The East Blue Won't Tolerate Someone This Overbearing!

Hearing the sudden commotion from a distant ship, Nami and Carina both found it strange. But since they couldn't make out what the townspeople were saying, they had no idea what was happening over there.

Will, whose hearing was sharper, caught the townspeople's shouts clearly and a faint smile tugged at his lips. He then ignored the noise, turned to Nami, and said, "Did you finish looking over the sea chart on that document I gave you earlier? You should be able to confirm the location, right?"

"I've finished it." Nami nodded immediately, her tone grave. "The exact spot is northeast of the Conomi Islands' sea area. It's not too far from here—we should arrive around noon tomorrow." As she spoke, she recalled the contents of the documents, and her expression darkened. "Honestly, I never imagined it. The evil those Marines have done is even worse than I thought. To complete their assigned missions, they secretly capture civilians to use as prisoners..."

Carina, standing nearby, also found it hard to believe. "Indeed, the people in this Marine Branch 16 are the worst I've ever seen among the Marines. Will blowing them all to pieces earlier was letting them off easy."

Will wasn't surprised by their reactions at all. He shifted the topic. "So, this Bridge Kingdom, Tequila Wolf—have either of you heard any intel about that place?" The location had little description in the original story, and Will had never bothered to learn more. He was completely in the dark about it.

Nami shook her head helplessly. "I've only heard of it. But since it's heavily guarded and doesn't seem like a place with treasure, I never bothered to investigate further."

Carina, however, looked thoughtful, as if she knew something. After a moment's contemplation, she spoke gravely, introducing the intel about that place. "Tequila Wolf, also known as the Bridge Kingdom or the Labor Kingdom. It's a massive bridge that's been under construction for a very long time. By now, its length and area are impossible to measure—it's probably about the size of an island. That's why it's called the Bridge Kingdom. But even though it's called a kingdom, it's really just a giant prison built on a bridge. Most of the people on that bridge are citizens of non-World Government member nations and criminals from various countries. Plus, the pirates captured by the East Blue Marines are almost all sent there. These people are forced every day to keep building the bridge beneath their feet, which is why the name 'Labor Kingdom' fits even better. In the entire East Blue, no merchant or pirate dares to go near those waters. Because once you get close, without enough strength, ordinary people can never leave. Besides the extreme weather near the North Pole, there are also plenty of Marine warships stationed there. Rumor has it that even the East Blue's former overlord, Krieg, who's already headed to the Grand Line, nearly got his entire fleet stuck there and couldn't escape. If an ordinary person sails there, they'd probably be caught by the guarding Marine warships and taken to the bridge as a new slave for construction. Among all those who become slaves, no one has ever successfully escaped."

As she spoke, Carina's face suddenly darkened, and she frowned. "But I never expected that among the 'pirates' those Marines captured, there were so many innocent civilians." She knew full well that once these innocent people were sent there, no one would care whether they were actually pirates. Because after arriving, they would be stripped of everything and given only one identity: slave.

Nami, having listened, couldn't hide her surprise. "Not bad, you sly fox. I didn't expect you to know so much about that place." Then she asked curiously, "Did you ever plan to sneak in there to steal treasure? But I've never heard it's rich."

"Ufufufu." Carina covered her mouth with a laugh and teased, "You think I'm like you, Little Thief Cat, gathering intel solely for the sake of obtaining treasure."

"Back then, I was just a bit curious about the place, so I dug up a little extra information."

"And with my strength, even if there really was a mountain of treasure there, I'd absolutely never go."

"That's true." Nami nodded slightly, her thoughts aligning with his.

She loved treasure, sure, but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid of death.

Unless... the treasure there was beyond imagination!

Will ignored whatever the two were thinking and said calmly:

"Those Marines chose to round up civilians to fill their numbers because of the secret transport mission assigned by Bridge-on-the-Nation."

"The mission stipulated that the headcount had to exceed one hundred, and the more people sent, the higher the reward."

"That's why those Marines, to boost their 'prisoner' count, decided to target defenseless civilians."

"As for the one who issued the mission, they probably don't care at all who gets transported over."

"So the real mastermind is actually someone with greater power inside Bridge-on-the-Nation."

"Maybe a government official, or a higher-ranking Marine officer—but none of that matters to me."

"I simply don't want to see anyone more domineering than me existing in the East Blue!"

Carina blinked at that, then asked with a serious look:

"Will, are you deciding to go to Bridge-on-the-Nation to free the slaves there?"

"Huh?" Will furrowed his brow, clearly taken aback: "Free the slaves? What are you talking about."

"I don't have time to do something like that on purpose."

"The reason I want to go is because there are plenty of criminals and pirates there."

"Which means there are bound to be capable people in charge of guarding them."

"And my target is exactly those people watching the bridge—I hope their strength won't disappoint me."

He had originally planned to head straight for Loguetown after wiping out the Marines at Marine Branch 16.

But after reading the contents of those classified documents, a new plan formed in his mind.

First, Bridge-on-the-Nation, then Loguetown!

So he acted on the thought.

He never hesitated when it came to his goals and plans.

Carina and Nami exchanged a resigned smile at the slightly eager look in Will's eyes.

With Will around, they weren't too worried about safety.

But still, heading to that legendary, mysterious place in the East Blue...

A hint of tension and concern crept into both their hearts.

Seeing the two lost in thought, Will didn't press further and instead said:

"Alright, the target's set. Nami, you handle keeping the course steady."

"Everyone rest well tonight. Tomorrow, full speed to Bridge-on-the-Nation."

With that.

He got up and walked into the cabin, ready to conserve his energy for the next day.

After Nami locked in the ship's heading, she chatted idly with Carina as they both returned to their respective rooms.