That absolutely cannot happen!
Fortunately, despite the heart-stopping fear, Lotte didn't hear any angry shouts.
Whew~ A weight lifted from his chest.
So the top priority now… was to figure out what exactly happened outside!
Had those idiots gone mad?
Didn't those fools understand that while escorting the Heavenly Tribute was one thing, but now, someone far more valuable than all the Heavenly Tribute collected in the entire North Blue was on this ship?
If they failed to entertain the noble guest properly, forget his promotion and escape from the North Blue!
He might even lose his rank as Rear Admiral!
With this in mind, Lotte hurried towards the ship's deck.
But before Lotte could ask about the reason for the ship's stop, he found almost everyone on deck silent, staring in disbelief at something in the distance.
Lotte frowned.
He subconsciously followed the gaze of those on the ship.
The next moment…
Hiss~!
Even as a Rear Admiral, having experienced all sorts of storms in the North Blue, facing the unforgettable scene before him, Lotte couldn't help but gasp, his heart pounding.
He rubbed his eyes, regaining his composure, and subconsciously cried out, "Wh-what's going on?!"
He saw, ahead of the route to the Grand Line, where the Heavenly Tribute was being escorted, there was a strait that passed close to Red Line…
Once through there, they could leave the North Blue and reach the Grand Line!
The route, should have been that way.
His memory wasn't wrong.
However… at this moment, in front of the warship escorting the Heavenly Tribute, there was… a section of the Red Line as if it had been sliced away by some terrifying blow!
With countless huge red rocks piled up on the sea, firmly blocking the route between the North Blue and the Grand Line…
"No… no way?"
"What happened up ahead?!"
"It was still…"
Staring fixedly at the sea route ahead, a cold sweat trickled down Rear Admiral Lotte's forehead.
Although the blocked route meant his cherished 'noble guest' couldn't leave the North Blue for the time being, the problem was, delaying the delivery of the Heavenly Tribute… not returning to the Grand Line on schedule, would infuriate the noble guest on board.
Forget his ambitions, whether he could keep his rank as Rear Admiral was another matter entirely.
At the same time, looking at the countless red rocks blocking the sea route, even if he immediately sent someone to clear them, the sheer scale of the task meant it couldn't be completed in less than a month…!!
Lotte felt a surge of frustration.
"Wh-what the hell is going on?!"
At this moment, "Re-Rear Admiral Lotte! So-someone ahead!"
A Navy member on the warship, equally shocked, noticed a ship of unknown origin that had appeared ahead, and shouted down.
"Someone?"
Lotte heard this, looking at the countless large red rocks that seemed to have been placed there to block the sea route, his face changed, and he quickly looked towards the sea ahead.
At the same time, his brain raced.
Pirates?
A North Blue mafia family?
Or… the rumored 'Revolutionary Army' madmen?
Whoever they were, had one of them blocked the route from the North Blue to the Grand Line?
Had they gone mad?
Not to mention that blocking the North Blue route in just half a month would require at least a thousand people.
This wasn't an ordinary warship escorting the Heavenly Tribute.
Daring to attack it…
the consequences would be unbearable for the entire North Blue!
Lotte subconsciously scratched his scalp.
Suddenly, as his thoughts raced, Lotte realized.
What appeared ahead on the sea route wasn't a swarm of pirate ships, nor a group of mafia members blinded by greed, nor the main force of the Revolutionary Army scattered throughout the North Blue.
What was blocking the way ahead… was a single ship of unknown origin!
At the same time, Lotte's eyes widened.
What kind of joke was this?
That ship… wasn't a warship, nor a pirate ship.
It was a purely wooden, single-person vessel, 4.6 meters long and 1.4 meters wide…!!
And, standing on it, there was only one… "old man" with gray hair and wearing a pristine white shirt?!
Rear Admiral Lotte was dumbfounded?!
An old man who was about to be swept away by the times.
On the vast sea.
Alone… with a single ship?
What did this mean?
Where were those 'audacious' people?
Various emotions surged in his heart.
Then, Rear Admiral Lotte felt a strong sense of being 'tricked'.
He gritted his teeth.
Just right.
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