Just as Yuno successfully entered the G7 branch base,
a pirate ship flying a flag suddenly emerged from the seabed.
They seemed to have some special tracking method, and after surfacing, they headed directly for the location where the Damon Pirates' ship had sunk!
Several pirates jumped from the bow and soon salvaged a large pile of items from the seabed.
While rummaging through the pile, one of them came across a half-ripped military cap with a seagull emblem clearly visible on it!
Upon seeing the cap, the pirate's face suddenly changed. He hurried over to a tall man and said anxiously, "Master Jack, the items are missing. They were most likely stolen by the Navy!"
The man before him was eight meters tall, his build almost inhuman. He wore a mask with two sharp, curved ivory ornaments on each side, and his shoulders were covered with hideous, barbed shoulder pads.
This person was none other than Jack the "Drought," one of the Three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates!
Jack, known for his violent temper, grabbed the pirate in front of him and barked angrily: "What did you say? What's missing? Where is the Devil Fruit?"
The pirate trembled under Jack's overwhelming aura, swallowing hard before stammering: "S-sir… it's… it's the Devil Fruit that's missing…"
"Gone?" Jack flung the pirate away, his bloodshot eyes blazing as his killing intent burst out. He roared furiously: "Why is it gone? Find it! That Devil Fruit is a treasure Lord Kaido demands. How could it disappear under my watch? Search every inch of this place, even if you have to turn the sea upside down!"
Suddenly, Jack froze, his mind catching on something. He yanked the same pirate back up, pulling him close as he growled: "What did you say just now? Navy? There's a Navy here?"
The poor pirate, dizzy from being tossed around, dared not faint. If he passed out without answering, Jack's mood might cost him his life! Forcing down his nausea, he stammered again: "Y-yes, sir. I found a Navy cap in the wreck. It must have been the Marines who took it!"
Jack hurled him away once more, then snorted coldly: "Investigate! Find out which Navy dares to steal from the Beasts Pirates!"
"Y-yes!"
The underlings scattered—some dove back into the sea while others rushed to contact allies via Den Den Mushi.
Just then, a young pirate stepped forward, looking up at Jack and shouting: "Master Jack! I remember there's a Navy branch base nearby. If the items were stolen, they must be there!"
Jack turned, a murderous gleam flashing in his eyes. "Which direction?"
The young pirate quickly pointed. "Over there, Master!"
Jack's killing aura flared, his red eyes blazing as he roared: "Everyone, move out! Show those Marines the price of stealing from the Beasts Pirates!"
"Hurrah!"
The crew shouted in unison. Jack's ship, the Mammoth, swung around and set course straight for the Navy G7 branch base.
The G7 branch remained completely unaware.
A war was about to break out!
…
After arriving at the G7 base, Yuno began familiarizing himself with the branch's affairs.
Although pirates often passed through this region, their visits came in intervals—more frequent than other bases, but not constant.
For the past few days, things had been unusually calm, with no pirates daring to stir trouble.
It was then Yuno learned that the previous branch commander had been none other than Onigumo—killed by Quincy…
What a coincidence, Yuno thought.
After Onigumo's death, the position of G7 commander had remained vacant. Originally, Headquarters had intended to appoint another capable vice admiral.
But somehow, Yuno's name appeared on the list… and it was even stamped with the Fleet Admiral's seal!
The officers in charge of the matter found it strange, but they lacked the authority to question orders. All they could do was follow them.
Yuno didn't know the full story, but he was certain Rear Admiral Stoloberg had played a part.
He simply chuckled and made a note of the matter before turning back to the files.
From the remaining files, the highest bounty among pirates who had ever attacked this area exceeded 200 million berries.
At that time, that pirate had nearly wiped out the entire G-7 branch base's navy, causing a sensation throughout the first half of the Grand Line!
Ultimately, it was only after an Admiral personally intervened and killed the pirate that the incident came to an end.
Because of this, however, the G-7 branch base became known as a dangerous posting. Every marine stationed there trembled inwardly, silently cursing their bad luck.
The mortality rate at G-7 was said to be as high as 50%.
A few more days passed.
Yuno had already familiarized himself with every part of the island. Like the other branches, this one was fully equipped with everything necessary.
On the training grounds, Yuno was practicing his Armament Haki. After this period of training, his Haki had grown much stronger.
After all, Armament Haki is closely tied to physical strength. Now that his body had doubled in power, he was no longer the weakling who collapsed for half a day after firing a single Thunder Roar Cannon.
If given the right opportunity, it was only a matter of time before his Armament Haki advanced to the Hardening stage.
Just as Yuno was training, a navy officer hurried over, saluted, and reported:
"Sir, we've confirmed the identity of the pirate you captured. He is Damon, the vice-captain of the Who's-Who Pirates, with a bounty of 120 million berries!"
After Yuno defeated and captured Damon, the navy naturally launched an investigation into his identity.
The results shocked them—he was a pirate with a bounty over 100 million berries. That alone was a major achievement!
"The Who's-Who Pirates?"
Yuno was taken aback, then remembered—he had read about them in the newspaper.
"I see," Yuno nodded, then added: "If I recall correctly, their captain should be Who's-Who, right?"
The soldier, surprised that Yuno knew, hesitated a moment before replying:
"According to intelligence, Captain Who's-Who seems to have been recruited by Kaido of the Beasts, but there has been no further news since then. Do you want us to investigate further?"
Yuno waved his hand. "No need. Perhaps they parted ways."
Such things were common among pirates—those unwilling to become subordinates would often break away and form new crews.
The soldier paused, his expression conflicted.
Yuno noticed and asked in a calm voice: "What else haven't you reported?"
The soldier gritted his teeth and finally continued:
"Sir, there is one more thing. When Damon regained consciousness, he didn't resist or cause trouble. Instead, he just said something strange…"
"What did he say?"
"He told us we were all idiots for capturing them at this time."
"Oh? Is that so? Did he explain why?"
"No… he wouldn't elaborate, and even under interrogation he wouldn't say. But his expression… it was unnerving. When he looked at us, it was as though he was staring at dead men…"
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