Will Captured More Than Just Pirates? The Marine Fleet Had Doomed Itself

When they heard the commotion coming from a ship in the distance, Nami and Carina both found it strange.

But the two of them couldn't make out what the townspeople were saying.

So they had no idea what was happening over there.

Will, whose hearing was much sharper, caught the distant townspeople's shouts. A faint smile curled his lips.

Then he ignored the commotion and turned to Nami.

"Did you finish looking over the Sea Chart in the file I gave you earlier? You should be able to confirm our position, right?"

"I've finished."

Nami nodded at once, her expression solemn. "The exact location is northeast of the Konomi Islands."

"It's not very far from here. We should arrive by tomorrow around noon."

As she spoke, she couldn't help recalling the contents of those files. Her expression darkened.

"Honestly, I never thought..."

"The Marines' crimes were even worse than I imagined."

"To complete their assigned mission, they secretly captured civilians to use as prisoners..."

Carina, standing nearby, found it hard to believe as well.

"Exactly. The people in Marine Branch 16 are the most despicable Marines I've ever encountered."

"Will blowing them to pieces earlier was almost too good for them."

Will wasn't surprised by their reactions, so he instead asked, "Have either of you heard anything about Bridge-on-the-Nation, Tequila Wolf?"

The original story had said very little about the place, and Will had never made a point of learning about it.

So he knew virtually nothing about its circumstances.

Nami shook her head helplessly. "I'd only heard of the place."

"But it's heavily guarded, and it doesn't seem like the kind of place that would have treasure, so I never bothered looking into it."

Carina, however, seemed thoughtful, as if she knew something.

After a moment's thought, she began to explain in a grave tone.

"Tequila Wolf, also known as Bridge-on-the-Nation, is also called the Labor Country."

"It's a massive bridge that has been under construction for a very long time."

"By now, its length and area are impossible to measure. It's probably about as large as an island."

"That's why it's called Bridge-on-the-Nation."

"Although the bridge is called a country, at most it's just a gigantic prison built on a bridge."

"Most of the people there are citizens of countries that aren't World Government Member States, along with criminals from various nations."

"On top of that, the pirates captured by the East Blue Marines are usually sent there too."

"Every day, these people are forced to keep building the bridge beneath their feet. That's why Labor Country is a more fitting name."

"Throughout the East Blue, neither merchants nor pirates are willing to go anywhere near those waters."

"Because once they get close, ordinary people won't be able to leave those waters unless they're strong enough."

"Besides the extreme weather near the North Pole, the area is also guarded by a large number of Marine warships."

"According to rumor, even Krieg, the East Blue's former overlord who went to the Grand Line, nearly got trapped there with his enormous fleet."

"If an ordinary person sailed there, the Marines on guard would probably capture them and take them to the bridge to become new laborers."

"And among those who become slaves, no one has ever managed to escape."

As she spoke, Carina's expression suddenly turned grim. She frowned.

"I just never expected that among the 'pirates' those Marines captured, there would be so many innocent civilians."

She knew all too well that once these innocent people were sent there, no one would care whether they were actually pirates.

Because once they arrived, everything would be taken from them, and they'd be given one identity.

That was, slave.

Nami listened, then couldn't help looking surprised.

"Not bad, Female Fox. I didn't expect you to know so much about that place."

Then she asked curiously, "Were you planning to go there and steal treasure before? I've never heard that it was a wealthy place."

"Fufufu." Carina covered her mouth and laughed, teasing her.

"You think I'm like you, Little Thief Cat? You only ever look into things to get treasure."

"I was just a little curious about the place back then, so I looked into it a bit."

"Besides, even if there really were a lot of treasures there, I'd never go with my level of skill."

"That's true." Nami nodded slightly, thinking much the same way.

She liked treasure, but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid of dying.

Unless... there was an unimaginable amount of treasure there!

Will paid no mind to what the two of them were thinking and spoke calmly.

"The Marines chose to capture civilians to make up the numbers because of the secret transport mission assigned by Bridge-on-the-Nation."

"The mission required more than a hundred people, and the more people they delivered, the greater the reward."

"That's why those Marines targeted civilians who couldn't fight back, to increase the number of 'prisoners.'"

"The people who issued the mission probably didn't care at all who they were transporting."

"So the real masterminds are the people with greater authority in Bridge-on-the-Nation."

"Maybe government officials, or higher-ranking Marine officers. But none of that matters to me."

"I just don't want anyone else in the East Blue thinking they can be more tyrannical than me!"

Carina was taken aback. Her gaze grew serious as she asked, "Will, are you going to Bridge-on-the-Nation to free the slaves there?"

"Hm?" Will furrowed his brow, looking genuinely puzzled. "Free the slaves? What are you talking about?"

"I don't have time to go out of my way to do something like that."

"I want to go because there are a lot of criminals and pirates there."

"So there must be some capable people guarding them."

"My target is the people specifically assigned to guard the bridge. I hope those guys won't disappoint me."

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

But when Will saw the contents of those classified files, he immediately came up with a new plan.

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

And once he'd made up his mind, he acted.

He never hesitated over his goals or plans.

Seeing the anticipation in Will's eyes, Carina and Nami exchanged helpless smiles.

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

But they were still heading to the mysterious place of legend in the East Blue.

So the two of them couldn't help feeling a little nervous and worried.

Will saw them looking thoughtful but didn't ask about it. Instead, he said, "All right, we've chosen our destination. Nami, keep us on course."

"Everyone, get a good night's rest. Tomorrow we'll make straight for Bridge-on-the-Nation at full speed."

With that, he stood and went into the cabin to rest up for tomorrow.

After Nami set the ship on course, she and Carina chatted as they headed back to their rooms.