Gojo stood up again, brushing off the momentary disappointment. "Very well, it was nice meeting you. I should take my leave. I want to roam around Loguetown and see if I can find information on a few other pirates. If not, I'll just sail around and ask on different islands. One way or another, I'll find their locations."
Smoker simply nodded from his seat, arms crossed.
Gojo opened the office door, one foot already stepping into the hallway—when Smoker's voice came from behind him.
"Consider it an apology for the joke. Right now, I can tell you this much—Arlong Pirates are somewhere in the Conomi Islands range."
Gojo paused, a small smile tugging at his lips. Without turning back, he continued walking. The door clicked shut behind him.
…
Inside the office, Tashigi turned toward her captain, clearly confused. "Captain, you just said earlier that you wouldn't reveal the location of pirates in another Marine base's territory, so why did you suddenly reveal that the Arlong Pirates are in the Conomi Islands? That area belongs to another base, not ours."
Smoker rose from his chair and walked to the window, looking out at the bustling town below. A thin plume of smoke drifted upward from his cigar.
"Do you know who Arlong is?" he asked, his tone deepening.
Tashigi shook her head. "No, Captain."
Smoker took a slow drag from his cigar before speaking. "He was a member of the Sun Pirates. And even among them, he was considered one of the most ruthless. He was released from Impel Down because of a request from one of the Warlords—Jinbe. You've heard of him, I assume."
Tashigi nodded immediately. As a Marine, she was of course familiar with the Seven Warlords.
Smoker continued, his eyes narrowing as he stared out the window. "Don't you find it strange? Arlong arrived in the Conomi Islands eight years ago… and since then, there hasn't been a single report of wrongdoing. Not a single crime. A pirate like him—cruel, vicious, openly racist—and suddenly he's living peacefully like some hermit? Like a well-behaved citizen?" He scoffed softly. "Impossible."
Tashigi remained silent, listening intently.
"There's definitely something wrong with the Marine base in the Conomi Islands," Smoker said, voice firm. "I refuse to believe Arlong and his crew have been living quietly all these years. If Gojo goes there, he'll uncover the truth. I'm sure of it."
He turned away from the window, flicking ash into the tray.
"And besides," he added, "Gojo won't tell anyone I was the one who gave him the information. And neither will we. So how is anyone going to know?"
…
Gojo then headed to the bounty collection area of the Marine Base, where his payment had already been prepared. Since everything was processed under Smoker's direct orders, the procedure moved quickly. After confirming that the bodies truly belonged to Krieg and his officers, the Marines counted out the reward and handed it over to Gojo.
The total came to ฿40 million Berries.
Gojo couldn't help the satisfied grin spreading across his face. With all his hunting and odd jobs over the last five years, he had only managed to make around ฿25 million Berries, and half of that had gone straight into constructing his ship. To earn nearly double that amount in a single day—it felt surreal.
If only I had known Krieg's crew would appear on the very day I set sail… Gojo thought with a faint sigh. I would've wiped them out cleanly and taken their ship for myself.
But now, the opportunity was gone. Krieg's vessel was a pirate ship—by Marine protocol, it had to be scrapped or destroyed, not sold. Even if it could be kept, Gojo had no interest in dragging around a massive stolen ship on his very first day out at sea just to find a buyer.
So he didn't take Krieg's ship, and honestly, he didn't regret it too much. The heavy bag of money in his hand made it easy to ignore minor what-ifs.
Besides… he already had his next target in mind.
Gojo pulled out Arlong's bounty poster and studied the sharp-toothed grin on the fish-man's face. The number beneath it—฿20 million—made Gojo smile.
"Just one more trip," he muttered, "and I'll have a total of ฿60 million in my hands."
He chuckled softly. "The job of a pirate hunter really is lucrative. Easy money."
Tucking the poster away, Gojo walked out of the Marine Base. Still riding the high of excitement, he didn't waste even a moment. He headed straight for his ship docked at Loguetown's port, boarded it, and immediately set sail toward the Conomi Islands—his next target crystal clear.
Arlong Pirates.
…
Before noon on the fourth day after leaving Loguetown, Gojo stood on the deck of his ship, sea wind brushing against his hair. He spread out the map in his hands, studying the cluster of islands ahead. After a moment he folded it slightly and looked toward the horizon.
"So, this is the Conomi Islands range," he said. "Somewhere here should be the base of the Arlong Pirates."
Four full days had passed since he departed Loguetown. Now, the scattered silhouettes of islands appeared clearly in the distance. Gojo closed the map and tucked it under his arm, eyes fixed ahead as the shoreline slowly grew closer.
The Conomi region consisted of many islands, but only a few had human settlements. According to the map he'd acquired, the one he headed toward held villages like Gosa Village, Kokoyashi Village, and several others.
Gojo stood at the bow, waiting for his ship to reach land—ready for whatever awaited him next.
Just as his ship drew nearer to the shore, Gojo spotted a small vessel ahead—or rather, calling it a ship would be generous. It was more like an oversized boat, and on it stood four fish-men. Their boat had been heading toward him, clearly intending to intercept, but suddenly it stopped dead in the water.
Gojo frowned. They had approached with purpose—so why stop now?
Before he could think further, his expression shifted. Something slammed into his ship from below, the impact sending a jolt through the entire deck. The wood groaned, the mast swayed, and Gojo instinctively widened his stance.
A massive shadow glided beneath his ship, dark and unmistakably alive.
A sea beast.
The creature didn't strike again. Instead, it surged upward from the water in front of Gojo's ship, rising high enough to cast a long shadow across the deck. Its huge bulk blocked the horizon, seawater cascading off its skin.
It was a sea cow—Momoo—the pet of Arlong. But Gojo, of course, didn't know that.
The beast released a deep, rumbling sound—not quite a roar, more like a guttural warning meant to intimidate and terrify anyone foolish enough to continue forward.
But Gojo?
He didn't flinch. Not even a little. The sea cow's attempt at intimidation washed over him like a breeze.
----
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