clatter...
"You must be the newly appointed Shichibukai, Mr. Luo Chen, as mentioned by headquarters. I am Orpheus, an officer stationed at Sabaody Archipelago. I have been ordered to greet you. Please come with me and wait for a day or two. We will depart for Marineford after we have one more person to accompany you!"
Upon seeing Luo Chen flapping his wings and flying towards them, the soldiers immediately lined up in formation, and one of the highest-ranking officers stepped forward and saluted him.
"Hmm? An important figure? Could it be that you've welcomed someone else besides me?"
Luo Chen landed in front of them and, upon hearing what the officer Officer had said, couldn't help but ask him a question in confusion.
"Yes, besides you, one of the Shichibukai, another Warlord of the Shichibukai will be arriving soon to accompany us to Marineford..."
Officer nodded in reply.
" The Shichibukai? Who could that be? Who would be so coincidentally transferring to a Navy warship at Sabaody Archipelago just like me? Why don't you just send someone to pick him up?"
Upon hearing that another Shichibukai was about to arrive, Luo Chen became interested and asked again.
"It's Lord Kuma, the tyrant of the Shichibukai. His whereabouts are always elusive, and even our Navy can't fully track him. We only heard that he happened to be passing through this area, so Headquarters has instructed us to notify him to come to Sabaody Archipelago to meet you before we travel to Headquarters together. So please understand, we'll be able to set sail soon!"
As Officer spoke, he glanced at him nervously, afraid that he might accidentally say something wrong and offend him. But seeing that Luo Chen didn't seem to care about his behavior, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued.
"I see. Alright then, I'll wait a little longer. It's not a rush, as long as I can get to the battlefield. Now, take me to your garrison to rest. I'm a bit tired after such a long voyage... Your navy should have prepared a welcome banquet by now, right? If not, I'll turn back now and won't patiently chat with you anymore!"
Luo Chen was only half-joking when he said this. How could he possibly let go of such a good opportunity to witness firsthand the heroes, now known as the Worst Generation and with bounties exceeding 100 million, tearing ties with the Navy and turning back? He was just saying this to get these people to give him a good welcome so that he could have a better time before Xiong arrived.
"Hi... We have prepared a simple feast to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey. Please follow me. Our commander, Lieutenant Vice Admiral Romas, is at the base and ready to welcome you for a good chat!"
Officer was overjoyed to hear Luo Chen's teasing tone. He responded loudly, then gestured with his hands to indicate that Luo Chen should follow him to the base. He himself took the lead and walked forward.
"Um..."
Luo Chen nodded to him and followed.
"Well, since the captain has already gone with the navy, let's divide into groups here and each lead our team to explore the area. Oh, and try not to get into any conflicts or cause trouble, so that Luo Chen won't have to clean up your mess when he gets back, understand?"
Standing at the bow of the ship, Catherine watched as Luo Chen disembarked and chatted with the navy for a while before following them to the base. Only then did she turn back and give instructions to the others.
"Hi, we understand. Don't worry, Sister Catherine, we won't cause any trouble for the pirate crew. Is there anything else you want to tell us? If not, then Brother Phil and I will go inside and have a look around!"
George responded the fastest. After Luo Chen left, he became even more eager, longing for the bustling scene in the Sabaody Archipelago and impatient to go ashore and explore it. He gave a perfunctory reply.
"Phew... Alright then, George, you'll team up with Phil. I'll go with Lulith. As for Singh, you and Monbuma can pair up. Everyone try not to get separated. After all, there are too many slave traders on this island with high bounties but not much strength. They're their targets. Remember all of you well."
Let's adjourn now. We'll wait here until the war is over and the captain returns, then reconvene on the Isel. The rest of the time is up to you. Lulith and I are leaving now...
Seeing George's casual attitude, Catherine knew he hadn't taken her words to heart at all. But as the first mate, she still felt she had to remind him. After a quick assignment, she and Lulith took their leave and jumped ashore to head into town.
"Alright, now that Catherine has mostly finished assigning tasks, I'm going ashore too. George, you're coming with me. Singh and Monbuma, you can do whatever you want... Let's go!!"
call out...
Phil walked over from the side of the boat, spoke to them, and called for George to follow. He then scurried ashore and walked in the opposite direction.
"Um, wait for my brother Phil, I'm off too..."
clatter...
After saying that, George jumped up and followed Phil's figure.
"Is there anything you want to prepare before going ashore? If so, come with me. I'll go up and prepare some food for the rest of the journey..."
As Monbuma watched his companions step ashore one after another, he felt a surge of excitement. He disassembled the iron bar he carried, slung it over his shoulder, and turned to ask Singh was standing silently to the side.
"..."
Singh simply nodded slightly to him without saying a word, silently following behind him.
Seeing this, Monbuma understood his meaning, and the two of them went ashore together and headed in another direction. The three groups split into three groups and headed in different directions and destinations into the central streets of the Sabaody Archipelago.
On the other side, Luo Chen and his group, after walking in a certain direction with the navy for some time, arrived at a huge base fortress on the corner of the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Hmm, it's really magnificent. It's almost identical to the main base of the Marine Branch Navarone that I saw before. But why build the Marine Branch base here? Wouldn't it be better to build it in the central, bustling area? That way, it would deter pirates and other evil forces and demonstrate the Navy's prestige. Why choose this particular location?"
Luo Chen followed them to the naval base, G-18 Fortress. Faced with the identical fortress structure, the tall and magnificent buildings made him exclaim in admiration. But afterwards, he was even more puzzled and confused. The fact that the navy chose to build the base here was of no use in curbing the pirate forces or demonstrating the navy's prestige. He couldn't help but ask the officer next to him in confusion.
"Hehe, it's not as simple as you think. Being able to build a base here is the result of headquarters' long-term efforts. Um... as your subordinate, I shouldn't be telling you this. Please forget my previous remarks and come inside for a seat!"
Upon hearing Luo Chen's question, Officer shook his head with a bitter expression and said, then realized he shouldn't have mentioned this to a pirate. He carefully told him not to bring it up and to forget about it; he hadn't said anything just now.
While this might seem like self-deception to outsiders, Luo Chen was perfectly clear that this island was a melting pot of pirates, gangsters, Celestial Dragons, and all sorts of other shady characters, making it a focal point of the world. The Navy would find it difficult to completely control the island on its own, and even intervention would be challenging. Slavery was commonplace, pirates roamed freely, and the Celestial Dragons Celestial Dragons were arrogant and unreasonable, yet no one could restrain them. How could the Navy possibly have any say here?