Spiritual Summoning Disturbance!

East Blue, Loguetown Navy Base.

The office door was violently kicked open, and Smoker stumbled forward, his hand instinctively grabbing the doorknob, preventing him from falling.

"Captain! Captain Smoker, you can't get out of bed yet."

Tashigi, holding his coat, ran to catch up with him.

"It's nothing, just a minor injury."

Smoker took a breath and stubbornly straightened his body.

"How can a near-fatal skull fracture be a minor injury!"

Tashigi said with a worried expression, "The doctor said if you don't rest properly, you'll have lasting complications... Also, stop smoking cigars while you're recovering, or you'll become an idiot!"

"Nonsense! You're so annoying, Tashigi!"

Smoker's face was pale and his lips trembled, it was unclear if it was due to his unhealed injury.

"Ahem!"

At this moment, Momonga coughed and interrupted them, saying.

"Smoker, I remember telling you to recover from your injuries first. Are you defying my orders?"

"What kind of order is that!"

Straining to drag his body over to the sofa, Smoker plopped down, his head buzzing.

Gently rubbing his temples through the bandages, Smoker asked.

"I heard, he's making a move again?"

"He" referred to Lowett.

Having nearly died at his hands, Smoker was now completely at odds with him, vowing not to rest until he was dealt with.

"That's right."

Sighing helplessly, knowing that even his authority as a Vice Admiral wouldn't stop Smoker, Momonga neatly stacked the papers in his hand and put them into a drawer, saying.

"But it has nothing to do with us. Did you really think he would show up?"

If that were the case, Momonga wouldn't be sitting here now.

"I'm going!"

Upon hearing this, Smoker opened his eyes and looked at him seriously. "It's better to be safe than sorry! If he really shows up, I'll arrest him myself!"

"..."

"Alright, then go."

Smoker was stunned.

He had prepared himself to pester Momonga until he agreed, but he agreed so quickly?

"Captain!"

Tashigi stomped her feet anxiously on the side, wanting to speak but holding back.

Smoker ignored her, stood up, and saluted crisply.

"Yes! I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Then he turned to leave.

But halfway there, he suddenly turned back, meeting Momonga's gaze.

An awkward silence hung between them for three seconds, and Smoker's face turned red.

"Where... should I go?"

Momonga replied expressionlessly, "Turn left out the door, the fifth room in the building next door."

Smoker: "..."

If he knew where Lowett was, would he need to wait for him to make a move?

Momonga really wanted to retract his previous assessment.

Smoker, that idiot, was still as brainless as ever!

Finding someone in the East Blue was difficult; these were his own words from before.

And the root of this entire farce lay in the fact that a few days ago, Lowett had used the East Blue newspaper agency to release a message.

"Do you have regrets?"

"For deceased family, friends, or even strangers, are there many words left unsaid?"

"You are in pain, deeply saddened, unable to sleep through countless nights, tormented repeatedly, right?"

"But now, an opportunity to make amends is before you!"

"I, the 'Black Count' Lowett, possess the ability to communicate with the deceased."

"As long as you bring me what I desire, I will give you a chance to reclaim the past."

Below it, pasted was the wanted poster for "Hypnotist" Zango, the former captain of the Black Cat Pirates.

"Find him and bring him to me, and you shall receive your reward."

"Of course, if you wish to know the location of the treasure left behind by a certain deceased Great Pirate, I can tell you that as well."

First, appeal to emotions, then to interests.

To be honest, Momonga was somewhat tempted when he first saw this message.

Because he knew better than anyone what methods Lowett possessed. If even something as unbelievable as a Zombie could appear, was summoning really that strange?

In life, who could be without regrets?

Momonga also had his fair share of those heart-wrenching memories that drove one to the brink of madness.

However, he quickly calmed down.

"A classic diversionary tactic!"

This was Momonga's guess.

He was currently stationed in Loguetown precisely to prevent Lowett from slipping into the Grand Line unnoticed.

Trapping him in the East Blue might be a disaster for its residents, but for the Navy, it was like catching a turtle in a jar. Therefore, he had to be vigilant.

Momonga dared not gamble, nor would he.

But what about others?

For the past two days, the residents of Loguetown had been discussing this matter the most, to the point where it reached Smoker, who was recuperating.

Some doubted its authenticity, while others suspected Lowett was setting a trap to kill someone. After all, he was the "New Hegemon of the East Blue" with a bounty of 55 million Belly. Both sides could use this as a reason to convince themselves.

But there was also a small minority, the third party, who believed it wholeheartedly.

Given the population of the East Blue, these people had all taken action, searching the entire sea area like a tide for Zango.

The rumors even grew more exaggerated, claiming that finding Zango would lead to the gold left behind by the "Gold Thief" Unan from years ago.

That was one-third of the world's gold!

It instantly ignited the ambitions of countless individuals, turning it into a treasure hunt that involved the entire populace.

"Despicable fellow!"

Such manipulation of people made Momonga grit his teeth in hatred.

Even if the truth eventually proved it to be false, Momonga, who knew the grudge between him and Zango, had to admit that Lowett had achieved his goal.

Back then, only Zango had escaped alive from the deserted island. Then, Morgan happened to receive a report at that very moment. The intrigue was obvious; Lowett would certainly not let him go.

However, what made Momonga relieved was that Lowett had not revealed his ability to summon the Undead this time.

That was the truly terrifying thing for the Navy!

If he had revealed that as well, Momonga was certain that Sengoku would immediately send reinforcements, gathering the strength of the entire East Blue to form the 100,000-strong army Smoker needed for the search.

The Navy had not disclosed his specific abilities. Clearly, Lowett had keenly noticed this, maintaining a tacit understanding with the Navy.

But this tacit understanding was something Momonga did not want to see.

The more it was like this, the more troublesome Lowett seemed in his eyes!

East Blue, Shimotsuki Village.

A middle-aged man with a large sword strapped to his back walked through the streets. Noticing the children by the roadside looking at him with curiosity, he turned and forced a smile onto his fierce face.

A so-called smile, for lack of a better term.

"Um..."

"Whoa! A monster is going to eat us! Run!"

Swish!

The brats scattered, leaving the Bounty Hunter whose eyelids were twitching uncontrollably.

What's wrong with being ugly?

My parents gave it to me, and I'm proud!

Rubbing his nose, the hunter prepared to head to the town center, which should be livelier.

But at that moment, a voice called out from behind him.

"Hey, who are you?!"

It was also a young man.

The Bounty Hunter sighed, imagining the scene of the other party being scared away by him, and turned around.

"I'm a Bounty Hunter, looking for pirates."

"A Bounty Hunter? Another one?"

The young man frowned and muttered, "Why have there been so many Bounty Hunters coming here these past few days?"

He wasn't scared away?

The Bounty Hunter looked up in shock and glanced over.

The young man wasn't tall, but he was very sturdy. His muscles were well-defined without being bulky, giving an impression of agility and nimbleness. He had a messy mop of green hair like seaweed on his head, wore a white t-shirt on his upper body, a green sash around his waist, dark green trousers, and black boots.

His attire was purely for ease of movement, with no regard for aesthetics.

However, the most eye-catching thing was the wooden sword he held in his hand.

A wooden sword?

Does this backwater village even have a dojo?

The Bounty Hunter paused for a moment.

There was a rather famous dojo in this area, wasn't there? What was it called... Isshin-ryu?

"Wait! You said another one? Has someone already been here?"

He suddenly realized and took out a wanted poster from his pocket. "Have you guys seen this guy then?!"

The young man was naturally Zoro, and his brow furrowed upon hearing this.

"Haven't seen him."

"Really haven't seen him? Think harder, even if he looks similar!"

"You're annoying. I already said I haven't seen him."

Zoro let out a rough breath and flicked his hand. "It's your freedom to look for whoever you want. Just remember not to cause trouble in the village, or I won't let you off."

With that, he turned and walked towards the forest, ignoring the Bounty Hunter's expression of anger mixed with speechlessness.

No, there's definitely something fishy going on!

The Bounty Hunter was old and experienced. Zoro's pupils, which had slightly constricted when answering the question, told him that he had definitely seen the person.

"Hiding in the forest? That's very possible!"

Watching Zoro leave, the Bounty Hunter made a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"I'll follow him and see!"

If you can't find the book by its title, you can try searching for the author. Maybe the title was just changed!