"Vice Admiral Bastille, I don't understand. They're all Pirates, so why do you treat them differently? You're willing to ignore Arlong and his crew. Is Ye Chen worth arresting, but Arlong isn't?"
Bellemere had been brought to a temporary encampment. She couldn't understand how Bastille could be so unprincipled. He almost seemed to be on Arlong's side.
"Aren't you worried about yourself?"
Bastille gave Bellemere a suspicious look. Beneath his horned mask, a flicker of approval crossed his face.
In truth, he admired her principles and sense of duty. But there were many things Bastille couldn't tell her.
The order to capture Ye Chen had come directly from Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and it wasn't just because Strawberry had died. From the day a bounty was placed on Ye Chen, Sengoku had been determined to eliminate him. Otherwise, he couldn't answer to the Celestial Dragons.
Arlong's case, however, involved Jinbe. Jinbe had finally agreed to join the Shichibukai, and Bastille didn't dare jeopardize that over a small fry like Arlong. If he angered Jinbe, the consequences could be disastrous.
Bellemere stared straight at Bastille, her resolute gaze seeming to pierce right through his mask. "From the day I joined the Marines, I knew we stood for justice. Absolute Justice. We can't turn a blind eye to any criminal. But you... Do you know what Arlong's been doing since yesterday? He's—"
"Enough!"
Bastille was sick of hearing it. He barked at her impatiently, so furious he wanted to cut her down on the spot.
"Report, Vice Admiral Bastille! Ye Chen... Ghost Hand Ye Chen is here!"
A Marine suddenly rushed in from outside in a panic.
Thud.
Whether he had been running too fast or was simply too frightened, he lost his footing and fell flat on his face.
"What? Ye Chen