Turtle Island, Castle hall.
"Jones, I have a job for you."
Seated at the head of the hall, Loa stirred his coffee with a silver spoon and said to Jones below, "Take some people to the Sabaody Archipelago. Keep a close watch on every pirate heading for Fish-Man Island."
"Uh, what exactly do you want me to do? Kill them?"
If Loa only wanted troops stationed along the pirates' route, they were already doing that. But Sabaody was an archipelago, and the roots of the Yarukiman Mangroves made its terrain complicated, so their efforts had achieved little. Did sending him there now mean Loa intended to get serious?
"Pirates?"
Loa took a sip of coffee. "Handle them as you see fit. Just stay out of the Marines' sight as much as possible. We're enemies now. It wouldn't do to cause trouble."
After a pause, Loa continued, "But remember this: the moment unrest breaks out on Fish-Man Island, send in your troops and put it down! If anyone gets in your way, kill them."
Fish-Man Island?
Jones murmured the name. He had no idea who Poseidon really was and didn't understand the reason for the order, but he nodded solemnly all the same. This concerned Lord Loa's plans, and he knew exactly where he stood.
"Also..."
Having given Jones his orders, Loa turned to the others. "Drake, Tony, Arudo, Mingde... Hmm, Perona too. That should do it."
Those whose names had been called stepped forward, ready to hear Loa's instructions. Perona was the exception: she floated forward.
"You were all Marines once. You know how to disguise your identities, right?"
They nodded confidently. Zephyr hadn't taught them intelligence work himself, but as a capable officer, he understood its importance and had made it a major subject in the Elite Camp's academic