"Colonel! The Buggy Pirates have left the long-held Orange Town, and are now drifting on the sea."
"What!"
Hearing the report from his subordinate, Nezumi jumped up from his seat.
"How could this be?"
"According to the intelligence received, Buggy once fought Jotaro, and then gave up Orange Town. I'm afraid he suffered a big loss under Jotaro's hands."
Nezumi raised his head and signaled him to stop.
"Wait! Jotaro? Who is he? Why have I never heard of this pirate?"
The subordinate explained, "Jotaro is the one who robbed Colonel Morgan's ship last time. His name is Kujo Jotaro."
"You see, we always like to give pirates nicknames, right? So I came up with this name."
"Dammit!" Upon hearing the big name of Jotaro, Nezumi gnashed his teeth, wishing he could skin him alive.
"Never thought even Buggy wasn't that guy's match."
"If he continues to move around the East Blue, my interests will definitely be affected."
The subordinate praised, "Originally thought Jotaro was a nobody, but didn't expect even a pirate with a bounty as high as 15 million Berries to be defeated by him."
"His strength is probably on par with Arlong! Colonel, we must prepare early."
Nezumi's face turned gloomy, helpless.
Seeing this, the subordinate suggested, "Colonel! I heard someone say that recently one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Mihawk, has been seen in the East Blue. Why don't we ask Hawkeye to make a move to help us deal with this trouble?"
The subordinate's naive remark made Nezumi sneer with contempt.
"Although we and the Warlords are both affiliated with the World Government, they are essentially pirates, and won't follow our orders."
He curled his lips.
Even if they could get Mihawk to act, the Berries needed would probably be astronomical.
Someone who valued money as much as his life, how could he possibly spend a fortune just for a mere Jotaro?
After thinking it through, the only one he could rely on was the leader of the Arlong Pirates, Arlong.
Although hiring Arlong would also cost money, it would definitely be cheaper than Hawkeye.
Nezumi made the final decision.
"Quick, prepare the ship! Head to Cocoyashi Village!"
———
On the sea, Jotaro closed his eyes, dozing off in a small boat.
Ahead, a huge Sea King beast dutifully dragged him forward.
Her movements were cautious and gentle, afraid to disturb the terrifying man behind her and get beaten again.
Jotaro didn't know where Nami had gone, but the Sea King would definitely help him find her.
Magically, he couldn't understand the Sea King's language.
But she could understand him.
After learning that Jotaro was looking for a woman, the Sea King communicated with fish in the ocean and quickly determined the direction Nami had gone.
Along the way, she kept getting closer to Nami by using that method.
Not far from Jotaro, a perilous-looking pirate ship sailed with difficulty on the sea, seemingly ready to fall apart at any moment.
The whole ship looked lifeless, on the verge of death.
And indeed, it was true. After they provoked Mihawk in the Grand Line, they were chased all the way to the East Blue.
During this time, most of the crew was wiped out by Mihawk, and their ship suffered severe damage.
Being able to return to the East Blue with their lives was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune!
"Captain Krieg, we haven't eaten anything for days. If we don't replenish food and water, even if Hawkeye doesn't kill us, we'll starve to death at sea."
Krieg Pirates' Grand Fleet Commander Gin said weakly.
Krieg sat on the throne symbolizing power, face grim and terrifying.
His eyes were bloodshot, clearly showing he hadn't slept recently, living in constant fear.
"Hawkeye hasn't stopped chasing us. How could we have time to look for food and water?"
Even a brief stop might let Hawkeye catch up, so they had to catch some sea fish along the way to survive.
But that meager food wasn't enough to sustain such a large pirate crew.
At this rate, not only his subordinates but even Krieg himself would starve to death.
If it really came to that, Krieg would have no choice but to cruelly lighten the ship's load.
"Captain, we can't just sit and wait to die." Gin volunteered, "I heard there's a floating restaurant in the East Blue, built on a giant ship."
"If we occupy that restaurant, we could solve the food problem and even use it as a replacement ship."
Krieg was overjoyed upon hearing that, "Good! If it's really as you say, then let's take that restaurant."
"Gin, you go check it out first. See if it's really like the rumors say."
Just as the two decided on their next plan, a commotion arose on the deck.
Krieg, like a startled bird, trembled all over.
"Wha... what's going on? Don't tell me Hawkeye is here? Gin, hurry and go take a look!"
Dragging his exhausted body, Gin went up to the deck and shouted, "What are you all making a fuss about!"
The crew pointed to the distant sea, excitedly shouting, "Commander, we found a giant Sea King beast!"
Following their direction, Gin saw a fierce Sea King racing across the sea.
He felt strange and frowned, "Sea King appearing in this kind of place?"
Seeing it wasn't Hawkeye, Krieg also poked his head out from the cabin, overjoyed, "This kind of Sea King isn't common even in the Grand Line."
"If we kill this fish, we won't have to worry about food anymore."
"Heaven never seals off all exits! Hahaha..."
Sea Kings were different from ordinary fish. Their meat was not only delicious but also full of powerful energy, extremely beneficial to humans.
Each Sea King could be sold for a sky-high price, and only the world's top nobles and pirates could regularly consume their meat.
It goes without saying how hard it was to catch them.
Even the East Blue overlord Krieg normally didn't dare provoke such creatures lightly.
But now he was starving and shouted loudly, "Go prepare the hunting tools! Don't let it escape!"
Gin felt uneasy but didn't speak up.
From his observation, although the Sea King's presence here was strange, it should be a lone one.
If it was only one, their current strength should be enough to kill it.
Watching several subordinates slowly drag a ton-heavy hammer, Krieg impatiently cursed, "Trash! Get out of my way!"
He pushed them aside, grabbed the iron chain, swung it hard, then threw the heavy hammer toward the Sea King.
The Sea King held her breath, swimming slowly, afraid to disturb the sleeping Jotaro.
But suddenly a big hammer fell from the sky, startling her.
She quickly dodged to the side, glanced at the human behind her, and relaxed slightly seeing the splash didn't wake him.
Furious, she glared at the distant ship, wishing to charge over and capsize it.
She had been creeping so quietly, not even daring to make a sound, and those bastards nearly woke him up.
Cursing those humans fiercely, the Sea King immediately turned away, dragging Jotaro out of the area.
If it weren't for that bastard, she'd never let you off!
"Hahaha, Captain, that Sea King was scared of your might and actually ran away!"
Looking at the Sea King's fleeing figure shaking its tail, the Krieg Pirates shouted excitedly.
Krieg was also energized like a rooster on drugs.
"Chase it down! Kill that beast!"
All the frustration from being hunted by Hawkeye could finally be vented on this Sea King.
How could he let that chance go?
Splash!
Splash!
Splash!
A series of splashes startled the Sea King into turning back.
Only to see countless sharp weapons flying down from the sky.
The Sea King's eyes almost popped out.
"!@#￥%&…"
After cursing the ancestors of those humans for eighteen generations, the Sea King turned around again and charged toward the Krieg Pirates at full speed.
:Not gonna let me live, huh? Then nobody lives!'
The Sea King went full throttle, waves twenty meters high surging on both sides.
Seeing this, the Krieg Pirates were terrified.
"Oh no! That beast is charging us!"
"Hard to port! Hard to port! Move now!"
From the violent shaking, the sleeping Jotaro slowly opened his eyes.
He had just wanted to see what was happening, when a loud crash came from ahead, and his small boat was sent flying into the air.
Crash!
Jotaro landed safely on Krieg's ship.
He sat on the deck, pulled up one knee, and reached up to straighten his tilted hat.
From beneath it, his cold gaze swept the surroundings.
The Sea King shivered, its scales standing on end.
'It's over! That guy's awake!'
"Yare yare daze… what's this all about now?"
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