

The young man saluted stiffly upon seeing Onigumo's deliberate approach. "Welcome to the 66th Marine Branch, sir!" he greeted, attempting to maintain composure. "Are you the vice admiral sent to resupply the base?" he inquired, though his demeanor betrayed an undercurrent of tension.

Onigumo nodded curtly, his stern gaze fixed on the ensign before him. "That would be me... and you are?" he questioned, his voice laced with authority, his eyes scrutinizing the sparse surroundings. 

"More importantly, why do I only see a handful of you, and where is the commodore presiding over the base?" His tone brooked no room for ambiguity, demanding immediate answers.

The marine ensign in question shifted uneasily under Onigumo's penetrating stare. "I was recently promoted to the rank of ensign. I was left in charge of the base," he began tentatively, embodying the role of a new recruit. 

Meanwhile, Blake's crewmates, disguised as marines, strategically positioned themselves around the docks, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"We received a call for aid from Lvneel Kingdom, and so the commodore took most of our men and set off yesterday," he explained, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness.

Onigumo's frown deepened at the revelation. "And why was I not notified of this?" he demanded, his tone chillingly austere. "In the first place, what kind of marine commander leaves the base he's been charged with unprotected?" His words dripped with disdain, his displeasure palpable. 

Blake nervously shook his head, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple as he presented the small chest under his arm to the vice admiral. "I'm not sure I understand it myself, but the commodore said to give you this upon your arrival," he explained, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "He said you'd understand everything once you see what's inside."

Onigumo grunted in annoyance, his eyes narrowing as he snatched the chest from Blake's hand. "What nonsense is this? You better hope, for your sake and the commodore's, that whatever's inside explains everything or this entire base will feel my wrath," he warned, his tone icy.

With a tense pause, Onigumo reached toward the lid to open it, but as he did, he froze at the sight before him. Resting inside the chest was none other than the head of the commodore, gagged and slowly blinking at Onigumo. 

Shock and horror washed over the vice admiral. "What in the--" he began in alarm, but his words were abruptly cut off by a dagger stabbing into his gut.

Though the vice admiral's observation Haki didn't warn him about the dagger, it alerted him about the next attack. Reacting swiftly, Onigumo let go of the chest and jumped back as Blake attempted to wrap a sea stone shackle around his wrist.

The vice admiral watched in disbelief as all nervousness vanished from Blake's face, replaced by an amused grin as he twirled the sea stone shackles in his hand. 

"I guess it's only natural for you to know Observation Haki..." Blake muttered with a hint of sarcasm, noting Onigumo's astuteness. "Please don't tell me you know Armament-- of course you do," he added, sighing halfway through, as the vice admiral drew his saber, a black hue engulfing its blade. 

With his free hand, the vice admiral pried the dagger away from his gut and growled at Blake. "Who are you? What happened to the marines of this base?" he demanded angrily.

Blake shrugged nonchalantly. "The name's Blake Thorne. I'm just your run-of-the-mill pirate," he stated with a grin, his demeanor surprisingly calm despite the tense situation. "As for the marines of this base, they're all tied up and sleeping inside their very own prison cells," he added, gesturing toward the main building.

Onigumo's eyes narrowed. "So, you're the one I've been warned about—a pirate foolish enough to target my ship..." he spat out, his tone dripping with contempt. 

"We had two ships accompany us from Notice and even scoured the entirety of Minion Island looking for you... not that any of that was necessary," he added with a scoff. "In the end, you got cold feet and didn't show," he concluded, derisively spitting on the ground.

Blake's smile remained nonchalant as he shrugged. "A wise man chooses his fights carefully. A battle at sea would have proven disastrous for our ship..." he stated. "And so here we are," he added, spreading his arms apart to emphasize the point.

Onigumo allowed a small mocking grin to form on his face. "It's amusing that you think you stand a chance against me, even after that pathetic sneak attack," he said calmly. "Speaking of your ship, I don't see it or any other at the docks," he added, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Blake met his gaze with a confident smirk. "Oh, it's close by. As for the marine ships, they're even closer... they're lying in pieces under the docks, but I wouldn't worry about that if I were you..." he replied, gesturing to the chaos his crew was causing. 

"You have bigger problems right now..." he added, watching Law and the others swiftly and efficiently dealing with Onigumo's subordinates, leaving the vice admiral with no immediate support.

Onigumo's confidence remained unshaken. "You certainly know how to talk big, brat," he said, three pairs of arachnid black arms sprouting from his back, each brandishing a saber hidden under his coat. "Let's see if your sword is as sharp as your mouth." He charged at Blake, each of his eight swords covered in a layer of Armament Haki.

Blake spread his arms in anticipation, his grin unwavering. "I was hoping to keep talking a bit longer, let you lose a bit more blood, but I guess you're not as dumb as you look," he declared, staying motionless even as Onigumo closed the distance. 

"And so we will fight... though it won't be a fair one," he added, still smiling as Onigumo swung down all eight of his swords.

At the very last fraction of a second, a translucent dome engulfed the area, and Blake vanished instantly, replaced by a cannonball. Onigumo couldn't halt the momentum of his swords, and instead of flesh, they cut through steel, splitting the cannonball in half. 

Leaving the vice admiral no time to do anything other than cross his swords in front of his body for protection, the two halves exploded, sending him flying back.

Onigumo crashed into the ground, dazed but quickly recovering. He looked up to see Blake standing a few feet away, unharmed and still grinning. "You see, Vice Admiral," Blake began, "pirates don't like to fight fair... we outnumber the opponent and fight dirty."

Onigumo growled, getting back on his feet. "You're going to regret that, pirate," he snarled, his eyes burning with fury. 

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Blake chuckled ready for the next round as Law situated himself behind him, arm extended and ready to summon the powers of his Ope-Ope devil fruit powers at a moment's notice.