Shichibukai

"What happened, Vice Admiral?"

Noticing the change in atmosphere, Noah stepped forward and asked.

"Buma has lost contact."

Kizaru's voice had lost its usual leisurely laziness. With a grave frown, he said, "She sent word last night that she had already reached the waters near the target. A whole night has passed, and this morning, we haven't been able to reach her no matter what."

Lost contact?

Noah was slightly stunned. Kizaru had already quickened his pace to the bow, instructing his adjutant to issue the order to proceed at full speed.

"We are at most three hours away from the target waters, so we can basically rule out the possibility of the Den Den Mushi signal being limited."

Rear Admiral Gumier came to his side, his tone low. "In other words, Buma was most likely discovered by the enemy last night and has fallen into trouble."

Noah narrowed his eyes.

Buma had not been alone. She had been accompanied by an entire large warship with a full complement, at least seven or eight hundred soldiers aboard. Had they all been defeated outright without even getting a chance to call for help?

"The Swimsuit Pirates don't have that kind of strength," Noah said. "Was it that mysterious underground arms dealer?"

"Not necessarily. Although that place falls under the jurisdiction of the Alabasta Kingdom, it is located beside a remote seaside cliff. It is actually a lawless place where all sorts of people gather. Anyone could have made a move in secret."

Rear Admiral Gumier bit down on his cigar and sighed. "In any case, we need to get there as quickly as possible. There's no point speculating here."

Noah nodded slightly.

No one spoke again, and the atmosphere on deck grew somewhat oppressive.

All the soldiers who had still been