"Brother Jinbe, it's the Marines!"
A Fish-Man shouted to Jinbe.
"I see them!"
Jinbe watched the warship drawing closer and leaped to the bow.
A moment later, both the pirate ship and the warship came to a stop, facing each other.
"Shichibukai, why have you come to the East Blue?"
The speaker was a Marine Commodore, probably the commanding officer of Loguetown. He stared at Jinbe with a grave expression.
Because of the Shichibukai's status, the Marines couldn't attack them at will. That was an order from the higher-ups and the World Government.
But he couldn't just stand by and let a Shichibukai enter the East Blue, either.
"I'm here to find someone. I won't attack the civilians of the East Blue!"
Jinbe thought for a moment before replying.
"Find someone?"
Jinbe's answer immediately reminded the Marine Commodore of the group of Fish-Men who had escaped after being surrounded by warships.
If not for that incident, the warships wouldn't have gathered here.
"Let us pass!"
The Marine Commodore thought it over, then gave the order.
There was no other choice.
The Shichibukai were all powerful pirates. A Marine Branch Commodore like him was no match for them.
Besides, he couldn't attack a Shichibukai.
The warship slowly turned aside to let them through. Jinbe turned and gave an order.
"Brother Jinbe, Hatchan says Arlong is planning to attack an island."
A Fish-Man came up behind Jinbe and told him.
Jinbe's expression tightened. He was worried, and also felt exhausted.
The death Shyarly had foreseen had probably happened during the attack.
Thinking of this, Jinbe ordered them to speed up.
The Marines watched the Shichibukai's ship leave. The Marine Commodore immediately took out a Den Den Mushi and reported the matter to Headquarters.
This was no small matter.
A Shichibukai had gone to one of the Four Blues. He had to report it. Headquarters could decide what to do.
Headquarters.
The intelligence officer who received the report didn't dare delay. He hurried to the Fleet Admiral's Office.
"Come in!"
Sengoku was bent over his paperwork. When he heard the knock, he answered without looking up.
"Fleet Admiral, Commodore Tibus of Loguetown in the East Blue reports that Shichibukai Jinbe traveled from the Grand Line to the East Blue."
Sengoku, who had been buried in work, suddenly looked up, his eyes sharp.
"Jinbe went to the East Blue? What's his purpose?"
Sengoku knew Jinbe quite well.
Or rather, of the Shichibukai recruited so far, Jinbe was the one he approved of most.
Compared to the other vicious-looking scoundrels, Knight of the Sea Jinbe hadn't done anything evil. In a way, he had inherited the ideals of Fisher Tiger, the former captain of the Sun Pirates, and was devoted to fostering coexistence between humans and Fish-Men.
He also rescued his fellow Fish-Men out at sea.
A man like that wouldn't suddenly feel like taking a trip to the East Blue. Something must have happened.
"Well, Commodore Tibus said Jinbe was looking for someone. Earlier, Commodore Tibus spotted a group of Fish-Men entering the East Blue, but they escaped when he tried to capture and intercept them."
Sengoku furrowed his brow and pondered.
"I understand!"
The intelligence officer saluted, then turned and left.
Sengoku thought for a moment, then picked up a Den Den Mushi.
Although he didn't think Jinbe would cause trouble in the East Blue, just to be safe, Sengoku contacted Garp.
Garp was returning from Foosha Village to the Marine Base in the Conomi Islands. He received Sengoku's call while aboard his ship.
When he saw the Den Den Mushi turn into a likeness of Sengoku, Garp felt a little guilty.
He'd come to find someone, but he'd also gone to see his grandsons again. That guy Sengoku had found out about it.
"Garp, how's it going? With your position, you can't stay in the East Blue indefinitely."
"Gahahaha! I found the person, but I'll have to wait a bit. That kid's gone out to catch pirates again."
"Oh, he's catching pirates?"
"Yeah. He'd already gone out to sea by the time I arrived. But while I was out looking for him, the young man brought in a huge group of pirates to collect their bounties. One of them had a ninety-million-berry bounty."
"Ninety million?" Sengoku's voice was full of surprise.
"There's a pirate with a ninety-million-berry bounty in the East Blue?"
Sengoku was stunned.
How had he not heard about this?
"Gahahaha! You didn't expect that, did you? That young man caught a whole bunch of pirates. He practically wiped out all the pirates active near Reverse Mountain."
"That really is unexpected."
Sengoku was silent for quite a while before answering.
"Don't worry. I'll do my best to bring him back this time, but I can't guarantee I'll succeed."
"Fine, just do your best! I called you about something else, too. Shichibukai Jinbe has gone to the East Blue. He's probably looking for a group of Fish-Men. Try to keep them from making a big scene."
"Jinbe? That guy actually came to the East Blue?"
Garp's smile faded, and his expression turned serious.
Garp didn't approve of the Shichibukai system, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.
"Yeah. He just arrived in the East Blue. Find out where he is and, preferably, keep an eye on him."
"Fine, old man understands."
Garp hung up the Den Den Mushi, then stood up.
"You all take a break."
Garp spoke to the Marines operating the ship. "Oh, and hold on tight."
The Marines froze. As if they'd realized what was coming, their expressions changed dramatically as they scrambled to find something to brace themselves against.
At the stern, Garp clenched both fists and suddenly threw a punch.
He unleashed a powerful gust of wind. It collided with the air and produced a tremendous boom.
The recoil sent the ship flying over the surface of the sea.
Aboard a pirate ship near the Conomi Islands.
"Brother Arlong, the Conomi Islands are up ahead. There are more than twenty villages, but there's a Marine Base nearby."
A Fish-Man looked at the sea chart in his hands and spoke to Arlong.
"Shahahahaha! Boys, our conquest of the seas starts here. Take this place!"
The other Fish-Men were all excited.
Hatchan, the octopus Fish-Man, looked worried.
He knew what would happen if they did this. It might put Brother Jinbe in a difficult position.
Brother Jinbe had already reached the East Blue. Hopefully he'd arrive in time.
"Brother Arlong, shouldn't we plan this out some more? The Marines already spotted us once, and there's a Marine Branch here. They might surround and attack us."
Hatchan thought it over, hoping to persuade Arlong indirectly.
"I'm not afraid of those damn Marines! Besides, the East Blue is the Weakest Sea, and its Marines are the weakest, too."
Arlong turned to look at Hatchan, his expression displeased.
This guy was always ruining their morale. He shouldn't have brought him along.
As they spoke, the silhouette of an island appeared at the far end of the sea ahead.
"Boys, get your weapons!"
Arlong drew his saw-toothed greatsword and pointed it at the island in the distance.
"Our goal is treasure!"
"Treasure!"
The Fish-Men cheered aboard the ship, which then picked up speed.
Yet a crafty glint flashed in Arlong's eyes.
If there was a Marine Base nearby, perhaps he could try a different approach.
Either way, he needed to build up his strength to rule the East Blue. As long as he got the result he wanted, the method didn't matter.
Before you continue