"Boss Jinbe, Marines!"
A fish-man shouted urgently to Jinbe.
"I see them!"
Jinbe's sharp eyes caught the sight of a warship approaching. Without hesitation, he leapt to the prow of his ship.
Moments later, the pirate vessel and the Marine warship both slowed, coming to a tense standstill across from one another.
"Warlord of the Sea—why have you come to East Blue?"
The speaker was a Marine Rear Admiral, most likely the officer in charge of Loguetown. His expression was grim as he locked eyes with Jinbe.
Because of the Seven Warlords' special status, the Marines couldn't simply attack him. The World Government's orders were clear: unless Jinbe made the first move, he was untouchable.
But at the same time, the officer couldn't just watch a Warlord enter East Blue unchecked.
"I've come to find someone. I won't harm the civilians of East Blue."
After a moment of thought, Jinbe gave his answer.
"Find someone…?"
The Rear Admiral immediately connected Jinbe's words to the group of fish-men who had slipped away from a Marine pursuit not long ago.
If not for that incident, this warship wouldn't even be stationed here.
"Make way!"
After weighing the situation, the Rear Admiral issued his order with a reluctant frown.
There was no choice.
A Warlord of the Sea was a fearsome power. A branch Rear Admiral like him was no match. And more importantly—he wasn't even allowed to take action against Jinbe.
The warship slowly shifted course, clearing the path. Jinbe turned and barked an order to his crew.
"Boss Jinbe, Hatchan says Arlong's preparing to attack an island."
One of the fish-men leaned in to whisper.
Jinbe's face tightened, a deep crease of worry forming on his brow.
Shyarly's prophecy of death… most likely it was tied to this looming attack.
The thought pressed heavily on him. He gave the order to accelerate.
The Marines watched Jinbe's ship sail away. The Rear Admiral quickly pulled out a Den Den Mushi to report the matter to Headquarters.
This was no trivial incident.
A Warlord leaving the Grand Line and venturing into the Four Seas? Headquarters had to know. Orders would have to come from the top.
Marine Headquarters
The intelligence officer who received the report dared not delay. His hurried steps carried him straight to the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Enter!"
Sengoku didn't even look up from his mountain of documents as the knock came.
"Fleet Admiral, Rear Admiral Titus of Loguetown reports—Warlord Jinbe has left the Grand Line and entered East Blue."
Sengoku's head snapped up, his gaze sharp as blades.
"Jinbe went to East Blue? For what purpose?"
Sengoku knew Jinbe well. Among the current Seven Warlords, Jinbe was perhaps the only one he truly approved of.
Unlike the other bloodthirsty monsters, Jinbe—Knight of the Sea—had committed no atrocities. Rather, he inherited the will of his late captain, Fisher Tiger, pursuing the coexistence of humans and fish-men.
He had dedicated himself to rescuing his kin on the high seas.
A man like that wouldn't whimsically "tour" East Blue. Something serious must have happened.
"According to Rear Admiral Titus, he claims he's searching for someone. Earlier, Titus reported a group of fish-men slipped into East Blue, evading Marine capture."
Sengoku's brows furrowed in deep thought.
"I see."
At his response, the intelligence officer saluted and departed.
Sengoku considered for a moment, then reached for his Den Den Mushi.
Though he trusted Jinbe wouldn't wreak havoc in East Blue, caution demanded vigilance. He dialed Garp.
On a Marine vessel near the Conomi Islands
Garp was returning from Windmill Village to the Marine base at Conomi Islands when the call came.
The Den Den Mushi's face shifted into Sengoku's likeness, and Garp suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.
He had gone to look for someone—but ended up visiting his grandsons again. If Sengoku had caught wind of it…
"Garp, how's the mission? With your position, you can't linger in East Blue forever."
"Bwahaha! Found him, but gotta wait. That brat set sail again to catch pirates."
"Oh? Hunting pirates, is he?"
"Yep. By the time I got there, he'd already gone out to sea. But while I was searching, that youngster dragged back a whole group of pirates for bounty collection. Among them—one worth ninety million berries."
"Ninety… million?" Sengoku's voice cracked with shock.
"There's a ninety-million bounty pirate in East Blue?"
His mind went blank.
How had such news not reached him?
"Bwahaha! Surprised, aren't you? That youngster nearly wiped out every pirate group lurking near Reverse Mountain!"
Garp roared with laughter.
"…That is… unexpected," Sengoku muttered after a long silence.
"Relax. I'll try to bring him back this time. But I can't promise success."
"Do your best. And there's another matter—Jinbe has entered East Blue. He's most likely seeking those fish-men. See to it that they don't cause an uproar."
"Jinbe, huh? So that guy really came here."
Garp's laughter faded, his face turning serious.
He'd never agreed with the Warlord system, though he couldn't stop it.
"Mm. He just arrived. Track his position, keep him under watch if you can."
"Alright, leave it to me."
With that, Garp hung up, rose to his feet, and turned to his men.
"Take a breather, lads."
Then, almost as an afterthought: "Hold tight."
The Marines blinked in confusion—until realization struck. Their faces paled, scrambling to strap themselves down.
At the stern, Garp clenched his fists, then unleashed a devastating punch.
The compressed force detonated in the air with a thunderous blast.
The recoil hurled the warship forward like a cannonball, skimming the sea at breakneck speed.
Aboard Arlong's ship, nearing the Conomi Islands
"Brother Arlong, ahead is the Conomi Islands—over twenty villages. But there's also a Marine base nearby."
A fish-man studied the map, reporting respectfully.
"Sha-ha-ha-ha! Brothers, our conquest begins here! Take it!"
The fish-men erupted in cheers, their excitement palpable.
Hatchan, the octopus fish-man, however, couldn't share their joy.
He knew the consequences of this act. It could put Jinbe in an impossible position.
Now that Jinbe was in East Blue, Hatchan prayed he would arrive in time.
"Brother Arlong, maybe we should rethink. The Marines already spotted us before, and with a base nearby, we could be surrounded."
He tried to dissuade him indirectly.
"Bah! I fear no damn Marines. East Blue's the weakest of the seas, and its Marines the weakest of all!"
Arlong turned a sharp glare on Hatchan, irritation flashing in his eyes.
This one always dampened morale. He regretted bringing him along.
As they argued, the distant outline of the islands came into view.
"Brothers, ready your weapons!"
Arlong drew his serrated greatsword, pointing toward the land ahead.
"Our target—treasure!"
"Treasure!"
The crew's roar filled the ship. Their speed increased.
But in Arlong's eyes, a sly gleam flickered.
With a Marine base nearby, perhaps there was another way to achieve his ambitions.
Conquering East Blue required strength—and no matter the means, the end would be the same.
End of chapter...
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