The Marines' Suspicion: We Must Not Make an Enemy of Him!

"After several days, the East Blue's strongest Bounty Hunter has struck again!"

"He wiped out the Arlong Pirates and liberated the Conomi Islands!"

The newspapers of the East Blue were hit with another explosive story.

"It's only been a few days, and he's already taken out the Arlong Pirates?!"

The few remaining pirates in the East Blue could hardly believe it.

Don Krieg had only been taken down days ago, yet the Arlong Pirates had been wiped out as well.

These were the Arlong Pirates, a powerful force that had returned from the Grand Line.

Compared to the Krieg Pirates, the local overlords of the East Blue, the Arlong Pirates were far stronger.

In less than a week, Luo Wen had erased the top two pirate crews of the East Blue from the map.

They truly wanted to ask Luo Wen, did he not need any rest? Were pirates really so worth killing?

The remaining pirates of the East Blue were all on edge, no longer daring to plunder openly.

For a time, the entire East Blue actually fell quiet.

For several days, there were no incidents of pirate raids.

"What? The Arlong Pirates were wiped out?"

The villages once plundered by the Arlong Pirates were all stunned.

The Arlong Pirates had established their headquarters in Cocoyasi Village, but their range of activity extended far beyond that.

Every so often, they would head out to sea and ravage all the surrounding villages.

Hundreds of villages had suffered at their hands, and tens of thousands of villagers hated them to the bone.

It could be said that the Arlong Pirates were notorious throughout the entire East Blue.

"It's true! Lord Luo Wen took action again!"

Countless villagers were shocked once more.

They had long known Luo Wen was capable, but they had never expected him to be this capable.

In just a few days, he had consecutively eliminated the East Blue's two greatest tyrants. His efficiency was simply too terrifying.

"Lord Luo Wen is here, and justice is here!"

"Lord Luo Wen is here, and the pirates are gone!"

"Lord Luo Wen is here, and we have hope!"

Countless villagers wept with joy as they shouted Luo Wen's name.

Half a year ago, before Luo Wen arrived, they had suffered terribly under pirate oppression.

Luo Wen had only been here for half a year, yet pirates had become fewer by the day, while their lives had improved by the day.

Now that the Krieg Pirates and the Arlong Pirates had fallen one after another, there were no longer any pirates in the East Blue capable of making a name for themselves.

The entire East Blue had truly become the weakest sea. Pirates with bounties over three million were now a rare sight.

East Blue Governor's Office.

Commodore Karen had also learned of the news, but he was not particularly happy. Another major matter was troubling him.

"Captain Nezumi of Marine Branch 16 has been missing for days. Still no leads?"

Karen asked his two subordinates with a worried expression.

Captain Nezumi was the highest-ranking officer of Marine Branch 16. His disappearance was a major matter for the entire East Blue Marines.

"There are some leads, but..."

The subordinate cautiously looked at Karen, hesitating to speak.

"At a time like this, you're still stammering? Speak!"

Karen slammed the table, flying into a rage.

"We received intelligence that Captain Nezumi went to Cocoyasi Village and never returned."

"You mean the Arlong Pirates killed him?"

Karen's tone eased somewhat. The Arlong Pirates had already been wiped out, so there was no need to make a huge fuss over it.

"Not likely. Captain Nezumi had long maintained financial ties with the Arlong Pirates."

Sweat beaded on the subordinate's forehead as he carefully handed over a stack of documents.

"What?!"

"That's impossible!"

"He's a Marine captain! How could he have connections with pirates?"

Karen instinctively refused to believe it, but when he read the documents, he was completely dumbfounded.

The contents of the documents were shocking.

Captain Nezumi not only had close ties with the Arlong Pirates, but also maintained connections with numerous pirates within his jurisdiction.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang! Boom!

Karen was furious, like an enraged lion.

He pounded the table three times, each blow heavier than the last.

When his fist fell for the third time, the table could no longer bear the strain and exploded into fragments.

"The day he went to the Arlong Pirates, Luo Wen happened to be there!"

The two subordinates forced themselves to report it. They knew just how highly Karen regarded Luo Wen.

Karen, who had been raging moments ago, seemed as though someone had pressed pause. He instantly fell silent.

His first instinct was to deny it.

Luo Wen was a Bounty Hunter. Why would he kill a Marine captain? Was he not afraid of becoming an enemy of the Marines?

But upon careful thought, Luo Wen truly was the prime suspect.

Luo Wen had made his name in the East Blue for half a year, and he had destroyed hundreds of pirate crews.

Among them were over a thousand pirates with bounties, while no one knew how many more without bounties he had killed.

Would such a killing star truly fear the Marines?

The Arlong Pirates had close ties with Knight of the Sea Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Even the Marines had to show them some respect, which was why they had not eliminated the Arlong Pirates.

Yet Luo Wen had no such reservations. He killed them whenever he pleased and wiped out the Arlong Pirates completely.

Thinking about it that way, killing a Marine scum like Captain Nezumi would have been nothing more than an easy task for Luo Wen.

"Lord Karen, should we issue a wanted notice?"

The two subordinates were somewhat uneasy.

A Marine captain, even a corrupt one, had to be dealt with internally.

Being killed by an outsider was an absolute bottom line the Marines could not allow to be crossed.

Yet in their hearts, they did not want to become enemies with Luo Wen.

He was the hero of the entire East Blue. If they put a bounty on him, the whole East Blue would erupt.

On the other hand, Luo Wen was simply too powerful.

Even if all the Marines in the East Blue joined forces, they might not be a match for him.

"A wanted notice my ass! Is that something a human being would do?"

The usually refined Karen could not help but curse.

Karen was one hundred percent certain that the moment a wanted notice was issued, Luo Wen would not mind taking up a side job as a Marine Hunter.

He knew full well how terrifying Luo Wen's potential was. Even now, he possessed the strength to contend with an admiral. He was unquestionably admiral material.

If Luo Wen became an enemy of the Marines, he might even awaken Conqueror's Haki and establish a Five Emperors situation in the New World.

At that thought, Commodore Karen shuddered.

If Luo Wen, who killed pirates like chickens, changed into someone who killed Marines like chickens, then everything would be over.

And the reason for that change would be nothing more than the death of a single scumbag.

The overwhelming public backlash would also deal a devastating blow to the Marines' prestige.

"Luo Wen did not kill Captain Nezumi!"

"Captain Nezumi was killed by the Arlong Pirates!"

"Luo Wen is still a hero!"

Karen cleared Luo Wen of all blame without hesitation. He would not do something so stupid.

The two subordinates were already dumbfounded. Could they really handle it like this?

"What are you two standing around for? Spread the word!"

Karen needed to settle the nature of this matter as quickly as possible. No one could be allowed to find fault with Luo Wen.

"Yes, yes, yes! We'll go right away!"

The two subordinates hurriedly agreed.

"Do you know Luo Wen's route?"

Just as they were about to leave, Karen called them back.

"He headed in the direction of Loguetown. He should be going to collect his bounties."

The two subordinates actually knew that much.

"Good. I'll recruit him personally and put his doubts to rest!"

Karen waved the two subordinates away. He needed to think carefully about how to speak with Luo Wen.