"Kuma."
Storm picked up the Den Den Mushi and got straight to the point.
"Have you finally arrived in the East Blue?"
On the other end of the line.
East Blue, Oykot Kingdom.
Kuma stood atop a massive bear paw imprint.
Beside him, Kid and Killer were stretching their limbs, loosening up their muscles.
Like Kuma, both Kid and Killer stood in crater-like depressions shaped like bear paws.
These were the distinctive marks left behind after the "transportation ability" of the [Paw-Paw Fruit] concluded at the destination.
"Kid, Killer, and I have just arrived in the Oykot Kingdom of the East Blue."
Holding the Den Den Mushi, Kuma asked gently,
"What about you, Storm? You should still have some distance left before reaching Alabasta, right?"
...Alabasta?
Storm fell silent for a moment.
Several days earlier.
Storm, Kuma, Kid, and Killer had split into two groups, setting off almost simultaneously from the Sorbet Kingdom in the South Blue.
The former headed to Alabasta in the Grand Line to execute the "Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea Hunting Plan."
The latter group traveled to the East Blue in search of Germa 66, hoping to find a cure for the "Azure Jade Scale" within that technological kingdom.
As it turned out.
Storm had set off first and arrived first.
If Jaya was included, Storm had passed through a total of five islands along the way.
Alabasta, Little Garden, Banaro Island, Skypiea, Jaya...
But it wasn't until today.
That Kuma finally contacted him via Den Den Mushi, saying they had at last reached the East Blue...
Storm felt an inexplicable sense of temporal disconnection.
Was this what it felt like when your teammates couldn't keep up with the pace...?
"I'm currently on Jaya. I'll be heading to Skypiea soon."
Storm offered a brief explanation.
"A lot has happened—it's hard to explain everything right now.
"In short, I've already become one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"...Huh?"
Kuma tilted his head, confusion written across his face.
Hadn't he and Storm set off at the same time?
The "transportation ability" of the [Paw-Paw Fruit] wasn't instantaneous.
Generally speaking, the longer the distance, the more time the transportation would take.
Kuma had traveled from the South Blue to the Oykot Kingdom in the East Blue.
Storm had gone from the South Blue to Alabasta in the Grand Line.
The distances they covered were roughly the same.
In fact, Storm's journey should have been even longer...
By Kuma's calculations, Storm should still be mid-transport right now.
But...
What did "heading to Skypiea soon" mean?
And what did "already become one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea" mean?
Kuma was utterly bewildered.
Had he... somehow skipped through time?
"It's too troublesome to explain all this over the Den Den Mushi. If you have the time, go collect the newspapers from the past few days."
Storm ultimately didn't elaborate further to Kuma.
"Read more, stay informed—then you'll understand what's been going on..."
Hearing Storm's words, Kuma replied earnestly,
"I understand."
"Now that you're in the Oykot Kingdom, have you seen any soldiers from Germa 66?"
Storm asked with concern.
"From what I know, Germa 66's entire army consists of clones created using genetic technology. They're quite easy to identify."
"I haven't spotted any clone soldiers yet."
Kuma raised his head, scanning their surroundings as a faint red glow flashed through his eyes.
"But I can 'hear' that this country is in chaos."
"Germa 66 probably hasn't left the Oykot Kingdom yet."
Germa 66 originated in the North Blue.
Normally, Germa 66 wouldn't leave the North Blue to operate in other seas.
But exceptions exist.
Germa 66 is a mercenary force.
While their overall strength can't compare to an Emperor's crew or the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea,
against ordinary nations, Germa 66's power remains formidable.
Years ago,
Vinsmoke Judge led Germa 66 to simultaneously defeat four North Blue kingdoms, triggering the shocking "Four Nations Slash" incident across the North Blue.
As long as the payment is sufficient,
Germa 66 would have no problem going to the East Blue—they'd even come to the South Blue if paid enough!
About seven years ago,
Germa 66 was hired by a certain faction to cross the Red Line into the East Blue, where they defeated the Kokia Kingdom.
Their current presence in the East Blue simply means another faction has hired them this year.
Such is the nature of a mercenary nation.
"Your team should continue following the previously established plan,"
Storm said slowly.
"If Germa 66 truly can cure Azure Jade Scale, I'll rush over at top speed."
Kuma nodded seriously.
"Understood."
Storm added a few more instructions.
He knew Kuma's personality was... mild-mannered.
So his additional warnings were mainly directed at Kid and Killer.
Storm didn't consider Germa 66 some friendly, benevolent organization.
As the world knew them,
Germa 66 was an "Evil Army"!
When dealing with scoundrels, one must be sufficiently "wicked" themselves to avoid unnecessary complications.
Asking Kid and Killer to play the role of nice guys would be forcing them against their nature.
But having these two play villains?
Did Kid and Killer even need to act?
They'd be performing their true selves!
After briefing Kid and Killer on precautions and reminding them not to neglect their training, Storm finally ended the Den Den Mushi call.
"If Germa 66 really can cure Azure Jade Scale as Vegapunk claims..."
"Then I'll need to visit the East Blue—at minimum, to meet Germa 66's top leadership..."
"After all, Kuma, Kid and Killer are my subordinates. I can't completely wash my hands of this..."
"But if I go to the East Blue..."
Storm buried certain thoughts deep in his heart as he urged the Blue-Eyed White Dragon upward into the sky.
In an instant,
the dragon breached 10,000 meters, reaching the White-White Sea.
Storm circled above Sky Island Jaya on his dragon, quickly spotting Robin's trail.
Guiding the dragon downward, he landed beside Robin.
Robin noticed her captain's arrival and was about to greet him when—
Brrooo— Brrooo—
A Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
"What's going on today? So many calls coming in?"
Storm raised his hand to signal Robin to stay quiet for a moment.
He took out the Den Den Mushi, and as soon as the call connected, an aged voice came through the receiver.
It was one of the Five Elders—Saint Nusjuro.
"White Dragon, I heard about what you did today."
What he did today?
Storm arched an eyebrow.
Was Saint Nusjuro also calling because of Grizly?
"The Marines—"
Storm had intended to explain, but Saint Nusjuro cut him off imperiously, praising him instead.
"You did well!"
"...Huh?"
Due to some lingering preconceptions, Storm couldn't tell whether Saint Nusjuro was genuinely complimenting him or being sarcastic.
"Justice of the Marines? What a joke! They're nothing more than a violent institution under the government's command!"
Saint Nusjuro's words were indeed meant as praise.
"They only need to uphold the government's rule and serve as good dogs for the Celestial Dragons."
Saint Nusjuro didn't detect even a hint of irony in Storm's words—words that mocked both the Marines and the World Government.
He didn't notice anything amiss at all.
Because in the world of the Five Elders, this was simply how the order of the seas functioned.
The Marines only needed to follow orders.
As for the phrase "serve as good dogs for the Celestial Dragons"...
That was even more normal.
What else were the Marines if not the Celestial Dragons' dogs?
Hell, most ordinary people didn't even have the privilege of becoming their dogs!
Saint Nusjuro also didn't care about Storm's personal attitude.
After all, a Marine so "radical" that he slaughtered his way through the Infinite Hell...
A Marine so "radical" that he abandoned the entire system...
As long as he kept cracking down on pirates, what else mattered?
What Marines? What Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea? They were all just the government's lapdogs.
Saint Nusjuro praised Storm at length for today's "beating up a Marine Vice Admiral" incident before swiftly moving on.
Neither the World Government nor Marine Headquarters would hold this against Storm.
And so, a world where only Grizly suffered was achieved...
"White Dragon, have you seen today's newspaper?"
Saint Nusjuro's smile faded as he got down to business.
"The government has publicly announced its invitation for you to become one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"As a Royal Seven Warlord, you can no longer act as radically as before."
"Act radically?"
Storm frowned slightly.
"You mean I can't go after pirates anymore?"
"No, of course not."
Saint Nusjuro clarified.
"I mean you can't keep causing trouble for the other Royal Seven Warlords.
"As government-recognized great pirates, each of the Royal Seven Warlords has their own rights and obligations.
"But one thing is certain—you are all government assets. You can't turn on each other."
"Heh..."
Storm chuckled softly.
"I think I understand what you mean, Elder.
"Don't worry, I won't be as 'radical' as before."
"Good. I knew you were a smart man, White Dragon."
Saint Nusjuro nodded in satisfaction.
"You just made a small mistake earlier. It's only human nature."
"Exactly."
Storm agreed with a nod.
"As long as it remains undiscovered, it's merely a minor mistake."
"You truly are a clever man, White Dragon."
Saint Nusjuro chuckled lightly.
"An incident only qualifies as a 'problem' when it is exposed to the public.
"Continue doing your job well, White Dragon."
Storm hung up the call.
The Five Elders' message was simple.
It wasn't that the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea couldn't fight among themselves.
They just couldn't do so openly.
After all, every one of the Royal Seven Warlords was a carefully selected collaborator by the World Government.
If a Royal Seven Warlord were defeated,
and the news spread far and wide across the seas,
the World Government's prestige would suffer a severe blow.
In such a scenario,
the World Government would have no choice but to abandon the defeated Warlord.
However,
as long as the Warlord's defeat remained unknown, there would be no issue at all.
In fact, there were even times when the World Government would actively help cover up a Warlord's failures...
In short,
some things weigh nothing if they stay off the scales—but once weighed, even a thousand pounds won't be enough.
Storm put away the Den Den Mushi, only to notice Robin staring at him with a peculiar expression.
"What's wrong?"
Robin, recalling the Five Elders' words, couldn't help but think of Ohara. She asked hesitantly,
"So… does something only become a disaster if the public finds out?"
"Of course!"
Storm nodded, then added,
"From the World Government's perspective, that's exactly the case."
"Oh…"
Robin's mood darkened considerably.
"The World Government, the Marine Headquarters… they really do operate that way, don't they?"
"What else?"
Storm walked alongside her and remarked casually,
"Otherwise, what do you think the Marines exist for?
"You don't actually believe they were founded to 'uphold justice' or 'protect civilians,' do you?
"The Marines exist to make people believe civilians are protected."
At this, Robin couldn't help but ask,
"Make 'people' believe… which people? Pirates?"
"Pirates? Where did you get such a naive idea?"
Storm gave her a strange look.
"Pirates obviously know civilians aren't protected by the Marines!
"Otherwise, they wouldn't be pirates in the first place!
"The 'people' I'm referring to are those from the World Government's affiliated nations—more precisely, the 'civilians of those nations.'
"When civilians believe the Marines protect them, they work hard and earn money.
"With the Marines' 'protection,' civilians willingly pay taxes, the affiliated nations can afford the Cele
stial Tribute, and the World Government can function smoothly… I might have said too much."
"Captain, weren't you originally from the Marines?"
Robin asked curiously.
"Is this perspective the reason you left?
"I recall the Five Elders once called you the 'Marines' greatest disgrace.'"
She remembered this being mentioned back in Little Garden when the Five Elders spoke to Sand Crocodile.
"That's part of it."
Storm shrugged, offering no further explanation.
"The Marines? Even a dog wouldn't join!"
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