Buru buru buru—
The Den Den Mushi rang again.
Disco stiffened and slowly turned his head to look at Karl.
"What are you looking at me for?" Karl said calmly. "Answer it."
"Y-Yes…"
Disco lifted the Den Den Mushi with trembling hands.
"L-Lord Doflamingo…"
"Is that Marine standing next to you?"
Doflamingo's voice was low and dangerous.
Feeling the icy blade still resting against his neck, Disco swallowed hard.
"N-No… he's not."
"…Good."
Doflamingo paused, as if about to continue—
Then suddenly fell silent.
He clearly heard it.
That hesitation.
That lie.
After a long moment, the call was cut off.
Click.
Before Disco could even react, Karl's voice rang out again.
"The call's over. Why are you still standing there?"
"Hurry up and remove the collars from these pirates."
Under Disco's numb, mechanical movements, the slave collars were unlocked one after another.
The people inside the cages froze for a second—
Then their eyes lit up.
Tears welled up as they repeatedly bowed toward Karl, their voices overlapping in frantic gratitude.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you so much!"
"Thank you, Marine-sama—!"
Ain suddenly frowned, her expression turning cold.
"Enough."
Her sharp voice instantly silenced them.
"You were mixed in with pirates. That alone makes you suspicious."
"All of you will be taken to a Marine base for investigation."
Karl glanced at Ain in surprise—
Then discreetly raised a thumb behind his back.
She learns fast.
Ain's lips curved ever so slightly, but she quickly composed herself, adopting a stern, righteous expression as she personally tied up the "pirates" one by one.
Then she turned to Karl and spoke formally:
"Mr. Disco, the pirates have been secured."
"As for these suspected pirate accomplices—if they're confirmed innocent, we'll return them."
"After all," she added meaningfully,
"this is property of a Warlord of the Sea."
Disco felt his soul leave his body.
He nodded blankly.
Sure… sure… just end it already. I'm tired.
Half an Hour Later
All the slaves were escorted to the Sabaody Marine Base.
Of course, freedom didn't come immediately.
Given the possibility that some among them could be pirates in disguise, interrogation was unavoidable.
After questioning, the results were clear:
25 were confirmed civilians, including the mermaid
7 were suspected pirates, but had no bounties and could not be fully identified
Karl stood up and spoke decisively.
"Gregory, the seven suspects are yours."
"The rest are civilians. I'll handle their arrangements."
Rear Admiral Gregory nodded and ordered the suspects taken away.
At that moment, Ain and Smoker entered together.
Ain reported,
"All civilians have been properly settled—except for the mermaid, Mina."
Karl's eyes flickered.
"Where is she? I'd like to ask her a few things."
"Next door. The lounge."
Next Door · Lounge
Karl pushed the door open.
"Hello. I'm Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Karl."
"You're Miss Mina, correct?"
The red-haired mermaid immediately bowed deeply.
"Th-Thank you… thank you so much, Vice Admiral Karl!"
"If it weren't for you, I— I…"
She broke down again, tears streaming.
"Easy," Karl said gently. "You're safe now."
Mina wiped her tears and nodded hard, her eyes still red.
"Yes… you're right."
"I'm free now."
"So," Karl continued, "what do you plan to do next?"
"Return to Fish-Man Island?"
"Yes!" Mina replied without hesitation.
"I've been missing for so many days—my parents must be worried sick."
Karl grinned.
"That's perfect."
"We happen to be heading to Fish-Man Island on a mission."
"If possible, could you guide us there?"
Mina immediately nodded.
"Of course! You saved my life—if I can help, I'd be honored."
"Then we'll depart tomorrow at noon," Karl said.
"For today, please stay here."
"And if you don't mind, tell me about the current situation on Fish-Man Island."
"Of course," Mina said earnestly.
"What would you like to know?"
Two hours later, Karl left the lounge with a satisfied smile.
Thanks to Mina, he now had a solid grasp of the situation on Fish-Man Island—
pretty much in line with what he'd expected.
Currently, Fish-Man Island was under Whitebeard's protection.
Ordinary pirate crews didn't dare cause trouble there.
Anyone foolish enough to test it usually didn't live long enough to regret it.
At the same time, the island was also one of Jinbe's strongholds as a Warlord of the Sea.
A pirate crew with a bounty of one or two hundred million wouldn't even make a splash.
That said, Fish-Man Island wasn't completely safe—
otherwise, Mina wouldn't have been captured and sold as a slave.
According to her, Fish-Man District was currently the most hostile place toward humans.
It was filled with radical Fish-Man Supremacists.
Even ordinary Fish-Man Island residents avoided it.
Other areas were better—
but only relatively speaking.
The death of Queen Otohime had left scars too deep.
"Looks like if I want to catch Hody Jones, I'll have to lure him out…"
Karl exhaled lightly.
Whatever. We'll deal with it as it comes.
The Shipyard
When Karl arrived, both Smoker and Ain were already there—probably overseeing the work.
"Oh? You're both here."
"You finally showed up."
Karl stepped forward and watched craftsmen apply a sticky, resin-like substance to the hull.
Adam Tree resin… no, Yarukiman Mangrove resin.
He walked up to a burly shipwright and asked curiously,
"Master, what exactly do you do here?"
The man holding the resin turned around and stared at Karl—
silent.
The atmosphere became awkward.
Then, out of the corner of Karl's eye, he spotted an old man in slippers, wearing glasses, standing casually on the deck.
…Why did he feel so familiar?
"Uh, master," Karl asked,
"who's that over there? Is he also from your shipyard?"
The shipwright glanced over and shook his head.
"Nope. But his skills are excellent."
"When we have urgent jobs, we usually hire him."
"Everyone just calls him 'Old Ray, the Coater.'"
Karl's eyes widened slightly.
Of course.
Dark King Rayleigh.
"Old Ray" fit him perfectly.
Karl immediately jumped onto the ship, scanning around—
Nothing.
Gone.
Not even a trace.
"So sharp…" Karl muttered.
"Just one glance and he noticed me?"
Elsewhere, Rayleigh slipped out from a corner, checked that no one had followed him, and quietly left the shipyard.
"What bad luck," he muttered, scratching his head.
"I just wanted to earn some extra cash—almost got found out."
He sighed.
"Who would've thought the new generation of Marines would include someone who recognizes me?"
"I've been out of the limelight for fifteen years, you know…"
Back at the ship, Karl eventually gave up searching and climbed back down, not wanting to interfere with the coating work.
Doesn't matter. Knowing he's here is enough.
Familiar figures were appearing one after another.
Who's next?
Shanks?
No—unlikely.
At this point, Shanks was already carving his name into the New World, but still had a few years to go before standing among the Yonko.
"Whatever."
"Thinking too much is bad for my health."
"Let's go shopping."
And just like that, Karl dragged Ain and Smoker to the tourist district.
They bought local specialties, new clothes, and supplies—
fully preparing for the voyage ahead.
Ain was in a surprisingly good mood all day.
The only problem…
Smoker was still very much in the way.
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