Iris Island's Fastest Ship

The first time, failure.

The second time, failure.

The third time...

As Observation Haki was rapidly released and withdrawn, the effect of "Archaeologist" repeatedly swept through the area.

Three minutes later.

Jogo's Observation Haki suddenly paused.

A faint phantom appeared in his field of vision—a crew cut, a muscular build, and long arms.

It crouched in the shadows behind a utility pole, like a patiently stalking beast.

Though it was only a faint outline and even its face could not be seen clearly, Jogo knew it was Daz Bones.

This was the "trace" he had left in these streets and alleys over a week ago!

Jogo walked toward it.

As he approached, the phantom suddenly flickered and vanished from where it stood.

When it appeared again, it was frozen several steps away behind the utility pole, with its back against the wall and its body pressed sideways against it.

It seemed about to slip into the shadow behind the pole the very next second.

"Rewinding?"

"Looks like this was how Daz Bones quietly approached me back then."

Jogo kept walking.

The phantom continued flickering and retreating.

—Hunched over as it walked along the wall, hiding in the small courtyard separated from the alley by a single wall, quietly poking its head out at the mouth of the alley...

Daz Bones's movements from eight days ago were now fully laid out before Jogo's eyes.

The farther Jogo walked, the deeper his frown became.

"He actually followed me that far!"

"Daz Bones, this guy's got some skills!"

Before long, he stopped at an alley entrance.

Daz Bones's phantom stood sideways, showing half his face as he looked deep into the alley.

He seemed to be watching someone closely.

Five deep, straight gouges slashed across the wall beside him.

A Den Den Mushi phantom rested above them, its tongue curled out like a lizard's.

Jogo focused his Observation Haki on the Den Den Mushi.

Daz Bones's figure beside it blurred and disappeared, while the Den Den Mushi's phantom gradually became more solid.

Fragmented voices slowly emerged from the phantom:

"...expect...appear...Bones!"

"Cap...no...head..."

"...go to Dendrobium...underground...bounty..."

He could not make out what it was saying.

Jogo frowned, stood still, and once again rapidly activated his Observation Haki, triggering the "trace" here over and over.

Ten minutes later, a trace of exhaustion flashed across his face. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

Then he waved at the three people cautiously waiting in the distance.

Why three people?

Because Belladonna had called the Thrips Gang's boss halfway through.

Now, between Pest and Poisonous Woman, stood another man—short, round, and fat, his beer belly stretching his suit seams apart, with shrewd eyes.

"I'm the boss of the Thrips Gang. You can call me Bo Fei." The man's round eyes sized Jogo up.

Jogo looked at the fellow before him. He wore a friendly smile, yet was clearly calmer than the other two, and Jogo's expression turned somewhat strange.

According to Fuxi, Pest was the Thrips Gang's strongest enforcer, while Belladonna, Bo Fei's wife, was the tool Bo Fei used to control Pest.

The time Jogo had seen the two having sex in the wild seemed to confirm that.

But during his earlier Observation Haki sensing, he had clearly heard Bo Fei whispering to Pest, asking whether Pest had properly trained Belladonna...

Tsk tsk. Your Thrips Gang's relationships sure were complicated!

"Have you heard of the underground world contact point on Dendrobium Island?" Jogo asked the three of them.

After using Observation Haki hundreds of times and activating "Archaeologist" dozens of times, he had finally pieced together a complete piece of intelligence.

Pest and Belladonna both looked at Bo Fei. Clearly, Bo Fei was the most knowledgeable among them.

Bo Fei frowned, his voice somewhat heavy. "I know Dendrobium Island, but are you sure it's the 'underground world' and not the 'dark world'?"

Jogo was certain. "It's the 'underground world'!"

"Then it can only be that place!"

Bo Fei clapped his hands.

"Dendrobium Island is a place where the underworld, black-market merchants, and bounty hunters are extremely active."

"It's filled with dark-world contact points, but when people speak of the 'underground world,' they usually mean that enormous space built beneath the ground.

"There are brothels, casinos, opium dens, black markets, arenas, auction houses, gang offices...

"Anything you can imagine that has anything to do with the dark world can be found there."

"The contact point you mentioned is generally an external office established there by the powerful gangs of various factions."

At that, Bo Fei smiled at Jogo and said neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"Which family's contact point are you looking for?"

"Our Thrips Gang might be able to help!"

Jogo smiled back at him.

"The Capone Family's contact point."

Thud!

Bo Fei dropped to his knees.

The two beside him cried out:

"Boss! Honey! What's wrong with you?!"

They tried to help Bo Fei up, but he shoved them both away.

What else could be wrong?

Fuck, this guy was obviously looking to settle a score!

He was looking for the Capone Family...

For some reason, Bo Fei suddenly recalled the Capone Family head's miserable death some time ago, then connected it to the Navy's recent all-out campaign against the Capone Family...

What role had this guy played in all that?

...No matter what role it was, he was a terrifying figure at the top of West Blue!

Was a tiny gang like the Thrips Gang qualified to get involved?

"Y-you, you, you..."

Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead.

Jogo crouched down and looked at him.

"You don't want to help?"

"I do... I do!!" Bo Fei wiped away his sweat. His composure was completely gone, and he forced a smile uglier than crying.

Why the hell did I act so cocky just now?! he howled inwardly.

Now, if he chose the wrong side, the Thrips Gang might be wiped out!

Jogo nodded. He liked such sensible gangsters.

"Now, find me the fastest ship."

Eight hours later, a sightseeing ship called the Flying Fish sliced through the glittering sea and sped onward through the waves.

On deck, the dark-skinned captain in a sailor's cap struck a wide stance. Holding a loudspeaker Den Den Mushi in one hand and pointing at the sky with the other, he delivered an impassioned speech like a superstar.

"Welcome to..."

"FLY! ING! FISH! SEASON!!!"

Splash, splash, splash!

Crystalline sprays of water burst apart.

In the deep blue waters around them, enormous blue carp-like flying fish leaped from the sea. Spreading their fins like wings, they glided through the air and instantly overtook the Flying Fish.

The fierce wind they kicked up carried mist that splashed across the faces of the tourists along the railings.

"OHHH!!!"

Excited cheers erupted across the Flying Fish's deck.

Jogo lounged in a deck chair, wearing sunglasses and sipping juice.

This was the fastest ship on Iris Island that Bo Fei had found for him—the Flying Fish.

It was said to be a ship capable of chasing flying fish.

The captain was a fanatical flying-fish enthusiast. He had been extremely displeased when Jogo suddenly boarded and changed the route, even cursing him out. Not even money could sway him; he would rather die than yield!

He had declared that he would throw Jogo into the sea.

Bo Fei and the other two hurriedly pulled him into a secluded corner and had a long, earnest talk with him.

When they returned, things had improved considerably.

"The route to Dendrobium Island passes through the flying-fish zone too, so it's not impossible~" the Flying Fish's bruised and swollen captain said while kneeling on the ground.

Jogo could not be bothered waiting for him to notify the other passengers to disembark, so he simply paid for everyone's sightseeing tickets!

That was how the current situation came about.

"Thank the flying fish!! Uh... and thank Mr. Jogo too..."

With tears in his eyes, the Flying Fish's captain introduced the spectacle on deck.

"Forget that useless stuff!"

"Flying fish are among the fastest fish in West Blue. Their enormous fins let them glide across the sea. It's said that even ordinary fish-men can't catch them..."

"...Look at those crystal-clear wings, that posture of free flight... Seeing this scene, can anyone not fall in love with flying fish?!"

For once, Jogo quietly enjoyed the magnificent sight of hundreds and thousands of flying fish taking flight together.

Just then, the Mini Den Den Mushi in his hand suddenly rang.

Buru buru~ Buru buru~

Jogo answered the call.

"This is Hina. I have bad news for you!"

"What is it?"

"Marine Headquarters has already sent the information on Sai's capture to the World Economic Journal."

Jogo abruptly sat up from his deck chair, his brows tightly furrowed.

"How much time do I have left?"

"At the newspaper's pace for writing, proofreading, and typesetting... at most four hours!"

"Got it."

Jogo hung up and stood.

Four hours... Yet according to the Flying Fish's captain, the ship would need at least another six or seven hours to reach Dendrobium Island.

There was no time!

"Should I just watch the clue I finally got slip away? Or should I wait and gamble that Bege won't take him seriously?"

Heh... wait?

Not a chance!

In that case... he could only use that move!