North Blue Predicament!

North Blue, Svalbard Island, neighboring town.

Svalbard Island had the typical climate of a winter island. There was no such thing as four seasons. For nearly three-quarters of the year, temperatures on the island remained below zero. This frigid climate had also brought the island's agricultural development to a standstill, and vegetables and fruit basically had to be imported.

The harsh living conditions had also kept the local people's standard of living from improving. Since they could not obtain the supplies they needed to survive from the land, they could only place their hopes on the resource-rich sea.

Fortunately, hundreds of different cold-water fish lived in the waters around Svalbard Island. Due to the climate, these fish often consumed vast quantities of food to build up fat against the bitter cold, which made the fish in this region generally quite large.

The people of Svalbard Island relied on fishing and hunting to barely keep themselves fed and clothed.

At present, Vice Admiral Onigumo, whom Tsugikuni Yoriichi had dispatched to collect the Heavenly Gold, had run into a minor problem in the neighboring town and been held up.

The cold wind howled. There were few people on the neighboring town's streets. Vice Admiral Onigumo, dressed in a thin suit beneath a cloak, ignored the biting wind as he led his subordinates down the long street toward the harbor.

At his side, Law wore a padded coat and held a long sword in both hands as he followed Onigumo at an unhurried pace.

The Marines who had just emerged from the duke's residence seemed to have suffered some kind of "setback." None of them looked very pleased. Onigumo, at the front, wore a stern expression, low pressure practically radiating from him. He might as well have written "unhappy" across his face.

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