The overall strength of the Black Cat Pirates wasn't very high; their strongest member, Captain Kuro, only had a bounty of 16 million beli, which Yun Lie didn't consider a powerful opponent.
Soon, the Infinite Space docked smoothly alongside the Black Cat Pirates' Bezan Black.
Yun Lie leaped, easily landing on the Bezan Black.
But strangely, the entire pirate ship was silent, with no one in sight.
He frowned and observed carefully, but soon he found traces of pirates having lived on the Bezan Black not long ago.
Several "fresh" wine bottles were still placed by the deck, with some wine remaining inside, and there were also uncleaned food scraps nearby. All these indicated that someone had been active here not long ago.
"Yun Lie, these pirates are too poor!" Nami walked out of the cabin, her face full of disdain, while holding a thin stack of beli, a pitifully small amount.
Yun Lie smiled and didn't say much, after all, the Black Cat Pirates had been missing from the seas for over a year.
Others might not know the situation of the Black Cat Pirates, but he did; Captain Kuro had his own plan.
Without Captain Kuro leading raids for a year, and with the Black Cat Pirates having to hide to avoid detection, it was already impressive that Nami could find even that much beli.
"You guys wait here. Take anything useful, and do whatever you want with the rest."
Yun Lie said with a smile, then pointed to the nearby forest, where wisps of cooking smoke could be seen rising into the air: "If I'm not mistaken, the Black Cat Pirates should be hidden in this forest. I'll go take care of them."
The Space Fruit granted him powerful spatial perception abilities, allowing him to clearly sense the presence of nearby living beings even without Observation Haki.
With that, he flashed, quickly heading towards the forest.
.....
At the same time, a solemn atmosphere permeated the conference room at Marineford.
"Little Tsuru, what do you think of this person?" Sengoku's expression was grave as he pushed a document on the table towards Vice Admiral Tsuru, his voice low and serious.
Vice Admiral Tsuru delicately picked up the document with her slender fingers, her brows slightly furrowed as she meticulously examined it word by word.
After a long moment, she fell into thought, then slowly spoke: "He doesn't fly a pirate flag, he's merciless in striking down pirates, he has a certain fondness for the Marine, and he's suspected to be a Devil Fruit user. Perhaps we can try to recruit him."
She accurately analyzed the contents of the document, her words concise and powerful, every word seemingly well-thought-out.
This document recorded the three people and one monkey on the Infinite Space, as well as Koby, who was silently cleaning the deck nearby.
Yun Lie's actions of exchanging large amounts of bounty at the Naval Base were ultimately like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves and successfully attracting the high attention of Marineford.
On this vast sea, pirate flags held extraordinary significance.
It was not just a flag, but a concretization of pirates' beliefs and dreams, carrying all their pursuits and goals as they sailed across the boundless sea.
It could be said that every pirate who embarked on an adventure would proudly hoist their unique pirate flag, a symbol of their identity and a unique mark they left on this sea.
"Little Tsuru, I also have the intention to recruit him, but this person's strength should not be underestimated. If he truly agrees to join the Marine, I'm afraid ordinary military ranks will not satisfy him."
Sengoku sighed slightly, laying out his concerns.
This was an unavoidable drawback of the Marine system; strict discipline maintained order but also, to some extent, limited the absorption of talent.
To join the Marine, unless there were special circumstances, one had to start from the bottom, regardless of their background.
Even Koby, who was Garp's disciple in the original story and a Marine hero, spent a long time as an ordinary soldier, despite his promotion speed far exceeding that of others.
"Why don't we try it first? Have Smoker pay close attention. Based on their sailing route, Loguetown is a necessary stop for them. We can use this opportunity to find a reason to transfer Smoker back. A Logia Smoke-Smoke Fruit user in the East Blue is truly a waste of talent!"
Sengoku pondered for a long time before finally making a decision. Although he longed to recruit Yun Lie, in his heart, Smoker, who was in Loguetown, was clearly more important.
Smoker, a genius, had been sent by Sengoku to Loguetown to "reflect" for disrespecting a superior some time ago.
In reality, this was also a form of protection from Sengoku. Now, the time was ripe to find a suitable reason to recall him to Marineford for training.
"Sengoku, don't you think there's another point in this document worth noting?" Vice Admiral Tsuru suddenly spoke, interrupting Sengoku's thoughts.
She extended her finger, lightly tapping on the name of Buggy the Clown—the pirate Yun Lie had defeated and exchanged for a bounty—on the document.
"Buggy the Clown, could it be..." Sengoku muttered, and in an instant, his expression drastically changed.
"Indeed, it's Buggy the Clown, the childhood friend of Red-Haired Shanks of the Four Emperors, and an apprentice of the Roger Pirates!" Vice Admiral Tsuru's expression was solemn, with a hint of worry in her tone.
Perhaps others didn't know Buggy the Clown's past, but as a member of the Marine's power core, Vice Admiral Tsuru was privy to these secrets.
Although the Roger Pirates had long disbanded and most of their members had gone into seclusion, the Marine never relaxed their surveillance of them.
The Roger Pirates had always been known for being "sentimental," and Red-Haired Shanks was a prime example.
Back then, simply because someone slandered his crewmate, the Roger Pirates unhesitatingly annihilated that country's military power.
After Red-Haired Shanks formed the Red Hair Pirates and set sail, he publicly declared that no matter the reason, if his crewmates were harmed, he would never let it go.
This extreme pirate ideology was considered the most dangerous existence on the sea.
Once Red-Haired Shanks, an Emperor of the Sea, was enraged, the East Blue would inevitably fall into endless chaos.
The reclusive Roger Pirates crew members also could not be taken lightly; no one could predict when they would make irrational moves.
"Ah ha ha ha, don't worry, Sengoku, Little Tsuru! I'll take care of intercepting Red-Haired Shanks. With me here, they won't even think about stepping foot in the East Blue!"
Just then, Garp, while munching on senbei, burst into hearty laughter, his boisterous laugh instantly breaking the solemn atmosphere of the conference room.
"Garp! I think you're clearly trying to find another excuse to go on vacation in the East Blue!"
Sengoku's eyes widened in fury, veins bulging on his forehead, as he grabbed Garp's collar and roared loudly.
Last time, Garp volunteered to go back to the East Blue to capture Ace, but he didn't catch Ace. Instead, he found various excuses to enjoy a leisurely vacation for over a month!
"No such thing! I'm serious this time. I've wanted to teach that brat Red Hair a lesson for a long time. I swear on my senbei!"
Garp looked a bit embarrassed, but he quickly raised the senbei in his hand, his expression firm and his tone decisive.
Sengoku slowly released his grip, his face full of astonishment.
His old friend, whom he had known for many years, would actually swear on his most beloved senbei? This unusual behavior made him wonder if something was wrong.
"According to intelligence, Red Hair is currently still in the New World, Garp. For now, you will go to the New World to pursue them. I believe you are up to the task."
Sengoku didn't press Garp, but to be safe, he didn't intend to let Garp return to the East Blue to intercept the Red Hair Pirates. Instead, he sent him to the more dangerous New World.
"Don't worry, Sengoku! I'll make sure that Red Hair brat relives his 'beautiful childhood memories,' ha ha ha ha!"
Garp laughed heartily, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.
How dare he corrupt his precious grandson? Red-Haired Shanks must also pay the price this time!