William's interest and high regard for the sea train were well known among those around him. However, only a few, including Dampier, truly understood his thoughts and the reasons behind his fascination.
William had hoped to gather more information about the sea train from Zeff. Unfortunately, while Zeff was once an ambitious pirate and chef, he failed to fully grasp the significance of the sea train. As a chef, his attention was more drawn to Pucci, the "City of Gastronomy," and he viewed the sea train as little more than a novelty, knowing very little about it.
Feeling slightly disappointed, William engaged in casual conversation with Zeff and enjoyed a meal at Baratie. Once his men finished copying the logbook, he bid farewell and left. His departure brought a collective sigh of relief from both the staff and the customers in the restaurant.
That night, the captain's quarters aboard the Morgan Pirates' warship remained brightly lit. William and Dampier were poring over Zeff's logbook together.
A steward knocked softly on the door and entered. "Sir, there's a call from Captain Nezumi."
William frowned slightly. It was already nighttime, and Nezumi wouldn't contact him at this hour unless it was urgent.
Taking the Transponder Snail from the steward, William asked, "What is it, Nezumi?"
On the other end, Nezumi sounded anxious. The moment he heard William's voice, he blurted out, "William, have you heard—"
William held the Transponder Snail slightly away from his ear, frowning. "Heard what?"
"A pirate crew from the Grand Line, a group of Fish-Men, has arrived in the East Blue!" Nezumi exclaimed.
William exchanged a glance with Dampier, who responded with a wry smile. Turning back to the call, William said, "I haven't heard about it. The East Blue is vast, and it's not entirely under your 16th Branch's jurisdiction. Why are you so worked up?"
"But they seem to be settling near the border of the Faraise Kingdom, which is close to my jurisdiction—and it borders your Navia Kingdom too! That's your territory. Don't you plan to handle it?" Nezumi pressed.
"Let's talk about it when they actually enter Navia Kingdom's territory," William replied nonchalantly, cutting off Nezumi before he could respond further and hanging up the call.
After ending the call, William immediately instructed the steward, "Send someone to summon Selkirk and bring me all the intelligence we have on the Arlong Pirates."
Once the steward saluted and left the room, Dampier sneered, "The World Government is really generous. To win over a major pirate, they're willing to turn a blind eye to pirates from the Grand Line rampaging through the East Blue."
"After all, he's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," William said with a faint smile.
Clearly, William's earlier words to Nezumi were just a ruse. As a well-established figure rooted in the Navia Kingdom and the East Blue for years, how could William not be aware of a large, distinct group of pirates entering his territory?
He had caught wind of the Arlong Pirates almost immediately after they arrived in the East Blue. Their unique Fish-Man appearance made them stand out like a sore thumb. Fish-Men were rare in the East Blue, and the sudden appearance of such a large group of these unusual beings naturally attracted attention. Even ordinary civilians who saw them treated it as an extraordinary sight and shared the news with others. It was nearly impossible for William's network of informants to miss them.
Through his sources, William quickly gathered information about the Arlong Pirates. Interestingly, this group was connected to Fisher Tiger, the Fish-Man who had once made headlines for storming the Holy Land Mariejois and freeing thousands of slaves.
The leader of the Arlong Pirates, a Fish-Man pirate known as Arlong, had once been a crew member aboard Fisher Tiger's ship. After being captured by the Marines, he was eventually released thanks to Jinbe, a former crewmate who agreed to join the World Government as a Warlord in exchange for Arlong's freedom. Now, however, Arlong had come to the East Blue to wreak havoc.
Arlong's bounty was close to twenty million Beli. While this wasn't particularly high by Grand Line standards, in the East Blue, it made him a formidable pirate. The local Marines and bounty hunters were unlikely to match his strength. In other words, unless something unexpected happened, Arlong and his crew could terrorize the East Blue for a long time without anyone able to stop them.
As William and Dampier discussed the matter, a knock came at the door. Selkirk entered, followed by a steward carrying the intelligence on the Arlong Pirates.
The steward placed the documents on the table and left after saluting. William picked up the reports and began reading through them.
These reports were compiled by the Flash Gold Guild's trade network and the intelligence division. Although the network was still relatively new and information relay might occasionally lag, when it came to the countries surrounding the Navia Kingdom, the accuracy and speed of their information were nearly on par with the local Marines.
"What does it say?" Dampier asked.
"No wonder Nezumi suddenly became so anxious," William said, looking up from the documents. "This group of Fish-Men sank five warships sent to hunt them just two days ago. That coward Nezumi is probably terrified that headquarters might assign him to deal with them."
"These Fish-Men are quite bold, demanding ransom from people wherever they go and killing those who refuse," William said, handing the documents to Selkirk. "I've also heard they're boasting about establishing an empire in the East Blue."
Turning to Selkirk, who hailed from the North Blue and had been to the Grand Line, William asked, "Do you think the East Blue's Marines will be able to handle them? And if not, do you think the Marine Headquarters will intervene?"
Selkirk smirked. "The Marine Headquarters has its hands full in the Grand Line. Why would they bother traveling all the way to the East Blue to deal with a pirate crew? Besides, as subordinates of a Warlord, they're granted immunity for past crimes. With their records wiped clean, they're practically invisible to the authorities."
"Would the World Government and Marine Headquarters really turn a blind eye to this? Letting them enslave and kill innocent civilians in the East Blue?" William asked.
"Do the poor folks living in the backwaters even count as people in the eyes of the World Government and Marine Headquarters?" Selkirk countered.
William tapped his finger thoughtfully on the table. "So, it seems I'm destined to play the role of a savior this time, huh?"
Hearing this, Dampier nodded approvingly. "We need to show people that in these cruel times, they can't rely on the World Government or the Marines for protection."
William exhaled deeply and walked over to the window, gazing at the moonlight illuminating the night sky. After a rare moment of hesitation, he said slowly, "Then let Sherlock's Flash Gold Bank send someone to make contact with them."
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