Traveling on the Public Dime Was Sweet

Mo Xingchen lay back in a beach chair, looking curiously at Dragon, who was also dressed casually and wore only his military cap.

"Dragon, if I remember right, you're a lieutenant commander. Why aren't you wearing your Justice Coat?"

"Consider this a vacation. Besides, Brother Mo, you're the star of this trip. Why would I steal your thunder?"

Leaning against the ship's railing, drinking juice in the sea breeze, Dragon replied without turning around.

"By the way, do you know Major General Wilte, the commander of the Sabaody Archipelago branch?"

"Not very well. We crossed paths once or twice when I was on missions in the Sabaody Archipelago. He was easy to get along with. I heard he used to serve under Vice Admiral Borsalino, but I don't know much else."

Lieutenant William, who had been standing nearby, took the initiative to report to Mo Xingchen.

"Captain Mo, Major General Wilte was originally Vice Admiral Borsalino's adjutant. Vice Admiral Borsalino was the first commander of the Sabaody Archipelago branch, back when he was still a major general. After he was promoted to vice admiral, he was transferred to a new assignment.

"However, because of the Sabaody Archipelago's unique location, its complicated situation, and its proximity to headquarters, they did not send another powerful vice admiral to guard it. Major General Wilte naturally took over the position."

"William, I didn't realize you knew so much."

William scratched his head sheepishly.

"Captain Mo, please don't praise me. Small fry like us don't have much strength, so all we can do is intelligence work."

"Hahaha, don't put it that way, William. It's precisely because of intelligence analysis like this that superiors can do their jobs better!"

As the group chatted, the soldier in the lookout tower announced that they were about to arrive at the Sabaody Archipelago. The warship sailed directly into the naval branch's harbor. As soon as they disembarked, a man wearing a Justice Coat with colon's epaulets approached them with several soldiers.

"Captain Mo, hello! I'm Phelps, Major General Wilte's adjutant. Major General Wilte sent me to escort you to his office."

"Alright, thank you."

Mo Xingchen had Will handle the handover with them while he followed Colonel Phelps to the office with Dragon.

Once inside, they found a burly man with a full beard sitting on the sofa and making tea. Mo Xingchen spoke first.

"Hello, Major General Wilte! I'm Mo Xingchen. Sorry for the trouble during this visit!"

"Hahaha, Captain Mo, Lieutenant Commander Dragon, no need to be so polite. Please, sit!" Wilte handed them each a cup of hot tea before continuing.

"I've heard the rumors about you. Vice Admiral Garp's communications officer, as strong as a Monster, capable of fighting Vice Admiral Sakazuki to a draw.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru and Vice Admiral Borsalino have already called me. Whatever cooperation you need for this operation, just tell Phelps. I've already informed the people below—we'll give you our full support."

"Major General Wilte, you're far too kind. Thank you so much!"

For a while, host and guests were all pleased. After asking about the current situation in the Sabaody Archipelago, Mo Xingchen took Dragon out for a look around.

From what he had learned, the Sabaody Archipelago's general layout was basically no different from the original story.

The entire Sabaody Archipelago consisted of seventy-nine giant trees. To make them easier to distinguish, each tree was marked with a number.

Islands 1 to 29: Mainly human trafficking shops, human auctions, lawless zones, and the like.

Islands 30 to 39: Mainly Bubble Park and similar attractions.

Islands 40 to 49: Mainly sightseeing areas, specialty shops, and so on.

Islands 50 to 59: Mainly shipyards, coating craftsmen, and the like.

Islands 60 to 69: Mainly naval stations, government entrances and exits, and so on.

Islands 70 to 79: Mainly hotel districts and the like.

After leaving the office, Mo Xingchen took Dragon toward Islands 30 through 49. There were plenty of pirates in the lawless zones anyway, so there was no need to rush into work. He intended to take a good look around this miraculous archipelago. How could traveling on the public dime not be sweet?

"Dragon, you're just too upright."

"Dragon, you used to focus only on capturing pirates and overlooked the scenery along the way."

"Dragon, you need to understand the balance between work and rest. If you stay tense all the time, how can you improve?"

For more than twenty days straight, Mo Xingchen led Dragon around nearly the entire Sabaody Archipelago, excluding the lawless zones of Islands 1 through 29. They played at everything worth playing and bought piles of random things. Most of it was handed out to the soldiers who had accompanied him, along with gifts for several big shots.

After enduring over twenty days of mental attacks, Dragon finally snapped. Early one morning, he charged into the dormitory, grabbed Mo Xingchen by the collar, hauled him out of bed, and roared.

"Mo Xingchen, you've been fooling around for days! The award ceremony is almost here, and you haven't caught a single pirate!"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't get so worked up. Tomorrow! We'll go tomorrow!"

Mo Xingchen said with a fawning smile.

"Like hell I believe you. You've been saying that since last week. Today! We're going today!"

Seeing that he could no longer wriggle out of it, Mo Xingchen could only resign himself to his fate.

"Alright, alright, I can't beat your stubbornness. You're the boss. What you say goes. Today, I'll show you what efficiency really means!"

Then he shouted toward the door.

"William!"

William came running over at once, snapped to attention, and saluted.

"Captain Mo! What are your orders!"

"You have half an hour! Gather the brats from the combat squad! Then borrow a platoon of combat personnel from Colonel Phelps."

"Yes, sir!"

William turned and carried out the order. Mo Xingchen began washing up and changing clothes as well. By the time he appeared on the parade ground in a fitted combat uniform, a force of around forty men had already assembled.

Mo Xingchen snapped his fingers and pointed toward the branch gates.

"Target: Island 1. Move out!"

Seeing William standing at the front with a thick stack of bounty posters in his arms, Mo Xingchen waved him over.

"William, all you need to do is tell me which pirates have bounties over ten million."

"Yes, sir!"

Mo Xingchen planned to start from Island 1 and sweep all the way through Island 29. Whoever ran into him could only blame their bad luck!

He had no intention of learning the life stories of these pirates in detail. Pirates were a group that produced nothing. What did anyone expect them to live on?

Some might say that certain pirates only sought freedom, would not harm others, and funded themselves by robbing other criminals. Fine! Wanting freedom and not joining the Navy was understandable. But then why not become bounty hunters? Why insist on flying a pirate flag?

After all, there was only one Child of Destiny like Luffy in an entire world. More importantly, Oda had no choice but to write him that way. The protagonist couldn't exactly be a villain who burned, killed, looted, and committed every evil imaginable! The man had to make a living too.

So someone like Luffy was a savior using the pirate label as a cover. What kind of pirate was he supposed to be?