When it came to figuring out what the hell to do with the Straw Hat Pirates, Vice Admirals Momousagi and Chaton had spent the most time racking their brains.
Ever since their first run-in with Ray's group, they'd been digging into the crew's background, conducting extensive investigations behind the scenes.
And the more they looked, the weirder it got.
Because apart from flying a Jolly Roger, the Straw Hat Pirates didn't act like pirates at all.
Sure, Ray had a nasty habit of turning his enemies into paste, but the rest of them? They usually let their opponents live.
And when it came to civilians, the Straw Hats went out of their way to help.
They saved them instead of raiding them.
They didn't steal from ordinary people, they only looted the other pirates instead.
If you ignored the illegal flag on their mast, this crew was basically doing the Marines' job better than the Marines.
They embodied "justice" more than half the people in this room.
Unfortunately... law is law.
Momousagi took a slow sip of her tea, setting the cup down with a clink.
Her expression turn serious.
"Only the six of us are present today," she said, her voice calm.
"So perhaps we can cut the official talk and discuss deeper matters."
She glanced around the table—Sengoku, Garp, Aokiji, Zephyr, and Chaton.
She noted that no one looked ready to object; instead, they all leaned in with keen interest.
This clarified the meeting's true nature.
On paper, they were discussing bounties and threat levels.
Everyone in this room harbored "reformist" leanings.
They were the ones who saw the rot in the World Government and wanted to fix it.
Momousagi continued, lowering her voice slightly.
"I believe that superficially, we should do this and that... give the Celestial Dragons the report they want. But behind the scenes, we'll need certain safeguards. We manage the narrative, like so..."
And just like that, a Marine reformist faction was born right under the World Government's nose.
This quiet meeting would eventually exert a profound influence across the entire world.
Meeting adjourned and notifications were dispatched.
As Marine Headquarters sent out the encrypted telegrams, swarms of News Coos took flight, spreading the new bounties across the globe.
...
A day passed.
Today marked the Straw Hat Pirates' very first day sailing on their new ship, the Thousand Sunny.
Normally, with a cool new ship like this, you'd expect Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper to be running around screaming with joy, exploring every nook and cranny.
But not today.
Instead of playing, everyone was on the grassy deck, training like their lives depended on it.
Ray's departure had lit a fire under them.
The daily routine was brutal.
It started with basic strength training to enhance their body and Haki reserves, followed by specialized regimens for each member.
Luffy was busy stuffing his face between sets.
For him, eating wasn't just a need anymore, it was about boosting his stamina and Haki reserves.
Zoro was swinging his weights, sweat pouring off him.
He had added "ocean-splitting" to his mental visualization.
Never again would he stand by helplessly and watch his comrades get swept away by a tsunami.
Sanji was all over the place.
He divided his time between cooking and hunting—leaping into the air or diving into the sea to catch giant fish.
He was determined to become an all-terrain warrior capable of protecting the ladies in any environment.
Robin and Nami were sparring, focusing on close combat.
They were working specifically on developing Nami's new abilities, trying to figure out how to weaponize the soap.
Chopper and Usopp were huddled together in the garden, collaborating on cultivating new "Demon Star" seeds.
It made sense—medicine and biology went hand in hand, and they were the brains of the operation.
Mostly, though, Usopp was stuck in the crow's nest, manning the telescope with obsessive focus.
During breaks, nobody slacked off.
They all sat down and studied the customized reading materials Ray had left for them.
As for Franky—who was somewhat lagging behind in raw strength—he was playing catch-up.
He began Haki training using the "Haki Manual" Ray provided.
In his free time, he was tinkering in the workshop, developing new weapons for the Sunny and the Mini-Merry.
...
That evening, the crew gathered in the Sunny's ocean-view dining room.
Sanji served the final dish, placing a steaming platter on the table, but his face was serious.
"Though we've got clear objectives," Sanji said, untying his apron, "we've got no idea where to actually find the Golden Lion."
Robin stabbed a piece of tuna sashimi with her fork, looking thoughtful.
"While we're certain he's somewhere in the Grand Line, the ocean is vast. Pinpointing his exact location is nearly impossible without a lead."
Zoro slammed his mug of Water 7 specialty liquor onto the table.
"Luffy," the swordsman grunted, eyeing his captain. "Will splitting up with Buggy really help us find him?"
Luffy swallowed a massive rubber-mouthful of food, crumbs sticking to his face.
He grinned.
"Buggy already told us!" Luffy said confidently. "That Golden Lion dude seems headed for the East Blue!"
Nami stood up, unrolling a map on the table.
"Based on Buggy's intel about Golden Lion's trajectory, if we coordinate properly, our chances aren't bad," she explained, tracing a line with her finger. "From Water 7, we'll head northeast first. Then, after reaching the northern waters, we turn southeast. We'll search this semicircular area."
She tapped another spot on the map. "Buggy is taking the opposite route. We'll rendezvous near Reverse Mountain. If we still can't find Golden Lion by then, we'll need alternatives. Or we just wait for him to resurface."
Finally, Luffy wiped his mouth and cheered, reassuring everyone.
"We're strong! And our luck's always good! We'll manage!"
After dinner, there was no partying.
Training and searching resumed immediately.
...
It was the eighth day since Buggy's departure from Water 7.
Buggy wasn't an idiot.
After deducing that the island-dropping perpetrator was Golden Lion Shiki, he had immediately gathered his crew and sailed toward the East Blue.
En route, he was gathering clues—fallen animal carcasses floating in the water, strange island fragments.
He relayed every scrap of intel to Luffy via Den Den Mushi.
Both crews had postponed their New World plans.
Hunting the Golden Lion was the priority!
But Buggy withheld one dark suspicion from Luffy. He didn't want to panic the kid, but his gut told him something terrible.
Golden Lion likely intended to annihilate the entire East Blue.
Back in the day on Roger's crew, Buggy remembered Shiki well.
"Roger's rival," Buggy muttered to himself. "And a total yandere obsessed with him."
Over dinner in the captain's quarters, Buggy tried to explain this twisted psychology to Alvida, Gin, and the others.
"Listen," Buggy said, gesturing with a fork. "After repeated defeats, Shiki finally acknowledged Roger's superiority. He respected him. But after that... he couldn't accept Roger's failure."
Buggy leaned forward, his eyes serious. "To Shiki, Roger getting captured and dying meant that he was inferior too. If the man he respected lost, what did that make him? His pride couldn't tolerate it."
Taking a long drink of wine, Buggy continued.
"So, when the news of Roger's execution broke, Shiki lost his mind. He single-handedly attacked Marineford. He destroyed half the base before Garp and Sengoku finally beat him down and threw him in Impel Down."
Gin, who was simple-minded and straightforward, looked confused.
"Okay, boss," Gin asked, scratching his head. "But how's this connected to the East Blue?"
Before Buggy could answer, Alvida leaned back in her chair, lazily swirling her drink.
"You have to understand psychos through psycho logic, Gin," Alvida drawled. "He's targeting the East Blue, it's because Pirate King Roger hailed from there."
She looked at Buggy. "So, what's the most twisted revenge you can imagine?"
As Gin pondered that, Buggy supplied the grim answer.
"Slaughter..... or maybe Enslavement."
Buggy's voice dropped to a whisper.
"To Shiki, the fact that Roger came from the 'weakest sea,' the East Blue, was disgraceful. It was an insult to Roger's legacy. In Shiki's twisted mind, the East Blue shouldn't exist."
"He wants to wipe it off the map," Buggy finished. "Because the mighty Roger couldn't afford any blemishes."
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator