Inspecting the South Blue

"Phew~ I'm stuffed!"

Jin An let out a long breath and rubbed his swollen belly.

In his other hand, he held a stack of documents and fanned his face with them.

One day earlier.

Jin An had received documents from Marine Headquarters, detailing the South Blue Marine officers with a certain level of reputation.

At first, he had thought that old Sengoku was treating him pretty well by sending him to investigate his competitors.

But once the documents arrived, he realized his name was not on the list at all.

A man as handsome, dashing, wealthy, young, and powerful as him had not even made the list.

Only three people had been specially marked. They were Marine Headquarters' main candidates for this evaluation, and all three were colonels.

This was utterly intolerable.

So, under Kuzan's resentful gaze, he entrusted all matters large and small at the base to him.

Jin An, meanwhile, patted his ass and gave himself a vacation. With the help of Bartholomew Kuma, who was with Ginny, he used Kuma's ability to arrive on this island.

This island was home to one of the colonels' bases. It seemed to be managed quite well, almost on par with the Sorbet Kingdom.

Jin An rested his chin on his hand and let his thoughts wander. Then, after overhearing the people around him talking, he suddenly perked up.

"Did you hear? Someone disappeared mysteriously in the eastern village again."

After saying that, the man looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he continued chatting with his friends.

"That matter? I heard someone mention it earlier too..."

"Shh..."

The restaurant owner came out of the kitchen, holding a finger to his lips to signal that they should not discuss the topic any further.

"Don't you know trouble comes from the mouth? This isn't the sort of thing you should be talking about..."

Everyone was confused. "Didn't you used to talk about this matter quite happily? Why now..."

The owner wore a mysterious expression. "I heard something from my younger uncle's wife's maternal uncle's son..."

The moment they heard that, everyone lost interest. Whenever the owner spoke in that tone, it meant he was about to start bragging.

"Hey! What do you mean? The news I heard this time is really important." The owner became anxious.

Seeing how serious he was, everyone's curiosity was piqued. "Then tell us..."

"Marine Headquarters is sending someone to inspect the South Blue..." the owner said. "Colonel Charlie is spending money to grease some palms, hoping to get through this inspection smoothly."

"Tch..."

The restaurant filled with jeers.

Inspections happened once or twice every year. The owner had made something everyone knew sound so mysterious.

"If you keep this up, we won't come here to eat anymore." A customer familiar with the owner made a joke.

The owner's eyes shifted. He had originally only wanted to use the Marine news to stop these customers from discussing sensitive matters, but now he felt a little unwilling to let it go.

He widened his eyes. "Don't rush me. I'm not done talking yet."

"According to the information I received, the people who disappeared this time were supposedly sent east..."

"..."

Jin An narrowed his eyes. This was interesting. A serial kidnapping case...

He then took out the money for his meal from his chest, tucked it under his bowl, and slowly left the restaurant.

From what he had learned today, the Marines across the entire island were in cahoots. Their current main goal was to safely pass this inspection and hand in an answer sheet that would satisfy their superiors.

They did not want any unfavorable rumors to spread. Over the past two days, they had been controlling public opinion, and that restaurant owner was one example.

They also knew that if anything went wrong, they might lose their uniforms at best or their heads at worst. More than half of them would be implicated and thrown into prison.

What the island's Marines did not know was that he, too, would be operating in secret during this inspection.

He also did not know whether there were any upright Marines left on the island.

He was completely unfamiliar with this place, knowing nothing at all. He could only test things bit by bit.

"The eastern side of this island... What's over there?"

Jin An rubbed his forehead and decided to take a look there first.

On the eastern side of the island, Jin An made two full rounds and found nothing unusual.

This seemed to be a slum. Everyone wore patched clothes, looked listless, and had somewhat vacant eyes.

"Are they hiding it well, or was that intelligence wrong?"

"And this place is far too strange..."

There were plenty of pedestrians on the streets, yet something always felt off.

That was it... Everywhere he passed, people's eyes revealed numbness, as though they had all suffered some kind of shock.

"Who are you? I've been following you the whole way."

A young Marine stepped in front of Jin An, pointing a blade at him with hostility in his eyes.

The people passing by saw the two confronting each other.

Once they recognized the uniform the young man wore, they acted as though they had seen nothing. They quickly looked away and continued with their own business.

They knew people who wore those clothes would only bring them misfortune...

The young Marine clearly sensed those looks as well. His body trembled slightly, and he lowered his head, somewhat afraid to look at those people.

He adjusted his breathing and tried hard to calm himself. "Answer me, now!"

Ignoring the young Marine's words, Jin An took a step and appeared behind him, lightly patting the boy's shoulder.

"Are you the Marine responsible for this area?"

He liked the boy's personality—resolute and pure, with a hint of "stupidity."

He dared to charge forward without even knowing his opponent's strength.

He was like a student who had yet to enter society, full of curiosity about everything, with the fire in his heart not yet extinguished.

"I asked you first..."

The young Marine had not seen his movement at all, and fear slowly rose in his heart.

But he still did not back down. Turning his neck to the right, he fixed his eyes tightly on the man behind him.

Seeing the earnest look in the boy's eyes, Jin An said, "I'm just a merchant passing through. I came here to conduct market research."

Jin An really was a merchant, and he had indeed passed through this island to investigate it. What he said was all true.

The young Marine stared at the hand resting on his shoulder with an expression that clearly said, Do you take me for an idiot?

"Cough..."

Jin An coughed lightly. "You know how pirates run rampant in this world. If you want to stay alive, you need to have some skill."

The boy thought for a while, then revealed an expression of sudden realization.

"So that's how it is..."

Seeing how easily the boy had been fooled, even Jin An found it hard to believe. Was this kid missing a screw...

"Alright, put your sword away first."

The young Marine silently sheathed his sword. Before someone with overwhelming strength, even holding a weapon was useless.

Jin An wanted to see the boy's face, but unfortunately, it was hidden beneath his Marine cap.

"What's your name?"

"Huo Shaoshan," the boy answered.

Jin An fell into thought. The future Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan? He was actually here in the South Blue too.

It seemed the South Blue really was full of talent. Sengoku, Kuzan, and now Huo Shaoshan.

Huo Shaoshan looked at Jin An in confusion. What was this person thinking about again? The adult world was so hard to understand...

But the question Jin An asked next made his expression change drastically.

"Where have all the children in this place gone?"