Blackbeard's Excitement

"Captain, the situation is far worse than we imagined." Van Augur took a deep breath and recounted everything he had seen through his scope without leaving out a single detail.

"In that Missing Sea Area, there's a mysterious force we've never encountered before. I saw it with my own eyes—they sent out just over a dozen people and wiped out the Blood Axe Kuro Pirates, who had a bounty of 14 million Beli, in less than a minute."

His voice tightened slightly, carrying an unmistakable wariness. "That group's strength is terrifying.

Among the dozen or so who acted, even the weakest was no less capable than an elite colonel from Marine Headquarters. More than half possessed combat power comparable to Headquarters rear admirals.

The man leading them made only two moves, but his strength has likely already reached the threshold of a Headquarters vice admiral.

There were strange Feihong patterns in their eyes, and their clothes all bore the emblem of a Red-and-White Fan. I've been sailing these seas for years, yet I've never seen that symbol before."

The noise around the campfire instantly fell silent.

Burgess stopped throwing punches, Lafitte's cane froze in midair, and even the perpetually sickly Doc Q lifted his eyelids slightly, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.

"Zehahaha!! Interesting! This is far too interesting!"

After a brief silence, Teach suddenly burst into thunderous laughter, making the campfire's flames sway wildly. Yet there was not a trace of fear in his eyes—only naked greed and calculation.

"In a place like West Blue, there's actually a group of monsters like this? Even the Marines can't find a trace of them. They've been hiding for a whole year, right under our noses!"

"Captain, their origins are unknown, and their strength is unfathomable. Should we..." Lafitte bowed as he spoke, his tone cautious.

"What's the rush?" Teach waved a hand, his narrowed eyes filled with vicious calculation. "Have Van Augur keep watching them for now. Find out where their nest is and learn their background.

Perfect timing—the people from Marine Headquarters are already here, and Fire Fist Ace is in West Blue too. Let them clash first.

If this group dares to stand against the Marines, then perhaps they'll make useful pawns for us to exploit. Zehahaha!"

Origin Island, central council hall.

Uchiha Yashiro stood bowed before the table, handing Natsu the list of supplies recovered from the cleanup. Only after Natsu had scanned the list did he add in a deep voice, "Young Master Natsu, there is one more matter I need to report."

"Go ahead." Natsu looked up at him.

"While dealing with the Blood Axe Pirates this time, I clearly sensed a top-tier sniper hidden in a rocky cove three nautical miles away, watching our operation from start to finish." Yashiro's tone remained calm, without the slightest attempt to conceal anything.

"The other party's concealment ability was exceptionally strong, and their perception was extremely sharp. I wasn't completely certain I could take them down, so I didn't order a pursuit. I brought the fleet and our clansmen safely back first."

He paused, then explained his reasoning. "You have repeatedly ordered that in any mission, unless there are special instructions from within the clan, the lives and safety of our clansmen must always come first.

I could clearly sense that the sniper's raw strength was no weaker than mine. In particular, when it came to long-range sniping and concealing their movements, they surpassed me by far.

If I had led our people after them, they would have been in the shadows while we were exposed. I had no absolute confidence that I could protect every clansman and bring them all back safely."

Setsuna frowned beside him and was just about to speak when Natsu nodded first. There was no dissatisfaction in his voice; instead, there was approval. "You did the right thing. Making our clansmen take unnecessary risks over a scout isn't worth it."

His fingertips lightly tapped the tabletop, and a cold glint flashed through his eyes.

After hiding for an entire year, someone had finally reached the edge of these waters.

A top-tier sniper who could monitor them from three nautical miles away and remain hidden for so long even under Yashiro's chakra perception could never be an ordinary pirate. They were either here because of the string of disappearances, or there was an even greater force behind them.

"Uncle, pass down the order. Starting today, raise the alert level across the entire island by one tier." Natsu looked at Fugaku, his voice steady.

"Expand the outer reconnaissance perimeter. Thoroughly investigate every nearby island and reef area suitable for long-range sniping. Every fleet sent out for cleanup operations must be accompanied by at least two sensory-type ninjas. If anything unusual is discovered, retreat as the first priority. No one is to pursue on their own."

"Understood." Fugaku answered in a deep voice.

Natsu's gaze returned to the window, toward the vast expanse of West Blue, and a faint cold smile curled across his lips.

Since someone had already come knocking, then this year of keeping a low profile was about time to come to an end.

He wanted to see who would be the first to lose patience and set foot upon this origin land that belonged to the Uchiha.

Several days later, deep in West Blue, within the Core Missing Sea Area marked by a red circle.

Lead-gray clouds pressed down over the horizon, while the salty sea wind carried scattered spray against the bows of two Marine Headquarters warships.

The pitch-black hulls cut through the waves. Cannons along both sides had their covers thrown open, and the Marine justice flags hanging above snapped fiercely in the wind. Unlike the flimsy patrol boats of Marine Branch 74, these vessels exuded the grim killing intent and oppressive presence of Headquarters elites.

On the bridge, Vice Admiral Momonga wore a crisp coat of justice. One hand rested on the cold steel railing, while the other held a powerful telescope. His sharp gaze swept across the boundless sea.

He had led the fleet through these waters for two full days, investigating every last known coordinate of the missing ships. Yet the sea was unnaturally clean. There were no wrecks, no corpses, not even a single floating plank, as though the vanished vessels had truly been swallowed by the ocean without a trace.

"Vice Admiral, we have already penetrated more than eighty nautical miles into the Core Missing Sea Area, but we still haven't found anything." The Headquarters major beside him bowed as he reported, his tone carrying some confusion.

"We've sent small boats to inspect every uninhabited island nearby. There are no signs of human activity at all. Could it be..."

"No." Momonga lowered his telescope, frowning slightly as his fingers unconsciously rubbed the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"Something capable of erasing nearly a hundred ships without a sound, even intercepting every distress signal, cannot possibly be a sea monster or a natural phenomenon.

There must be a fixed stronghold somewhere in these waters, and they have cleaned up every trace with extreme thoroughness."

His gaze swept toward Rolf, who stood in the corner with a pale face, and his voice turned colder. "The last coordinates of the missing ships you mentioned were all concentrated in these waters. You're certain there's no mistake?"