Chapter 43: Marine Headquarters' Reaction
On the vast sea!
"Lister, next, are we heading straight for the Grand Line..." Nami asked.
"Don't be in a hurry to enter the Grand Line just yet. In the East Blue, I have one more opponent! Only after defeating them can we be the strongest pirate crew in the East Blue," Lister smiled faintly.
"The Krieg Pirates??" Nami immediately reacted.
"That's right. First, we defeat the Krieg Pirates and conquer the East Blue, then we'll advance to the Grand Line!!" Lister smiled.
"Next, we need to find an island with good information to find out the Krieg Pirates' location!"
"An island with good information?? Captain, I know just the place!!" Johnny immediately spoke up.
"Yeah, if it were anything else, I might not know, but I know this all too well, Captain!" Yosaku also said.
"Alright, then which island should we go to?" Lister asked with a smile.
"Mǎjiǎ Island! Ships come and go from there. Not only is trade flourishing, but pirates and bounty hunters also like to go there. The information there is the best! Going there is definitely the right move!" Johnny said.
"Yes, and it's not far from here. A two-day journey at most!" Yosaku said.
"Alright, then we'll go to Mǎjiǎ Island!"
...
At the same time.
Grand Line.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford!
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office door was suddenly knocked.
"Come in!"
Sengoku, who was processing documents, stopped his work, looked up at the door, and spoke.
Soon, a Lieutenant Commander pushed open the door and walked in.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, there's trouble in the East Blue!!"
Sengoku's gaze hardened.
For the arriving Lieutenant Commander to speak in such a tone, what happened was clearly no small matter!
He asked: "What happened?"
"The East Blue 16th Branch Marine Base was breached by pirates. The base commander, Captain Nezumi, his adjutant, Commander Wild Boar, and all the soldiers in the entire base were killed in action!"
Sengoku's face instantly darkened.
"Which pirate crew did it??"
"The Money Pirates!!"
"This pirate crew currently has no bounty, but their strength cannot be underestimated!! Here is their file!" The Lieutenant Commander handed the file to Sengoku.
Sengoku took it and immediately began to read.
This file detailed the Money Pirates' entire history.
Starting from Captain Lister taking over the Blood Hammer Pirates and reforming them into the Money Pirates.
Every major event was recorded.
Such as killing Kuro and absorbing the Black Cat Pirates.
Killing Arlong and destroying the Arlong Pirates.
And, in the file, there was a photo of Lister!
It was the scene of him walking out of the Marine base, the light breeze blowing his cloak.
Although Lister in the photo looked young, the moment Sengoku saw it, four words couldn't help but surface in his mind—Domineering Aura Exposed!!
Give him time.
Sengoku had no doubt he would become a regional hegemon, becoming a presence the Marines would have a headache dealing with.
After having this thought.
Sengoku continued to look through the files on the other members of the Money Pirates.
Indeed, this file, besides Lister, had information on other people in the Money Pirates.
Zoro, Nami, Nojiko, Jango, the Nyanban Brothers, Johnson, and Rocky.
Among them, the information on Zoro, Nojiko, and Nami was very detailed, with photos attached.
They were also secretly photographed at the Marine base.
Although the 16th Branch Marines were completely wiped out.
The photography unit was elusive; no one knew where they hid.
Naturally, it was impossible to find and kill them.
After Sengoku finished reading the entire file, his face was terrifyingly grim!!
He looked up at the Lieutenant Commander and asked: "The strategy department, have they set the bounties??"
"They gave a reference figure! Among them, Captain Lister is set at 30 million, Nojiko, who shot Captain Nezumi, is also set at 30 million, and the Combat General Captain, Roronoa Zoro, is set at 10 million!" the Lieutenant Commander reported.
"That's set too low. This group of people is lawless, daring to slaughter every Marine in the entire 16th Branch. This kind of behavior is a complete disregard for us Marines. If we only give a 30 million bounty, others will think we Marines aren't taking them seriously!" Sengoku said gravely.
"Then, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, what amount do you think is appropriate?" the Lieutenant Commander asked.
"Set Captain Lister at 60 million!"
"The woman who shot Captain Nezumi, Nojiko, give her a 50 million bounty!"
"The Money Pirates' Combat General Captain, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, give him a 20 million bounty!"
"Additionally, 'Cat Burglar' Nami, give her 10 million."
"Hypnotist Jango, 10 million!"
"First Division Captain Johnson and Second Division Captain Rocky, and the Nyanban Brothers, set them all at 5 million."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!!" The Lieutenant Commander recorded it and responded.
"Besides the bounties, does the strategy department have any other arrangements? For pirates like this who dare to attack a Marine base, we can't just issue bounties; we must take the initiative to strike!
We absolutely cannot let them continue to run free. We must resolve this completely as soon as possible!
Make an example of them for all pirates.
Let them know the consequences of attacking a Marine base!
The 16th Branch incident must absolutely never happen again!" Sengoku said gravely.
"Yes!!"
"Besides issuing the bounties, the strategy department has cabled all East Blue branches, demanding that if the Money Pirates' whereabouts are discovered, they must immediately notify other bases.
They are to directly form a combined Marine fleet to completely encircle and annihilate the Money Pirates!" the Lieutenant Commander said.
"Good." Sengoku nodded.
He continued: "But that alone is not enough.
An ambitious pirate like Lister will definitely not be content staying in the East Blue.
He will definitely enter the Grand Line.
Loguetown is the path he must take.
Therefore, later, cable Loguetown again. Tell Smoker that if the Money Pirates reach Loguetown, he *must* capture them.
If he can't, I will hold Smoker accountable!" Sengoku said gravely.
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