As these words fell, smiles appeared on the faces of the others as well. Some leaned against the railing and some against the mast while looking at their captain with determination and anticipation in their eyes.
And at this moment, just as everyone was looking forward to the adventures ahead, Luffy, sitting at the bow, lowered his hat, placed his left hand on the bow, smiled, and softly said: "Hang in there a little longer, Going Merry... And... Thank you!"
...
Time passed little by little.
Although two days had already passed since the Enies Lobby incident, its impact had still not dissipated.
And as the influence continued to expand, news about the Rocks Pirates also began to spread across the seas.
Back then, after Rocks died, the World Government gradually erased information related to the Rocks Pirates bit by bit, leaving only vague information... that the Rocks Pirates intended to become the rulers of the world, and were ultimately defeated by Roger and Garp working together.
But now, as Teach's identity was revealed, the information that had once been covered up was also being uncovered little by little.
It was as if the sea wind of the Rocks Pirates was blowing across the entire sea once again.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Ian.
After returning to Ohara, he resumed a regular life again and did not even know that Teach and Luffy had ended up together.
If he knew, he might even be a little interested.
After all, someone who dreamed of becoming the ruler of the world and someone who dreamed of becoming the King of the Pirates getting together, this troublemaking ability was probably greater than Luffy alone!
Just thinking about it was crazy!
It was just that after returning for two days, Ace still had not arrived. According to what Kuma meant, not long after the Straw Hat crew evacuated, Ace had fallen unconscious and was then directly taken away by Marco.
It was unknown whether he had been taken to the New World.
If he had been taken to the New World, would he still acknowledge Whitebeard as his father this time?
On the other hand, Zephyr, after staying for two days, took his team out again to show off his might.
It seemed that Grado had said that quite a few slave-catching groups had recently appeared in the West Blue, so Zephyr planned to join in the fun.
Ever since leaving Marine Headquarters, he had somewhat let himself go.
Things that Marine Headquarters did not dare to manage, he managed.
People whom Marine Headquarters did not dare to kill, he killed.
Things that Marine Headquarters could manage, he insisted on managing.
Things that Marine Headquarters could not manage, he was even more determined to manage... No wonder it was said that many marine bases along the Grand Line were grinding their teeth in anger over this former Chief Instructor of Marine Headquarters.
For some marines with unclean dealings behind the scenes, Zephyr was, to a certain extent, meddling too much.
But thinking about the current situation... Whether they opposed the World Government or not, the World Government would not let them go anyway.
Thus, Ian simply let Zephyr do as he pleased.
...
At the same time, in a certain sea area of the West Blue.
A marine warship bearing the number 315 stopped not far from the island, but the atmosphere aboard the ship did not seem very good.
"Captain Smoker."
The vice officer of the 315th Branch, Tashigi, said with an unpleasant expression: "They are a slave-catching group that is legal under the World Government. The other side said they have legal slave-catching permits issued by the World Government, and also stated that those slaves are wanted by important figures above. We have no authority to stop them. It's really too despicable."
"A World Government legal slave-catching group?"
Hearing Tashigi's words, Smoker, who was smoking two cigars at once beside her, furrowed his brows slightly. Then he expressionlessly took down his cigars, flicked them, and said: "Then we indeed do not have the qualifications to stop them."
"Captain Smoker, how can you be like this, too? They even capture children. Just now I even saw children asking me for help!"
Disappointment appeared on Tashigi's face. "Those children clearly trust the Marines so much, yet we're powerless."
Captain Smoker: "..."
Facing Tashigi's reproach, Smoker did not say anything; only his expression grew somewhat gloomy.
At this time, Tashigi, having adjusted her mood a little, frowned. "Speaking of which, why have there suddenly been so many slave-catching groups in the West Blue?"
"Not just the West Blue. Slave-catching groups in other seas have also increased."
Smoker flicked the cigar in his hand and said with a sneer: "Ever since the Donquixote Family fell, those high-and-mighty guys lost an important slave supplier. So, in order to satisfy the demand for slaves, the World Government has issued quite a few slave-catching permits."
To those people, slaves were consumables, and the rate of consumption was quite high.
"On top of that, there are many forces in the underworld that hope to replace the Donquixote Family. Therefore, during this period, those slave-catching groups have been extremely active."
"These guys are so despicable. Why can't these underworld forces be like Grado?"
Tashigi still had a gloomy face. "Isn't Grado also an underworld force, and even the underworld king of the West Blue? Yet there's never been any rumours of them catching slaves."
"Nonsense. Their wine is sold throughout the entire sea. Especially after the Brando Family was destroyed, the West Blue's wine market was completely taken over by Grado. Just the profits earned from the West Blue alone are far higher than catching a slave. Why would they need to do such troublesome things? Marine Headquarters is grinding its teeth in anger over this."
After letting out a cold snort, Smoker directly turned around. "Let's go. Out of sight, out of mind. After some time passes and the heat dies down, these guys will restrain themselves a bit."
Hearing this, a trace of disappointment appeared on Tashigi's face as well, but as a marine, she still nodded.
Just as she was about to order the ship to return to the base…
Suddenly, a marine ran over with an anxious expression. "Captain Smoker, Officer Tashigi, Umbrella Corporation's fleet has been spotted ahead."