News of a Survivor!

"That kid did a great job on this mission, take a look."

Vice Admiral Tsuru pushed open the door and entered the Fleet Admiral's Office, placing a report covered in writing on the table with a broad smile.

Fleet Admiral Kong picked it up and glanced at it. After a moment, he looked up in surprise and exclaimed, "Wow, this has completely exposed Shiki's secrets in the Grand Line!"

"Yes, the properties we were planning to clear out weren't even half of what's on this piece of paper. That shows how deeply they've been hidden. The Flying Pirates are really in trouble now."

Vice Admiral Tsuru shook his head and laughed.

The Fleet Admiral Kong snorted coldly and said, "Since you dare to openly launch a large-scale attack on the Marine Base, you must pay the corresponding price!"

"But if that happens, Shiki will definitely cause a huge uproar. He's not the kind of person who puts up with things," Vice Admiral Tsuru said.

"Then let him come. Garp is in G-3; there won't be any problems."

With Garp's return, Fleet Admiral Kong's confidence has also increased considerably; the Flying Pirates alone are not a serious threat.

Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded and said, "That's true. Shiki will probably find a balance; if things get too out of hand, it won't be good for him either."

"Send this intelligence to Sengoku and have him take charge of the cleanup operation. Cut off all of Shiki's 'hands' reaching into the Grand Line within three months!" Fleet Admiral Kong ordered decisively.

As for Vidal, life returned to normal after this mission ended. He was now the base commander stationed in the Sabaody Archipelago, so the subsequent matters were no longer his concern. Even when Shiki the Golden Lion, in a fit of rage, challenged Garp to another battle in the 'New World,' he simply treated it as entertainment.

Recently, he has been focusing on his own combat capabilities in various aspects.

Regarding Devil Fruits, he felt he had reached a certain stage in terms of training and developing his abilities. To go further, he could only improve through Awakening.

The problem is that the Awakening of abilities doesn't seem to have much to do with one's own strength; it depends entirely on chance.

The reason he said this is because Vidal believes that his current strength should be greater than that of Doflamingo in another timeline.

So how do you find this opportunity?

Then, regarding his Haki and physical skills, he compared himself to Sengoku and Zephyr, and felt that he was at a level that was neither the best nor the worst.

Simply put, the title of "Admiral Candidate" is truly fitting.

There are only two ways to improve one's Haki and physical skills: one is through years of high-intensity training, and the other is through high-intensity battles, squeezing out one's potential between life and death.

Ideally, both should be present, complementing each other.

His current situation is that he trains every day without stopping, and in terms of combat, Zangjing practices against the 'Old Man of Time' in the alternate dimension of the Door-Door Fruit.

The problem is that the power of the Zangjing can hardly put too much pressure on him. After all, they are still his defeated opponents. They are fine for slowly honing his Haki, but they are not good for squeezing out his potential.

In addition, the Sabaody Archipelago where he lived was too safe, making it virtually impossible for him to encounter any truly powerful pirates.

Vidal knew very well that his current strength was inseparable from his previous encounters with Byrnndi World and Redfield, even though he had almost died each time.

However, he also understood that these things couldn't be rushed, and that he was already quite fast at his age to have this level of ability.

A few days later, just as Vidal was working on the documents on his desk, a series of buzzing sounds rang out. He glanced at the three Den Den Mushi on the corner of the desk and found them obediently resting with their eyes closed. He then took out a small Den Den Mushi that was buzzing from his coat pocket.

This is a family-exclusive Den Den Mushi.

"Hello?"

As soon as Vidal picked up the receiver, the Den Den Mushi transformed into a familiar face.

"I am the head of the family, Brian."

"Hmm, has something happened in Alabasta?" Vidal asked casually.

"That's right, last night, one of the crew members who sailed with Woonan returned!"

"Oh?" Vidal raised an eyebrow and said, "Go on."

"Yes, according to this crew member, a few months ago they found an unnamed deserted island at the beginning of the Route 4, and then they were attacked by a group of natives on the island. Woonan himself was devoured by some kind of strange carnivorous plant during the battle."

He survived because he stayed on the ship, but on the way back, he encountered a storm. Being alone, he was unable to control the large ship, causing it to capsize in the waves. He eventually woke up on an island with a small town.

Brian explained the situation in detail, and Vidal listened attentively.

His eyes lit up when he heard the words "strange carnivorous plants," and he quickly asked, "Does this crew member remember the location of that deserted island?"

"I've already asked him, and he said he remembers it very clearly."

"Great, great, that's wonderful! I'll make time to go back to the Forest Palace soon. Make sure that crew member gets plenty of rest, and then have him take me there!" Vidal exclaimed with delight.

He was genuinely happy, although such feelings were inappropriate given the uncertainty of Woonan's fate.

"Yes, Master."

With a snap, Vidal placed the receiver back on the Den Den Mushi, then casually put it back in his pocket. A smile played on his lips as he sighed, "Giving the Lucky-Lucky Fruit to Woonan and having him try to find it was definitely the right gamble."

Although there's a high chance of losing a retainer Devil Fruit User, if it really is the plant he's looking for, then it's worth it!

With that thought in mind, Vidal picked up the Den Den Mushi (Den Den Mushi) on his desk that connected directly to Marineford and dialed it.

With a few gurgling sounds, the call was connected on the other end.

"Hello, who is it?"

This is the voice of the Sengoku, Den Den Mushi has also changed to an afro hairstyle.

"Teacher, it's me. I need to go out for a few days, so I came to let you know," Vidal said with a calm smile. As the base commander, he definitely needed to inform headquarters before going out for an extended period.

"Where are you going? How many days will you be gone?" Sengoku asked casually.

"A trip to Alabasta, including the round trip, will take about ten days."

In fact, Vidal didn't know how long it would take, but he figured ten days would definitely be enough.

"Going to collect money again? And staying for so long?" Sengoku frowned. In his opinion, Vidal's greed was a bit worrying. "I didn't even ask you about the treasure you intercepted from the Flying Pirates before. What do you need so much money for?"

"Uh, this trip to Alabasta isn't for money. A group of my retainers were attacked on the Route 4, and one of the crew members returned yesterday, so I wanted to go check on the situation." Vidal's tone carried a hint of coldness.

"."

Sengoku was stunned when he heard this. Someone dared to attack Vidal's retainers in the first half of the Grand Line, and only one of them came back alive?

"Alright, let me know if you need troop support, and I'll have the nearest Marine Branch mobilized," Sengoku said in a deep voice.

Although Vidal is currently Admiral Candidate, he is not a true Admiral and therefore does not yet have the authority to freely mobilize all the navy, whereas his teacher does!

Thank you, teacher!