Headquarters Shaken, Crisis Lurking!

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The majestic and imposing fortress inspired awe. With the sun at its back, the Navy flag fluttered in the wind, its rustling a stirring sound.

In the top-floor office of the fortress, Sengoku closed the document in his hand, his stern gaze sweeping over the assembled generals.

"...This clash between Red-Haired and Kaido shows that the Four Emperors' structure has stabilized. We must intensify our intelligence efforts in the future New World, understand?!"

"Yes!"

"That's all... Aokiji, Tsuru, you two stay. The rest of you are dismissed."

Clatter!

No one asked why.

Upon receiving the order, a group of high-ranking Navy officials, any one of whom could shake the seas if unleashed, turned and left swiftly, regardless of their rank, demonstrating their formidable execution as soldiers.

As the doors closed, Chief of Staff Tsuru rubbed her temples, her wrinkled face etched with exhaustion.

"Although I knew he was strong a long time ago, I never expected him to actually repel Hundred Beasts."

In a completely disadvantageous situation where the enemy had flanked them with superior numbers, repelling Kaido in a world-shaking, draw battle had completely established the reality of Four Emperors being on equal footing, solidifying the Four Emperors' structure.

But for the Navy, was it more beneficial or detrimental?

"Well, isn't this the situation they wanted to see anyway?"

Aokiji crossed his arms and yawned, saying, "Kaido and BIG·MOM are, after all, crew members of that person. If we let them be, and they decide to team up, Whitebeard might not be able to handle it."

Although the probability of them teaming up was almost zero.

But it's better to be safe than sorry.

The Navy wouldn't dare gamble their hopes on conflicts between pirates.

"Alright, this topic ends here, understand?"

Sengoku looked up, his eyes serious beneath his frog-like glasses.

Hearing this, the two sobered up and nodded.

"I asked you to stay for another matter..."

Taking a stack of new documents from his drawer and pushing them towards them, Sengoku said, "This is Momonga's idea. I've already approved it."

"Momonga?"

Tsuru frowned, a hint of understanding dawning on her face.

Opening the documents, she quickly scanned their contents, her eyes darkening slightly.

"Scum!!"

This wasn't an insult directed at Momonga, nor at Lowett, nor at the villagers of Cocoyasi Village.

Aokiji glanced at her and flinched.

It was best not to provoke Madam Tsuru when she was in such a state.

He then continued reading.

A few minutes later...

Closing and tidying the documents, Aokiji turned, his eyes filled with confusion. "Magic? Does such a thing truly exist?"

"I've already sent people to contact Moria to confirm he's still alive."

Sengoku replied calmly, "But whether it's true or not, this ability is terrifying."

Not just a little terrifying!

Tsuru and Aokiji exchanged glances, seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes.

The fact that they could injure a Logia-type user like Smoker wasn't enough to make them so tense. What they truly cared about was the opponent's ability to revive the dead!

Momonga's report detailed a series of classified intelligence, emphasizing the point that the opponent could revive the dead.

To them, the dead held no fear.

But how many beings like them existed on the seas?

The entire Navy combined was less than one in ten million of the populace!

And while "Moonlight" Moria's creation of zombie troops required the shadows of the living, this opponent only needed corpses.

After clearing the battlefield, Momonga alone had compiled over three hundred corpses, including, but not limited to, Navy personnel from Branch 153 and pirates who disappeared during the Ghost Ship Incident.

Furthermore, these zombies were not restrained by seawater or Seastone and could only be subdued by complete destruction, fitting everyone's fantasy definition of zombies.

"Also, according to scout reports, the empty graves in the Shells Town cemetery showed scratch marks inside the coffins as early as the eighth day after the bodies were buried. Do you know what that means?"

Sengoku asked sternly.

"It means... not only can he directly summon and revive the dead, but he can also secretly create zombies through other means, such as plagues or viruses."

Tsuru gasped, a chill coursing through her.

Marineford only had three underground water sources, and all personnel at headquarters, including their families in the town, drew water from these three sources.

In the Great Sea, it's common for a town or city to have only one well. If the enemy were to contaminate it with a corpse-transformation plague, they wouldn't just kill all the residents; they could instantly raise an undead army.

"And he specifically went after the Arlong Pirates. Afterwards, he took the corpses of Arlong and other Fishmen... proving that the power of the deceased can also be used by him. He has his eye on the Fishmen's naturally strong physiques."

No wonder the Fleet Admiral himself is personally investigating!

This ability might just be a minor nuisance in the East Blue, at most causing panic and headaches. But if he were to reach the Grand Line and obtain the corpses of those powerful individuals...

Aokiji's eyes showed no sign of sleepiness, and he made a grave assessment.

"A natural disaster!"

Though the individual himself is weak, this ability, like storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, is a natural disaster that ordinary people cannot resist!

A new kind of natural disaster, an undead one!

Aokiji rubbed his temples and said, "Honestly, the bounty is too low."

In his eyes, this ability alone was enough to warrant a bounty exceeding 100 million.

He would rather see ten more Supernovas appear in Sabaody this year than see someone like this emerge.

"But the crimes he committed are only worth this bounty... An inflated bounty will only make people curious about his abilities and investigate further."

"Once the news spreads, it will cause riots in the East Blue."

Lady Tsuru shook her head and sighed helplessly.

She could imagine that the East Blue populace, already suspicious after the Ghost Ship Incident, would fall into even greater chaos if they knew such a terrifying individual was living among them.

An entire exodus from the East Blue?

It wasn't impossible.

"So Momonga has temporarily put aside all his current tasks and is focusing all his efforts on hunting down Lowett, aiming to destroy him before he can grow stronger."

Sengoku asked.

"So, you two have no objections?"

They both shook their heads. This was a matter of great importance, so of course they had no objections.

Bounties are just for show to outsiders. The true threat level has nothing to do with the bounty amount. Nico Robin's bounty was 79 million, yet even the Gorosei paid close attention to her, never relaxing their search efforts for twenty years.

"Then it's settled. Go back and await further notice."

Sengoku looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with killing intent: "This year is chaotic enough; we don't need any more disturbances!"

Now that Lowett had made his choice to become the Black Count, the Navy didn't have to be so hesitant anymore.

There were no longer victims, only the Navy and pirates.

East Blue, Unnamed Sea Area.

"Achoo!"

Lying on a beach chair, Lowett rubbed his nose.

"What's with this ominous premonition?"

As a mage, Lowett trusted his sixth sense implicitly. He immediately closed his eyes and spread out his spiritual power.

"The connection is very weak. Momonga's warship is still far away... Who could it be?"

Lowett frowned.

Besides Momonga, was there anyone else in the East Blue who could pose a threat to him?

"Well, maybe someone from the Grand Line!"

"After all..."

Splash!

Lowett opened the newspaper in his hand, took a sip from his wine glass, and a smile curved his lips.

"I'm quite famous now, it's normal for people to be thinking about me."

The front page of the newspaper featured Lowett's portrait, taking up the entire space. It was a picture of him standing calmly in Cocoyasi Village, confronting Smoker with his hands on his cane.

He never imagined that there was someone in the Navy specifically responsible for taking photos.

What happened to being elite?

(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

East Blue's Strongest Pirate! The Black Count!

The font was bold black, stretching from the top left to the bottom right of the image. On the far right, standing vertically, was a scarlet number: "55,000,000"!

The East Blue actually produced a Great Pirate with a bounty over fifty million?

This was a hot topic that "Big News" Morgans, the owner of the World Economic Journal, couldn't miss. He immediately paid for the story and hyped it up.

So, at the bottom of the page, there was a line of small text.

[Is this the sign of the weakest sea about to rise?]

"It's good to have money; you can talk nonsense without being invited for tea by the Navy..."

Lowett shook his head and put down his wine glass.

It wasn't surprising to him that the Navy had hidden the atrocities of the Arlong Pirates and framed him for them. What Colonel Rat of Branch 16 had done was an offense against heaven and man. If it got out, it wouldn't just be a matter of a bad impression; it would instantly incite a riot!

However, also for the sake of their image, they had in turn helped Lowett conceal his former title of "Triangle Spellbreaker" and his actions, defining the deaths of Morgan and others as "pirate brutality."

"Justice!"

"What a chore..."

Necromancy: Blue Flame!

A pale blue flame appeared at his fingertips, gradually consuming the newspaper.

Lowett leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the rim of the glass.

"Devouring the Fishman's soul healed my wounds considerably again, but until I reach the threshold of a formal Mage, I can't let my guard down."

"Who else in the East Blue is worth killing?"

"Roar!"

The Black Knight stood by with an ice bucket, and upon hearing this, pulled a wanted poster from his pocket.

"Zango?"

Lowett paused.

"Yes, I almost forgot about him."

A smile crept onto Lowett's lips.

"I've thought of an... interesting idea."

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.