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On the sea, aboard a Marine Detention Unit battleship.
Inside the room, Roy's expression was still filled with barely concealed delight.
"Five hundred million Beli... that's enough for me to strengthen a top-tier Logia Devil Fruit to Level 2. And the Dragon-Dragon Fruit-- Wind God Winged Dragon Form...this is massive profit."
He stared at the brand-new Devil Fruit displayed on the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia's light screen while muttering to himself.
Yes, he was extremely satisfied with the results of his first illegal operation.
An income of five hundred million Beli was enough for him to carry out his first Devil Fruit enhancement.
And in this regard, Roy's target was a Logia Devil Fruit.
After all, he had long coveted the elementalization ability of Logia Devil Fruits. Even a mere LV.2 Logia Devil Fruit, which only possesses partial elementalization, would be enough for him to dominate the first half of the Grand Line.
As for the Wind God Winged Dragon Fruit, it was an even greater gain that far exceeded his expectations.
Coincidentally, he knew of a very similar Devil Fruit.
That Devil Fruit belonged to one of the Yonko currently reigning over the seas, the "top gold-medal lecturer of the Grand Line," one of the All-Stars under the Yonko 'Beasts' Kaido... "King the Conflagration".
This great pirate, whose bounty reached 1.39 billion Beli, had eaten the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Pteranodon.
And the Devil Fruit Roy had obtained was clearly of the same type.
"Although a large portion of King's combat power comes from his identity as a remnant of the Lunarian race, there's no doubt that the Dragon-Dragon Fruit's naturally powerful physique and vitality, combined with the flight and high mobility of a winged dragon, make this Wind God Winged Dragon Fruit a top-tier pick even among Zoans!"
"Especially for me, its significance is even greater."
Roy understood this very clearly.
If this had happened earlier, he would have been happy to obtain this fruit, but not nearly as excited.
Now, however, things were different.
Because at this moment, an extremely bold plan had already taken shape in Roy's mind.
"Arashit Island..." Roy murmured the name of the port softly.
"With the Nismail Kingdom's financial strength, the Heavenly Tribute stored there must be outrageous."
That's right.
Once he realized that Arashit Island was the storage site of the Heavenly Tribute, such thoughts became unavoidable.
After all, the value of the Heavenly Tribute, the annual "tribute" offered to the Tenryubito, was nothing short of staggering.
A superpower like Alabasta, which lacks neither territory nor resources, was rumored to pay 10 Billion Beli in Heavenly Tribute every year.
Naturally, the World Government had correspondingly strict security measures when it came to such an enormous amount of wealth.
First, the location of a nation's Heavenly Tribute transport was a top-secret location that was almost impossible for outsiders to know.
Second, each nation's Heavenly Tribute was escorted by designated government officials and Marine officers. The transport route passed through the Calm Belt, and the surrounding seas were placed under martial law, no other ships were allowed to approach them.
Third, anyone attempting to seize the Heavenly Tribute would be considered an enemy of the World Government. Furthermore, all treasure within the tribute bore a special "Celestial Dragon Hoof Mark." Once used, the individual would be hunted down by the Marines and placed on the World Government's wanted list.
As a result, cases of Heavenly Tribute robbery had been exceedingly rare over the past several decades.
There had only been one successful instance and even then, that person hadn't been targeting the Heavenly Tribute itself.
But for Roy, it was impossible not to be tempted.
He already knew where the Heavenly Tribute was stored. He wasn't afraid of the World Government's pursuit; after all, only his Slice Clone would be hunted.
Moreover, after obtaining the Wind God Winged Dragon Fruit, the sea lockdown around the area was no longer an issue for him.
"Let's do it."
Roy had already made up his mind. He was taking this job.
However, there was still one problem at the moment...
"The Slice Clone's abilities can only be refreshed through direct contact with the main body. I need to meet the clone again. Its current abilities aren't enough to seize the Heavenly Tribute."
Roy came to this conclusion.
But obviously, that wouldn't be easy. After sailing through the night, he was already several hundred nautical miles away from the Master Port. There was no way he could cross such a distance using Geppo alone.
Yet, Roy wasn't anxious at all. He simply waited quietly.
Because if his guess was correct, an opportunity to return to Master Port would arrive very soon.
And sure enough...
"Senior officer! Senior officer!" Hans's voice rang out from outside the door.
"What is it?" Roy inwardly muttered, 'As expected'.
"It's a call from Headquarters, its Vice Admiral Biros."
"Oh?" Roy responded softly, then opened the door.
Sure enough, Hans was standing outside with a Den Den Mushi going buru-buru nonstop.
Roy naturally took the Den Den Mushi from him.
"Hello? Old man, it's me."
He heard Vice Admiral Biros's deep voice on the other end.
"Roy, how far are you from G-51 Branch right now?"
"About seven hundred nautical miles, I'd say." Roy frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
"Not long after you left, something happened at G-51 Branch." Vice Admiral Biros's tone was extremely grave as he spoke.
"Branch Warden-class Officer Colonel Aster was killed in the line of duty. The chief royal steward of the Nismail Kingdom and all his guards were killed as well."
"What!?" Roy exclaimed in shock, his brows furrowing deeply. "How could something like that happen?"
"According to reports from the Marines, a criminal hijacked a merchant ship belonging to the Nismail Kingdom and lured away most of the Marine forces. Just as the Navy was about to catch up, the criminal ignited the ship's fuel, causing it to sink into the sea.
"When the Marines returned to the branch, they discovered Colonel Aster's body."
Vice Admiral Biros spoke in a heavy voice.
"Roy, you understand what this represents, don't you?"
'What did it represent? It means that kid Alan did a damn fine job.' Roy muttered inwardly.
That's right... Vice Admiral Biros was describing one of the tasks Roy had entrusted to Alan.
To infiltrate the Marine branch, Roy needed Alan to commandeer the merchant ship and draw away most of the Marine forces. This would also provoke Chief Steward Mantall and Colonel Aster to head toward the treasure storage site.
As a Slice-Slice Fruit user, Alan only needed to abandon his clone at the end to flawlessly lure the tiger away from the mountain.
From the looks of it, Alan had perfectly completed the mission Roy had assigned him.
However, Vice Admiral Biros clearly had no idea what was going through Roy's mind at that moment.
Without waiting for Roy to respond, he delivered his conclusion.
"This was a premeditated attack. The criminal who hijacked the merchant ship was nothing more than a disposable pawn."
He paused briefly.
And hearing this, Roy spoke without hesitation.
"Sir, I request permission to return to Master Port immediately. It's been less than a day since the attack, so the culprit is very likely still in the area. Someone needs to take command and direct the search."
"Furthermore, based on your assessment, I believe the prisoner I'm currently escorting is likely connected to the attack. I will have Hans and the others continue to escort him back to Headquarters while I take an emergency tender back to Master Port alone."
He spoke with righteous conviction and with a solemn expression on his face and he made such an declaration under the stunned and admiring gazes of Hans and Fal.
It wasn't just them, either... even Vice Admiral Biros, on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, fell silent.
This was also the intention of the upper echelons at Headquarters. The attack had been vicious, and the culprit was likely still near Master Port.
With Colonel Aster dead, G-51 Branch desperately needed someone capable of stabilizing the situation.
Within the surrounding seas, the highest-ranking Marine officer was none other than Roy.
But...
"Roy, you should understand... this enemy is not simple. If you go back now, it will be very dangerous."
His voice was heavy with concern.
As a result, all the other Marines aboard the battleship showed worried expressions.
They understood as well, any criminal bold enough to attack a Marine branch and kill a Marine colonel and the chief steward of a World Government affiliated kingdom was undoubtedly ruthless and extremely dangerous.
But then...
"For justice, I am willing to face danger head-on!" They heard Roy's upright and resolute response.
In an instant, the Marines' eyes nearly brimmed with tears.
Upon hearing this, Vice Admiral Biros finally said, "Very well. In that case, go. When you return to Headquarters this time, I will personally submit your merits."
After saying this, he fell silent once more.
Then, in a low voice, he added…
"For Justice."
(End of Chapter)