Seizing Resources and Chasing

In the tavern, at the dining table.

"Rika is still young, she can't go out to sea, and the shop needs my help."

Rika thought for a moment, then lowered her head and said.

"Don't you want to go out to sea and see this magnificent world? I will protect you. As for your family, I'll ask them for you, alright?"

Moya stroked Rika's head, comforting her.

"No, Lord Moya," Rika said anxiously.

Ignoring Rika, Moya walked to the bar counter and his eyes lit up as he looked at the busy young woman.

Madam, your headscarf and hairstyle are very dangerous.

"Excuse me, are you Rika's mother? I see that Rika has extraordinary talent, and her future achievements will surely be remarkable, so I would like to take her out to sea to gain experience. Please consider it."

Moya tried his best to infuse his tone with sincerity.

Rika's mother looked at this "handsome man" who had suddenly appeared and was slightly stunned by his appearance.

However, she couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed by Moya's request; who would ask to take someone's daughter away the moment they opened their mouth? Out of politeness, Rika's mother still politely declined.

"Rika is still young, and going to sea now is too dangerous. Please allow me to refuse."

"Because Rika is young, this is the best time for proper training; missing it would be the greatest regret. Besides, I will protect her and teach her."

"Furthermore, Rika is so young and spends every day here helping you as a waitress; she won't achieve much. In this era, pirates are rampant and full of danger. She could have a better path, and I hope you will consider Rika's future."

Moya's tone shifted to a persuasive one, and paired with his handsome face, Rika's mother began to waver.

At this moment, Rika tugged on the corner of Moya's clothes.

"Don't say that about my mother, Rika is very happy being a waitress!"

Hearing Rika's words, her mother felt a pang in her heart.

Who wouldn't want their child to get ahead? But she didn't want her daughter to take risks and fall into danger; she was caught in a dilemma.

Moya locked eyes with Rika's mother, instantly activating his Devil Fruit ability, and appeared abruptly right in front of her.

The scent from Moya's body flooded her nostrils; Rika's mother's expression changed drastically, and as she stumbled backward, Moya caught her waist firmly.

"L-Lord, you can let go now. In that case, I will entrust Rika to you. I believe you will protect her well."

Seeing Moya's unfathomable speed, Rika's mother had reason to believe that Moya was a capable powerhouse.

Rika looked at her mother, whose attitude had taken a sharp turn, with a face full of confusion.

Moya wore a lingering smile; such a soft, slender waist.

"Very well. From now on, Rika is my crew member. Start as a little cook for now. You two get ready, I'll come to pick Rika up in a while!"

With that, he left with a smile.

After leaving Rika's tavern, Moya headed in the direction of the Yanhuang.

Suddenly, Moya vanished at a street corner and secretly made his way toward the Marine branch.

Inside the Marine branch, a Marine was reporting to the Lieutenant Colonel.

"Sir, none of the people from the Moya Adventure Group have caused any trouble, and their purchases were all normal transactions. Moya went to a tavern and then left in the direction of their ship."

"Hmm, as long as they aren't causing trouble, just keep a close watch! In a few days, the Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, the 'Hero of the Marines' Garp, will be coming to our branch."

"Haha, I can finally get a close look at the 'Hero of the Marines' I admire most!"

The Lieutenant Colonel danced with excitement.

"Isn't Vice Admiral Garp coming back to the East Blue for vacation and to escort Captain Morgan, sir?"

A communications officer said helplessly.

The Lieutenant Colonel didn't feel embarrassed, just scratched his head and laughed, brimming with excitement.

Moya, eavesdropping outside the window, frowned. He had originally intended to abduct Captain Morgan to see if he could find memories of the Six Powers, but now he had heard this news.

Damn it.

Moya had actually forgotten the "Axe-Hand" Captain Morgan's claim to fame—the classic plot of him hacking Garp. It was truly a miscalculation.

Weighing the pros and cons, Moya ultimately abandoned the idea of abducting Captain Morgan. He didn't want to risk being pursued by Garp just to kidnap Morgan.

Although Garp might not necessarily pursue Morgan personally after his escape, if he just happened to send a Rear Admiral to chase them, it would be more than enough to make Moya suffer.

Since Captain Morgan couldn't be taken, Moya also had to reconsider Koby and Meppo, whom he had intended to snatch along the way.

Although Koby had great potential—after all, that guy Oda had set him up to have a chance at becoming a Marine Admiral.

Moreover, two years later, he would become a Captain at Marine Headquarters, which showed his potential.

But he was still too weak right now and had no real utility.

Since Koby hadn't become Garp's disciple yet, Moya didn't know if he had the ability to train Koby into a powerhouse.

After thinking it over, Moya ultimately gave up on the idea of abducting Koby.

Moya quickly retreated and began searching for the finance office and treasure storage area of the 153rd Marine Branch.

Moya was unfamiliar with the layout, so upon seeing a Marine walking by, he instantly slid to his side and, before the man could react, struck his neck with a hand blade to knock him unconscious.

"Memory Slide Technique of Slip-Slip Fruit"

Moya browsed through the Marine's memories, extracted the memory clusters from the recent period, and familiarized himself with the terrain.

With a click, he tossed the Marine into a random corner.

Moya headed straight for the finance office, using the sliding power of the Slip-Slip Fruit to easily force the door open. Inside the finance office was a large chest containing over 20 million Beli, which likely served as reserve bounty funds and Marine payroll.

Every Marine branch kept reserve bounty funds for their respective sea areas to pay commission to bounty hunters who killed pirates.

On this point, most Marine branches maintained a degree of credibility, and since the highest bounty in this sea area was only a little over 20 million, the reserve funds were more than sufficient.

This small Marine branch held no famous blades or artifacts, so Moya picked out a few pistols that looked decent; they would be good for Rika, who lacked abilities.

Moya rolled up the chest of Beli and began his withdrawal.

After a moment of thought, Moya realized that leaving like this would make him too obvious a suspect, so he turned back, used the Marine's memories to locate the prison, and quickly knocked out the guarding Marines.

Moya tossed the keys in front of several prison cells, releasing dozens of pirates who looked like small-time thugs with little power.

The Lieutenant Colonel could easily re-arrest these pirates; although he was profit-driven, Moya did not want these pirates to escape and harm the common people.

This should be enough to distract the Marines and hinder their pursuit.

As he withdrew from the Marine branch, Moya pinched his throat and shouted from the shadows.

"Pirates are breaking out!! The finance office has been robbed!!"

After shouting, Moya quickly left the Marine branch without looking back at the chaos beginning to unfold.

True men never look back at explosions.

Arriving at the bar.

Seeing that Rika was already packed, Moya smiled and patted her head. "If you're ready, let's set sail!"

"Yes, Moya-kun!" Rika nodded quickly.

"Madam, please keep these few million Beli for yourself. Remember, don't flaunt your wealth, and take good care of yourself!"

Moya pulled a stack of Beli from the chest and gave it to Rika's mother.

Listening to Moya's gentle tone, Rika's mother accepted the Beli, turned her head, and hugged Rika with tears in her eyes, saying, "Take good care of yourself, Rika."

Rika's eyes also welled up with tears as she pouted and nodded. "Mom, you take care of yourself too! I'll miss you."

Watching the mother and daughter, Moya pondered for a moment before suddenly revealing an inexplicable, wicked smile.

On the Adventure.

"What do you mean by dragging me up here, you faithless wretch?"

"I still have to run my late husband's tavern! Let me off this ship immediately, you shameless bastard."

Moya simply introduced the mother and daughter, temporarily appointing them as the ship's cooks, completely ignoring the furious Madam.

He addressed his ready crew: "Set sail immediately!! Destination: Orange Town!!"

Indeed, Rika's mother, the Madam, had also been 'invited' aboard by Moya.

The crew began their work, and the Yanhuang slowly sailed out of the 153rd Marine Branch port.