Waters Outside Moshla Island

The ringing of the Transponder Snail snapped Warrant Officer Pagano out of his slumber. He blinked in confusion and brushed his long hair away from his face before picking it up. "Captain Garp! Captain Tsuru! We've received word from our spy on Moshla Island that the great Raj Forests were just set on fire!" He said, relaying the message from the Snail.

"Thank you, Pagano. Dammit, we're too late," Tsuru said, squinting into the horizon. Moshla Island was barely visible in the distance.

"Hmm, what's the problem?" Garp asked, looking up from his steak. His dark skin shone in the sun and his cropped salt-and-pepper hair revealed the glistening seat on his forehead from the sweltering heat.

"The West Chai Pirates have already been plundering Moshla for a week. Who knows how many citizens they've hurt? And now they're destroying the island's most sacred forest! There's a reason that Marine HQ sent two Captains to handle this situation!"

Garp peered at the island through his spyglass. "Oh, you're right. We should get there quickly." He went back to eating his steak.

"That's all you have to say? Take your job more seriously!" Tsuru punched Garp, knocking the food out of his hands.

"Ow! It'll be okay, Tsuru-chan, I doubt the fire is that bad. If you're so worried, I'll go on ahead and do some recon. Pagano, come with me!"

"Huh, okay," the warrant officer said.

"Don't make such rash decisions! How exactly do you plan on going ahead?" Tsuru demanded.

"We'll swim! Unlike you, neither Pagano nor I have eaten a Devil Fruit yet." With that, Garp grabbed Pagano and jumped off the ship. As the pair fell, Garp heard Tsuru complaining even more.

Garp emerged almost immediately after hitting the water, howling with enjoyment. Pagano held onto Garp's white Marine jacket with an iron grip.

"I feel bad for the Devil Fruit eaters. Swimming is so fun! Okay Warrant Officer, you can let go now, and let's head for the island."

Pagano didn't let go. For once, his usually stoic face showed the slightest hint of fear. "Uh, Captain Garp, I can't swim."

"What? But you haven't eaten a Devil Fruit!"

"I haven't. I just don't know how to swim."

"You can't swim? How the hell did you ever get into the Marines in the first place?"

Pagano shrugged. "With how dangerous the seas have become these days, there was a shortage of Marines. When I went to sign up they accepted me on the spot."

"Whatever. Hold on tight because I'll be going fast."

As Garp swam, the Marine ship began to fade into the background as Moshla Island became closer. The salty smell of the sea was soon mixed with the odor of burning wood. Garp stopped swimming and took a close look at Moshla as Pagano gasped for breath. To his horror, Garp saw flames jutting from treetops. Scorched wood had drifted all the way to where the marines were floating in the ocean.

"This is truly terrible," Garp said, "Tsuru was right! These pirates have already set fire to Moshla Island!"

"It's not like you to worry so much, Captain," Pagano said. He was now using one of the pieces of wood to float. "Besides, what's the big deal if the forest is on fire? There's nothing to suggest civilians are harmed."

"How can't I worry, Pagano? These are people's lives we're talking about! Besides, there's a legend that the trees of the Moshla Forest can be brewed into a tea which can remove the powers of a Devil's Fruit! If this is true, then this means that the East Chai Pirates are destroying a very valuable resource!"

"Don't worry, it'll be fine! Captain Tsuru is bringing the ship here soon and we'll take care of it. Speaking of which, what exactly will we do once reach Moshla? You didn't tell me any plan."

Garp donned his usual carefree expression. "Ah, I didn't really. There isn't much of a plan needed though, right? First we land, then we find some food and water for us, then we try to covertly assess the situation on the island, and finally we wait at the designated landing spot for our ship! Simple. Also now that you have that log you don't need to hold onto me anymore."

Garp started swimming again, sometimes looking over his shoulder to make sure Pagano was still behind him. With each passing minute, the island grew ever closer, until finally the pair had reached shore. The coastline was tranquil, with a gentle breeze and soft sand stretching for miles. However, the beauty ended jarringly with the sand.

Pagano hauled himself onto the beach, gasping for breath. Garp was already on land, gazing in awe at the wildfire. The trees in the forest were massive, perhaps 80 feet tall, and the flames were just as large. Smoke billowed from the fire, filling the air with the horrible scent of death and burning. "The fire is worse than we thought," Garp said.

"It looks like it's going to get a bit worse!" Pagano said, pointing to a few trees right in front of the beach which seemed to be spared from the fire.

"What do you mean? There's nothing there." A realization dawned on Garp. "You have super-hearing abilities don't you? You can hear something from those trees?"

"Yes. There are people in those trees. I can't make out what they're saying, but they seem to have noticed us!"

Almost on cue, around thirty pirates jumped from the trees and started charging toward the Marines. Although they seemed disorganized at first, the pirates soon formed into four separate groups, each approaching the Marines from different directions.

Pagano tilted his ears towards the pirates. "The pirates aren't talking, but based on their movement I'd say that there's one leader and six or seven lackeys per group. I'd say that the leader of the second group from the right is in charge of this entire group. The lackeys don't seem too armed but I heard some troubling sounds from the leaders - they're carrying very sharp knives. This doesn't look good for us."

Garp sighed. "So much for being covert."