The Hell Pirates!

Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.

Aokiji had no time to think about anything else. He stared at the Den Den Mushi on his desk, waiting intently for a call.

Based on the estimated sailing time, the Buster Call fleet should have reached Witch Island by now. How was the situation? What was that old bastard Doug planning to do? And what was Figo planning?

Buru-buru-buru.

At last, the Den Den Mushi rang. Aokiji immediately answered. "This is Aokiji."

"Fleet Admiral Aokiji, something's happened."

The voice on the other end wasn't Figo's or Doug's. Aokiji froze for a moment, then realized it was Admiral Gandor, who had recently been keeping an eye on the Hell Pirates' movements in the New World.

"What is it, Gandor? Have the Hell Pirates made a move?" Aokiji asked gravely.

"I lost track of them. Rebrus slipped away from his Hell Garden without anyone noticing. The Hell Pirates' officers have all disappeared with him. There are only a few small fry left in the garden. Should we take the opportunity to clean them out?"

"What?!" Aokiji furrowed his brow.

What was that bastard Rebrus planning?

His thoughts raced. Suddenly, his old face went slightly pale, and he hurriedly asked, "Gandor, can you confirm when Rebrus disappeared?"

"Uh, sorry, but I can only confirm he was still there three days ago."

Aokiji hung up with a click, then quickly dialed another number.

"What is it, Aokiji?" Saint Mendsbin's voice came through.

"Saint Mendsbin! Is the Hell Pirates' operation connected to the Revolutionary Army?!"

"Watch your tone, Aokiji." Saint Mendsbin's voice was calm. "The Hell Pirates? How would I know about that? Dealing with pirate crews is the Navy's responsibility.

"But CP0 did get information from the Hell Pirates that led them to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters. Rebrus has always wanted to defeat Gluttony and become the pirates' one and only King, so he's eager to recruit the Blind Witch into his crew. You know about that, don't you, Aokiji?"

Aokiji understood Saint Mendsbin's unspoken meaning. Enraged, he said, "Have you gone mad, Saint Mendsbin?!"

"You're the one who's gone mad, Aokiji! Hmph. Prepare to step down as Fleet Admiral!"

The Den Den Mushi went silent.

Aokiji sat there, stunned for two seconds, then quickly grabbed the Den Den Mushi again and dialed another number.

At the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, Saint Mendsbin's expression was cold as he tossed the Den Den Mushi aside.

In the Four Seas and along the Grand Line, the World Government's intelligence agencies held an absolute advantage. But in the New World, where the strongest pirate crews were entrenched, the locals had the upper hand.

CP0 might have trouble investigating an isolated island in the New World, but the Hell Pirates were one of the New World's two great powers. They were another matter.

If something existed, it would leave traces.

More than half a year ago, Rebrus had been looking for the Revolutionary Army. He discovered a trail when a Revolutionary Army member secretly bought enough food to feed two hundred people for a month or two.

It was strange for provisions to be bought in such quantities by someone who showed no signs of belonging to a Great Pirate crew, wasn't it?

Rebrus had wanted to act then, but the Navy had reacted quickly. Not knowing why he was making a move, they'd sent an Admiral to keep an eye on him.

And so things had been delayed until today.

CP0 had discovered the Revolutionary Army's approximate location through the Hell Pirates. Of course, it was "inevitable" that Rebrus would also learn something about the World Government and the Navy's movements. And given Rebrus's nature, he was sure to make a move!

Send the Marines to their deaths?

No, that wasn't it.

Saint Mendsbin had long since guessed—and already knew—about Aokiji's communications with Figo. Figo would absolutely join the force sent to attack the Revolutionary Army... whether he agreed to it or not!

Besides, with the Buster Call fleet's strength, the Navy stood a chance against the Hell Pirates. It was just that both sides would suffer heavy losses.

One war would eliminate some pirates and kill off a group of disobedient Marines. And if the disobedient Figo fell to Rebrus, Hell of a Man, that would be even better.

It wasn't just about maintaining his authority.

The more Saint Mendsbin learned over the past six months, the more serious the situation seemed.

Figo alone was nothing to worry about. No matter how strong an individual was, he couldn't truly threaten the World Government's rule. But if Doug, who was influenced by Figo, joined him, that could cause trouble.

Doug held far too special a position in the Navy.

He had established and systematized the Six Powers, making him the mentor of countless Marines. And his Inspire-Inspire Fruit had inspired too many young Marines lost in uncertainty.

If someone like Figo then rallied this force with a call to arms, it would pose a tremendous threat to the World Government's control of the Navy!

So it was best to have a batch of them die in battle.

As he pondered this, the Den Den Mushi he'd set aside began ringing again.

"Five Elders! Five Elders! Something terrible has happened! Figo—Figo's disappeared! We don't know when he left!" Rado's frightened, panicked voice came from the other end.

Just as expected. Saint Mendsbin gave a quiet snort and asked into the Den Den Mushi, "The last time you saw him was yesterday morning, right?"

"Huh? You—you knew?"

Yes, I already knew. You've only just found out? Saint Mendsbin narrowed his eyes.

Rado was in for another rough time!

On the other side, the Revolutionary Army's ship had been forced back to shore by ten warships. One by one, Revolutionary Army members were shackled and escorted aboard the warships.

"Saintess! Why is this happening?!"

"Have you betrayed the Revolutionary Army?!"

It wasn't that no one fought back, but Figo easily knocked down everyone who did. The Revolutionary Army's only member capable of holding him off, Sapphire, was instead helping Figo restrain the rebels.

Betrayed? That was an interesting way to put it.

Figo couldn't help smiling. Before long, only a group of children and the four Revolutionary Army members Sapphire had selected remained in front of him, their expressions conflicted.

The Prison Archives had a bountiful harvest, filling more than a hundred blank pages. Most had Capture Participation scores between 60% and 80%. Four people had Crime Index scores below 3, around twenty had scores from 4 to 10, and everyone else was above 10.

The highest score was a whopping 80. Figo had no idea what the person's identity had been before.

But since he was letting four people go, and there were four people in the Revolutionary Army who could be considered innocent, Figo was willing to trust Sapphire's selection and let them go.

He indicated that Sapphire could give the four people and the children any final instructions she wanted. But she suddenly looked surprised and asked him, "Besides you, the Navy sent an Admiral... and a ship full of elite troops?"

"Hm?" Figo froze, then quickly understood. He gazed toward the distant horizon.

A massive ship, black from bow to stern and even larger than a giant warship, slowly emerged over the horizon. A skull with a dog's face hung high from its mast!

It was obviously a pirate ship!

"That's..."

Could it be?!

Another Navy officer spotted the pirate ship and looked shocked. The next moment, they all shouted, "Everyone! Stand by!"

"That's... the symbol of the Hell Pirates, one of the New World's two great powers!"

"Why are they here?!"

The Hell Pirates? Doug clenched both fists tightly. Just then, the Den Den Mushi on him rang. He answered, and Fleet Admiral Aokiji's voice came through. "Doug, be careful..."

"I can already see him!" Doug growled, then hung up!

On the pirate ship in the distance, a figure more than six meters tall and immensely muscular appeared at the front of the deck. His booming laughter echoed across the sea, radiating an oppressive presence as he released his Conqueror's Haki without restraint!

"What a grand reception, Navy! A few little complications delayed us. Have you already captured the Blind Witch? Hahaha! How about we exchange prisoners? I like the Blind Witch. Join my pirate crew!"

Exchange prisoners? Figo's expression turned grave.

"Is that... Vice Admiral Miya?!"

An average of 5,000 words a day during a new book's launch period is already a lot. I can't wait until 400,000 words to start selling the book, can I? Er Yang has to make a living and needs a spot in the recommendations.

Keeping up with the latest chapters is important. Please don't start the "short chapters" or "I'll save up chapters" talk. I'm begging you!