The Storm Begins to Brew

Grand Line, Marine Headquarters.

"Absurd!!"

In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku slammed his hand on the desk in anger and stood up, looking at the soldier who came to report the situation. "A melee of over five hundred people, how could it have happened without a single sound being heard!"

"Keep investigating for me!"

"Yes!"

The soldier had no way to express his hardship. Hearing this, his legs stiffened, he saluted loudly, and then quickly jogged out.

After the soldier left, Sengoku's angry expression faded, replaced by one of exhaustion deeply etched into his wrinkles.

"Only one person had a motive."

Not far away, a thin, white-haired old woman rested her chin on her clasped hands and said.

"Triangle Spellbreaker, Lowett!"

Justice?

What a bloody feast of human lives!

The act of carving "Justice" onto the wall with Marine corpses expressed the perpetrator's mockery of the word "Justice."

With Sengoku deliberately suppressing the evils committed by Morgan and others, this incident occurred, making it hard not to think of Lowett, who had been unheard of since.

The Navy's role in this matter was not glorious, which was why Sengoku had strictly ordered the East Blue branch to arrest Lowett.

But the result was not good news, but a heavy and powerful rebuttal from the other party!

This rebuttal was bloody and oppressive.

It not only made them angry but also made them feel flustered and uneasy.

"Well, that being said, how did he do it?"

Aokiji rubbed his afro, saying with a troubled expression, "According to the data, that Lowett isn't even considered a qualified soldier, and he has no property at home. To say he could raise an army to wipe out Branch 153 is too far-fetched."

No matter how weak, they were still soldiers.

Over 200 well-trained Marines armed with weapons could not be stopped by thousands of peasant soldiers.

Only an opponent of similar scale and who was also a soldier could kill them all without letting any escape.

He had seen the layout map of Branch 153. It had two large gates, front and back, allowing for offense and defense. The training ground walls were not high.

Unless the gaps were completely sealed and there was complete suppression within the training ground, at least one or two should have escaped.

The investigation results also confirmed this conjecture. The number of people involved in the battle that night exceeded five hundred. Excluding the garrison of Branch 153, the enemy force numbered over 300!

300 vs 200.

With an absolute numerical advantage, the ambushed Branch 153 had no power to fight back.

But precisely because it was confirmed, it made it incomprehensible.

Where did a mere Lowett get such ability?

This force might be insignificant on the Grand Line, but it was enough to shock the East Blue. It was impossible that no one had ever heard of it.

And...

The residents of Shells Town didn't hear a single sound all night.

Aokiji didn't believe that the people of the entire town, questioned by the Marines, would dare to lie in unison, so this was also a point of suspicion.

A cold case!

A complete cold case!

Including the old woman, the Chief of Staff of Marine Headquarters, and Vice Admiral Tsuru, the female soldier idol who enlisted at the same time as Garp and Sengoku, her deduction was only based on motive.

Tsuru also couldn't figure this out.

The East Blue was weak, with no monstrous powerhouses like those on the Grand Line. But precisely because it was weak, this case was full of doubts.

"We can't act rashly, or it will make us Marines look incompetent."

Since they couldn't prove it was Lowett, they had to admit it as it was.

Compared to the impact of digging deeper into this matter, not finding the culprit was insignificant.

After a long silence, Sengoku spoke slowly.

"Has the news report been suppressed?"

"It has been suppressed. Shells Town isn't that bustling," Tsuru replied.

Due to too many people knowing, the matter could not be completely sealed, but people were fickle, and time would smooth everything over.

As long as they waited for the storm to pass, besides the residents of Shells Town, the world's attention would quickly shift to find new topics of conversation.

"Then let it be this way. For now, let's classify this as a cold case and inform the public."

"Then..."

Sengoku looked up and looked at Momonga, who sat silently at the other end of the conference table.

"Smoker has to be stationed in Loguetown, you know the situation best, go to the East Blue for a trip."

Momonga was one of the best veterans in the Navy, and Sengoku could only feel at ease if he was dispatched.

Even if they couldn't find Lowett to clarify everything, they had to express the decision of Marine Headquarters and appease the people of the East Blue.

Momonga was not surprised by this outcome.

In the current situation, whether or not Lowett did it was no longer important, the fact that Branch 153 was truly annihilated was the big issue!

At this juncture, those pirates would undoubtedly take advantage of the chaos, and they must be punished!

Vice Admirals from Headquarters were also part of the Navy, it was not a waste of talent to send them to the Four Seas if needed, even Admirals could be sent.

"Understood!"

Momonga took his orders and left, and Aokiji waited a moment before returning to sleep.

Looking at the photo of Lowett in his hand, Sengoku was silent for a long time before speaking, "If I'm not mistaken..."

"No, don't overthink it."

Before he could finish, Tsuru shook her head.

"I don't believe that child's power would fall into this person's hands."

"This guy... is more like his brother."

"Is that so?"

Sengoku was stunned for a second, looking at Lowett in the photo, who was wearing a Navy coat. His expression, which was indifferent yet mixed with confidence, and his deep eyes that seemed to see through people, indeed made him feel unfamiliar.

"Why do I feel like they don't look alike at all?"

The mysteries of magic were temporarily incomprehensible, which was natural.

It took ordinary spell apprentices more than ten years just to grasp the concept of magic, and becoming a mage apprentice before the age of 20 was something to be proud of.

When the news was announced to the world, the people of the East Blue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Navy had dispatched a Vice Admiral from Headquarters?

This was no small matter!

Ordinary people in the East Blue couldn't comprehend the significance of a Vice Admiral from Headquarters, but through the accounts of some generals from the Grand Line, they yearned for Momonga's strength.

That was the true backbone of the Navy!

Even for a major event like the execution of the "Pirate King" Roger, apart from the commander being an Admiral, the escorts were these people.

For a time, the terror brought about by the annihilation of Branch 153 had not yet fully escalated into chaos, and the entire East Blue was silent, like birds startled by the wind.

At this moment, Momonga had only just set out.

In the sea area of Branch 16, Cocoyasi Village, Arlong's territory.

"Alright, how many times have I told you, it wasn't me."

On a beach chair under the eaves, a Fishman with greenish skin showed impatience, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

He was still in the stage of enjoying ruling over twenty villages, and he had too much free time to go to the neighboring sea area to annihilate Branch 153.

Even if he wanted to take action against humans...

Gulp!

His beast-like, narrow eyes darted around.

Wasn't there a better option?

Standing beside him, Colonel Rat, who was not as tall as Arlong sitting down, shivered and then pursed his lips, his mustache curling upwards on both sides.

"That's great!"

"Headquarters has issued a strict order this time, asking us to cooperate with the investigation. If it wasn't you, then we can wash our hands of this matter completely."

"Oh!! As expected of my good friend!!"

Arlong laughed sinisterly, and the Fishman subordinates around him, such as Hatchan and Kuroobi, also burst into laughter.

Would Arlong admit that a human was his friend?

What a pipe dream!

Colonel Rat knew this, so his expression was a bit awkward, but he didn't give up and continued, "But there's still one problem."

"Oh?"

Arlong's expression was playful, and he stopped laughing.

"Momonga's true purpose in coming to investigate the culprit is to clear out the pirates in the East Blue and thus appease the people."

"Even if I pretend not to know, there are quite a few people who know about your existence."

As the pirate with the highest bounty in the East Blue, the captain of the Arlong Pirates with a bounty of 20 million, if Momonga wanted to establish his authority, he would definitely target him!

Even if he didn't say anything, someone would surely inform on them if they asked around.

"Tsk, Momonga. He's a troublesome guy."

Arlong recalled some unpleasant memories before approaching Colonel Rat, his sharp nose grazing the man's face.

"But since you brought it up, Rat, you must be confident, right?"

"Of... of course."

Arlong's nose wasn't just for show; it was as sharp as a dagger.

Colonel Rat swallowed and said, "Aren't you Fishmen? The ocean is your domain. It's understandable that we humans can't catch up to Fishmen in the sea."

"Pffft, hahaha, not bad!"

"Humans can never defeat Fishmen in the ocean!"

Arlong burst into laughter and then gave a signal.

Soon, Chuu, a Kiss Fishman and one of his executives, brought over a leather case and placed it on the table. Hearing the heavy thud as the case landed, Colonel Rat's eyes lit up.

"Then I'll be counting on you for this, Colonel Rat."

With that, Arlong pushed the case forward.

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

After Colonel Rat left, Arlong stood up and slowly walked towards the swimming pool.

"Big Brother, Rat actually thought we were behind the ghost ship incident!"

Kuroobi said with his arms crossed, a look of disdain on his face.

He figured they were here to extort them, thinking they had gotten their hands on a lot of treasure from those ghost ships.

Did they even consider that ever since they came to the East Blue five years ago, they had never done anything they were afraid to be seen for?

"I know, but it doesn't matter."

Splash!

Arlong leaped into the pool with agile and fluid movements, completely at odds with his muscular physique.

Splash!

A few seconds later, Arlong surfaced.

"Money is just a number to us. If he wants it, let him have it. Consider it feeding a dog."

Then, Arlong's expression turned cold.

"But causing trouble on our territory and framing us? That is unforgivable!"

More than Momonga's impending arrival in the East Blue, Arlong cared more about that little thief!

"Intensify the search. Notify me immediately once you find him... I want to break his bones with my own hands, understand?!"

"Yes!"

The destruction of Branch 153 seemed to have been suppressed, but a greater storm was brewing in the shadows.

I've been busy with the cover lately. Starting contracts on Qidian don't automatically generate them anymore. The art designers for my last few books did a great job.

Then I found an image myself, but couldn't get authorization from the original author.

I tried Taobao, but the custom-made ones were ugly.

I'll just have to use the image library that comes with the writer's assistant for now. I'll do my best.

In response to the overwhelming requests from our readers, we are now introducing an ad-free VIP membership feature!

Click to view