And at this moment.
"Broo! Broo broo~!"
The Radio Snail that had been napping on the table suddenly woke up, its eyes wide open, emitting a sharp, urgent cry.
"Nami, go answer the phone!" Nojiko mumbled.
"Why don't you go, always trying to... Wow, you really dare to do it, give it back to me!"
"Hey, where are my tuna barbecue skewers? Boohoo, Sister Kuina! Nojiko taking mine is one thing, but I didn't expect you with your thick eyebrows to..."
The three young girls were in a noisy ruckus.
Shano, however, turned his head to glance at the Radio Snail, discovering this ugly-cute little thing was actually crying bitterly, and the more it cried, the more it seemed sad, with snot and tears streaming down.
"Something's not right."
He frowned, put down the sushi in his hand, and instructed Jack, who was closest, "This is an emergency communication signal, someone's requesting rescue, Jack, hurry and answer it."
"Yes, Boss!"
Jack, who was also eating fiercely, didn't hesitate after hearing the command, wiped his hands and got up to pick up the receiver:
"Hello?"
...
G-14 Branch.
The Navy's G-prefix branches are all located on the Grand Line, though most are set up in the first half.
And this branch is one of the few branches the Navy's established in the New World.
Near the Holy Land Mary Geoise, it implicitly forms an iron triangle with the G-1 Branch and G-5 Branch. This way, if any base is attacked, the other two bases can respond swiftly to support.
As for further into the New World... there are no Navy branches at all; that area is the territory of the Four Emperors.
Establishing a Navy Base there would be destroyed by the Pirates joining forces.
At this moment, inside the communication room.
A few young female Marines were each holding a receiver, tearfully speaking to the other end:
"Hello, can you hear me, it's been really difficult, you finally answered the phone!"
"We are a merchant ship from the Shampodi Islands, severely damaged by the storm last night, unable to continue sailing, can you come quickly to rescue us?"
"This shipment order is very precious and urgent; it must be delivered on time. As long as you can save us and help deliver the goods, we are willing to give you half of the profit!"
"Are you willing to come? Great! Our coordinates are..."
A tall, black-haired female Vice Admiral wearing a spiked collar was holding a cup of coffee, calmly watching the scene before her.
Her name is Dor, rank Vice Admiral, and just last year she was promoted to the base commander of this G-14 branch.
Behind her, a tall figure stood quietly, slightly frowning, adjusting his baseball cap:
"Is this how you usually capture Pirates?"
"Yes, Sakazuki sir."
Dor turned her head with a smile: "It's not always like this; mainly, after a big storm, this trick works well, usually one or two foolish Pirate Gangs take the bait out of greed. It was initially learned from the G-5 rascals, very effective."
"..."
Akainu was noncommittal.
Typically, he disdains using such low-down methods frequently, but here in the New World, capturing Pirates isn't easy.
If it's effective, it's not a bad idea.
This time, he's representing Marshal Sengoku, inspecting several branches in the New World. The other branches are standard, but the G-5 branch mentioned by Dor has undergone significant changes since a new base commander named Vergo took over, somewhat surprisingly.
At this moment, another new call was connected.
"Hello?"
A dull, heavy voice came through, somewhat unclear, as if still chewing something.
Dor immediately shifted her gaze over, while Akainu, already tired of watching, shook his head and turned away, preparing to leave the communication room.