As soon as Ivan said this, Sanji's face instantly darkened.
This guy was indeed a reliable Marine, but he was also an annoying jerk who made one's teeth itch!
His curly eyebrows twisted into a knot, and veins throbbed on his forehead. He wished he could lift his foot right then and there and kick Ivan's punchable face hard.
He admitted he was weaker than Ivan, but there was no need to say it so bluntly!
This damn guy!
Ivan didn't have Luffy's "Talk no Jutsu." Although Sanji was grateful to Ivan for resolving the situation, he didn't want to spend any extended time with him.
So when Ivan extended the invitation, Sanji rejected it without a second thought.
Sanji took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled the smoke, and said in a deep voice:
"I don't want to hang around with a guy like you. Just wait and see. Sooner or later, I'll find companions stronger than you, and then I'll realize my dream!"
Regarding the matter of inviting Sanji, Ivan actually hadn't held much hope from the beginning.
His target, from start to finish, had only been Nami.
So he waved his hand indifferently, turned around, and walked toward his warship, leaving behind only a sentence that drifted into Sanji's ears with the wind:
"Then you better not become the kind of pirate who kills innocent people indiscriminately. Otherwise, the next time we meet, I'll have to kill you!"
Watching Ivan's blood-soaked figure, Sanji didn't doubt his words for a second.
This guy definitely meant what he said.
But what the hell was "killing innocent people indiscriminately"?
Did that mean as long as he didn't kill innocents, this guy wouldn't attack those pirates?
What about Marines who killed innocents indiscriminately, or even World Government officials?
This puzzled Sanji somewhat, leaving him full of confusion.
Zeff, who was watching everything from the side, took it all in. He sighed heavily and said wistfully:
"Ah, if only there were more Marines like this in the world..."
...
This trip to the Baratie for a luxurious meal cost Ivan a million Beli.
But thanks to the sudden attack by the Krieg Pirates, he had unexpectedly gained a bounty of a full ten million Beli.
Counting this windfall, Ivan's savings broke through to fifty million Beli in one go.
This money was enough to support him going to Water 7 to order a top-tier ship.
After all, truly top-tier ships often required rare materials like the Treasure Tree Adam, which could only be found by chance and whose value could not be measured by money.
But a ship bought with fifty million Beli would already be considered ceiling-level among conventional vessels.
On the sea surface, a small warship cut through the waves, its hull slicing open the azure seawater and creating ripples in its wake.
Flanking it were two large pirate ships, their decks still stained with mottled traces of blood.
The three ships, in a formation of two in front and one behind, broke through the shimmering waves, slowly sailing toward the town of beginnings and endings—Loguetown.
Loguetown was located at the end of the East Blue, right next to Reverse Mountain, the entrance to the Grand Line. It was the last supply station for pirates before entering the Grand Line.
Logically speaking, such a geographical location would attract a massive number of pirates wanting to go to the Grand Line, and the town should be chaotic.
But Loguetown was not chaotic; instead, it was more peaceful than most islands in the East Blue.
The reason for this lay entirely with the two Marine officers stationed in Loguetown: "White Hunter" Smoker and "White Dove" Ivan!
Among them, Captain Smoker was upright and honest, never letting go of any pirate causing trouble.
However, compared to the stronger Captain Smoker, the pirates feared Ensign "White Dove" Ivan even more!
Although Ensign Ivan's title was White Dove, his clothes were often blood-red. Even his Justice coat was dyed with a layer of red that couldn't be washed clean.
Unlike Smoker, who would try to capture pirates with full force upon seeing a pirate flag, Ensign White Dove didn't bother capturing them at all—he killed them all directly!
Because of this brutal style and his handsome face, Ensign White Dove had very high prestige among the civilians, but it was completely different among the pirates.
At the port of Loguetown, a fruit shop owner stood on his tiptoes, looking out at the vast sea, and said worriedly:
"Sigh, Ensign White Dove has been out at sea for half a month. Why hasn't he come back yet?
I heard he clashed with the Arlong Pirates a while ago and got injured. Could something really have happened to him?"
Beside him, an old woman selling snacks glared at him fiercely and scolded grumpily:
"What nonsense are you spouting? Ensign White Dove is such a good person; how could something happen to him? Shut your crow's mouth!"
Just then, the fruit shop owner suddenly rubbed his eyes vigorously and looked at the sea again.
After clearly seeing the outlines of the approaching ships in the distance, his face changed drastically, and he exclaimed:
"Wait, stop arguing about that. Pirate ships are coming!"
"Pirates? What's there to be afraid of? Captain Smoker will catch them all!" The old woman wasn't worried in the slightest.
Past experience told her that in the entire East Blue, apart from those few strongest pirate crews, no pirate crew could run wild in Loguetown.
The fruit shop owner naturally understood this logic, but instead of relaxing, his legs went weak with fear, and he trembled:
"No, it's not ordinary pirates. This time, it's the Krieg Pirates!"
"What? The Krieg Pirates?" The composure on the old woman's face shattered instantly, and she turned pale.
Who didn't know that the Krieg Pirates were the bona fide overlords of the East Blue?
With a full fifty warships and five thousand pirates under their command, such a scale was enough to conquer a small country!
Even if Captain Smoker was strong, with the military force of Loguetown, could they really stop such a massive army?
"Quick, quick! Tell Captain Smoker what's happening here!"
In an instant, the entire port fell into chaos.
...
Ivan was unaware of the chaos caused by his arrival. He was currently still lying on the deck, sunbathing.
Perhaps because Gojo Satoru liked sunbathing, sunbathing for a week on this journey had actually increased his synchronization rate by one percentage point.
This made him quite happy.
Beside him, Tashigi sat on a stool, maintaining the long sword in her hand with sword oil.
That was her beloved sword, Shigure.
Speaking of which, Tashigi really liked famous swords, especially the Great Grade Swords and Supreme Grade Swords.
However, although she liked these swords, Tashigi only wanted to look at them, not use them.
Because in her heart, famous swords could only be used by powerful swordsmen. She was too weak and would only bring shame to the famous swords.
Thinking of this, Ivan said lazily:
"Tashigi, don't maintain that sword. When I'm strong enough in the future, I'll give you a Supreme Grade Sword.
Now, we're almost at Loguetown. Go direct the order."
Tashigi was long used to Ivan making big promises, and she firmly believed Ivan could achieve them.
After all, Officer Ivan had never disappointed her.
"Understood, Officer Ivan!"
Before her voice had faded, Tashigi stood up briskly to direct the Marines for docking.
But she had only taken a few steps when the lookout in the distance suddenly cried out in alarm.
Immediately after, Tashigi's expression changed. She hurriedly turned back and said in a panic:
"Officer Ivan, this is bad! Loguetown is under full martial law. Judging by this formation, it looks like they've been attacked by a large-scale pirate force!"