"I don't think it's meaningful to speculate now. Let's just prepare for the worst."
Tsuru drained the last of her red tea before adding, "By the way, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—Jinbe—has gone missing as well. It's suspected he went to the East Blue to investigate how his brethren were killed."
"Arlong's crew?"
"Yes."
"What a nuisance. Those petty pirates ruling their own little territories… if they're dead, then so be it. But the marines of the Sixteenth Branch must not be attacked in retaliation—that's our bottom line."
Sengoku's tone was icy as his fingers drummed heavily against the table. "And those pirates who ambushed our men—wipe them out!"
"The Demon Pirates?" Tsuru reported calmly. "The Sixteenth Branch filed their reports. The wanted posters have been issued. The highest bounty is four million Beli—should be within the East Blue branches' handling capacity."
"Too slow. Where's Garp?"
"Still on vacation—back home, looking after his grandson."
"So leisurely, huh? Perfect timing. Have him head to Loguetown immediately and make sure he intercepts Shanks there. After that, he can deal with that pirate crew. Also, recall Kuzan to the East Blue. I'll hold the fort here."
Grinding his teeth, Sengoku barked, "With one Admiral and one Garp—even if both Mihawk and Shanks show up in the East Blue—they won't be allowed to do as they please!"
Tsuru set her cup down, her gaze faintly amused. "That's all?"
"What do you mean?"
"This is a golden opportunity—one to eliminate a Yonko without provoking too many consequences."
"…"
Sengoku fell silent for a long time before a low voice escaped his lips. "The higher-ups won't allow it."
"I see. Looks like we've lost a good opportunity."
Tsuru sighed softly and said nothing more.
The will of the World Government was the ultimate authority of the Marines.
No one could change that.
Meanwhile, far away in the East Blue, Ren had no idea that a storm was already brewing.
After all—
In his eyes, he was just a small fry from the East Blue.
He couldn't even imagine a few "final boss" types suddenly dropping into the beginner's village to chop him up.
"The weather's nice today."
Ren, unusually early to rise, checked his gilded pocket watch after waking—just past nine. He had planned to go back to sleep for a while longer.
But then he remembered Nami's kiss from last night, and rolled around like a restless caterpillar, completely unable to fall asleep again.
Eventually, he gave up and got out of bed. Once fully awake, that lingering giddy feeling faded, replaced by calm, focused clarity.
After finishing what was basically someone else's lunch as his breakfast, Ren began training with Zoro on deck.
Nami was at the helm, keeping an eye on the weather, while Nojiko occasionally helped her. The two of them handled navigation so well that Ren and Zoro—the two "men of the crew"—were barely needed.
After all, when the Weather Witch herself was aboard, if they still struggled sailing through the East Blue…
Then the problem wasn't the sea—it was the ship.
Speaking of the ship, Ren had been wondering whether to try and draw a better one through the Dimensional Roulette. After all, the Pipi Shrimp was just too small.
He hadn't noticed it much before, but once he started serious training, the limited space really showed.
The cabin barely had enough room, and it was starting to feel cramped.
"Don't drift off!"
Zoro tapped Ren on the head with his sheathed blade, looking exasperated. "We've only been meditating for a few minutes and your mind's already wandering?"
"Sorry, let's keep going."
Ren gave a sheepish grin and forced his mind to focus again. Right now, Zoro was teaching him the fundamentals of swordsmanship—sitting meditation, breathing focus, stances, posture, and countless other things.
All concepts Ren had never encountered before, but under Zoro's strict guidance, he was gradually catching up.
To push Ren's progress even further, Zoro had even bought a mountain of training equipment on one of the islands.
If not for the Pipi Shrimp lacking cannons, there wouldn't have been room for any of it.
That only reinforced Ren's resolve to get a new ship.
Thus, over the next half month, the Pipi Shrimp visited several bustling islands, trading their stockpiled gold and silver treasures for Beli.
Four hundred million worth of treasure became two hundred million Beli.Fortunately, at their last stop, they found a local bank-run auction house.
It was said to be a subsidiary of a World Government–affiliated bank operating in non-member territories. They showed great interest in ancient ornaments made of gold and silver.
They even offered one hundred million Beli for a trade—though they needed time to transfer the funds.
After being respectfully escorted out by the manager, Ren and Nami returned to the Pipi Shrimp.
They were currently docked at Gervin Island, home to that very auction house.
Indeed, Gervin Island was a non-member nation—a coalition of over a dozen islands, complete with its own army and defense forces.
It was rumored they were affiliated with the Don Krieg Pirates, which explained why no other pirates dared touch them.
When Ren heard that familiar name, he couldn't help but feel a strange déjà vu. After all, the Krieg Pirates had already been humbled by Mihawk when they debuted—what was left of them were merely broken remnants.
But when he thought about it carefully—an organization of five thousand men and dozens of pirate crews—Could such a massive force really survive just on robbery alone?
Of course not.
They must have other sources of income to sustain that many idle pirates.
The Shell Company and Gervin Island were examples of that.
If you can't afford the Heavenly Tribute or cling to the World Government's thigh, then you cling to a great pirate's instead.
The result is the same in the end.
Still, Nami was worried.
"Won't our whereabouts be exposed? It's been over half a month already—Krieg's pirates must know about what happened on Mys Island. And this place… it's their turf."
On the Pipi Shrimp, Nami lay back on Ren's bed, her smooth, pale legs swinging lazily.
Her toes nudged at Ren's back—he was sitting on Chester's head, examining a rather vicious-looking weapon in his hands.
"Quit fooling around. I'm already preparing, aren't I?"
Ren turned, caught Nami's foot, squeezed it twice, and trapped it under his arm despite her soft yelp of protest.
His eyes returned to a manual as he checked the settings on his Dragon's Breath launcher, his expression focused and serious.
Nami quickly pulled her leg back, rubbing it while asking, "Then why not just leave?"
"There's an old saying—'You can't guard against thieves forever.'"
Ren didn't even look up. "A Billion Beli is a problem. To most people, we don't deserve that kind of fortune. In their eyes, we're just some lucky small-time pirates who picked up scraps from the Navy's leftovers.
You've been out and about—did anyone you met even know who the Demon Pirates were?
No!
The civilians didn't care. We're too small, and a billion Beli is too far out of their reach.
But if it were Arlong showing up here, the entire Gervin Island would erupt in chaos.
Even with a billion Beli on him, no one would dare make a move."
"So you're saying… make a name for ourselves?" Nami asked, her eyes widening slightly.
"Exactly. Beat them until they fear us. Beat them until they respect us. Beat them until the moment they see us—they turn and run. That's the best way."
Ren's expression showed he was already prepared. In fact, he even suspected that polite, overpaying auction house was nothing more than a front for the Krieg Pirates.
(End of Chapter)