And if he remembered correctly, this group of girls seemed to have come from the East Blue as well, yet at least three of their bounties had already surpassed 100 million Berries, and the others all exceeded 60 million Berries.
The strength of this group of girls was even superior to that of the Straw Hat Pirates he had encountered before.
Given the Navy's way of handling things and their nature, it was highly likely they would send strong individuals, not to honestly make the exchange, but to send powerful fighters intending to suppress the crew afterward.
Although Pirates fought among themselves, he had no grudge against this group of girls. Since he could scheme against the Navy he hated—the Navy that all Pirates hated—he naturally had to help.
He immediately agreed, thinking that finally there was some good drama to watch; he was dying of boredom here.
As for whether the Navy would bother him when they arrived, he wasn't worried. Otherwise, how could he have stayed at this crucial geographical location for so many years? The Navy also didn't want to provoke old monsters like them, even the remnants of the Roger Pirates who had lost Roger and Oden.
Therefore, he naturally didn't need to worry that the Navy would trouble those who simply wanted to peacefully live out their later years.
Next, Crocus also chatted briefly with Deya, especially asking her curiously how she managed to arrive so quickly. The incident must have happened before noon today, yet she arrived so fast, considering Loguetown wasn't far from here, and she only had a small wooden boat.
But after learning about Deya's Ability, even Crocus was shocked. No wonder she could arrive here so fast; he never expected it to be the mysterious and powerful Space Ability, nor did he expect such magical things existed on this vast ocean.
Regarding the space gem and the blue-green rainbow stone, Deya naturally explained what she could, though she slightly concealed some details. However, she made sure not to exceed the other party's imagination too much, as that was not what Luna wanted to see, or the seas would be shaken.
A flood of trouble and enemies would follow, which was not what she wanted to see.
Although she was not afraid, her companions had not yet grown strong enough, so she could not do that.
Furthermore, Crocus was a trustworthy person, so what harm was there in telling him a little?
But even with the slight concealment, Crocus was still incredibly shocked, as was Laboon, the island whale nearby.
It must be known that this great whale's intelligence was not low; otherwise, it would not have continuously rammed the Red Line over the years for the sake of the Rumbar Pirates.
After Deya finished talking with them, the sky darkened. She set up a tent and temporarily stayed there.
However, having to sleep in a tent outdoors on her very first day in the Pirate World truly made one want to laugh... Time flew quickly, and soon it was the morning of the new day.
The weather was excellent today, with a bright sun, blue skies, and white clouds.
Since she had nothing else to do, Deya ran straight to the mountainous area of the nearby Red Line to train. She could feel that her physical fitness seemed to have changed since coming to this world, as if she could continuously strengthen her body through exercise. Having rarely done physical training in her previous world, she began to enjoy the feeling of her body growing stronger, so she performed no less than an hour of physical training on the mountain.
At the same time, just like developing a Devil Fruit Ability, Deya was constantly researching and developing the power and application of the strength derived from the space gem.
Crocus and Laboon remained where they were, enjoying their usual normal life.
Originally, everything seemed very calm.
Until suddenly, a warship appeared on the horizon on this side of the Grand Line's sea surface. Whether it was Deya, who was training, or Crocus and Laboon, they immediately spotted them.
"Girl, they've arrived," Crocus shouted loudly, reminding Deya who was on the Red Line mountain.
"I understand," Deya replied, but she still continued to cultivate the power of space there. Her further comprehension and understanding of the Space Ability were also improving.
Of course, she wasn't the only one making progress. The other members of the Pink Hat Pirate Crew were constantly training as they rushed toward this location, and their strength was further increasing.
At the same time, the Navy that had arrived was naturally the contingent led by Tsuru and Akainu.
This time they came to redeem the hostages, but they also genuinely wanted to test the situation here, or even directly suppress Luna and her group.
The entire Navy high command naturally still couldn't believe that Luna could neutralize all attacks. This time, they naturally wanted to test it using Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit Ability. If successful, Akainu's Admiral-level strength would be enough to suppress the Pink Hat Pirate Crew, eliminate this potential threat for the Navy, and reclaim their lost justice and dignity.
However, according to the previous plan, only Staff Officer Tsuru was currently on the deck of the Navy Warships. As for Akainu, he was currently inside the ship's hold. He would only come out after Momousagi and Tokikake were redeemed tomorrow. To avoid alerting the enemy, Akainu could only suppress his anger, gloomily smoking a cigar in a semi-enclosed room.
He had no idea what he would face tomorrow, nor did Staff Officer Tsuru. What they were about to face would greatly shatter their original expectations. Tomorrow, the Navy's justice and dignity would be ruthlessly trampled underfoot.
"Staff Officer Tsuru, the Twin Capes Lighthouse is already visible," a female Marine Soldier immediately said, coming up next to Staff Officer Tsuru, who was gazing into the distance.
"Good, anchor the ship over there," Staff Officer Tsuru said. She also intended to go down the mountain shortly to meet an old friend and rival.
The Navy quickly anchored the warship next to the Twin Capes Lighthouse.
But very quickly, they were stunned by Deya's training, revealing expressions of disbelief and astonishment. All the Marines currently standing on the deck, including Staff Officer Tsuru herself, were equally shocked.
Everyone had the same look of utter shock on their faces.
They watched as Deya first continuously used spatial teleportation to practice precisely reaching every location, controlling the energy, and maintaining a certain frequency and rhythm.
One moment she would disappear, the next she would reappear on that rock.
After a while longer, Deya used her hands and feet to swing or kick out spatial energy blades, instantly slicing down several huge boulders.
Next, Deya successively performed a series of space-based abilities on the Red Line mountain, such as Space Distortion and spatial stasis.
Although the effects were not immediately visible and required some accumulation of time, Deya's strength was indeed increasing.
"A user of space-related abilities?" Staff Officer Tsuru, who had witnessed all of Deya's training, immediately guessed.
She was already this old and had seen too many things and experienced too many battles, so she could naturally tell. Moreover, the Space Ability Deya demonstrated during her training was very obvious; anyone with some knowledge could recognize that it was a Space Ability.
But Staff Officer Tsuru's eyes quickly lit up, and she developed the intention to recruit Deya. She looked no older than 20 and possessed such a mysterious and powerful Space Ability. If properly nurtured, the Navy would gain another Reserve Admiral, or even an Admiral.
She would be perfect to fill the current gap in the Navy, which was lacking young, powerful bloodlines.
But just then, Crocus, watching Staff Officer Tsuru standing on the deck below, naturally saw the intention to recruit in her eyes.
He almost burst out laughing. How could he not laugh? Deya was a member of the Pink Hat Pirate Crew. Given the Navy's identity and the current hostile relationship between the Pink Hat Pirate Crew and the Navy, it was impossible for Deya to join the Navy. Recruit her? Pipe dream, wishful thinking.
But his laugh was naturally heard by Staff Officer Tsuru. Although the Navy no longer wanted to cause trouble with the remaining members of the Roger Pirates who were trying to retire, was simple communication impossible? Ha ha, naturally not.
"Crocus, what are you laughing at?" Staff Officer Tsuru asked, her face devoid of any pleasant expression.
"Heh heh, are you trying to recruit that girl?" Crocus said in a teasing tone.
"I'm recruiting some fresh blood for the Navy, what's wrong with that?" Staff Officer Tsuru said with a cold face, giving him no quarter.
"I don't know much else about that girl, but she seems to be from the West Blue, perhaps a traveler with no affiliation. A few days ago, she encountered a storm, caught a cold, and has been recuperating here for a while. She plans to leave in two days. The girl wants to venture into the Grand Line, but I heard her say before that she already had some Marine blood on her hands when she was in the West Blue." Crocus immediately relayed the story he and Deya had planned to deceive the Navy.
Upon hearing this, Staff Officer Tsuru's expression immediately soured. If the girl had a grudge against the Navy and had Marine blood on her hands, her attitude toward the Navy likely wasn't good. Furthermore, the Navy's prestige had to be maintained. Did she really have to give up?
But after careful consideration, Staff Officer Tsuru was still unwilling to give up the recruitment of this top talent so easily. After all, the Navy truly needed young blood to join. She decided to send someone to investigate the girl's background and confirm whether she really had shed a lot of Marine blood in the West Blue.
After all, if there were no serious adverse records, and she hadn't truly acted against the Navy, they absolutely could not give up recruiting such a top young genius, especially one who showed no signs of having any organizational backing.
Meanwhile, after Deya finished training, felt tired, and returned to the lighthouse covered in sweat, Staff Officer Tsuru politely and proactively went up to greet her, attempting to negotiate with the Little girl and see if she could glean any information beneficial to their side. But the ultimate goal was still to confirm she had no serious adverse records and recruit her into the Navy.
Unfortunately, Staff Officer Tsuru was being deceived. When it came to intelligence, Deya was no less capable than her. Deya accepted Staff Officer Tsuru's proactive attempts to extract information, and quickly managed to gather clues. Combined with the extensive information she had already obtained about the Pirate World, including the Navy's operations.
She quickly deduced how many troops the Navy had brought this time, and what kind of powerful individuals they had brought along.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!