The sea wind of White Wax Island whipped the Uchiha Trading Company's flag into a loud flutter.
The red-and-white fan crest danced atop the flagpole, which had been erected at the entrance to White Wax Town's central avenue that morning.
More than half of the forty-two storefronts on the commercial street had been completed. Fresh wood grain showed on the exposed white wax beams and pillars, while unopened construction materials and bundles of dried flowers were piled outside the shops on both sides of the street.
A flower arch stood at the end of the commercial street. Only half of its white canvas flower balls had been hung, while the rest lay scattered on the ground, trampled with several footprints.
Barlow had arrived by speedboat. At full speed, the trip from Orange Town to White Wax Island took four hours. He had crammed all the prisoners Roy had captured into the bottom deck, while the patrol squad filled the deck, blades hanging at their waists as flashlight beams swept fan-shaped patches across the sea.
By the time the boat docked, night had completely fallen. The island patrolmen at White Wax Island's pier ran over with torches to take the mooring lines.
"What's the situation now?" Barlow stepped onto the pier, the hem of his coat lifted by the sea breeze.
"It's deadlocked." The island patrol captain was a tall, lean man in his early thirties named Marin. He had once been a dockworker in Orange Town, but Roy had selected him for the patrol and trained him for two years. By now, there was none of a dockworker's sluggishness left in his speech.
"They refuse to leave the wedding setup site, saying they want to see whoever's in charge. We haven't made a move, and neither have they drawn their