"Naruto-san, are we going directly to that 'Marineford'?"
After the Gale Breaker took off, weather was no longer a concern, so Karin had some free time and came to Naruto's side to ask.
As she spoke, she pointed at the nautical chart in front of Naruto.
Naruto had mentioned earlier that he wanted to save that foolish kid named 'Ace'.
"No, not there."
Unexpectedly, Naruto shook his head. He didn't keep her in suspense and promptly explained the reason.
The Marines' execution of Ace wasn't just about killing a pirate… their fundamental goal was to show all the pirates worldwide who aimed to be like Roger how they would eliminate the last trace of the Pirate King's bloodline.
This was to strike the pirates' arrogance and also boost the morale of the Marine's side.
It could be said that if they really just wanted to kill Ace, they could have done so on the day they captured him.
But they didn't.
Instead, they publicized it extensively over half a month in advance, ensuring everyone in the world knew that 'the Pirate King's son was captured by the Marines'.
This also gave Naruto an opportunity.
Although he wouldn't mind directly snatching Ace from the Marine Headquarters, there was clearly a better chance now.
That was to go to the legendary underwater prison, Impel Down, and rescue Ace from his cell ahead of time.
Naruto looked at the bold words printed in the newspaper and gently rubbed his chin.
"[Fire Fist] Ace confirmed to be imprisoned in Impel Down, will be transported directly to Marine Headquarters for public execution in three weeks."
It somehow feels like someone deliberately set a trap...
The news of Ace's execution should indeed be publicized, but revealing his imprisonment location as well was clearly unnecessary.
But it's fine… Naruto didn't care.
What he wanted now was to rescue Ace as soon as possible.
-And then give him a good beating.
'Even after repeatedly warning him to be careful, this kid still messed up. Good grief... Whitebeard, look at what you've taught him.'
Thinking this, Naruto blamed Whitebeard along with Ace.
'Always focusing on sentimental moments without teaching the kid enough real skills. Did he really think sailing the seas was child's play?'
'If you can't continuously get stronger, the outcome waiting for you is eventual defeat at the hands of others.'
However, there was one comforting thing.
At least Naruto didn't see the news [Warlord Boa Hancock Stripped of Title] in the newspaper.
This meant that even though Hancock chose to oppose the Marines and help his side during the last incident on Whole Cake Island, the Marines still had some reservations and didn't directly turn against Hancock.
'It couldn't possibly be that old guy Garp mediating, could it?'
'That didn't fit his personality.'
Thinking of Garp, Naruto couldn't help but think of the role the other would play in this operation, and his finger paused while flipping the newspaper.
'Probably, the old man was feeling very conflicted right now.'
'But it's fine. With me taking action, you won't need to agonize over those things.'
...
On the other side, Sabaody Archipelago.
Perhaps due to Naruto's ruthless killing of Celestial Dragons some time ago, no more of those bubble-headed imbeciles had been seen on Grove 2 to 5 recently.
This also made the people living here much more relaxed.
At least they didn't have to worry about being killed like a dog on the roadside for not kneeling in time when going out.
As for the submerged Grove 1… they didn't care.
It was mostly populated by slave traders and black market merchants. Getting rid of it was actually for the greater good.
Sabaody Archipelago, as the endpoint of the first half of the Grand Line, gathered 'talents' from multiple routes.
Because of this, the information brokers here were extremely well-informed, with many major and minor events reaching their ears.
These information brokers would then screen the collected rumors and gossip, extract the reliable parts, and report them uniformly to their superiors.
Some were intelligence departments of the World Government, while others were-
Inside Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
One has to say, as expected of the woman who almost turned the Great Pirate Era into the 'Great Sexual Repression Era'.
Although already past fifty, Shakky, who still retained her charm, sat at the bar with her old 'male friend' Rayleigh, carefully reviewing the collected intelligence.
"This isn't simple, Ray-san."
After finishing reading the intelligence, Shakky poured a drink for herself and Rayleigh, downed hers in one go, and said.
"Clearly, the Marines... no, perhaps it's the World Government, have other plans."
The Marines extensively publicizing Ace's execution was normal.
But publicly revealing Ace's location and the subsequent transport process so openly in such a short time...
Even using hidden agents to stir things up behind the scenes to spread the news faster.
The World Government's actions were just too obvious.
"Should we notify Naruto?"
Shakky put down her glass and looked at Rayleigh's face.
The white-haired man who was still captivating just chuckled lightly and shook his head.
"No matter what they want to do, I believe that kid Naruto won't let them succeed."
"After all, he's the guy who dared to charge into Mary Geoise single-handedly."
"A mere underwater prison-"
Just like Naruto himself knew, the old couple Shakky and Rayleigh also understood the World Government's true intentions.
"Besides, can you even find him now?"
Hearing this, Shakky was also taken aback, then gently shook her head.
"His last reported sighting was two months ago, in Big Mom's Totto Land."
"That caused quite a stir, but he seems to have vanished since then."
No matter how well-informed Shakky was, she couldn't learn about Naruto's reappearance from Jack, who was stranded on a deserted island.
"Compared to that, you should be more worried about your 'apprentice'..."
Hearing Shakky's words, Rayleigh also reacted.
"Then you better keep these things safe. Luffy isn't qualified to get involved in this matter yet."
As he spoke, Rayleigh's expression suddenly froze, and he turned around somewhat tiredly with the smiling Shakky to look at the group standing at the bar's entrance.
It was the Straw Hat's crew they had just mentioned.
"Old man! Forget about coating the Sunny for now! We need to leave immediately!"
Luffy's expression was serious. Beside him, his crew members silently stepped forward, standing by their captain's side.
"Ray-san, that news is already all over the place. You can see it by buying any random newspaper. Who did you think you could hide it from?"
Shakky gently tapped Rayleigh's shoulder and said with a smile.
Looking at Luffy's expression, which is identical to his captain's when he was serious, Rayleigh couldn't help but hold his forehead.
'Ah... that familiar headache, spanning twenty years.'