Kujaku let out a sigh.
She understood perfectly well why they had to treat Arton as an enemy, but part of her still didn't want to accept that fate. After all, Arton's motto was repay kindness with kindness, vengeance with vengeance. If someone became his foe, he could pay them back a hundredfold.
Even though women like them were supposedly Arton's heroines, there was no guarantee he wouldn't strike at them if they ended up on opposite sides. He might spare them for the sake of their heroine status, but he would definitely kill any Marines who weren't in that category. Remembering how quickly Arton and his companions were growing, Kujaku felt a tinge of worry about what might happen if they ever had to fight him.
"Vice Admiral Doll, do you think we should report what happened with the World Noble?" Kujaku asked suddenly.
Doll was silent for a long moment before finally giving a small nod.
"No matter what, we should file a report. Right now, Fleet Admiral Sengoku is hoping to pull Arton over to our side, so we need to give him a heads-up. Just say we happened upon information that Arton took the World Noble with him. I'll work with Vice Admiral Gion to put in the formal recommendation, then I'll report it upward."
Kujaku thought it over for a bit, then agreed with Doll. In the current situation, Arton was almost certainly headed for conflict with the Navy. Sengoku deserved to know as soon as possible, so he could prepare accordingly.
A short while later, Hibari returned at a brisk pace. Unfortunately, she had only managed to learn the rough direction in which Arton's group had sailed, nothing more. That wasn't enough for Doll and her people to determine the next destination of the Flameblade Pirates.
"Nothing else for it. We'll just search along the route we've got," Doll sighed. "And we'll also report that the World Noble was taken. Let's go, both of you."
With that, she led Hibari and Kujaku back the way they'd come.
…
East Blue – On the Marine Warship Carrying Gion and Garp.
"What? You're saying Arton took a World Noble away?"
"Gion, are you serious?"
Garp's eyes widened as he questioned Gion in shock.
"I wish it wasn't true, but this is what Vice Admiral Doll and her unit told me. I don't think they're lying," Gion replied, shaking her head.
She had ultimately decided to accept Doll's suggestion and tell both Garp and Sengoku about Arton's situation.
"How could this happen? If Arton's done something like that, how can he ever become a Marine?"
"Did Doll say whether the World Noble is alive or not?"
"What about a body? If he's dead, there has to be a corpse…"
Garp sounded tense. He really did hold Arton in high regard, and Arton was now also the World's Strongest Swordsman. Garp could imagine all too well how horrifying it would be if someone that powerful wound up as an enemy of the Navy. Though Garp despised the World Nobles, he didn't want Arton to lose the opportunity to join the Navy because he'd angered them.
"We haven't found a corpse," Gion sighed. "But chances are the World Noble is gone for good."
She paused, then added, "I'll report this to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, so he's prepared."
With that, she pulled out a Den Den Mushi. Garp watched her with a heavy sigh, then wandered off, lost in thought.
…
Marine Headquarters – Fleet Admiral's Office.
In Sengoku's office, the Navy's Chief Staff Officer Tsuru sat across from Sengoku, holding a stack of documents and briefing him on the latest intelligence.
"These past few days, ships from the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates have left their home territories for the first half of the Grand Line. Additionally, a subordinate crew from the Whitebeard Pirates—Whitey Bay, the Ice Witch—has also departed the New World. We'd already investigated her before. You should recall Garp specifically mentioned keeping an eye on her."
Tsuru explained as she handed over the reports.
"So, three of the Four Emperors with the most seniority are all making moves, eh?" Sengoku frowned. "Kaido, Whitebeard, Linlin… they all have ties to Shiki. Could they really be sending people to investigate Arton because Arton defeated Shiki?"
"It's not impossible," Tsuru replied. "You and I both know what Shiki meant to those three. Back in the Rocks era, Shiki could stand toe-to-toe with Whitebeard and was stronger than Linlin or Kaido. He suddenly appeared, then got killed by a rookie pirate named Arton. It stands to reason those three might be curious."
"They're not about to seek vengeance for Shiki, are they?" Sengoku muttered. "But if those three pirate crews really are looking for Arton, it could mean they've spotted his potential—like we did. Maybe they aim to recruit or ally with him."
He shook his head, then asked, "Tsuru, any word about Red-Hair in the New World? Has he sent anyone after Arton?"
"Our intelligence shows the Red-Hair Pirates have gone to Elbaf. It doesn't seem they've dispatched anyone to find Arton," Tsuru replied. "And that's understandable. Shiki and Red-Hair were never particularly close. As for Hawkeye… sure, Red-Hair might be curious about Arton since he beat Mihawk, but it's not enough to make him deliberately chase Arton down."
Sengoku stroked his chin in thought.
"True enough. Still, Red-Hair's daughter Uta is said to be on Arton's crew. On that point alone, you'd think Red-Hair would want to contact Arton."
Tsuru's expression was calm as she answered.
"The news articles about Arton haven't mentioned Uta by name. The only reason we know about Uta is because Garp and Arton—well, Arton's group—mentioned her, revealing that she's Red-Hair Shanks' daughter. According to what we've heard, Shanks and Uta have been separated for over a decade. Possibly, Shanks doesn't even realize Uta is that same girl in Arton's crew. If he saw no photographs or recognized no details, he'd have no reason to send anyone."
Sengoku pondered that, then nodded in agreement.
"Well, at least it's good that Red-Hair hasn't left the New World to look for Arton. If all Four Emperors started hunting him, it'd be utter chaos. Already, with three of them sending people out, we've got enough trouble as it is."
He sighed again.
"Hopefully, Garp and Gion can find Arton soon and bring him in as an ally of the Navy."
Tsuru remained silent.
"What is it, Tsuru?" Sengoku asked. "Do you have some doubts?"
"It's nothing, Sengoku… or rather, it might just be my imagination. But I feel Gion's attitude toward Arton is odd. She's chased him from the start—she's never acted like this in the past. And then there's my granddaughter, Kujaku. For some reason, she's extremely interested in Arton too. Gion at least has met Arton, but Kujaku's never so much as seen him. I can't help finding it strange."
Sengoku stroked his beard, thinking it over. After a moment, a wry grin spread across his face.
"Hmm. Gion is getting up in years, right? Maybe she's taken a fancy to him."
Tsuru shot him a glare.
"You think Gion's the type? And if she were lovestruck, what's Kujaku's deal—she's also in love with Arton?"
Faced with Tsuru's glare, Sengoku forced an awkward chuckle.
"Maybe Gion told Kujaku something about Arton that piqued her interest…"
Seeing that Tsuru was about to get annoyed, Sengoku quickly changed the subject.
"Ahem. Anyway, we need to keep a close eye on those three pirate crews—Big Mom, Beasts, and Whitebeard—and track their movements, whether or not they're really pursuing Arton. We can't lose sight of them. Also, the Red-Hair Pirates heading to Elbaf is big news. Elbaf is considered the world's strongest kingdom. We need to figure out Shanks' goal there."
Right then, the Den Den Mushi rang. Sengoku picked it up.
"Hello, Sengoku speaking. …Gion? What's the matter? Did you find Arton?"
Suddenly, Sengoku shot to his feet, eyes wide.
"What did you just say?!"
Tsuru raised her head to study Sengoku's expression and saw that it had grown extremely grim. A moment later, his face twisted in consternation.
"What's wrong, Sengoku? Did something happen with Gion's group?" Tsuru asked, knitting her brow.
"Arton… apparently attacked a World Noble," Sengoku said through gritted teeth, practically forcing the words out from his throat.
...
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