Knowing that Straw Hat Luffy had appeared in the East Blue, Tsuru didn't know what to do, so she went to find Sengoku and report the matter.
The Luffy of today, although not one of the Four Emperors, is still a force that cannot be ignored on the seas, and any movement he makes is bound to draw the Navy's attention.
"He escaped to the East Blue?"
Sengoku, who had just heard the news, was equally shocked.
"Half a month ago, they were still on Fish-Man Island. How did he get there so quickly?"
He knew that Luffy could, in some way, fly.
But even his crew had appeared in Logue Town—that was impossible!
"Will you report this to the higher-ups?" Tsuru asked.
He shook his head and said: "The higher-ups have an unusual fixation with the Straw Hats."
That much was evident in the minimum bounty of 100 million for every member.
Sengoku fell silent for a moment, suddenly thinking of Garp.
"We'll file the report. That's my duty."
The Five Elders soon received the news, and their faces all darkened.
"Those bastards!!!"
"Straw Hat Luffy went to the East Blue? Then the CP5, CP7, and CP8 we dispatched to the New World during this time were wasted?"
"Sengoku is an idiot too! Since he knew Straw Hat was in Logue Town, why didn't he send anyone there? He still needs to wait for instructions?"
"He truly isn't fit to be a Fleet Admiral."
The Five argued for a while before finally deciding to pass the information on to the Holy Knights.
---
New World, a government warship disguised as a merchant vessel.
Figarland hung up the Den Den Mushi with an indifferent look.
At first, he had been stationed at the edge of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Suddenly, word came that Straw Hat Luffy had gone to the Queen of Spring's city.
He immediately set out.
The result? He still wasn't there, yet just two days later, Straw Hat Luffy appeared back in Sabaody.
So, he returned to the Holy Land at once, entered the New World through the Red Port, and prepared for an interception there.
Now, he had been contacted by the Five Elders, who claimed the Straw Hat Crew was in the East Blue?
"What should we do?" one of his subordinates asked in a deep voice.
Figarland calmly picked up a cup of black tea and took a sip:
"We're going to the East Blue."
---
Logue Town, Marine Base.
In the base captain's office.
The newly appointed Marine captain stood in the center, sweating profusely, surrounded by a group of pirates.
Luffy sat in the captain's chair and asked casually:
"Is there any information about Shiki, the Golden Lion?"
"...Golden Lion?"
The captain shook his head with a forced smile.
The man before him was none other than Straw Hat Luffy—he had only ever seen him in newspapers before, but now, faced with the real thing, he didn't even dare to think of resisting.
Luffy thought for a moment before asking:
"My grandpa Garp, was he here?"
"Garp... Mr. Garp arrived in Logue Town two days ago," the colonel answered quickly. "But yesterday, there was a major disturbance on Cozia Island, and Mr. Garp left."
"Cozia Island?" Sanji was surprised.
"What happened?" Usopp asked.
"N-no... nothing."
Sanji lit a cigarette, lost in memories.
He remembered that island.
When he was a child—before he escaped from Germa Kingdom—his father had attempted to conquer the East Blue. Cozia Island was the first place they reached after crossing the Red Line, their first target.
Of course, they failed.
But it was because of that attempt that he successfully escaped Germa with his sister Reiju's help.
Thinking of Reiju, Sanji took a deep breath.
He hadn't seen her in nearly ten years. He felt no nostalgia for that family, but he still cared for his sister.
"What happened on Cozia Island?"
At Luffy's question, the colonel answered without hesitation:
"A group of raging beasts appeared there. After destroying more than a dozen cities, they disappeared."
"Raging beasts?"
Luffy raised his eyebrows:
"The Golden Lion's beast army?"
What kind of beast could destroy over a dozen cities?
He immediately thought of Shiki's beast army—a collection of wild creatures injected with special drugs, granting them power and transforming them into savage monsters.
"Luffy, do you know what this means?" Vivi asked.
"I'm certain it's Shiki's doing."
His simple explanation was enough.
After hearing it, everyone's expressions shifted.
"In other words, the Golden Lion commands that many creatures? Is he planning to use those beasts to destroy the East Blue?" Usopp asked.
"That's bad news. I'm a little worried Baratie might become a target," Sanji muttered.
The captain was puzzled. Shiki?
It seemed that when Mr. Garp left, he had also told him that if Shiki ever came to Logue Town, he should be contacted immediately.
He hadn't thought much of it before, but now... it was different.
"Shiki is back?!" the captain exclaimed.
Luffy ignored him, frowning slightly.
Through his Observation Haki, he sensed something falling from the sky.
Not only him—Zoro, Vivi, Nami, and Uta also noticed it in turn.
Uta looked up at the ceiling:
"Luffy, someone strong is coming!"
"Evacuate the people in this area. This place is about to become a battlefield."
Luffy gave the order, stood up, and led everyone outside.
The captain was stunned, but hurried to obey.
Everyone left the base and looked to the sky.
"What is that? A ship? An island?" Bartolomeo asked blankly.
The thing falling from the sky was neither a ship nor an island. To be precise, it was a ship-island.
Its lower half resembled a small island, while its upper half bore the structures of an ordinary ship—masts, sails, and towers.
"It's the Golden Lion's ship." Luffy recognized the flag at once.
Shyarly's prophecy had been frighteningly accurate.
"It's falling!" Usopp exclaimed, immediately pulling out his slingshot.
"Let me handle this."
Zoro stepped forward calmly, drawing his katanas and placing one in his mouth.
The moment he took his stance, a dark aura surged around his body.
Boom!!
Everyone was stunned, as if Zoro had transformed into a monster.
"Santoryu Ogi: Ichidai Sanzen Daisen Sekai."
Moonwalk!
Zoro leaped into the sky, spinning his swords.
In an instant, the falling ship-island stalled in midair before suddenly shattering apart.
"It's been cut apart!" the Marine captain, who had just run outside, gasped in horror.
The ship-island had been sliced into countless pieces, and the debris rained down toward Logue Town.
"You're making a mess, you idiot!"
Sanji snapped his fingers, flicking the cigarette between them up toward the sky.
Immediately, he spun 360 degrees on the spot, a blazing heat like magma suddenly igniting around his right leg.
Moonwalk!
Flying upward, his kick unleashed a fiery blaze in the air.
"Diable Jambe - Bien Cuit: Grill Shot!"
Boom!
The flames spread wide, obliterating the debris falling over everyone's heads.
After landing, Sanji calmly retrieved the unfinished cigarette.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."