"If we'd caught R5, we might have found Baroque Works Agency's headquarters through him and destroyed that criminal organization!" Zephyr jabbed angrily at the file. "But you let him get away!"
"Heh."
Faced with that accusation, Loa had nothing to say.
True, Pirates were more numerous in this world, but when it came to their reach, the cancers of the Underworld were in a league of their own. Still, the root of the Pirates' scourge lay in something Roger had said.
With a single declaration, he had ushered in the sweeping Great Pirate Era. Countless young people had taken to the seas, hoping to find the legendary One Piece and gain wealth, fame, and power.
With so many Pirates, the seas had naturally fallen into chaos.
Yet across the entire ocean, apart from the Yonko, even the Shichibukai could scarcely influence more than a single island.
The Flamingo wielded such far-reaching influence only because of his reputation as "Joker" in the Underworld and his former status as one of the Dragon People.
Criminal organizations were different from Pirates. Their influence grew exponentially. If forced to choose, Zephyr would rather let Beard escape than allow Baroque Works Agency to continue existing.
But Loa's laziness had squandered this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. How could Zephyr not be furious?
And he was right!
Loa had come up with the plan because he was lazy and hated trouble. Letting R5 escape really had been an accident.
What Zephyr didn't know was that even if Loa had caught R5, it would not have helped much.
It was not until the Sea Circle Calendar year 1520, when Luffy sent the Sand Crocodile flying, that his true identity came to light.
It was only 1516 now. Forget knowing who his boss was—R5 probably did not even know where the