The corner of Sengoku's mouth twitched.
He only felt utterly exhausted.
So, Zephyr's son and Garp's grandson had ended up together. Two sons of military families had both become pirates. They had already formed a pirate crew, and the Straw Hat boy, as captain, even had a bounty of thirty million Berries …
Had this world gone insane?!
"Every single one of them refuses to let people have peace of mind. What is wrong with those two, Zephyr and Garp? How did they teach their descendants?!"
Sengoku roared through gritted teeth.
Gion looked at him with sympathy. Being the Fleet Admiral caught in the middle must be quite unpleasant, right?
However, her own head also hurt right now.
Because the Dragon she had once admired had left the Marines, and now Dragon's son had become a pirate.
"There is one more thing, Fleet Admiral!"
Gion spoke again.
Sengoku's face looked as though he had lost all will to live.
"Say it!"
"One of Roldy's senior officers, Sir Crocodile, has appeared in Alabasta! "Long time no see, Grandpa Garp!" Unless something unexpected happens, that place will be the Straw Hat crew's first stop after entering the Grand Line…"
Sengoku shot upright in his chair.
Something was wrong.
Ten out of ten wrong—no, twelve out of ten wrong!
Why had Crocodile appeared in the Kingdom of Sand?
Alabasta 's political status was extremely sensitive. As Fleet Admiral, Sengoku knew some things outsiders did not. But the key point right now was that Garp's grandson and Zephyr's son were about to run into Roldy's subordinate.
Alabasta .
Why had Crocodile appeared there?
Could it be that he intended to bring that powerful kingdom under Roldy's territory as well?
Roldy had returned to the sea…
The Straw Hat crew had set sail and was about to pass through Alabasta …
In truth, all of this was merely coincidence.
But as the resourceful "Buddha" Sengoku, he thought of many things. He began to consider what sparks might fly if the two sides met.
Who knew whether Roldy would run to Alabasta !
And if he really did go there, what if Garp's grandson and Zephyr's son joined Roldy's command?
Then what about Garp and Zephyr?
What would that mean?
The World Government would absolutely fly into a rage over this. If even their so-called fallback route had already been arranged, then would there still be any need for these two veteran officers to remain in the Marines?
"No! I have to make that bastard Garp capture his grandson for me! I'll call him personally!"
Sengoku moved with swift decisiveness and picked up a Den Den Mushi.
Gion was not an outsider, so it did not matter.
The instant the call connected, Sengoku's roar echoed throughout the entire Marine office building. He cursed Garp out thoroughly and instructed him that he absolutely had to capture Luffy and An.
Even if the chances were not great, once those two brats met Roldy, things would become extremely troublesome.
Garp agreed very readily.
But Sengoku still felt uncertain.
He understood this old comrade of his far too well.
...
Sabaody Archipelago.
Known as the final stop before pirates entered the New World, this incredibly prosperous place had, over the course of seventeen years, already become one of the world's top entertainment destinations.
Countless famous brands had opened branches here. The luxury of those branches rivaled their headquarters, and some had even moved their headquarters here directly.
Of course, hidden beneath these many glamorous industries were also many gray-area businesses.
In a place like this, every single day of business brought in an ocean of money.
But today, every industry had been ordered to stop.
Because Roldy had returned!
The representatives of various forces on Sabaody Archipelago all brought gifts, hoping obsequiously to meet Roldy. However, all of them were blocked by Simon, the deputy Crocodile had trained.
Roldy had no interest in dealing with them.
At this moment, Roldy, the boss himself, was crouching on the floor in great grievance.
In front of him, Sheen , Tiger, and Moria stood respectfully. Some looked at the ceiling, while others stared at their own shoes.
And the one sitting there was…
"You left for seventeen years in one go. Roldy, you really are impressive."
Mihawk was peeling an apple with a small knife.
The title of the World's Greatest Swordsman resounded across the sea, and his knife skills were exquisitely precise. In just a few seconds, he had peeled an apple, thoughtfully sliced it into small pieces, placed them on a plate, picked up a toothpick, and handed it with utmost gentlemanly grace to Perona, who had grown into a graceful young lady beside him.
"Uh… I really am sorry, Mihawk. I didn't expect it to take that long either!"
Roldy rubbed his nose and smiled.
Fine.
He really had wronged Hawkeye.
Originally, they had agreed that it would only be a few years. But suddenly, it had dragged on for seventeen years.
Back then, Mihawk had still seemed somewhat youthful. Now, he had grown a beard and become a handsome, dashing uncle.
"Heh. One after another, all of you ran off, leaving only me behind…"
Mihawk's gaze was terrifyingly sharp, and his tone was filled with deep resentment.
Actually, it was not that he could not accept it. His personality leaned toward cold detachment, and there was nothing wrong with being alone.
Besides, he had not truly been alone.
There was still Perona by his side.
He had really raised her for a full seventeen years…
"Uh, didn't I come back?"
Moria muttered awkwardly from the side.
Mihawk glared at him and said coldly,
"You? After coming back, all you do is sleep or go to the red-light district. Look at your stomach. If you can't restore it to its original state within two months, I'll help you scrape off the excess fat myself!"
Moria had grown somewhat fat.
The eight sharply defined abdominal muscles he once had had now become just one. After suffering so much in the Kingdom of Giants, it was only natural that he would enjoy himself properly after returning.
It was just that he had enjoyed himself for a little too long.
"Gahahaha! Don't be so serious. You really have worked hard all these years! By the way, where's Little Croc?"
Mihawk did not make things too difficult for Roldy. He was merely venting the resentment in his heart.
Seeing that Mihawk's expression had more or less recovered, Roldy sat beside him with a fawning look.
He poured Mihawk a glass of red wine.
Mihawk glanced at Roldy, picked it up, and took a light sip.
"Him? He ran off to Alabasta !"
"Alabasta ? That desert kingdom?"
Roldy raised an eyebrow.
But immediately afterward, he saw the newly issued wanted poster lying on the table.
"A brat valued by someone who can barely be considered a friend."
Seeing Roldy pick up the wanted poster, Mihawk added a sentence.
The corners of Roldy's mouth suddenly curved upward beyond his control.
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