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Loguetown, Marine Base.
In Smoker's office.
BOOM!
"Damn it!" Captain Smoker slammed his fist against his desk.
Captain Hina and Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, who had just entered the office, looked over with confusion.
"What's the matter, Smoker?" Seeing her friend troubled, Hina approached with interest.
"Hina, what brings you to Loguetown?" Smoker raised his head, surprised to see her.
"Hina happened to be on a mission nearby and thought she'd visit an old friend." Hina sat down at Smoker's desk and asked, "Let's talk about what happened just now. Who's angered you?"
Smoker took a deep drag from his cigars and exhaled.
"A Marine soldier just reported that his superior, Captain Nezumi, has been colluding with Arlong's pirates in the waters under his jurisdiction. As a result, more than twenty villages have been under pirate rule for years."
Hearing this, Hina raised her eyebrows. "Interesting, but why report this to you? Smoker, your rank is the same as Captain Nezumi's. If I were that Marine, shouldn't I report to someone higher in command?"
Tashigi moved closer, clearly curious about the situation.
"The Marine soldier's voice was trembling," Smoker said solemnly. "If my guess is correct, he was likely under duress. I've already contacted the Marine base under Captain Nezumi's jurisdiction and confirmed he's currently at sea. I've also verified the identity of the Marine who contacted me. He's legitimate."
"So, are you planning to investigate?" Hina asked, looking directly at him. Based on her understanding of Smoker, she knew he would never ignore such a situation.
"I want to investigate, but I'm responsible for Loguetown now and can't leave at will." Smoker looked up at Hina. "Your timing is perfect, Hina. Could you watch over Loguetown for a few days?"
"That wouldn't follow protocol," Hina replied. "Instead, Hina could visit Captain Nezumi herself and look into the situation. A warship could get Hina there in about two days."
"In that case, I appreciate your help," Smoker said with a smile, as if to prevent Hina from changing her mind. He turned to Tashigi and added, "Tashigi, accompany Hina. Report back to me as soon as possible about the situation with Captain Nezumi. The location is Cocoyasi Village."
Looking at Smoker's expression, Hina shook her head. "What a troublesome man. Hina is annoyed."
Meanwhile at Arlong Park
"Thank you," Ikki said, patting the back of the Marine soldier who had just spoken with Smoker. "Your report is commendable. Perhaps the Marines won't punish you too severely. You should be thanking me."
The Marine gave Ikki a forced smile. Thank you so much! Of course, he didn't dare show any dissatisfaction. Ikki had single-handedly defeated all the Marines and pirates present. If Ikki truly became angry, the Marine feared he might be dismembered on the spot.
"Now, drag your colleagues aside," Ikki instructed. "I'll be watching. Don't even think about leaving Arlong Park until the Marines from Loguetown arrive."
After giving these instructions, Ikki looked up at the entrance to Arlong Park.
"Why are you still hiding, Genzo? How long do you plan to stay there?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Genzo's head appeared at the gate of Arlong Park. He first stared in shock at the defeated state of Arlong's pirates, then quickly ran to Ikki's side.
"You... you actually defeated them all?!" Genzo had thought Ikki was joking, but he was also concerned that Ikki might provoke Arlong's crew and bring consequences to Cocoyasi Village. After some hesitation, he had decided to come to Arlong Park alone, but hadn't expected to find both the pirates and Marines already subdued.
Realizing that the Marines had been cooperating with Arlong's crew, Genzo couldn't help but look with disgust at Captain Nezumi, who was being dragged away by Marine soldiers nearby.
"Your name is Genzo, right?" Ikki said. "Regarding my defeat of Arlong's crew, please keep it a secret for now. I told Nami and Nojiko earlier that they should defeat Arlong themselves. I don't want them to know the matter has been resolved, as it would defeat the purpose of training them. If I hadn't caught Arlong committing violence in Cocoyasi Village earlier, I wouldn't have taken direct action."
Hearing this, Genzo looked startled. Then he remembered that when he met Ikki in Cocoyasi Village, Ikki had mentioned helping Nami and Nojiko train.
"I understand!" Genzo nodded emphatically. "Regardless, you're Cocoyasi Village's benefactor. I won't tell anyone what happened here."
Ikki turned to look at Arlong's seemingly unconscious form. "Stop pretending to be asleep, Arlong. I know you're awake."
Although Arlong was still lying on the ground with his eyes closed, Ikki's Observation Haki could clearly sense his aura.
Sure enough, after Ikki spoke, Arlong opened his eyes and pushed himself up from the ground. He first looked at his fallen crew members around him, then turned to Ikki with evident fear.
"Human, what do you intend to do with us?!"